By CHAD COOPER
Three weeks into the high school football season, the landscape across Southwest Virginia is taking shape.
Several teams have established themselves as legitimate contenders, while others are still searching for answers. We saw dominant performances, narrow escapes, a last-minute defensive touchdown and a historic road victory for Southern Gap.
We will start close to home, where the Eagles delivered an offensive explosion in their 63-21 victory at Giles.
The win evened Southern Gap’s record at 2-2 and marked the first road victory in program history. It was also the best and most complete game the Eagles have played through their first four weeks.
Southern Gap is loaded with promising young talent, including freshmen Carson Blankenship, Gunner Baker, Mason Rife and Devin Mullins. Blankenship rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown against Giles, while Baker accounted for four touchdowns and made plays as a runner, receiver and kickoff returner.
Baker rushed eight times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, caught a 15-yard touchdown pass and returned a kickoff 60 yards for another score.
The Southern Gap offense also appears to be finding its rhythm with Brayden White under center. White completed 6 of 7 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in his second start at quarterback.
The move also benefited Ayden Whited, who transitioned from quarterback to receiver—Whited caught three passes for 97 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown, in the victory.
Southern Gap’s defense also deserves plenty of credit. The Eagles remained disciplined and did an excellent job containing Giles’ traditional single-wing offense.
The Eagles now enter a much-needed bye week before hosting Honaker on Sept. 25 for Little League Night at Smiley Ratliff Field at the Red Robertson Athletic Complex. That should be another good test for a Southern Gap team that is becoming more confident each week.
Elsewhere, Chilhowie might be playing as well as anyone in the region.
The Warriors improved to 3-0 with a 50-0 victory over Narrows on Thursday. Chilhowie has outscored its first three opponents 141-7 after defeating Marion 47-0 and J.I. Burton 44-7.
The Warriors will receive a much tougher test this week when they visit Eastside.
The Spartans bounced back from a surprising 24-23 loss to Wise Central in their opener by rolling past Rural Retreat 56-29. Keldon Hamilton’s return from injury provided a major boost for Eastside and should make the matchup with Chilhowie one of the most interesting games on this week’s schedule.
Gate City also made a statement by traveling to Abingdon and defeating the Class 3 Falcons 41-28 in an important Mountain 7 District game.
The Blue Devils’ only loss came against a talented Dobyns-Bennett team, which escaped with a 28-21 victory in Week 2. Gate City has shown that it can compete with larger programs, and the Blue Devils will be a difficult opponent for anyone in the Mountain 7.
One of the week’s biggest results came at Bullitt Park, where Graham edged Union 14-12.
Union entered the game following consecutive 42-0 victories over Lee High and Daniel Boone, but the reigning Region 2D champions were handed their first loss. The Bears are now 2-1, and I would not be surprised if we see Graham and Union meet again when the playoffs arrive.
Graham is also 2-1. The G-Men opened with a thrilling 40-33 victory over Bluefield in the annual Graham-Beaver game before falling to Heritage 21-6. Their win at Union reminded everyone that the G-Men remain one of the teams to beat in Region 2D.
Tazewell entered Thursday’s game against Grayson County riding the momentum of a 30-27 season-opening victory at Pulaski County. The Bulldogs, led by quarterback Ty Whittaker, could not keep it going against Grayson County, however, falling 32-20.
Coach J’Me Harris’ Bulldogs were outmanned by a Grayson County team that earned its first victory and improved to 1-2.
Holston moved to 2-2 with a 44-20 victory over John Battle.
The Cavaliers opened their season with a 22-6 loss to Southern Gap in the first football game in Eagles history. Holston then defeated Eastern Montgomery 49-16 before suffering a narrow 19-17 loss to Narrows. Thursday’s win returned the Cavaliers to the .500 mark, while John Battle remained winless at 0-3.
Lebanon also had a good week.
