VINEMONT — Somewhere in Vinemont, John Michael Dye is still running free.

The only thing that could stop the Eagles’ talented tailback on Friday was the end zone, where Dye visited six times in a statement 45-20 triumph that finally released Hanceville’s four-year stranglehold over the county and region series.

Dye churned out 262 rushing yards on just 12 carries and averaged just fewer than 40 yards on his sextet of scoring scampers. He broke free for six points from 60 yards out on the game’s first play from scrimmage and went on to add touchdown totes of 20, 42, 50, 4 and 62 yards.

Dye’s start to the 2014 campaign has been pretty special. Through three games, he’s piled on 662 rushing yards and nine TDs.

Think the junior’s keeping all the acclaim to himself? Of course not.

“My line,” Dye said. “They get me there, so they get all the credit.”

The starters on that offensive line were Jaythan Blanton, Adam Milwood, Mason Lindsey, Hunter Rusk and Kyle Weems. Those five, along with trusty tight ends Blake Melton and Nick Jarrett, created holes fit for a moving truck all night long. And move did Dye and Vinemont’s potent ground game, racking up an eye-popping 454 yards on only 36 snaps, all runs.

Garrett Boland grabbed the bulk of his 93 yards on an early 79-yard sprint to the end zone. Bo Wright bolted for 66 yards.

And then there was Dye, who went full beast mode with 185 yards and four touchdowns on his first six carries alone. Coach Alan Scott couldn’t remember watching such a remarkable performance since Ty Jones, the county’s all-time leader in rushing yardage and touchdowns for a season, last suited up for Vinemont in 2012.

“I’m just tickled for him,” Scott said of Dye. “Those linemen blew the holes open, and he evidently got in them and ran. These guys get out there, and they work their tails off.”

Lindsey had no lack of motivation on the line. As a senior, he’d never experienced the sweet taste of victory against Hanceville. Not only had the Dawgs won the last four meetings by nearly 27 points a game, but Lindsey vividly remembered them downing the Eagles 56-8 in the county championship during his middle school days.

“Beating them 45-20, that’s something to hang your hat on,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

Colby Nicholas changed the momentum in the first quarter with an interception in Vinemont territory. The sophomore also made an impact late, absolutely popping a Hanceville receiver to break up a potential pass.

Other than a slight lull out of halftime, which the Eagles entered with an overwhelming 38-6 cushion, Vinemont executed on both sides of the ball for all four quarters. That had been a concern the Friday prior, when the Red and White closed out a commanding 45-26 win over Danville with sloppy play in the third and fourth quarters.

“Last week, we had that mentality in the first half to go out and kill ’em,” Lindsey said. “We kind of lost that mentality in the second half. So this week, we focused on killin’ it.”

Hanceville appeared poised to make it a ballgame after quickly falling behind. The Bulldogs responded to Dye’s opening touchdown with a six-play, 62-yard scoring possession that Dant’e Reese capped off with a 17-yard scurry for six points.

Reese accounted for 62 rushing yards on that drive and finished the evening with 106 and two touchdowns. The latter score was a 2-yarder in the third quarter. The senior, a receiver-turned-tailback, has cracked triple digits on the ground in all three of Hanceville’s games.

Alex Armstrong ended the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run midway through the final frame. The Purple and Gold senior had 36 of his 50 rushing yards on the drive. Austin Coker had all 23 of his on the possession.

Branen Hurst was 10-of-21 passing for 85 yards and an interception before an injury forced Hayden Loggins to take over behind center. Jose Orozco had a team-high seven catches for 63 yards, while Reese pulled in three receptions for 24 yards.

After losing only twice in 2013, the Bulldogs have dropped their first three games and are 0-2 in the Class 3A, Region 5 standings. It’s still a bit too early to panic, but a fourth-straight playoff bid could be out of the question if Hanceville, which hosts 2A Addison next Friday, doesn’t eventually find answers.

And soon.

“We’ve got people in the right place. We’re just not getting play out of them,” coach Danny Miller said. “We’re going to have to do something to get peoples’ attention. I’m not sure what that is. We’ve just got to get better effort than what we’re getting.”

Vinemont, on the other hand, is trending upward. The Eagles improved to 2-1 and 1-0 in region play with a crucial clash at Winfield looming next Friday.

Scott was content for the Eagles to celebrate finally getting over the Hanceville hump. There’s no way the coach or his players want Vinemont to ultimately look back at the accomplishment as its biggest highlight of the fall, though.

“It can’t be,” Scott said. “This is a step.”

Lindsey agreed.

“We want to keep going farther,” he said.