The Mathews High School varsity football team kept pace Friday night with the undefeated Northumberland Indians through nearly three quarters of play, before the Northern Neck foes blew the doors off the game, winning 64-12.

The Devils and Indians battled fiercely from the opening whistle and, with 7:11 left in the third quarter, Mathews trailed by only two points, 14-12. At that point, “they made a few plays that really opened up the game,” MHS head coach C.J. Kelly said.

Jovan Johnson provided all the scoring for Mathews on touchdown runs of 80 yards and two yards.

“We have seen what we can do against a very good team,” Kelly said. “We have to finish the game from opening kickoff to the last whistle.”

With the loss, Mathews falls to 1-3 on the season. The Devils will look to get back in the winning column on Friday for the team’s season opener against Rappahannock, starting at 7 p.m. The game will also serve as this year’s Mathews R...