McARTHUR -- As if the thick fog and injuries weren't tough enough to overcome, a two and a half hour rain delay did the Rock Hill Redmen in.

After getting off to a good start, Rock Hill (1-1) lost to the Vinton County Vikings 25-14 on the road Friday in what Coach Bob McCollister said was a memorable game, but not for good reasons.

"It was the most unusual football game I have ever coached in my life," he said. "It was a strange game. We had to warm up three times. Then the injuries started adding up."

Still scoreless with 8:37 remaining in the first quarter, the game was halted because of lightning. It resumed nearly three hours later but was halted

briefly two more times.

When play resumed, Rock Hill finished off their opening drive with a 1-yard James Russell touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead.

Vinton County (2-0) failed to answer, so Rock Hill's offense got a chance to add to its lead. Roger Joseph's 23-yard touchdown run put the Redmen up 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close.

"We dominated the first quarter. We scored on our first two possessions," McCollister said.

"We mixed in the pass and run nicely. Then they began to click."

Even though Rock Hill came back and looked strong after play resumed, McCollister said the delay hurt the team.

"I think it sapped the emotion from us. We played flat," he said. "Not that we are making excuses. Vinton County beat us."

In the second quarter Vinton started to gain the momentum. Quarterback Chris Bethel got the Vikings moving and capped the drive with a 36-yard strike to Chris Neal making the score 14-6.

Vinton's second score was setup on a fumble by the Rock Hill punting team. With a short field, Curtis Moore powered in from 2 yards out to pull Vinton within two points at the half.

Rock Hill could not sustain any drives after halftime. Two drives in the second and third quarters were brought to a halt by key penalties, McCollister said.

The second half became all Vinton County as they reeled off 13 unanswered points. Bethel had touchdown runs of 30 and 13 yards to put the game out of reach.

"In the second half, we just couldn't get the stops to get the ball back," McCollister said. "We had a makeshift offensive line and then the fog hit. It killed our passing game."

The schedule will not get easier next week as the Redmen stay on the road for the third straight week as they face old rival Oak Hill. They come home the following two weeks but face Div. IV state runner-up Portsmouth West and TVC favorite Wellston in successive games.

Rock Hill14000--14

Vinton County0 1267--25

First Quarter

RH -- James Russell 1 run (Kenny Elswick kick) 8:10

RH -- Roger Joseph 23 run (Kenny Elswick kick) 2:09

Second Quarter

VC -- Chris Neal 36 pass from Chris Bethel (kick failed) 10:51

VC -- Curtis Moore 2 run (pass failed) 2:56

Third Quarter

VC -- Chris Bethel 30 run (pass failed) 1:36

Fourth Quarter

VC -- Chris Bethel 13 run (pass failed) 1:29

First downs:RH13, VC14

Rushes-yards:RH39-157, VC45-298

Passing yards:RH47, VC76

Total yards:RH204, VC374

Cmp-Att-Int:RH4-11-0, VC4-7-0

Punts-average:RH3-36, VC1-48

Fumbles-lost:RH1-1, VC2-1

Penalties-yards: RH5-20, VC6-55

Individual Leaders

RUSHING- Vinton County: Wes Harkins 11-115, Chris Bethel 12-69, Curtis Moore 12-56. Rock Hill: James Russell 32-126, Roger Joseph 1-13, Dan Mullins 1-15.

PASSING-Vinton County: Chris Bethel 4-7-0 76. Rock Hill: Steven Daily 5-11-0 47.

RECEIVING- Vinton County: Chris Neal 2-60, Wes Harkins 1-10, Greg Powell 1-6. Rock Hill: Donald Cade 2-28, Dan Mullins 2-15, Roger Joseph 1-4.