Brayden Shrake powers Martinsville past Mid-State opponent Perry Meridian

Martinsville, Ind — It was no ordinary game for Martinsville Friday in its Mid-State Conference matchup with Perry Meridian, but it didn't have to be.

The typical run-n-gun Artesian offense, manned by one of the state's Top 10 passing yards leaders in Tyler Adkins, only threw 12 total passes, completing eight for 95 yards. Why? Well, it helps when junior running back Brayden Shrake and the ground game is effective. 227 of Martinsville's 320 yards came by way of the rushing attack.

It was Shrake, who ran for 190 of those yards, tacking on two scores, who played the key factor, especially late, in a 27-10 win over Perry Meridian.

More:Coach Willy Spina invigorates Martinsville's boys' soccer program by teaching life lessons

More:Addy Berry seals game as Martinsville uses late effort against county rival Monrovia

"Brayden Shrake was really good tonight," Martinsville coach Brian Dugger said. "It was a really sloppy game both ways. I don't know how many penalties were thrown. We got the run game going, Brayden made some guys miss, had some great runs in the fourth quarter and kind of put the game away."

Turning point

Being gridlocked at a 14-10 score for the entirety of the third quarter, it was Shrake who broke the seal for the Artesians.

After forcing the Falcons to punt while backed up in their own territory, Martinsville was able to set up shop at its own 42-yard line. From there, the Artesians worked their way down field before Shrake ripped a 24-yard score, helping put the team ahead 20-10 with six minutes remaining.

More:Insider: Spotlight shines on area quarterbacks, plus just how high can Martinsville climb?

More:Martinsville uses big second half to topple 5A No. 1 Whiteland: 'We're here'

The junior followed it up with a 22-yard run on the following possession, setting up a 2-yard passing score from Adkins to Hunter Stroud on a sweep play, giving the Artesians a 17-point lead with four minutes left, virtually put the game out of reach.

By the numbers

It was quite the night for the Martinsville defense, holding the Falcons to just 136 yards of offense, and forcing a single turnover. Perry Meridian could get neither the ground game (70 yards) nor the air attack (66 yards) going. It was the first time this season the Artesians have held a team under 200 yards of total offense.

Another notable number is 27. For the third time this season, Martinsville's captured a win using a final tally of 27 points. Moreover, it's the fifth time the team has scored four total touchdowns to win a game, with the other two being 28-14 wins over Bloomington South and Greenwood. The only exception is last week's 35-21 win over Whiteland.

What it means

The win only continues what's been Martinsville's best start since 2018. After Mooresville's loss to Whiteland, the Artesians are in the driver seat and control their own destiny in terms of winning the Mid-State Conference. A win over the Pioneers in the Battle of the M rivalry matchup next week would put Martinsville in firm control.

More:How Martinsville head coach Brian Dugger and QB Tyler Adkins form a lethal 1-2 punch

More:Martinsville chooses Taylor Schubert, Lindsay Pappas to lead boys, girls swim programs

For now, it's all about being 1-0.

"It comes back to being 1-0 every week," Dugger said. "The kids really buy into that. Our coaching staff does a really good job of prepping the kids every week. We focus on who we're playing. We're 6-1 right now, but the reality is we've gone 1-0 six times. That's how our kids view it. We do a good job at respecting the process, focusing on our opponent for the week and not looking ahead."

Looking ahead

The Artesians will take the brief trip up 67 to play the Pioneers next Friday. The game is slated to kick off at 7 p.m.

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.