The Lord Botetourt football team will be bear hunting this Friday night as they look to bounce back from a season-opening loss to a strong E.C. Glass football team. LB will host the Blacksburg Bruins this Friday following the 28-14 loss to Glass in Daleville.
To say Blacksburg has struggled in recent years is an understatement. Once one of the premier programs in the state, the Bruins come to town with an 18-game losing streak going back to October of 2019, and they’ve been shut out in eight of those games. They have a new coach in Zack Leonard but it could take some time to turn the program around, as Blacksburg lost their season opener to Giles last Friday, 35-14.
Lord Botetourt won in Blacksburg last year, 42-6, a week after dropping their season opener to Glass in Lynchburg. LB coach Jamie Harless expects a bounce back week like last year, but notes that Blacksburg will be much improved.
“They look better than last year,” he said. “They have some size and their quarterback is a good athlete. They also look more organized.”
The Cavs ran into a strong Class 4 E.C. Glass team last Friday night. The Hilltoppers led 14-0 after the first quarter and 21-7 at the half, with Jakari Nicely scoring LB’s TD on a five-yard run.
After a scoreless third period the Toppers upped the lead to 28-7 when they blocked a Cavalier punt and returned it for a touchdown. Nicely scored a late TD to account for the final score.
“They’re a very athletic team, and we had three special teams miscues that really hurt us,” said Harless. “Put that on me. We didn’t have the kids ready.”
While it was a tough night for the home team, Harless saw some bright spots.
“The kids didn’t quit,” he said. “They played hard and we didn’t have any stupid penalties. That’s important when you play a team like Glass that’s comparable to a state semifinal team.
“We’re a young team and we have some stuff to work on but we’ll take care of it.”