Cave Spring was looking for a game plan that would hold back the explosive Spartan offense.
Things were going the Knights way until the final moments of the first half.
Then, the dam broke.
Scoring 21 points in a span of 1:08 that ended the opening half and started the second, Salem put on the afterburners to romp its way from an early 7-2 nail biter to a convincing 49-5 blowout.
“Cave Spring was prepared to start,” Salem head coach Stephen Magenbauer noted after the game. “They came with a few things we hadn’t seen. We just had to settle down. We knew we had the play-making ability and needed to let our the seniors play their game.”
Although Salem scored on a 33-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Coulling to Isaiah Parker to lead 7-0 after the first quarter, the Spartans found themselves in a dog fight when a bad punt snap sailed out of the end zone that closed the Cave Spring deficit to 7-2.
The scored stayed at the five-point margin until 53 seconds remained in the half when the scoring draught burst.
Parker hauled in a 15-yard pass to make it 14-2 Salem after a Kyle Reighard point-after.
Cave Spring took the subsequent kickoff and appeared to be satisfied with running out the clock until Knight quarterback Alex Emery got loose for a 63-yard run that set up a Tyler Garner 37-yard field goal that got Cave Spring to within 14-5.
Salem responded when Coulling hit Coleman Fox on a 65-yard bomb that sent the teams to the halftime break with Salem suddenly holding a 21-5 advantage.
Cave Spring saw its upset bid evaporate on the second half kickoff when Spartan Davonta Womack caught the ball at the 10-yard line before racing 90 yards to the end zone for a 28-5 Salem lead.
After the stunned Knights were stopped on their next possession, Salem followed with a 8-yard touchdown run by Alex Ramsey with 8:29 left in the third.
Cave Spring fumbled on its next offensive series and a Coulling-to-Parker 62-yard strike made it 42-5, sending the clock to continuous running mode with 2:42 still left in the third.
The Knights had their best chance for a touchdown midway through the fourth when they drove to the Salem 4-yard line. But, on the first-down play, Emery fumbled near the goal line on a quarterback keeper and Salem recovered. Shortly thereafter, Donte Clayborne scored on a 62-yard touchdown run that secured the final margin.
“We came out flat after the big win last week (over Northside), Coulling, who has college offers from VMI and Davidson, noted after the win. “The momentum swing at the end of the first half was perfect timing. The defense played great in the second half.”
“This is a game that we’ll burn the tape, “Cave Spring head coach Tim Fulton said matter-of-factly after the setback. “We won’t talk about it at all. They executed well and whipped our tails.”
Salem heads into its midseason off week at 5-0, while Cave Spring ( 3-2) looks to regroup this Friday against Christiansburg.
Bill Turner