The Pioneers learned their program will drop to Class 1 next season and return to the Hogoheegee District. They followed that announcement by earning their first victory of the year, defeating Marion 18-12.
Lebanon came painfully close to opening the season with a victory before falling to Honaker 21-20 in the Coal Bowl. Patrick Henry then defeated the Pioneers 35-14. Lebanon is now 1-2, while Marion remains winless at 0-3.
Things are not getting any easier for Richlands.
The Blue Tornado suffered a 33-0 loss to Lee High, dropping to 0-3 under interim coach Bubba Edwards. Richlands opened with a 21-6 loss to Virginia High before being shut out by Gate City 49-0.
The Richlands fan base expects the program to compete at a much higher level, but I hope Edwards does not become the scapegoat for problems that were already there when he accepted the job. Turning around a struggling program takes time, stability and support.
Northwood quietly remained unbeaten with a 46-6 victory over Eastern Montgomery. The Panthers opened with a 26-0 win over Twin Springs before having a bye. At 2-0, Northwood has allowed only six points all season.
Patrick Henry is another team turning heads.
Coach Austin Cooper’s Rebels defeated J.I. Burton 39-10 behind another strong performance from star running back Jeb Stewart, who has emerged as one of the state’s leaders in all-purpose yards.
Patrick Henry is 2-1, with its only loss coming in a 7-0 double-overtime battle against Class 2 Virginia High. Since that defeat, the Rebels have beaten Lebanon 35-14 and handled Burton by 29 points. The Rebels appear capable of making plenty of noise this fall.
Twin Springs fell to Pineville, Kentucky, 34-10. The Titans’ only victory came against Unaka, and it has been a difficult start for the Nickelsville team. Twin Springs faces J.I. Burton this week in a matchup that should give one of those programs a much-needed boost.
Ridgeview continues to look like one of the region’s strongest teams.
The Wolfpack overwhelmed Wise Central 43-7 to improve to 3-0. Ridgeview now turns its attention to a highly anticipated matchup with Bluefield, a game coach Kent Grant circled during the preseason.
Rye Cove delivered the week’s most dramatic finish.
The War Eagles broke Honaker’s heart with a 31-30 victory, scoring the winning touchdown on a scoop-and-score in the closing moments. Rye Cove is now 3-0 behind star running back Cole Barnette and West Virginia University commit Ethan Lawson.
The War Eagles opened with a 12-9 victory over Lord Botetourt before defeating Southern Gap 35-24. Rye Cove now enters a favorable portion of its schedule with Thomas Walker, Castlewood and Lee High ahead.
Next comes the game many Region 1D football fans have already circled. Rye Cove hosts Eastside on Oct. 9 in a rematch of the past two regional championship games, both won by the War Eagles.
Thomas Walker earned its first victory by defeating Lynn Camp, Kentucky, 48-6. The Pioneers are now 1-3 after finally breaking into the win column.
Virginia High continued its perfect start with a hard-fought 20-15 victory over George Wythe on Thursday.
The Bearcats are now 4-0 and have found different ways to win throughout the opening month. Virginia High defeated Richlands 21-6 in Week 0 before squeezing past Patrick Henry 7-0 in double overtime. The Bearcats followed that victory by beating John Battle 28-3 before holding off George Wythe.
Virginia High might not be putting up the eye-catching point totals of some other unbeaten teams, but the Bearcats have played strong defense and shown that they can win close games. At 4-0, they have earned their place among the teams to watch as the season moves forward.
Week 3 gave us a little bit of everything. Chilhowie, Ridgeview and Rye Cove remained unbeaten. Virginia High improved to 4-0. Graham reminded everyone that the G-Men are still dangerous, Gate City earned a statement win against a larger opponent, and Southern Gap’s young offense took a major step forward.
“Thanks for joining me In the Locker Room. Until next week, let’s keep celebrating the victories, learning from the defeats, and always standing behind Buchanan County’s athletes.”
