Ridgeview defeated Southern Gap 48-8 before an estimated crowd of more than 5,000 fans in the inaugural Black Diamond Miners Bowl on Aug. 28 at Smiley Ratliff Field at the Red Robertson Sports Complex.
The Wolfpack entered the matchup as one of the top teams in Region 2D and showed why. Junior Alex Grant scored four touchdowns in three different ways, and his 62-yard punt return proved to be the turning point as Ridgeview pulled away.
Grant rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, caught a 76-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt for another score. The Ridgeview standout finished with 243 all-purpose yards on nine touches and four TDs in the win.
Southern Gap trailed only 6-0 following a competitive opening quarter in which the Eagles made several defensive stops. Early in the second quarter, Grant fielded a punt, broke several arm tackles and raced 62 yards for a touchdown.
Junior Braxton Deel added the extra point, giving Ridgeview a 13-0 lead and changing the momentum inside the packed stadium.
“I think the punt return was momentum switcher for us, and, you know, special teams is part of it,” Southern Gap head coach Greg Tester said.
Grant also believed the return helped set the tone for Ridgeview.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” Grant said. “We had a lot of people there, a lot of people show up. It was a great atmosphere, and we really leaned on them and did a good job.”
The loss dropped Southern Gap to 1-1 during the first season in school history. Ridgeview improved to 1-0 with the season-opening victory.
While Ridgeview controlled the scoreboard, the night became one of the largest sporting events in recent Buchanan County history.
Both sides of the stadium were packed well before kickoff. Fans lined the upper concourse, gathered around the top of the stadium and found places to watch from the surrounding hillside.
People began arriving shortly after school dismissed. started at 4 p.m., and the parking lots continued filling as kickoff approached.
WCYB televised the game as part of its Friday Night Rivals series, giving the Southern Gap and Ridgeview players an opportunity to compete before a television audience.
Coach Grant praised the crowd, Southern Gap’s new facility and the possibility of building a rivalry between neighboring Buchanan and Dickenson counties.
“My gosh. Just, I mean, these two weeks in a row, man, they’ve had two big old crowds,” Grant said. “So this is great. I mean, this is great for them and, you know, makes a new rivalry for us, because this is probably the closest two schools to us now. It is. So this is, you know, this is just a great night.”
Alex Grant opened the scoring on a 20-yard run with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving Ridgeview with a 6-0 advantage.
Southern Gap remained within one score until Grant’s punt return early in the second quarter.
After the return made it 13-0, Ridgeview’s offense found its rhythm. Deel raced 27 yards for a touchdown and then connected with Xander Wallace for the two-point conversion,
Alex Grant broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run, and Deel added the extra point to make it 28-0.
Junior Colin Hill closed Ridgeview’s 28-point second quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run during the final minute of the half. The conversion failed, sending the Wolfpack into halftime up 34-0.
Hill continued the scoring early in the third quarter with a 57-yard touchdown run. Deel’s extra point pushed the lead to 41-0.
Deel later found Alex Grant for a 76-yard touchdown pass. Another extra point gave
Hill led all rushers with 112 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. Deel completed 3 of 4 passes for 113 yards and a score while also rushing for a touchdown.
Ridgeview finished with 359 yards of total offense, including 246 on the ground. The Wolfpack recorded 10 first downs and did not commit a turnover.
Southern Gap continued fighting and avoided the shutout in the fourth quarter.
Senior Brayden White connected with freshman Mason Rife on a 13-yard touchdown pass. White found Rife again in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion, producing the final 48-8 margin.
Sophomore Harvey Cooper led Southern Gap with 54 rushing yards on five carries. Ayden Whited added 29 yards on the ground, while Caden Justice rushed for 18 yards and caught an 18-yard pass.
Southern Gap finished with seven first downs and 117 rushing yards on 27 carries. Editor should verify: ‘6 net yards’ for passing appears inconsistent with individual pass plays described (13-yd TD, 18-yd catch). Confirm stat with scorer. with one touchdown and one interception. They lost one fumble and were penalized four times for 30 yards.
Ridgeview was flagged seven times for 80 yards.
Tester said the Eagles were often in position defensively but struggled to finish tackles against Ridgeview’s playmakers.
“I think defensively we had . I think we were in the right spots. You know, we just didn’t wrap up,” Tester said.
Despite the final margin, Tester praised his players for continuing to compete.
“But I was proud of my guys,” Tester said. “I know we got some work to do. We’re just going to get back to work.”
Tester challenged the Eagles at halftime to continue battling against an established Ridgeview program that played for the Region 2D championship last season.
“I told them at halftime, you know, you need to come out and win your individual battle,” Tester said. “Let’s get a first down. Let’s get a touchdown. Let’s get on the board and just show some grit and show some fight about you. And I thought they did that in the second half.”
state Sen. Todd Pillion presented the new Black Diamond Miners Bowl trophy to Kent Grant and the Wolfpack after the game. The trophy, which honors the coal-mining heritage shared by Buchanan and Dickenson counties, includes space for the winning school’s name to be engraved following each meeting.
WCYB also presented Ridgeview with its Friday Night Rivals trophy.
“They really stepped up and made the Miners Bowl here for us,” Kent Grant said. “And it really represents really our two counties, I think, what our two counties were built on. So it’s great to honor that.”
Tester encouraged his players to watch Ridgeview’s celebration and use it as motivation.
“I want them to watch that trophy presentation there, because that’s going to be them in a few years,” Tester said.
Several Southern Gap students and community supporters were also recognized during the evening.
Senior student-athlete Megan Hess was honored as the Mountain Area Ford Dealers Scholar Athlete of the Week by WCYB’s Friday Night Rivals. Southern Gap Principal Mark Cooper presented longtime WCYB meteorologist Dave Dierks with a plaque recognizing his support of Southwest Virginia athletes.
During halftime, Southern Gap students Blake Childress and Paris Sanabria competed in Dr Pepper’s Fanville football-throwing contest. Childress received a $3,000 college scholarship, while Sanabria earned a $1,000 scholarship.
