Cave Spring running back James Jackson dove into the end zone from one-yard out with 19.7 seconds left in the game, as Cave Spring defeated Blacksburg 21-14 on homecoming last Friday night at Dwight Bogle Stadium. The Knights dodged several bullets down the stretch to stay in the River Ridge District mix with two games remaining.
Cave Spring started their game-winning drive with under 3 1/2 minutes left from their own 20-yard line and the score knotted at 14. Knight quarterback Connor Baker promptly moved Cave Spring to the Blacksburg 35 in under a minute, and when faced with fourth-and-four, the key play of the game unfolded.
Knight’s Head Coach Tim Fulton called a time out to ponder his team’s options of punting or going for the first down, with the risk of better field position for Blacksburg and their ever-dangerous field goal kicker, Carson Wise, clearly being considered.
Cave Spring lined up to run a play, but Blacksburg handed out the perfect homecoming gift when they jumped offsides after a series of Baker checks at the line.
Given new life with the first down, Cave Spring moved inside the Bruin five, where they milked the clock until Jackson’s third stab at the goal line hit paydirt.
The Knights game-winning drive came after several untimely penalties had ambushed Cave Spring in the second half and a potential scoring strike to wide-open Bruin receiver Aiden Ball had slipped through the senior’s hands, forcing a fourth-down Blacksburg punt.
Cave Spring had taken a 14-7 lead to the locker room at halftime after Baker hit wide receiver Jack Woody for a 44-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 13-yard strike to senior Jordan Bryant in the final minute of the second quarter.
Blacksburg had tallied on a 2-yard Daniel Hanks run early in the second frame.
Things turned physical in the scoreless third quarter before Blacksburg would tie the game at 14 on quarterback Kaleb Bohrnstedt’s 8-yard keeper in the fourth. That set the stage for the final heroics that sent the boisterous homecoming crowd onto the field to celebrate Cave Spring’s second River Ridge win in as many weeks.
Baker fueled the Cave Spring attack with 213 passing yards on 15-of-23 efficiency. Woody brought in seven tosses for 118 yards and Jackson picked up 65-yards on the ground on 19 hard-fought carries.
by Bill Turner
