The collective sigh of relief you heard Friday night came from fans of Seymour’s football team, who experienced a rare treat Friday night.

A comfortable victory.

The Owls raced to a commanding 45-0 lead before settling for a 45-14 win against Jennings County.

Seymour, now 5-2 on the season, is off to its best start since 2005, but it hasn’t been easy.

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The Owls’ first three 2018 wins were hard-fought and narrow, each coming by seven or fewer points.

In their win last week against Brownstown Central, the Owls trailed by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter before mounting an inspired comeback.

No nailbiting occurred Friday, however.

Seymour jumped on Jennings County (2-5) early and often after the opening kickoff, generating 19 first downs, 324 yards and 31 points on five first-half possessions.

The Owls also forced three key turnovers, one on special teams and two on defense, that led to points.

“It’s always good to get a quality win,” Seymour head coach Mike Kelly said. “It’s good to see a performance like this after the work the guys have put in. We’re starting to see some confidence. We’re starting to believe. We’re starting to see that we can set new expectations and new goals.”

A 1-yard touchdown run by Brendan Smith capped an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive to start the game.

Cameron James then recovered a Jennings County fumble on the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 9-yard TD run by senior Ezra Barr.

Another Panther turnover, this time an interception by Seymour senior Devin Hill, ended Jennings County’s next drive. Seymour responded with a 13-yard scoring pass from Smith to Ely Henderson, giving the Owls a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

Henderson and Smith connected again in the second quarter, this time a 20-yarder, that bumped the Owls’ lead to 28-0.

Joshua Guevara ended the Owls’ first-half scoring barrage with a 24-yard field goal as the buzzer sounded.

Seymour extended its streak of points-producing possessions in the second half to six straight when Cam Blanton plunged into the end zone from 5 yards out.

The Owls were forced to punt on their seventh possession, but junior linebacker Ethan Corwin quickly cleaned up that mishap by intercepting a Jennings pass at midfield and returning the ball 50 yards untouched for a defensive touchdown.

Corwin’s play boosted Seymour to a 45-point lead.

Jennings found the scoreboard with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, first on a 2-yard run by Brooks Wathen and then on a 6-yard TD pass from Lance Bailey to Logan Forney.

Seymour finished the game with 479 total yards.

Nathan O’Mara led all rushers with 166 yards on a season-low 12 carries.

Smith finished with 106 yards and two TDs on 6-for-11 passing.

For the Panthers, Wathen led with 83 yards on 20 carries.