Bluefield, now 7-4 and headed for a second round showdown with the 10-1 Wayne Pioneers, built up a 26-7 first period lead and never looked back. The Skyhawks, bumped from postseason play by the Beavers for the second straight season, saw their season end at 7-4.
Utilizing quick receivers Levi Beckett and Marcus Patterson, Beaver QB Will Cole directed a 65-yard scoring drive during the game’s first two minutes. A 16-yard pass play to back Jake Lilly shoved the Beaver offense inside the Scott five yard line, and Lilly capped the early drive with a three-yard TD run. Levi Beckett booted the Beavers into a 7-0 lead with 9:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Opening the game in a power I offensive set, Scott answered with a 67-yard, eight-play scoring drive to force a 7-7 tie. Offensive linemen Aaron Thompson, Brandon Booth, Ryan Price, Eric Price, Chase Woodruff, and Tyler Thompson spearheaded the Skyhawks’ reply to Bluefield’s early score.
Junior fullback Travis Bender’s nine-yard burst for a first down sparked the march and junior back Ronnie Reeves highlighted the effort with a 49-yard jaunt to the Bluefield six. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Reeves tallied with a one-yard slice into the Beaver defense. Senior Matt Berry’s PAT placed a 7-7 deadlock on the board with 6:30 to go in the first quarter.
Bluefield, powered by a 65-yard run by Jake Lilly, used less than two minutes to regain the lead on a two-yard end-around run by Patterson. Beckett’s extra point kick left the Beavers holding a 14-7 advantage with 4:51 glowing on the first period clock.
Lilly also paced the next Beaver drive, running 25 yards for a Bluefield first down near at the Scott 33. On the next play, Will Cole and Levi Beckett hooked up for a 33-yard TD pass. The conversion kick failed, but the Beavers claimed a 20-7 lead with 1:51 remaining in the opening period.
A Nevin Honeycutt-to-Shayne Butcher pass for six yards started the next Scott possession on a positive note, but Bluefield sophomore Keith Ferguson recovered a Scott fumble near the Scott 40 to stifle any ‘Hawk momentum.
After a bad snap resulted in a 17-yard loss, the Beavers perfectly executed a hook-and-lateral pass play. Marcus Patterson caught a Will Cole pass about 12 yards downfield, drawing the ‘Hawk defense toward him for the potential tackle. Patterson then lateralled to Jake Lilly, who raced down the sideline and into the end zone to complete the 56-yard scoring play. The PAT kick failed, but the Beavers had constructed a 26-7 upper hand with two seconds left to play in the first quarter.
The turnover bug flew into the face of the Skyhawks again on their next possession as defensive back Marcus Patterson jumped in front of a Skyhawk receiver, picked off a Scott pass, and raced 55 yards for a touchdown. The two-point pass attempt failed, but the Beavers owned a 32-7 lead early in the second stanza.
Paced by a nine-yard run from Ronnie Reeves and a 15-yard pass from Honeycutt to Butcher, the ‘Hawk offense attempted to put a scoring drive together. The drive carried the Skyhawks to the Bluefield 18, but the Beaver defense, paced by Jake Lilly and Bryce Pannell, thwarted the effort and took over on downs.
After a Bluefield punt, two Honeycutt passes (nine yards to Drew Runyan and seven yards to Shane Fletcher) and two runs by Reeves (six and 13 yards) helped the Skyhawks move into Bluefield territory, but a pass interception by Jake Lilly ended the first half and preserved Bluefield’s 32-7 lead.
The Skyhawk defense halted a pair of Bluefield drives in Scott territory during third quarter play.
Tight pass coverage by Shayne Butcher and Ronnie Reeves helped the ‘Hawks halt the Beavers at the Scott seven yard line midway through the quarter. Following a Scott punt, the Skyhawks overcame a pass interference penalty to choke off a Beaver drive at the Scott 11.
The next Scott punt, however, was blocked by Bluefield’s Jake Lilly to set up the Bluefield offense inside the Skyhawk five yard line.
The Beaver offense turned the blocked punt into points as Cole and senior end Isaiah Manns connected for a three-yard TD pass. Levi Beckett added the PAT as the Beavers glided to a 39-7 lead with 2:07 remaining in the third period.
