Behind a balanced offensive attack and a couple of timely turnovers, the Delaware Hayes Pacers remained undefeated on the season with a 38-31 win over county-rival Big Walnut on Friday in Delaware.

Hayes quarterback Jake Lowman threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Josh Russell rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries to lead Hayes to the victory. Austin Koslow tallied seven catches for 164 yards and was on the receiving end of both of Lowman’s touchdown passes.

In total, Hayes wracked up 450 yards of offense —261 yards passing and 189 rushing — in a dominant showing for which the Big Walnut defense simply never found an answer.

Big Walnut running back Nate Severs was once again spectacular in the loss, rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Jake Nier added 129 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Hayes opened up the scoring in a hurry on the opening possession of the game. Just three plays into the drive, Lowman connected with Koslow for 12 yards on third down, and Koslow outran the Big Walnut secondary the rest of the way for a 76-yard strike and an early 7-0 lead.

Looking to answer the early blow, Big Walnut needed only five plays to level the score. A pair of carries by Severs totaling 47 yards set them up deep in Hayes territory. Nier capped off the drive two plays later with a 19-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

Lowman was intercepted by Big Walnut’s Brody Hatfield at the 1-yard line on the ensuing drive, thwarting a prime scoring opportunity for Hayes and keeping the score tied.

Once backed up to its own goal line, Big Walnut cashed in on the Hatfield interception with Nier’s second rushing touchdown of the half, this time from 17 yards out. The touchdown finished off a 10-play, 99-yard drive that also included a 54-yard Severs touchdown run being wiped off the board due to a personal foul penalty.

The Big Walnut lead was shortlived, however, as Hayes once again engineered an immediate answer to draw even. Following a clutch completion from Lowman to Koslow on third and 13, Russell’s 14-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter finished the eight-play drive to tie the game at 14-14.

After forcing the first punt of the game by either team, Hayes pushed ahead late in the first half on the second touchdown connection between Lowman and Koslow. Lowman evaded pressure before scrambling left and throwing across his body to Koslow, who had found a soft spot in coverage in the back of the end zone.

The 7-yard touchdown sent Hayes into halftime with a 21-14 lead on the strength of a 298-yard offensive performance. Lowman completed 10 of his 14 first-half attempts for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and Koslow tallied six catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

Nier and Severs combined for 175 rushing yards on 18 carries to lead Big Walnut, which attempted just two passes in the half.

Big Walnut opened the second half in style after receiving the opening kick, going 79 yards on 11 plays to quickly tie the game. Severs’ 8-yard scamper completed the drive, and the two teams were level at 21-21 midway through the third quarter.

A 43-yard field goal from Ryan Elliot pushed Big Walnut back into the lead later in the quarter, but several more lead changes were in store for both teams before the final whistle.

After taking over at its own 23 late in the third quarter, the Hayes offense put together a physical, eight-play touchdown drive to immediately recapture the lead. The final four plays of the drive were all designed runs, highlighted by Gavin Brinkmoeller’s 24-yard touchdown run in which he ran through a tackle attempt from Big Walnut’s Aidan West at the 10 before breezing into the end zone.

Hayes took a 28-24 lead to the final quarter, but it didn’t last long as Big Walnut responded with a physical touchdown drive of its own to reclaim the lead.

Nier opened the drive with a 23-yard run to get Big Walnut rolling, but the drive was on the verge of stalling when Severs was met in the backfield by Hayes’ Logan Frye on third down to force a fourth down conversion attempt at the Hayes 39. The attempt was successful, and three plays later, Severs was racing into the end zone from 26 yards out to give Big Walnut a 31-28 lead with 8:40 remaining in the game.

But as it did so many times throughout the game, the Hayes offense once again put together a critical drive to seize momentum.

Lowman found Koslow for 10 yards on a crucial third down to extend the drive, and Russell paid off the drive five plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. The extra point was good, and Hayes had taken a 35-31 lead over Big Walnut with 4:37 remaining.

With the game on the line, disaster struck for Big Walnut on the ensuing drive after a botched exchange between Nier and Severs led to a fumble. Hayes’ Connor Dutton pounced on the loose ball, sending the Pacers to the brink of victory.

The Hayes offense was unable to put the game away following the fumble, settling for a field goal to extend the lead to 38-31 but sending the ball back to Big Walnut for one more chance to tie the game.

Another crucial turnover quickly ended Big Walnut’s hopes of a late equalizer, however, as Nier was stripped of the ball near midfield. Justin Matthews recovered the loose ball for Hayes, sending the offense back onto the field to salt away the final 2:40 on the clock.

With no timeouts remaining for Big Walnut, Russell’s first-down run put the game away for good as Hayes entered the victory formation. Lowman took a knee to run out the remaining seconds, and the elated Hayes sidelined spilled onto the field in celebration.

Following the game, second-year Hayes head coach Ryan Montgomery reflected on the gritty win and what it means for a program that continues to see its stock rise.

“It’s what we started building last year,” he said. “I remember talking to you last year when we were walking off the field in Sunbury, and I said we were really close. The guys were believing in the locker room, the community was believing, and you could see that transition into year two.

“We were good on special teams, we executed on offense, and we turned the ball over on defense. And that’s what we needed to get the job done against a really good Big Walnut team.”

With the loss, Big Walnut dropped to 1-3 on the season under first-year head coach Curtis Crager. After the game, Crager said his team staying together despite a tough start to the season will mean everything for its chances of turning things around.

“The kids are giving good effort,” he said. “We’re just making too many mistakes at critical times. We’re young in some areas, and we just have to grow up. It’s either the defense or the offense, and we just need to put a whole game together. The biggest thing is that those young men stay together and keep fighting for one another because everyone is going to start talking and this and that. But I’m proud of the kids and their effort. We just have to start executing better.”

Hayes will look to extend its winning streak next week when it travels to take on Westerville North in a matchup of unbeatens. Big Walnut aims to get back on track with a home game against Westerville South (2-2).

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.