Capitalizing on several Skyhawk errors by turning in timely big plays, the Tigers carried a hard-fought 16-7 win back to Logan County.
After an entire week of preparation and anticipation, this intense Corridor G grid battle, which saw both teams enter the game with 2-0 records, eventually hinged on two huge plays that occurred less than 30 seconds apart midway through the second quarter.
The Tigers snapped a 7-7 deadlock when the Skyhawks misfired on an attempt to punt out of bad field position and ended up yielding a safety.
Less than 30 seconds later, Tiger back David Wiley turned the corner against the Scott defense and raced 44 yards to turn the 9-7 lead, with Todd Terry’s conversion kick, into a 16-7 advantage.
Those two plays and nine points not only represented the final points of the game and the obvious difference on the scoreboard, but also represented a huge momentum swing as the Tigers finished erasing a 7-0 Scott lead with 16 unanswered points.
“That safety and Wiley’s run were big, game-changing plays,” Scott coach Shane Griffith said. “We had really executed our game plan early on, taking a 7-0 lead and limiting Chapmanville’s offensive opportunities.”
The Skyhawks had snared that 7-0 lead by taking advantage of a misfired Tiger punt. After the Tiger punter put a knee down to receive a low snap, the Skyhawks cashed in with a 26-yard scoring drive that featured junior fullback Travis Bender.
Bender rammed into the Tiger defense for runs of six and seven yards to help sustain the drive. Senior Drew Runyan added a key run for seven yards and a first down. Bender capped the short march with a two-yard touchdown run. Matt Berry’s extra point gave Scott a 7-0 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the opening period.
The Tigers answered quickly, with a four-play, 56-yard scoring drive that began during the final seconds of the first quarter.
A 27-yard pass from Josh Easterling to Joey Stephens sparked the Tiger drive, and junior Todd Terry finished the effort with a 20-yard touchdown run. Terry’s extra point evened the score at 7-7 with 11:38 showing on the second-stanza clock.
The longtime rivals then traded punts until Scott’s special teams’ miscue resulted in the momentum-changing safety and touchdown.
The Skyhawk defense, paced by senior linemen Brandon Booth and Ryan Price, thwarted a Tiger scoring threat late in the first half to remain within striking distance. Senior cornerback Shayne Butcher highlighted the defensive stand with a pass interception near the goal line.
After receiving the second-half kickoff, the Skyhawks moved from their own 40-yard stripe deep into Tiger territory. Behind the steady running of Price, Bender and Jordan Green, the Skyhawks garnered two first downs and marched inside the Tigers’ 30.
On a third-and-five play from the Tigers’ 28, Chapmanville defensive back Chris Davis turned in a clutch defensive play when he intercepted a Scott pass at the 5.
The Scott defense then forced a Tiger punt and the Skyhawk offense, paced by the running of Runyan and Bender, moved from midfield to Chapmanville’s 25. A pair of one-yard gains and a five-yard penalty combined to snuff out the threat as Chapmanville took over on downs late in the third period.
After a trio of first downs had pushed the Tigers deep into Scott territory, junior Tyler Thompson kept Skyhawk hopes alive when he stripped the ball from a Tiger back and returned it to the Skyawks’ 33 with 7:10 remaining in the contest.
Sparked by a 24-yard run from Bender, the Scott offense crossed midfield and threatened to slice into the Tiger lead.
Chapmanville’s defense, led by Derek Basadre and Jonathan Casto, then turned in two plays for negative yardage -- an eight-yard loss on a pitch play and a three-yard quarterback sack, as the Tigers clinched the win by taking over on downs with 3:46 left to play.
The Skyhawk defense was led by Butcher (four tackles, three assists and one interception) and Thompson (three tackles, six assists and one fumble recovery) while Jacob Blosser contributed three tackles and five assists.
Bender added seven assists. Bender and Thompson each had one tackle for loss. Price, who earned the Hammer Award during the win over Wyoming East, and fellow seniors Aaron Thompson and Booth were all key contributors on the defensive line.
“Our defense played pretty well,” Griffith said. “Other than those two touchdowns in the second quarter, we actually did a good job against a very diverse offense that featured several weapons. After three games, our defense is right on pace to becoming a unit that will be very hard to score against.”
Offensively, Bender paced the Scott ground game with 89 yards and one touchdown on 17 rushes. Green added 27 yards on 11 carries as a replacement for injured backs Jake Robinson and Cameron Reeves.
Runyan contributed 18 yards on seven runs and Price ran five times for 17 yards. Nevin Honeycutt completed 2-of-5 passes for five yards.
“The injuries in our backfield have forced us to make personnel changes and changes in our packages,” Griffith said. “As a result, after three games we are struggling to find our offensive identity. Our (offensive) line graded out good for this game. We just had problems finishing off four scoring opportunities inside the (Tigers’) 25-yard line. I have to give the Chapmanville defense credit for making some big plays.”
Griffith also praised the play of a trio of Skyhawks – Bender, Booth and Aaron Thompson for their efforts on offense and defense.
The 2-1 Skyhawks will look to rebound Friday evening when they travel to Wyoming County for a Class AA grid clash with the 2-1 Westside Renegades.
Scott will host James Monroe next Friday (Sept. 26) for the 2008 homecoming.
Griffith concluded, “At 2-1 we are exactly where we were after three games last season. That makes this Westside game a very significant contest in our season. Not since the 2002 season have we lost back-to-back regular season games, and I will make sure that our team understands how important it is to rebound from this loss.”
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Griffith regrets that a mix-up prior to the Chapmanville game prevented the Skyhawks’ 2007 playoff team from being honored as planned. He apologizes to the 2007 players and their families for any inconvenience they might have endured.
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