VALDOSTA –– An offensive surge from Jacurri Brown and near shutout by the Concrete Curtain thrusted the Lowndes Vikings past Champagnat Catholic (Fla.) on Friday night.

The Vikings (2-0) defeated the Lions (1-1) 44-14 on homecoming at LHS to gain their second victory of the season. 

For the third consecutive week, the Viking defense stood tall and allowed the offense breathing room. 

Josh Brown had an interception to halt the Lions momentum in the opening quarter and linebacker Jalon Baker scored twice on two pick-six plays. Thomas Davis and the Viking’s defensive front menaced the Lions offense all night. 

The two Champagnat touchdowns came from carelessness by the Vikings. 

The first touchdown was the result of a scoop-and-score after a fumble near midfield with 2:16 remaining in the first quarter. It was the only turnover from the Vikings offense. 

Champagnat scored their first, and only, offensive touchdown after Malik Rutherford was allowed to run free on a poorly covered route with 5:33 remaining in the game.

The Concrete Curtain held the high-powered offense of the Lions scoreless for 33:43 of game time. 

“With the exception of a couple of plays tonight we were pretty solid,” defensive coordinator Byron Slack said. “It was really good there early on to stay the course. Even though it was tight, we had a bunch of three-and-outs. That’s what we hang our hat on. Getting off the field so it’s a good thing.” 

The praise didn’t stop with Slack. Head coach Randy McPherson took note of the energy and intensity of the Vikings as well after the game. 

“Defense played lights out,” McPherson said. “Played hard. Played the whole game hard.” 

With the defense providing the cushion, it was on the offense to score the points to put the contest out of reach. 

Enter Jacurri Brown. 

Brown used his legs to pressure the Champagnat defense and made an impact from the Viking’s opening drive. Brown was forced out of the pocket and sprinted towards the end zone, stepping out before making it across the plane. 

That play was just “tone setter” for the sophomore quarterback. 

“Yeah that set the tone, it really did,” Brown said on his opening run. “After that happened it just set the tone. We just had to go in there and do it.”

On many of the Viking’s drives, handoffs weren’t gaining adequate yardage. Brown began to use his legs to heavily influence the game. He’d break through the first and second level of Lions and accelerate to outrun the Champagnat secondary. 

The first Viking touchdown came from a Brown run but two blocks made by receiver Dominique Marshall opened the lane needed for the score. 

Brown finished the night with 178 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. 

With Brown and the offense cruising, the Viking’s defense still remained tenacious. 

After a wrongful penalty backed them into the red zone, the Vikings denied the Lions on a seven-play goal line stand. They repeatedly denied Lion ball carriers and forced a turnover-on-downs to preserve the rout. 

The secondary was attentive and the Lions could never take the top off of the game. At halftime they removed quarterback Ryle Aguila until an injury forced him to re-enter the game. 

Still, the Vikings kept the dynamic offense at a lethargic pace. 

“I just enjoyed being out there with my brothers,” Josh Brown said after the game. “Like I said the other day, we just watched film on them. Broke everything down and our coaches did a good job of getting us prepared for it. I think we handled it well tonight.” 

Now, the Vikings will open 7A play against Parkview next week. 

The Panthers are the biggest test of this young season. They were ranked No. 37 in the nation by High School Football America. They currently sit as the No. 3 team in 7A standings and tout one of the top running backs in the state. 

It won’t take long for the Vikings to flip the switch and begin preparations for the Panthers. 

“I’m flipping it right now,” Slack said. “They’re going to be a great challenge and our kids are excited for it. I’m excited for them. We’re going to accept it with everything we’ve got. We have a good plan of what coach (McPherson) puts together for us. The kids follow it, they followed it tonight. If we can do that next week (pauses) we’re going to see when they blow the whistle.” 

The Vikings and Panthers will play next Friday at 8 p.m. at Martin Stadium.