Square’s pick seals victory vs. Campbell

By Dan Hiner

dhiner@vindy.com

Poland

The Valley Christian needed one defensive stop to clinch a win in Week 1. That’s when they turned to their quarterback.

Milan Square doesn’t play defense, but he intercepted a pass from with two minutes left to lead Valley Christian to a 14-7 win over Campbell on Saturday.

Campbell attempted a toss pass from running back Nikita Klimis. Klimis attempted a throw down field, but Square jumped in front of the receiver.

“I just bet on myself and I told the coaches to put me in, knowing I’ve been playing for four years and know my responsibilities,” Square said.

The game was a homecoming for Campbell coach Albert “Butch” Jennings.

Jennings is in his first year as the Red Devils’ coach and spent the 2016 season coaching Valley Christian.

Jennings was disappointed with the outcome of the game, but he was pleased with how his former team looked. He said the players have developed into a playoff team and was “impressed them them.”

“When I left Valley, I didn’t leave them boys,” Jennings said. “I told those boys, ‘I gotta move on to the next level of my life. God is calling me to something else right now.’

“They understood that. I told them when I left that I expect to see them grow.”

Campbell (0-1) had a chance to stop Valley Christian (1-0) with 1:05 left, but the Red Devils were called for encroachment on third down. The Eagles accepted the penalty and Square took a knee to run out the clock.

Melvin Neail caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Square in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead.

But Campbell recovered a bad snap in the end zone for its only score. Raysean Hicks fell on the ball after the snap barely made it to punter Kwane Austin, who dropped the ball.

Altwjuan Beck-Lindsey ran for a 9-yard touchdown with 4:20 left in the first half to give the Eagles the lead. Square connected with Neail on a jumpball in the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Beck-Lindsey ran for 91 yards on 21 carries. The Eagles ran for 135 yards on 36 carries, but co-head coach Jeff Hether wants to see more production out of Valley Christian’s running game.

“We have [6 foot 5] wide receivers we can throw to, I know that, but I actually want us to run too so we can have a nice balanced offense,” Hether said.

Valley Christian held Campbell to 62 total yards. Red Devils quarterback Christian Stores threw for 32 yards and ran 19 yards on seven carries.