Vina ends hard-fought season with playoff loss

Vina senior Joseph Emerson runs it in 23 yards for the score.

By Josh Prewitt for the FCT
The Vina Red Devils had made a lot of buzz around Franklin County the past few weeks after clinching a state playoff berth. It’s been six years since they last competed in the 1A Region 8 playoffs, and it was only their tenth playoff appearance in school history.
It wasn’t going to be easy as No. 4 seed Vina High traveled to Fred Webster Stadium to take on No. 1 seed Berry Wildcats in a round 1 playoff match-up that eventually saw the Red Devils losing 38-14.
Vina started off the game strong on defense getting a three and out stop on the Wildcats’ first possession, but the team couldn’t turn that into any points or get the offense and defense flowing as they had five mis-cues on the game (three turnovers on downs, one fumble lost and one safety), which proved to be a big factor on the outcome of the game, as Berry went into the fourth quarter up 38-0.
The Red Devils wouldn’t give up, getting a pair of rushing touchdowns in the final quarter scoring on runs of 23 yards by senior running back Joseph Emerson and a 50-yard quarterback run by Tyler Renfrow to make the final score 38-14.
“I thought the boys played hard for the whole game and didn’t give up. I was really proud of what they’ve accomplished this year,” Coach Luke Childers said. “We had a great group of seniors who we’re going to really miss. I hope we can build on this year and continue to improve next year.”