Springs Valley Community High School

When the Springs Valley football team hit the field on Friday night to take on North Daviess, it didn't just play football. It put on a show. Ezra Mills kicked things off with a 41-yard touchdown run and from that point the Blackhawks never slowed down. By the end of the night they'd break off five plays for more than 20 yards — including a 41-yard run by quarterback Mavrick Land and a 29-yard double pass that saw Konner Chase hit James Walls to find the endzone — and they were electric defensively with a trio of interceptions, a fumble recovery, seven sacks, and a boatload of tackles for a loss. All of that added up to a 38-6 victory for Springs Valley and an exciting couple of hours for those in the stands and on the sideline. “One of the last things I tell the kids before they take the field on a Friday night is that I love to watch them play when they play with energy and they love one another,” Springs Valley coach Jason Lowe said. “Our kids did that Friday night and it was a blast to be on the sideline to witness it all.” For all the flashy, splash plays the Blackhawks made against North Daviess, the source of their success was actually a blue-collar approach. They went to work in the trenches, manhandling the Cougars for most of the evening. That gave Valley’s backs holes to run through offensively and smothered the Cougars’ offense going the other way. It was the exact formula that Springs Valley wants to use to win games and the latest step in an upward trend for its linemen. “Our team goes as our offensive and defensive lines go. I'm so proud of the work our kids and coaches have put in to get to the product people see on the field on a Friday night,” Lowe said. “Our offensive and defensive linemen are a group of hardworking kids, our coaches take a great deal of pride in trying to make this group as physical and as aggressive as they can, and I can see that work paying off. I’m thrilled about the linemen we have in our program.” Making the win more special is that it came on senior night. Before the game, the Blackhawks celebrated Mills, Jake Hammond, Griffin McGee, Jack Dalton, Ivan Drake, and Cam Hughes and during the game they played for those guys as well. Mills was one of the stars of the night, blazing through the North Daviess defense to the tune of 22 carries for 271 yards and four touchdowns while also making six tackles and deflecting a pass. Hammond quite possibly played his best game of the season, leading Spring Valley’s offensive line from the middle and then turning around to make four tackles and wreak havoc in the North Daviess backfield with a batted pass and three tackles for a loss including two sacks. McGee was excellent as ever, knocking in all five of his point after attempts and closing the first half with a 34-yard field goal. That made him 35-for-38 on PATs and kept him perfect on his six field goal tries this season. Dalton was unable to play due to an injury, but he, Drake, and Hughes filled roles for Springs Valley as well. “As a coach I can't say enough about the show these guys put on. Griff has had an incredible year, Jake had a great game, and Ezra has been a dude all year,” Lowe said. “The thing people don't get to see are young men like Cam Hughes, Jack Dalton and Ivan Drake show up each day and do anything they can to help our team. I'm proud of the performances we got to see Friday night, but I'm also proud of these seniors as a collective group.” If that game was the final one that group will play in French Lick, it was a good one for them to go out on. For years, they’ve played different roles for the program when asked to and now, when it’s finally their chance to lead the way, they’ve taken advantage. “(They’ve done) Anything asked of them. I’ve been around (most of) these seniors for many years and they all deserve whatever success that comes their way,” Lowe said. “I'm thankful that these seniors bought in a year ago when I became head coach. They show up every day and do whatever is asked of them.” Springs Valley (5-4, 2-3 PLAC) will now jump into the postseason headfirst with a matchup against Providence, the No. 11 team in Class 1A in the Week 7 AP poll. The Blackhawks will have to travel to Providence, a trip of more than an hour, but they’re excited about the opportunity they have in front of them to put on another show. “We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing a team as solid as Providence. Coach (Daniel) McDonald does a great job with his team and we feel like we’re playing really good football right now,” Lowe said. “Every coach wants his kids to be playing their best football this time of year. We really like the way our kids are playing right now. Can't wait to watch them perform.” BLACKHAWKS 38, COUGARS 6 North Daviess (5-4);0;0;6;0—6 Springs Valley (5-4);14;10;0;14—38 FIRST QUARTER SV: Ezra Mills 41 run (Griffin McGee kick), 10:22. SV, 7-0. SV: James Walls 29 reception from Konner Chase (McGee kick), 1:29. SV, 14-0. SECOND QUARTER SV: Mills 81 run (McGee kick), 8:36. SV, 21-0. SV: McGee 34 field goal, 0:05. SV, 24-0. THIRD QUARTER ND: Austin Webster 20 reception from Brock Knepp (2-point run failed), 3:51. SV, 24-6. FOURTH QUARTER SV: Mills 10 run (McGee kick), 6:05. SV, 31-6. SV: Mills 9 run (McGee kick), 2:58. SV, 38-6. TEAM STATISTICS ;;North Daviess;Springs Valley First downs;15;8 Rushes-yards;31-57;36-335 Passing yards;137;73 Total yards;194;408 Passes;14-29-3;6-13-1 Fumbles-lost;1-1;1-0 Penalty yards;6-43;10-100 RUSHING North Daviess: Coltyn McNabb 16-74, Austin Webster 3-12, Brock Knepp 12-(-25). Springs Valley: Ezra Mills 22-271, Konner Chase 10-31, Mavrick Land 4-33. PASSING North Daviess: Knepp 14-29-3-137. Springs Valley: Land 5-12-1-44, Chase 1-1-0-29. RECEIVING North Daviess: Webster 7-69, Corey Andrews 3-10, Elliott Park 2-33, Matthew Wagler 2-25. Springs Valley: James Walls 3-42, Chase 2-18, Keaton Pritchett 1-13.