Southern Gap went on the road for the first time in school history Friday night and stood toe-to-toe with one of the strongest Class 1 football programs in Southwest Virginia for three quarters.
The Eagles scored twice in the opening quarter, carried a lead into halftime and were tied late in the third before two-time defending Region 1D champion Rye Cove pulled away for a 35-24 victory at War Eagle Field.
Southern Gap fell to 1-2, while Rye Cove improved to 2-0.
The final score did not fully reflect how competitive the game was. Southern Gap’s defense kept the Eagles within striking distance, but the offense became stagnant after a fast start, and several important breaks went Rye Cove’s way.
Southern Gap struck first with 9:11 remaining in the opening quarter. Brayden White, making his first start as the Eagles’ QB1, broke free on a designed quarterback keeper to move Southern Gap near the goal line. Aidan Baker finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run before White connected with tight end Kanan Justice for the 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead.
The War Eagles wasted little team finding their way into the endzone as speedster Maverick Cress returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a Rye Cove touchdown. The conversion attempt failed, leaving Southern Gap in front 8-6.
The Eagles responded immediately with a special-teams touchdown of their own. Freshman Carson Blankenship does what Carson Blankenship does best and returned the next kickoff 88 yards to the end zone. White once again found his big tight-end Justice for the two-point conversion, extending Southern Gap’s lead to 16-6 midway through quarter number one.
Rye Cove kept its next drive alive by converting on third-and-long which setup a 22-yard touchdown run by Cress with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter. Cole Barnette added the conversion run, trimming Southern Gap’s lead to 16-14.
Neither team scored during the second quarter. Southern Gap’s defense repeatedly turned Rye Cove away, allowing the visiting Eagles to carry a two-point advantage into halftime.
The momentum began to turn during Rye Cove’s opening possession of the second half.
Southern Gap appeared to have an opportunity to stop the drive on third-and-long, but a questionable defensive holding penalty gave Rye Cove’s offense new life. Barnette eventually scored on an 18-yard run with 7:36 remaining in the third quarter and added the conversion to put the War Eagles ahead 22-16.
Southern Gap refused to go away.
Following another long kickoff return by Blankenship, coach Greg Tester’s Eagles moved inside the Rye Cove 5-yard line with an opportunity to tie the game or regain the lead. The War Eagles stopped Southern Gap on fourth down at the 2, turning the ball over on downs.
White, who also plays defensive back, quickly gave Southern Gap another opportunity. He intercepted a Tyler Shupe pass on third down inside the Rye Cove 10 and returned possession to the Eagles with a short field.
A few plays later, freshman running back Gunner Baker capitalized on the turnover with a 4-yard touchdown run. White carried the ball into the end zone for the conversion, given Southern Gap a 24-22 advantage with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter.
Rye Cove answered on its next possession.
Barnette found room behind a powerful offensive line anchored by Ethan Lawson, an offensive and defensive tackle who has signed with West Virginia University. Barnette broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run with 3:10 remaining in the quarter. The conversion attempt failed, but the War Eagles had regained the lead at 28-24.
Southern Gap entered the fourth quarter trailing by only four points. Its defense had done enough to keep the game within one possession, but the Eagles’ offense could not find the rhythm it displayed during the opening quarter.
Rye Cove sealed the victory with 9:22 remaining. Facing third-and-long, Shupe heaved the ball downfield, where Cress made a heads-up play by coming back to make the catch before breaking away from White to complete a 40-yard touchdown. Cress added the extra point to produce the final margin.
Barnette led Rye Cove’s rushing attack with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Cress scored in three different ways, recording touchdowns on a kickoff return, a run and a reception.
White led Southern Gap with 88 rushing yards on 17 carries. He also completed four passes for 39 yards, intercepted a pass on defense and accounted for three successful 2-point conversions — two through the air and one on the ground.
Blankenship provided one of the night’s biggest moments with his 88-yard kickoff return and gave Southern Gap favorable field position with another long return in the third quarter. Brothers Aidan Baker and Gunner Baker each added rushing touchdowns.
Southern Gap’s defense played well against one of the top teams in Class 1 this season. Chase Baker, Trevor Blankenship, Gunner Baker and Devin Mullins were among the team’s most active defenders.
Mason Rife also contributed several stops and did an excellent job of breaking up several passes by Shupe, while White, Reid Stiltner, Blankenship, Luke Stiltner, Ayden Whited, Gunner and Aidan Baker helped Southern Gap limit Rye Cove for much of the night.
Southern Gap finished with 143 yards on 34 rushing attempts and 39 yards through the air. The Eagles recorded eight first downs and were hurt by 11 penalties for 83 yards.
Rye Cove recorded 171 rushing yards and 74 passing yards. The War Eagles finished with 13 first downs.
The breaks did not fall Southern Gap’s way, but the Eagles showed plenty of fight during their historic first trip away from home. They led at halftime and were tied late in the third quarter against a Rye Cove program that captured the Region 1D championship in 2024 and 2025.
For a team playing only the third football game in school history, Southern Gap proved it could compete with one of the region’s established powers. The Eagles will travel to Giles to take on the Spartans this Friday while Rye Cove visits Honaker. Both games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.
Rye Cove 35, Southern Gap 24
Southern Gap 16 0 8 0 — 24
Rye Cove 14 0 14 7 — 35
Scoring summary
SG — A. Baker 2 run (K. Justice pass from White)
RC — M. Cress 80 kickoff return (run failed)
SG — C. Blankenship 88 kickoff return (Justice pass from White)
RC — Cress 22 run (Cole Barnette run)
RC — Barnette 18 run (Barnette run)
SG — G. Baker 4 run (White run)
RC — Barnette 52 run (run failed)
RC — Cress 40 pass from T. Shupe (Cress kick)
Team statistics
First downs: SG 8, RC 13; Rushes-yards: SG 34-143, RC 36-171; Passing yards: SG 39, RC 74; Comp.-Att.-Int.: SG 4-10-0, RC 5-12-1; Fumbles lost: SG 1-0, RC 0-0; Penalties yards: SG 11-83, RC 7-50; Punts average: SG 4-39.3, RC 3-41.7.
