In terms of recent history, the 60th meeting between Valdosta and Lowndes in the Winnersville Classic was more of the same.

The Vikings led 21-0 at halftime and that score held the remainder of the night.

For the Vikings, it was a case of flexing their muscle as the top team in the city right now. For the Wildcats, it was a painful reminder that this 2021 season is every bit of a rebuilding year as expected.

Let’s kick some extra points.

1) Another goose egg

For the third time in the last five meetings, Lowndes pitched a shutout against their cross-town rivals.

The Vikings, having allowed an uncharacteristic 34.25 points per game prior to Winnersville, were well-prepared for Valdosta’s offense. The book on Valdosta this year is to try to neutralize the run – which is easier said than done – and make them throw over the top. For one half, the Vikings kept the running game quiet enough for them to get the ball back and put points on the board. By forcing the ‘Cats to have to throw from behind, they found a way to preserve the lead.

“With them running the ball and all they can do is run the ball and they’re trying to play catch-up behind us, I mean, you’re not going to break a run 50 yards every play,” Lowndes quarterback Jacurri Brown said. “You can’t use the run as your Hail Mary, especially with a younger guy; a smaller quarterback that’s in there with a lot of bullets flying around him. This was probably his first Winnersville ever, playing in front of a sold out Martin Stadium. Kudos to the fans, kudos to everybody, especially the defense with that fourth-down stand. That’s just great, keeping the goose egg and coming out of here with a win. This win is on defense.”

2) Immortalized

With last Friday’s win, Jacurri Brown became the first Lowndes quarterback to win four Winnersville Classics – four consecutive at that.

Brown also broke another record with his rushing touchdown late in the second quarter. The play set a new career rushing touchdowns record as it was Brown’s 47th rushing touchdown, breaking former Lowndes running back Travis Tisdale’s previous mark of 46.

With five games to go for the Vikings this season, Brown will certainly create more distance for himself in the record books.

3) A curious case for the ‘Cats

Before last Friday’s game, if anyone told me Valdosta wouldn’t find the end zone once against Lowndes, I would’ve laughed in their face.

After all, Valdosta put up 42 points in a loss to Colquitt Sept. 10. The ‘Cats dominated with their running game to the tune of 265 yards and five rushing touchdowns, which allowed them to take a few shots over the top with mixed results.

As I mentioned earlier, Lowndes made sure the running game never really found its rhythm. At least until the second half, that is. Valdosta showed how potent their running game could be as they drove on the Lowndes defense twice in impressive fashion. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t find the end zone as one drive stalled and the other ended in a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter.

At that point in the game, it was still early enough in the fourth to get a foothold to some momentum. It may not have changed the outcome, but it would’ve gone a long way for the team’s confidence.

“I think if we score right there, it puts them at a disadvantage,” Valdosta head coach Shelton Felton said. “Now we’re playing with momentum and maybe it triggers the goal. But right there, we’ve got to punch that in.”

4) Sending the house

The final score doesn’t indicate how well Valdosta played on defense. Sure, they gave up 21 points, but none were scored after halftime.

The ‘Cats were aggressive on defense, especially in the second half. They pressured Brown and got to him on a few occasions, they turned the Vikings over on downs twice in the red zone and got a Charlie Porter interception in the end zone.

“Offensively, heck, we looked good in the first half,” DuBose said. “We were smooth and playing fast. Second half, (Valdosta) went after us and all-out blitzed us. I thought their secondary was really good. I thought their secondary was better than I gave them credit for coming in. I was really impressed with some guys on the back end.”

If Valdosta’s offense finds the end zone with the way its defense played in the second half, the game likely takes on a different shape.

“We played great on defense, but we made some mistakes and then, I’m not gonna lie, 11 (Brown) made some plays,” Felton said. “That’s who he is. There’s a reason he’s a Power Five quarterback. We just adjusted, man. We kept it simple and we blitzed them. We made some plays, they made some plays. They just made more than we did, but I’m proud of my defense.”

With pass rushers like Eric Brantley and others, sending more to hound opposing quarterbacks may be beneficial. When asked if he’ll consider bringing the house more the rest of the season, Felton said he wants to do more of that once his team gets a little healthier on that side of the ball.

“I feel like it’s something we want to do going forward,” Felton said. “It’s tough letting our guys play coverage. Right now, we’re kind of banged up. We want to play to our strengths. We want to force people’s hand and be more aggressive on defense.”

5) Chase Belcher, MVP

Lowndes senior playmaker Chase Belcher scored two of the team’s three touchdowns against Valdosta. Overall, he finished with 14 carries for 98 yards – earning Most Valuable Player honors.

Belcher is the unquestioned X-factor in the Lowndes offense. He’s a threat between the tackles and an even bigger one out wide at receiver. His dynamic skill set is one reason why the Vikings are confident they can make a run back to the state championship game in 7A.

“Chase is just an extremely great football player,” DuBose said. “He was hot tonight running the ball. He had a lot of individual runs where he popped outside. I know he had a touchdown run down there, I don’t know how many tackles he broke and I don’t know how he got outside but he did an outstanding job. Chase has been big for this program for three years and I know the two years I’ve been here, he’s been a mainstay and he’ll continue to be that.”

6) Turning the page

Lowndes hosts Alcovy (1-2) this Friday, then Cedar Grove Oct. 8 before they open region play against Tift County.

Valdosta hosts Tift County this Friday, before facing Westside (Fla.) Oct. 8. The ‘Cats open region play at Northside Oct. 15.

“I told the guys in the locker room, you’ve got 24 hours,” Felton said. “The ‘woe is me’ lasts 24 hours and we’ve got to pick our head up and keep playing because we’re playing a good Tift team (Friday). They’re coming in and they don’t feel sorry for us, which they shouldn’t. We’ve got to get our head up because at the end of the day, we’ve still got a game to play. We’re gonna show up and play.”

Shane Thomas is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.