The Skyhawks completed the scoring midway through the final quarter after Shayne Butcher had recovered a Beaver fumble near midfield.
‘Hawk senior back Jordan Green turned the Beaver fumble into points when he rambled 44 yards for a touchdown. Senior Matt Berry booted the PAT kick to set the final score at 39-14.
Bluefield head coach Fred Simon commented on the win, “Coach Griffith and his staff do a good job putting in different sets for different opponents, and they surprised us with the Power-I early in this game. We finally made an adjustment to shut it down after they had scored early.
“We have to play at Wayne now. We have played them at Wayne and in the championship game, so we know that we’ll have to prepare well and play well.”
Will Cole completed 17 of 30 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Bluefield offense. Levi Beckett had seven receptions for 98 yards and a score. Jake Lilly led the Bluefield ground game, rushing seven times for 128 yards. He also caught two passes for 75 yards and led the Beaver defense with 11 tackles, an interception, and a blocked punt.
Cameron “Ronnie” Reeves paced the Skyhawk offense with 118 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Nevin Honeycutt completed 11 of 18 passes for 76 yards with two interceptions. Jordan Green contributed 54 yards and a TD run on four carries. Travis Bender (six runs for 22 yards) and Shane Fletcher (three rushes for 19 yards) also helped the ‘Hawks roll for 214 yards on the ground.
Bluefield finished with just over 400 yards of total offense while Scott managed 282. Bluefield lost a pair of fumbles while Scott yielded two interceptions and a fumble in addition to a blocked punt.
Skyhawk head coach Shane Griffith remarked, “There were two contrasting styles in this game and when we fell behind by a couple of scores it forced us out of much of our game plan. We answered their first score with a drive that went right along with our game plan, but once we fell behind we were forced to make some changes.”
“Bluefield has an explosive offense with a very poised quarterback who accurately delivers the ball to receivers in such a way that allows quick receivers to make big plays after the catch. They also have four or five real good athletes who can catch the ball and run well, and that creates a lot of matchup problems for defenses.”
Griffith praised his team’s attitude and competitive spirit, pointing to two defensive stands in the third quarter and two Bluefield turnovers in the final period.
Griffith stated, “I was proud of the way that our defense refused to quit. We put special focus on stopping their passing game and that allowed Bluefield to run for more yards than we usually give up, but our defense never gave up. We played hard all the way, through the second half and right to the end of the game. Jordan Green and Shayne Butcher played well against a great offense.
“One of the building blocks for the Black & Gold Family is to compete, no matter what. This Skyhawk team, led by a dedicated senior class, certainly continued that tradition during the second half by battling right to the end. We had a great week of practice, we approached this game with a good attitude, and we played hard. We just ran into a very good team that came here ready to play.”
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Twelve Skyhawk seniors played in their final game for Scott High during the loss to Bluefield – Kameron Akers, Matt Berry, Brandon Booth, Shane Butcher, Jordan Green, Zach Holstein, Brett Lambert, Eric Price, Ryan Price, Roger Runion, Drew Runyan, and Aaron Thompson.
Coach Shane Griffith praised these seniors’ commitment to the Skyhawk football program and their efforts during the 2008 season, noting that this senior class had achieved the three goals that are set for every class of Skyhawk senior gridders – finishing what they start, caring for others, and leaving the program better than they found it.
Griffith stated, “Back in August as this team prepared for the season, not many people expected this team to reach the playoffs. Even fewer people would have predicted a home playoff game. When injuries contributed to a 3-2 start to the season, this team could have easily folded and used those injuries as an excuse.
“Instead, we were reminded that our program has decided not to accept excuses. With the leadership of this senior class, we fought back to win four of five games after that 3-2 start. The manner in which this senior class handled the adversity of this season, earned a home playoff game, and fought to the final second against Bluefield is both a compliment to our football program and something for future Scott High teams to build on.”
Griffith concluded, “These seniors gave me and our football program four years of work and commitment. The most difficult part of a season-ending loss is the sting that comes with realizing that the seniors’ Skyhawk careers are finished. As that sting eventually fades, I hope that these seniors have Black & Gold Family memories that will put smiles on their faces and inspire them in their lives.”
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