Week-2 of high school football left an unusual alignment among our local “Big-11” teams.
Four squads remain undefeated, four are still looking for their first win of the season, and three check in with a 1-1 record.
William Byrd, Patrick Henry, North Cross and Lord Botetourt are all still toeing a perfect mark. Things get more challenging in week-three to determine which can keep the momentum rolling.
Here’s a look at last week’s results that saw Salem have an early bye after their opening loss to Amherst County.
William Byrd- 35 Hidden Valley-25
You couldn’t blame Byrd running back Larry Basham if he petitioned to have all remaining Terrier games moved to Dwight Bogle Stadium in Southwest Roanoke County. Basham ran for 5 touchdowns Friday night, matching his performance a week earlier at Bogle against Cave Spring. The junior rushed for 257 yards against they Titans, just short of the yardage he racked up against Cave Spring. Byrd, at 2-0, now travels to Salem this Friday night where Terrier head coach Jeff Highfill was a standout for Andrew Lewis in the late 60s.
William Fleming- 10 Franklin County-7
The Colonels got a 28-yard field goal from placekicker Mark Randolph midway through the fourth quarter, and the boot proved to be the difference as Fleming picked up its first win of the season in Rocky Mount. Franklin County closed the gap to 10-7 with just over five minutes left in the game, but the Colonel defense rose to the occasion to preserve the victory. Fleming now travels to cross-city rival Patrick Henry this Friday night where they will battle the undefeated Patriots for the Noel C. Taylor trophy.
Patrick Henry- 31 Jefferson Forest-28
PH remained undefeated on the season by outlasting tough Jefferson Forest at the Cavalier’s home field in Forest. PH led 28-21 at halftime went up 31-21 on a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter. Jefferson Forest closed to 31-28 late in the third frame, and neither team was able to crack the scoreboard in the final 12 minutes. The win avenged a 40-35 loss to JF last year at PH Stadium. The Patriots await William Fleming this Friday night for Roanoke City bragging rights.
Pulaski County- 28 Cave Spring-14
For the second straight week Cave Spring found itself deadlocked at the halftime break, only to see its opponent do all the scoring the rest of the way. The Knights and Cougars were tied 14-14 at the Cougar Den after two quarters, but undefeated Pulaski scored a touchdown in each of the final two quarters while blanking Cave Spring. Cave Spring running back Zach Bowling led the Knights with 166 rushing yards on 22 carries. Cave Spring entertains Glenvar this Friday night at Bogle Stadium.
Roanoke Catholic- 83 Massanutten Military-6
The fireworks were blazing Friday night along Route 11 in Woodstock,Va in the northern Shenandoah Valley. Unfortunately for home standing Massanutten Military, it was Roanoke Catholic that was providing all the artillery. The Celtics bolted out to a 35-0 lead after one quarter, led 49-0 at the break and had a 76-0 advantage in the fourth before Massanutten finally put up six points on the scoreboard. Catholic evened its record at 1-1 after their week-1 loss to North Cross.
North Cross- 50 Virginia Episcopal School-0
The Raiders jumped out a 22-0 lead after one quarter, and North Cross never looked back in the shutout victory over the Bishops at Salem High School’s on-campus Spartan Stadium. Playing the first of two early-season “home’ night games at the Salem field to circumvent the lack of lights at North Cross, the Raiders avoided the typical leg cramps suffered from Saturday afternoon contests at Thomas Field in 90 degree weather. North Cross improved to 2-0 on the season.
Glenvar- 21 James River-14
Glenvar spotted James River an early 14-0 lead, then scored the game’s last three touchdowns to improve to 1-1 on the season. The Highlanders still trailed 14-13 with just over 9 minutes left in the game when running back Jack Leornard took it in from 12 yards out. A two-point conversion gave Glenvar the 7-point advantage they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Lord Botetourt- 31 Spotswood-21
Botetourt broke away from a 21-13 halftime lead with 10 unanswered third quarter points, and it proved to be enough as the Cavaliers stayed unbeaten at 2-0. Ty Maust was the workhorse for the Lord Botetourt offense, gaining 157 yards on 30 carries that included a pair of touchdowns. Botetourt hits the road for the first time this Friday night when the Cavaliers travel to Bassett.
Heritage- 40 Northside-7
Former Northside head coach Burt Torrence returned to his old digs as an assistant at Heritage High. Torrence must have known which buttons to push against the Vikings as Heritage pulled away in the second half. Heritage led 13-7 at the halftime break before scoring 27 in the second half, 19 of those in the fourth quarter. The highlight for the Vikings was quarterback Jabari Blake, who was 16-of-26 through the air for 165 yards. Northside looks for its first win this Friday, when they entertain 0-2 Hidden Valley.
Bill Turner
