Photos by Kaite Perry
The Lord Botetourt football team opened Blue Ridge District play with a convincing win over Franklin County last Friday night in Daleville. It was Homecoming for Lord Botetourt High and the football team made it a memorable night with a 37-14 win over the Eagles.
The Cavaliers were coming off their bye and had an extra week to prepare for the Eagles. LB coach Nick Leftwich must have seen something, because the Cavaliers uncharacteristically put the pig in the air often, rolling up 275 yards of passing offense and four touchdowns.
“They were putting eight men in the box and had man coverage, so we had to take some shots over the top,” said Leftwich.
Indeed, on LB’s first play from scrimmage quarterback Cael Burton found Jayden Windsor for an 80-yard touchdown strike and an early lead. Then, on LB’s second possession, Burton hit Chris Paderick on a fade rout for a second score. When it was all said and done, Burton was seven for 12 passing for 260 yards and four scores. Paderick had two TDs and 109 yards, Windsor had two catches for 97 yards, Rylen Wright had two receptions for 41 yards and Tanner Gore caught two balls for 28.
Wright also had a TD catch, and that was a killer. He found the end zone with just one second left in the first half, giving the Cavaliers a 21-7 lead at the break.
While the passing game was the big story on Friday night, the Cavaliers were able to run the ball as well. Gus Freeny had 111 yards on 18 attempts, Gore had 41 yards on eight carries and, as a team, Botetourt had 167 yards on the ground.
On defense, Callum McCoy led the Cavaliers with five solo tackles and three assists. He also forced a fumble to deny the Eagles a chance in the red zone in the second quarter, a big moment in the game.
Wright and Burton had three solos each and Jackson Crenshaw had two solos and three assists. Burton had two interceptions and Dalton Bradley also had a pick.
“It was a good win for us,” said Leftwich. “It was Homecoming and the boys had a good time, but they also played a good game on Friday night.”
Now 3-3, the Cavaliers hope to break their pattern of loss, win, loss, win, loss, win when they head to Moneta to play Staunton River Friday night. The Golden Eagles are also 3-3 with wins over Hidden Valley, Liberty and Pulaski, and losses to Class 5 William Fleming and two undefeated teams, Jefferson Forest and Magna Vista.
“They’re physical and they’ll play all four quarters,” said Leftwich. “They run a Power I, similar to us. They’re a good football team, and that’s a tough place to play.”
