Cavaliers beat Staunton River for fifth straight district title
In what figures to be a mismatch of great proportion, the Lord Botetourt football team will open the playoffs Thursday against visiting Hidden Valley. Botetourt is the top seed in the Region 3C tournament, while the Titans limp in as the eighth seed.
The game is being played on Thursday in Daleville, at 7 p.m., due to an anticipated storm due to arrive Friday. A storm of a different kind should hit the visiting Titans early and often as Lord Botetourt is heavily favored to win this game with a 9-1 overall record. The Cavaliers have won nine in a row after losing their opener to E.C. Glass, the top-seed in the Region 4D playoffs.
Meanwhile, Hidden Valley has struggled. The Titans made the playoffs when William Byrd lost to William Fleming on a late score last Friday, keeping Hidden Valley above Byrd for the eighth and final spot. The Titans are 3-7 and their three wins were against Northside and Blacksburg, who are both winless, and a three-point win over Byrd on September 2. They’ve given up over 40 points in six of their last seven games, including 52 to Glenvar, 57 to Patrick Henry and 61 to Salem.
While Hidden Valley comes in as decided underdogs, Lord Botetourt coach Jamie Harless is making sure his boys don’t take the Titans lightly. LB has been hit hard by the flu in the past couple weeks and, as coaches like to say, the Titans put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the Cavaliers.
“Anybody’s kind of beatable on any given night,” said Harless. “And it’s the playoffs. If you can’t get up for the playoffs then there’s something wrong.”
Other first round games find seventh seeded Staunton River at second seeded Magna Vista, sixth seeded Abingdon at third seeded Christiansburg and fifth seeded Cave Spring at fourth seeded Bassett. If the Cavaliers win Thursday, they would host the Bassett-Cave Spring winner next week.
Photos by Jim and Regina Devinney
The Cavaliers ended the regular season with a 41-14 win over Staunton River in Moneta last Friday. That gave the Cavs an undefeated season in the Blue Ridge District and their fifth straight BRD regular season championship.
It was another big night for Jakari Nicely, who ran for four touchdowns and threw for another. Nicely had 86 yards rushing and 149 passing. Andrew Gilbert had a touchdown reception and Tristan Overbay rushed for 106 yards and a score.
The win was the Cavaliers’ ninth in a row and if they beat Hidden Valley on Thursday, it will be LB’s 100th win in the past 10 years. And, you’d be wise not to bet against it.