Run the ball. Protect it. Play hard on defense.
It’s a simple formula, but it’s one that’s starting to change the way Walton-Verona looks this season.
The Bearcats improved to 3-1 Friday night with a 29-0 win over Harrison County in Cynthiana, putting together another strong performance on the ground while holding the Thorobreds to just 54 total yards.
Walton-Verona rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while its defense recorded a safety, two interceptions, two fumbles forced and a fumble recovery.
And it’s not just working against teams their own size.
Last week, Walton-Verona defeated Boone County, a Class 5A school, 25-8 after rushing for 285 yards and four touchdowns. The Bearcats also held the Rebels to just over 200 total yards and did not turn the ball over.
A week later, they put together another dominant defensive performance against Class 4A Harrison County.
“We’re building this program the right way,” Walton-Verona head coach Gary Pence said. “My first two years we basically had a .500 team and were average. It’s year three now and we’re showing where we are as a program. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing a bigger school or not. There’s a certain brand of football we’re going to play. Run it, protect it, and get after it on defense.”
The Bearcats have also built plenty of depth into that rushing attack.
Six Walton-Verona players recorded a carry Friday night, with each finishing with double-digit rushing yards. Junior Andrew Lynn led the way with 18 carries for 103 yards, followed by Cooper Burch with 60 yards, Alexander Yutze with 19, Wesly Simpson with 18, quarterback Braxton Parr with 12 and Eli Manning with 10.
“We have like a three or four-headed type of monster where going into this week we had 500 yards rushing over the last two weeks,” Pence said. “When one guy gets tired we got someone else that could do just as well and we keep it running. It’s nice because you can control the clock, it wears down the other team and then when you have a defense playing well, you just force your will on them.”
The Bearcats’ approach showed itself early.
Lynn opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Parr then gave Walton-Verona another way to attack in the second quarter, connecting with Simpson on a 4-yard touchdown pass.
“I’m very excited about Braxton,” Pence said. “He’s only a sophomore. He’s a very smart quarterback with a good arm, and he’s only going to keep getting better. He’s someone I can fully trust. I know we can call a play and he’s going to usually get us in the right situations.”
Yutze added another rushing touchdown before halftime, giving the Bearcats a 21-0 advantage at the break.
The second half brought more of the same from Walton-Verona’s defense, which continued to keep Harrison County from finding any offensive rhythm. Burch added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and the defense capped the night with a safety to complete the 29-0 shutout.
Walton-Verona starts district play next week at home against Bracken County at 7 p.m.
WALTON-VERONA 29, HARRISON COUNTY 0
WALTON-VERONA — 6-15-0-8 — 29
HARRISON COUNTY— 0-0-0-0 — 0
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(WV) Lynn 3-yard run (7:46) run failed
2nd Quarter
(WV) Parr 4-yard pass to Simpson (10:14) Parr pass to Burch
(WV) A. Yutze 7-yard run (4:47) C. Engel kick
4th Quarter
(WV) Burch 2-yard run (11:55) kick blocked
(WV) J. Yutze safety (7:04)
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Walton-Verona 56 (Parr 7/16), Harrison County 76 (Curry 7/13, Custard 1/1, King 1/1)
Rushing Yards: Walton-Verona 222 (Lynn 18-103, Burch 10-60, A. Yutze 4-19, Simpson 2-18, Parr 4-12, Manning 3-10), Harrison County -22 (Sumpter 11-20, Jones 1-7, Gaunce 2-0, Curry 8-(minus)49)
Receiving: Walton-Verona (Simpson 4-31, Swanson 1-15, Lynn 1-7, Burch 1-3), Harrison County (Custard 3-25, Reynolds 1-21, Barnett 1-15, Gaunce 3-15, Sumpter 1-0)
Turnovers: Walton-Verona 2, Harrison County 3
Penalties: Walton-Verona 5-50, Harrison County 3-25
Records: Walton-Verona 3-1, Harrison County 0-5
