Cave Spring ended several years of frustrating losses last Friday night as the Knights scored 21 first quarter points and never looked back in a dominating River Ridge opening win at Dwight Bogle Stadium. After last year’s 42-0 loss, the Knight seniors were looking for revenge and Tim Fulton’s talented squad made Salem pay.
Cave Spring’s Ryan Gerhardt took the opening kickoff 49 yards and, two plays later, Cave Spring was on the board via a Josh Woodrum to Michael Cole 27-yard pass. Later in the first the two would again connect from 14 yards out to extend the lead to 14-0. After a Spartan fumble turned the ball over moments later, Woodrum went to the air on a 21-yard hookup with senior Austin Micklem as the Knight offense was clicking on all cylinders.
Woodrum kept Salem off-balance all evening. When the Liberty University-bound quarterback wasn’t throwing the ball all over the field to his multitude of receivers, tenacious running back Sam Wright was punishing the Spartans on his way to 95-yards on 21 carries.
Cave Spring extended its lead to 28-0 on an Adam Anderson 33-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter before Salem finally got on the scoreboard on an Adam McGarrell to Clint Peregoy 25-yard toss. Any hopes of a Salem comeback were dashed when Wright plunged in from the one to put the game away. The swarming Cave Spring defense harassed Salem all night, forcing five Spartan turnovers.
By Bill Turner [email protected]
