It was a long night in Daleville last Friday as the host Lord Botetourt football team entertained Blacksburg in a most entertaining game. The Cavaliers battled the weather and a plethora of injuries as they came out on the short end of a 45-35 score.

The game started about 45 minutes late as lightening cleared the metal bleachers at the Botetourt football stadium. Once the game started the Cavs were without quarterback Preston Martin, who pulled a hamstring during practice the week prior. Then their best player, tailback and linebacker Hunter Rice, went down with a bone bruise on his knee early in the second quarter. Injuries piled up on both sides, causing numerous delays in a game that didn’t finish until after 11 p.m.

“That game spoke volumes to the character of our kids,” said LB coach Jamie Harless. “We were down to our third string outside backer at one point, but our guys are tough kids and they wouldn’t give up.”

The first quarter went back and forth. Blacksburg scored first on a field goal but the Cavs answered with a one-yard TD run by Rice, set up by a long pass from James-Ryan Salvi to Jake Dewease. Blacksburg’s Brian Mitchell then scored on a 38-yard run to give the Bruins a 10-7 lead after one quarter.

Botetourt regained the lead on a 32-yard TD pass from Salvi to Dewease, but it was short-lived as Mitchell ran the kickoff back 83 yards for a touchdown.

Then, with less than a minute left in the half, Bruin quarterback Grant Johnston hit Tiquest Terry with a short pass and the UVA-bound senior danced through the LB defense for a 56-yard TD to give the Bruins a 24-14 lead at the half.

Blacksburg scored first in the second half to make it 31-14, and at that point the Cavaliers could have easily folded. However, a long run by Evan Eller set up a four-yard TD by Brett Meacham and the Cavs climbed to within 10 points at 31-21.

Dewease’s second interception of the game gave LB more life, and the Cavs drove in for a score with Salvi passing to Dewease for Jake’s second TD reception of the game, this time from 22 yards out. Trey Rice nailed the extra point and LB was down just three after three quarters, 31-28.

The Cavaliers took the lead in the fourth quarter. Eller, who saw extra duty with Hunter Rice out of the game, capped off a drive with a two-yard run and the depleted Cavaliers had an unexpected lead at 35-31.

However, Blacksburg had too much firepower for the Cavs to be able to finish them off. The Bruins regained the lead on an eight-yard pass play, then Terry put it away with a 20-yard TD run for the 45-35 final.

“Our guys have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Harless. “Blacksburg is loaded. They have a bunch of guys who were all-state in track and we don’t match up well with that kind of speed.”

Salvi, filling in for Martin at quarterback, completed nine of 18 passes for 155 yards and two TDs, both to Dewease. Jake had seven receptions for 122 yards and Rice caught a pass before leaving with the injury.

“I thought Salvi did a heck of a job,” said Harless. “He made some nice throws.”

Eller had a career best 178 yards rushing on 20 carries, an average of just under nine yards per carry. Meacham had 29 yards on nine attempts.

With the loss LB dropped to 1-1 on the season and Blacksburg improved to 2-0. Harless sees the Bruins as a state contender in Class 4.

“I think they’re good enough if they keep progressing,” he said. “It’s good for us to play teams like that.”

THIS WEEK’S GAME LORD BOTETOURT AT WESTERN ALBEMARLE

The Cavaliers will try to get back in the win column this week after dropping a thriller to a powerhouse Blacksburg team last Friday. The Cavs suffered a bunch of injuries last week, both during the game and at practice, and it remains to be seen who suits up this Friday in Crozet as LB takes on Western Albemarle.

The Warriors are a Class 3 team, like Botetourt, in the Jefferson District. Last year LB edged the Warriors in Daleville, 17-14. Botetourt stopped the Warriors inside the 10 in the final minute of the game.

“They run a spread offense, like Blacksburg, only they don’t have the speed Blacksburg has,” said Harless. “They use the fullback more.”

Western Albemarle is 1-0. They opened with a 17-6  win over Broadway, then had a bye last week to give them two weeks to prepare for the Cavaliers.

This will be the second long bus ride in three weeks for the Cavaliers, who opened with a win over Harrisonburg before falling to Blacksburg at home last week. Look for LB to bounce back against a team that won just two games last year but was probably better than their record indicated.