The IAHS Indian football squad carried their perfect 5-0 record into Ecru last Friday night to take on the North Pontotoc Vikings, who also sported an unblemished 5-0 mark.

The game was the first Division 1-4A matchup of the season for each team. It was the Vikings' first division game since moving up to class 4A from 3A.

The Indians quickly sent the welcome message on behalf of 1-4A to the Vikings by forcing a punt on North Pontotoc's first possession, after a big stop by Parrish Huddleston for a two yard loss, and a quarterback sack by Josh Eason for minus-5 yards.

The offense needed just 5 plays to cover 72 yards and reach the endzone.

Quarterback Maikhail Miller hooked up with Devonta Jackson on the second play of the drive for a 17-yard gain to get the ball to midfield.

Two plays later, tailback Deshawn McGaughy took a toss around the left side and barreled over three Viking defenders on his way to the endzone for a 44-yard touchdown run. Glynn Brown nailed the extra point to give the Indians an early 7-0 lead.

North Pontotoc had a good kick return to get the ball to the Indian 35, but a sack by Matt Harris put the Vikings in an obvious passing situation with a 4th and 10. Safety Austin Shumpert dropped into zone coverage and read a Viking pass perfectly, intercepting and returning the ball 28 yards to the IAHS 37.

On the third play of the possession, Miller darted a screen pass to Asian Ruff, who then juked the Viking defensive back out of his cleats and jetted to the North Pontotoc 7 yard line before being wrestled down.

After a McGaughy run for 5 yards, Miller called his own number and bowled into the endzone on a 2-yard sneak. Brown was spot-on again for a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Vikings once again were able to move the ball into Indian territory, but a big hit after a pass completion jarred the ball loose and Shumpert was in the right spot again to recover the fumble and give the ball back to the IAHS offense with good field position.

Miller connected with Ashton Shumpert for a 29-yard pass reception and was immediately followed by a 21-yard rush by McGaughy to take the ball to the North Pontotoc 40.

Miller scrambled for 12 yards and another Indian first down at the Viking 28, but the offense stalled a bit. Shumpert picked up a yard on the ground, and an incomplete pass brought on a 3rd and 9. Miller found a wide open Bronson Smith, who shook one defender and advanced 13 yards for a first down at the Viking 14. McGaughy then had a carry for five yards, and followed it up with a 9-yard blast for a touchdown on the next play. Brown's extra point sailed wide right, leaving the score at 20-0.

A quarterback sack by Nick Stegall helped cause a punting situation after three plays, seeming like IAHS would get great field position again. The snap was muffed by the punter, and he tried to scamper for first down yardage but was drilled by Kevin Marks at the Viking 34 to give the ball back to the Indian offense.

Miller hooked up with Jimmy Ruff for a big 21-yard gain, but two consecutive flags and three consecutive incomplete passes brought up a 4th and 32 from the Viking 35.

The situation and field position was too far for a field goal attempt, but too short for a punt, and Coach Jamie Mitchell decided to leave his offense on the field. Miller was under heavy pressure and fired a pass off his back foot intended for Asian Ruff, but it fell incomplete, turning the ball over to North Pontotoc.

The Vikings were promptly forced to punt back to the Indians, and IAHS put together a 77-yard drive that consisted of 12 plays. The chains were moved mostly by way of air mail from Miller, where he distributed 5 pass completions to 5 different receivers.

Dillon Mitchell, Asian and Jimmy Ruff, Smith and Jackson all had receptions on the drive, with Jackson's 20-yard catch capping it off with a touchdown.

The Indians opted to go for a two-point conversion to make up for the missed kick, and Ashton Shumpert took an option pitch from Miller to get past the goal line untouched to make the score 28-0, just before the second quarter came to a close.

After the half, the Indians didn't hesitate to light up the scoreboard again. After receiving the kick and Miller hitting Mitchell for a 36-yard pickup, Miller threw a strike to Jackson on a fly route down the middle of the field for a 44-yard touchdown. Brown's extra point gave the Indians a 35-0 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Coach Mitchell decided to sit his starters for the remainder of the game to give the JV guys some more valuable experience. Neither team was able to move the ball, exchanging punts until the Vikings were able to find the endzone on an 8-yard quarterback designed run with 5:25 left in the game. The 35-7 mark is what stood until the final buzzer sounded.

The win put the Indians at 6-0 overall on the season, but more importantly, 1-0 in division play. The results from the first week of division 1-4A play were Shannon defeated Tishomingo County 29-0, Pontotoc defeated New Albany 31-14, and IAHS beating North Pontotoc 35-7.

IAHS will host the New Albany Bulldogs, who suffered the heart-breaking loss to Pontotoc last week, for homecoming this Friday night.

The Bulldogs held a 14-3 lead at halftime during their homecoming game last week, until the Warriors roared back in the second half to score 28 unanswered points and claim the victory.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m., and all homecoming festivities will take place at halftime. Everyoneis encouraged to come out and support the Indians as they continue their quest for the 2009 Division 1-4A crown.