By Matt Wilson

For the FCT

The Vina Red Devils dropped a 1A Region 8 matchup on the road to Decatur Heritage Christian Academy in Decatur Sept. 18 with a score of 43-18.

The loss moves Vina to 1-1 in the region and 1-3 overall on the season. Decatur Heritage sits on top of the region with a 3-0 record and 3-1 overall.

Vina started the game playing solid defense and stopping Decatur Heritage drives deep inside their own territory. Halfway through the first quarter, the Eagles marched down to the Vina 2 yard line where they were stonewalled by the Red Devil defense.

But the story of the night began when Vina took over possession six feet in front of their goal line and dropped in the endzone for a safety.

Later in the quarter, Decatur Heritage extended their lead 9-0 after Patrick Metzgar rushed for a 12-yard touchdown. Two drives later and the Eagles scored again making it 16-0 at the end of the first quarter when quarterback Grayson Wakefield hooked up for an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dakota Hunter.

The second quarter saw Wakefield toss another touchdown pass, this time for 24 yards, and the Eagles also tallied a defensive touchdown on a 35-yard fumble recovery.

But Vina got on the board just before halftime when quarterback Tanner Miller hit Tyler Renfrow for a 75-yard touchdown pass, the longest scoring play for Vina this season.

Whatever momentum Vina had gained after their touchdown was quickly wiped away as Decatur Heritage scored twice more before the break, pushing their lead to 43-6 after two quarters.

The Red Devils shutout the Eagles in the second half and that can be chalked up to a few different reasons depending on who you ask, but Vina tacked on 12 more points before the finish.

After a scoreless third quarter, Vina’s Andrew Upton scored on a 2-yard run to cap off a sustained drive by the Red Devils to open the fourth quarter. And with two minutes left in the game Upton scored again, this time from five yards out.

Vina outscored the Eagles 12-0 in the second half, but the damage had already been done and Decatur Heritage got the win in the Thursday night matchup.