Both the Northside Vikings and William Byrd Terriers came into Friday night’s matchup at Jim Hickam Field undefeated in Blue Ridge District football.
Thanks to a stout Northside defense and a Will Culicerto Hail-Mary pass from behind midfield in the last minute that bounced just clear of receiver Tevin Reynolds’ hands in the right side of the end zone, Northside escaped with the 10-7 win to remain atop the Blue Ridge.
Reynolds’s effort came oh so close as the pass cleared the Viking defender while Reynold was falling backwards in the end zone. The ball hit Reynolds, bounced upward, then came down just out of reach of his outstretched hands. Byrd couldn’t connect on the remaining downs of the series and Northside ran off the clock in the victory formation.
“That pass play was too close,” Northside head coach Burt Torrence said at midfield afterward of the last-gasp Terrier heave. “Byrd has a quality program and this was a huge game for both, a rivalry game.”
The Northside defense was the deciding factor, holding the Terriers to under 100 yards on the ground, and limiting Byrd sophomore sensation Larry Basham to 32 rushing yards for the game, well below his 200+ yard average per game.
“We knew Basham was an obstacle for us tonight, and our defense did a good job closing his running lanes,” Torrence added. “Our schedule prepared us for this win. In the early part of the season, we try to schedule the best out-of-district opponents we can find in order get us ready for district play.”
The Vikings came out strong Friday night.
After holding Byrd three-and-out on the game’s first possession, Northside struck on their fifth play from scrimmage. Quarterback Josh Hardister hit junior receiver Tra’ Jackson in stride down the middle for a 50-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 Viking lead after Hunter Ashwell’s conversion with 10:04 left in the first quarter.
The Vikings made it 10-0 with 6:25 left in the second quarter on a 20-yard Ashwell field goal after a Northside drive stalled inside the Byrd five-yard line.
Byrd put together an impressive drive after the ensuing kickoff, culminated by Culicerto’s six-yard scamper with 58.7 seconds remaining that cut the Viking lead to 10-7 heading to the expanded halftime break that accommodated Northside’s homecoming.
Neither team would dent the scoreboard in the second half, although the Vikings missed a golden opportunity to get separation late in the third quarter when they fumbled inside the Terrier 5-yatrd line to turn the ball over.
Northside had over twice the total yards on offense compared to Byrd, but the Terrier defense continued to keep the Vikings out of the end zone after the initial 1:56.
“We just needed a couple more plays,” Byrd head coach Jeff Highfill noted after the game. “Other than that drive at the end of the first half, we couldn’t get things going our way on offense. Their defensive line made it hard for us all night.”
Bill Turner