By ERIC FORTUNE

sports@vindy.com

GIRARD

In the past, a constant downpour might have wreaked havoc on the pass-first mentality that has defined Girard football.

But these Indians can run, too.

Girard used 50 rushing attempts to just eight passes and won in the trenches all night to come away with a 14-7 victory over Lakeview in an All-American Conference, National Division game.

“It was critical,” Girard running back Jacob Ryser said. “I want our team to be known for power football and hard-nosed defense. That is what we are about nowadays.

“It’s a great feeling. The only scary part is wearing these slippery gloves. We squeezed it hard and ran the ball well tonight.”

Ryser led the Indians (5-1, 3-0) with 144 yards on 35 carries.

“They won, no question about it,” Lakeview coach Tom Pavlansky said. “They won the line of scrimmage. They won the battle up front and give them credit. Ryser ran the ball really hard. They did a nice job. They were everything we thought they’d be.”

After a scoreless first quarter, the Indians’ Kenny Griffin intercepted a Nick Boldt pass and returned it for an apparent 38-yard touchdown. But a holding penalty nullified the score.

No matter. The Indians marched 33 yards on 10 consecutive running plays with Ryser capping the drive on a 3-yard touchdown to put the Indians up 7-0 early in the second quarter.

After forcing a Girard turnover, the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-1) started their next possession near midfield only to see their drive fizzle with a fumble at the Indians’ 18-yard line on fourth down midway through the second.

Five plays later Girard quarterback Christian Bello hit Kyle Harris for a 43-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 at the 3:56 mark.

“The weather played a big factor in tonight’s game,” Indians coach Pat Pearson said. “We’re a run-first offense, but we’re stating to evolve by throwing the ball around a little more. I think each week, we’re getting better and better. We’re looking to become a balanced offense.”

After both teams exchanged possessions to start the second half, the Bulldogs cut into the deficit when Andrew Grove caught a screen pass from Boldt and took it 73 yards to make it 14-7 midway through the third quarter,

The Bulldogs forced a Girard punt on their next possession only to go three-and-out on their next drive and halt any momentum they might have had.

“They did a great job coming out of the half,” Pearson said. “They saw a weakness in what we were doing. They made a play. They have a lot of explosive kids. We’ve been through a lot of this year.

“We’ve been through a lot of battles and struggles. It’s made us stronger. Honestly, our kids didn’t even blink. This is what it is for us every week. We know that. We like that.”

The Indians sealed the win by getting gutsy after Lakeview’s fourth-down attempt at midfield resulted in a turnover on downs.

“We thought about it,” Pavlansky said. “It’s a tough one. It’s fourth-and-8, we felt we needed to keep the ball. It didn’t work out. It’s a tough one. We thought about punting the ball. That was my decision.”

The Indians converted multiple fourth-down situations to eat up much of the clock in the final quarter.

“It’s huge,” Pearson said. “That last fourth down that sealed the game, I went in the huddle thinking we were going to punt it. The offensive line and the quarterback looked at me and said, ‘W are getting this first down.’ I said, ‘Good, let’s go. I’ll take you guys wherever you want to go.’ ”