Blacksburg’s Ethan Lowdermilk kicked a 28-yard field goal with 8:05 to go to spoil a James River comeback and give the visiting Bruins a 16-14 win in Springwood last Friday.
The Knights trailed 6-0 at the half and 13-0 midway through the third quarter before rallying to take the lead. Merit Hammons’ had a 10-yard touchdown run with 5:09 to go in the third period, then Sam Wilson went over from the three a minute and a half into the fourth period. Knox Taylor was successful on both extra point kicks and that was good for a 14-13 lead as River had blocked the conversion try on Blacksburg’s first touchdown.
The Knights kept Blacksburg out of the end zone on the ensuing drive but Lowdermilk’s kick snuck inside the post as the Bruins retook the lead. River had a couple chances in the final minutes but couldn’t pull out the win.
“It was a heck of a game,” said River coach Jack Baker. “We had a chance or two late and it wasn’t a sure deal until the very end. I thought our kids played real hard. There are no moral victories but you don’t get to win ’em all and our kids have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Photos by Birdie Boblett
It was an even game on the stat sheet as well as on the field. The Knights had nine first downs and the Bruins had 10. River rushed for 144 yards to 117 for Blacksburg, but the Bruins held a big advantage in the passing game, outgaining the Knights 140-0. River had just one penalty for 10 yards while the Bruins drew six flags for 45.
Individually, Wilson led the Knights with 57 yards rushing while Ashton Orange had 38 yards on 11 attempts. Hammons ran for 36 yards but was 0-for-5 passing, and Ben Whitt had 14 yards rushing on five attempts.
Defensively, Eli Baldwin and Wilson had 14 tackles each to lead James River while Ryan Daniels had a dozen. Wilson and Efraim Echavarria had two tackles for losses each and 15 different Knights had tackles in the game.
With the loss the Knights fell to 1-1 on the season and they’ll go on the road for the first time this Friday night when they head to Buena Vista to meet Parry McCluer. The Blues are off to a 2-0 start with a 36-14 win over Rockbridge County and a 31-14 win over Page County last Friday.
“They run a full house backfield and try to control the tempo, and sometimes they’ll go four wide,” said Baker.
The River jayvee team will host Parry McCluer in Springwood Thursday.
