Something had to give. In a rematch of last year’s Group AA Division-3 state semifinal, the Vikings and Knights, both 2-0, battled to a 14-14 halftime standoff before Northside took control in the second half to pull away for the 37-21 win at Jim Hickam Field last Friday night.
After a scoreless first quarter, Northside appeared to be gaining the upper hand as the Vikings scored twice to take a 14-0 lead.
Cave Spring quarterback Josh Woodrum scored on a 3-yard run to cut the Viking lead to 14-6 , and when Cave Spring forced Northside to punt late in the first half, Virginia Tech-bound Michael Cole fielded the kick and raced 65 yards for the touchdown. Woodrum’s run on the 2-point conversion was good and the teams headed to the locker room knotted at 14.
Cave Spring looked ready to put Northside on their heels with their opening drive of the third quarter. But, on fourth and one at the Northside 24, Woodrum, out of a pass formation, tried a quarterback draw and was stopped short. Northside took over and, with all the momentum, scored the next 17 points in the quarter. The big blows were a 63-yard pass from Viking QB Adam Hardister to Sam Edmonds and a Hardister 29-yard toss to Tyler Fisher.
Cave Spring cut the lead to 10 when running back Sam Wright scored from one yard out with just over 11 minutes left. But, Hardister and Edmonds hooked up for 42-yards on the next Viking possession and Northside held on for the win.
By Bill Turner [email protected]