by Bill Turner
Cave Spring relied on a relentless ground game and running back Sam Wright scorched the Martinsville defense, as the Knights defeated the Bulldogs 41-9 Friday night at Dwight Bogle Stadium in the Region IV Division 3 semifinal.
Cave Spring travels to Richlands this Friday in the region final rematch of last year’s 36-23 win by the Blue Tornado.
The Knights faced a Martinsville team they had topped 50-29 in week-two of the regular season, but any advantage the Bulldogs hoped for in the second meeting was dispelled by the Cave Spring defense.
The Knights swarmed every Martinsville offensive effort, holding the Bulldogs to 104 total yards. The lone Bulldog touchdown came in the final minute on a 75-yard fumble return, long after the Knights were deep into their bench and the outcome clearly settled.
Wright was the primary offensive weapon for Cave Spring, picking up 297 yards on the ground on 31 carries, and scoring four touchdowns from 7, 20, 28 and 46 yards. Wright, the all-time career and single-season rushing leader for Cave Spring, now has 33 TDs on the season.
Cave Spring also surprised any Martinsville game plan by bringing back quarterback Reece Kingery, who had been sidelined for the previous two games with a leg injury. Kingery responded with 125 yards in the air on 7-of-12 attempts. The totals included a 16-yard strike to Jon Evans in the second quarter and a 5-yard toss to junior Jack Woody early in the fourth. Jordan Bryant tacked on three PATs for the Knights and hauled in a trick-play 2-point conversion pass from backup QB Tony Simmons.
