The vintage Johnny Carson one-liner starts “It was really cold last night, ” to which sidekick Ed McMahon asks “How cold was it?”
Friday night at Jim Hickam Field it was so cold the scoreboard froze up late in the third quarter. And, that was no joke.
In Friday night lights first blanket-bundler of the season Northside overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit with 20 unanswered points as the Vikings pulled away for the 27-13 Blue Ridge District win.
Byrd came into the contest undefeated in Blue Ridge play and looking for a win to set up a season-finale showdown in two weeks against Lord Botetourt. Northside was looking to recover from their overtime loss to Botetourt the previous Friday in Daleville.
The Terriers appeared to be in great shape after some shaky play by the Northside offense in the first half allowed Byrd to take the six point lead to the locker room. Viking quarterback Dominic Dunniville had put Northside up 7-0 on a 35-yard touchdown run for the game’s first score, before Viking turnovers allowed the Terriers to ride a pair of quarterback Zac Hill 3-yard TD scampers for the 13-7 lead.
“The turnovers put us in a bind,” Northside head coach Burt Torrence noted after the game. “We have a lot of pride in our defense and they responded.”
Northside made some halftime adjustments and along with crucial injuries to Byrd’s workhorses Simeon Horstmann and L.J. Williams, took control in the final two quarters. The Vikings went on top 14-13 with 5:58 left in the third quarter after driving the length of the field, with Dunnaville going over from one-yard out. Northside intercepted a Hill pass that led to a Tyler Doyle 4-yard touchdown reception less than four minutes later. The missed 2-point conversion left the Vikings up 20-13.
Memories of Byrd’s late win over Salem earlier this year were rekindled in the fourth when the Terriers threw from a fake punt and appeared to be in business when pass interference was called on the Vikings. But, the effort was negated when Byrd was called for an ineligible player downfield. The Terriers punted the ball on the next play with Northside taking over with 3:41 left. Three plays later Dunnaville settled the decision when he raced 68 yards for the clinching TD.
“We played a good first half,” Terrier head coach Jeff Highfill noted. “The injuries didn’t help. Those guys are our two best blockers, too. Horstmann was just getting back from an injured knee and it happened again. Hopefully, we can get both back.”
“Their injuries were huge. Byrd’s style dictates they need those two,” Torrence added. “This is a big win for us. Every game is important heading into the playoffs so you can get a home game for these fans.”
Both quarterbacks were the rushing leaders for their respective teams. Dunnaville amassed 167 yards on 20 keepers while Hill picked up 112 yards on 26 scampers for Byrd. Northside’s Sam Krizner added 98 yards on the ground for the Vikings.
– Bill Turner