On Saturday afternoon at Bogle Stadium the Cave Spring Knights and Northside Vikings will meet with a trip to the Group AA Division III state football championship on the line. Who would have predicted that match-up three months ago?
Nevertheless, two of the Valley’s surprise teams will face off in a rematch of an ugly 10-7 Cave Spring victory way back in September. “It’s a great feeling to be where we are,” Knights Head Coach Tim Fulton said. “We’re so proud of the kids – it’s been a rough few years for them up until now.”
It’s probably safe to say that the Knights’ success in 2009 has more than made up for any sufferings of years past. (Before 2009, Cave Spring won only two games in each of the past three seasons.) By defeating Richlands High School 35-21 last Friday night, Cave Spring secured their first regional title since 2005.
However, what is perhaps more surprising than the team’s turnaround is something Fulton revealed after the game: his players expected this. “This group knew they could be special, and that they could achieve several goals, and one of them was winning a region title,” he said.
The Knights (10-2) caught Richlands completely off-guard with their game plan, which featured a heavy dose of quarterback Josh Woodrum running the football, something the junior quarterback hasn’t done all season.
“It was our plan all along to run Josh as much as possible,” Fulton said. “We knew that would present problems for them because no one’s seen us do that yet this year.”
In previous games, Woodrum, who has been dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder for most of the season, was told to stay in the pocket and throw the ball away when necessary to prevent further injury. Now that the shoulder has healed, Woodrum was unleashed, to the tune of just over 200 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also completed 16 passes for over 140 yards and another score.
Cave Spring’s opponent is another unlikely contender. After knocking off Liberty High School 26-14, the Vikings secured a spot in the state semifinals for the first time in 29 years.
Against the Minutemen, Northside (10-2) followed the usual script – a dominant running game supplemented by a stout defense. The Vikings racked up over 250 yards on the ground, and held Liberty’s triple-I formation offense to only four first downs.
For the Vikings to advance to the state title game, they will have to continue to dominate the line of scrimmage, something Fulton is concerned about.
“We’ll have to withstand their line,” he said. “They’re just massive.”
Turnovers will also play a big role. The two teams combined for eight in their September 11th contest. But Fulton doesn’t expect such futility on offense this time around.
“I think both offenses have improved dramatically,” he said. “So much so that I think there will be a lot more stress on both defenses this time around.” Kickoff on Saturday is set for 1:30 p.m. Prediction: Northside 24, Cave Spring 21
Note: Cave Spring running back / linebacker Michael Cole, who missed the Richlands game with back spasms, is scheduled to play on Saturday.
