It wasn’t a happy homecoming for James River football coach Tim Jennings as the Knights fell to his alma mater, Parry McCluer, by a 34-7 count in Buena Vista last Saturday. It was the first time in the last four meetings the Blues defeated River.
“They’re a much better team than they’ve been,” said Jennings. “They played a lot better than we did Friday night.”
The Blues played “Parry McCluer football” in the first half, controlling the ball for 19 minutes with sustained drives and taking advantage of turnovers. They scored on their first drive, then scored on a “pick six” interception return and a fumble return of 85 yards for a killer score.
“It was 18-0 just like that, and then they had another long drive,” said Jennings. “They kept converting on third and fourth and long. We couldn’t get our defense off the field.”
River finally got in the red zone late in the half but couldn’t punch it in and trailed 26-0 at intermission. The Knights’ only score came on a 27-yard run by Gavin Binns with just over seven minutes left in the third period. River forced two fumbles but couldn’t take advantage.
“We’d take two steps forward and three steps back,” said Jennings. “They’re a ground-and-pound team. We knew what they were going to run but we just didn’t execute to stop them.”
Photos by Leigh Downey
Binns was a highlight for River, rushing 12 times for 97 yards with three rushes of over 20 yards. Pierce Woodyard completed seven of 11 passes but for only 29 yards. Kody Park passed once for 34 yards.
On defense, Efraim Echavarria led the team with 13 tackles, including five solos. Ryder Ward had three tackles for losses with a sack.
The Knights are now 1-2 and have played all three games on the road. They finally get a home game this Friday when they host Staunton High. Staunton comes to town at 1-2 as well with a win over Rockbridge County and losses to Madison County and Central of Woodstock.
“Hopefully, it will help us to play at home,” said Jennings. “Staunton is athletic and has good team speed. They want to spread you out, but if we don’t take care of ourselves it doesn’t matter what the other team does.”
