Carson Blankenship had plenty of room to run Friday night, and the Southern Gap freshman knew exactly who to thank.
Blankenship rushed for 303 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries as the Eagles rolled past Richlands 61-21 at Smiley Ratliff Field at the Red Robertson Athletic Complex, earning the first Southwest District football victory in school history.
Southern Gap piled up 542 rushing yards, won its third straight game and improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in district play.
“Man, the offense was crazy. We ran it all the way down the field. You know, line was opening up holes. I could see right through them. It was great. O-line did great,” Blankenship said.
The game brought together two former college teammates on opposite sidelines. Southern Gap coach Greg Tester and Richlands coach Bubba Edwards played together at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, where Edwards blocked for Tester.
On Friday, Tester’s offensive line helped carry the Eagles through some early mistakes before Southern Gap pulled away.
“Like I said, hats off to the kids, man. They just played super hard,” Tester said. “Offense and defense lines played great, man.”
Southern Gap’s defense set the tone on the opening possession. Chase Baker dropped a Richlands ball carrier for a loss on second down, and a third-down incompletion forced the Blue Tornado to punt.
The Eagles fumbled on their first offensive play, giving Richlands another opportunity. Baker again broke into the backfield for a tackle for loss, helping Southern Gap force another punt.
Blankenship then got the ground game going, breaking loose for a 35-yard touchdown with 6:26 left in the first quarter. Brayden White added the two-point conversion run for an 8-0 lead.
Southern Gap recovered the ensuing onside kick but lost another fumble. Richlands capitalized when quarterback Jamie Capshaw connected with Landon Absher for a 57-yard touchdown. The extra point pulled the Blue Tornado within 8-7.
An interception ended another Southern Gap possession, but the Eagles’ defense answered as defensive end Luke Stiltner and linebacker Gunner Baker chased down Capshaw in the end zone for a safety to make it a 10-7 game.
Blankenship followed with a 31-yard touchdown run, pushing Southern Gap’s lead to 16-7 with 48 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Richlands stayed within reach early in the second quarter. Capshaw found Absher for a 21-yard touchdown with 11:20 left in the half, cutting the deficit to 16-13.
From there, the Eagles began creating some distance.
Blankenship scored on a 38-yard run with 6:37 remaining in the half, and Aidan Baker ran in the two-point conversion. Blankenship added a 1-yard touchdown before halftime, with Baker again converting to give Southern Gap a 32-13 advantage at the break.
“Man, the team played great. Great coaching. Line was blocking great,” Blankenship said.
The Eagles kept the pressure on after halftime. Blankenship broke a 74-yard touchdown run for his fifth score, and Caden Justice added a 49-yard touchdown run. Baker supplied the two-point conversion after each score.
Capshaw and Absher connected for a third touchdown, this time from 30 yards out, and a successful two-point conversion gave Richlands its final points.
Gunner Baker scored on a 5-yard run, helping Southern Gap take a 54-21 lead into the fourth quarter. Reid Stiltner finished the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run, followed by Matthew Thompson’s extra point.
Aidan Baker added 105 rushing yards for Southern Gap. Justice finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on five carries, while Gunner Baker had 38 yards and a touchdown on five attempts.
White completed two of four passes for 43 yards, both to Ayden Whited. The Eagles finished with 585 yards of total offense, collected 25 first downs and did not punt.
Richlands, which fell to 0-6, got 204 passing yards and three touchdowns from Capshaw. Absher caught all three touchdown passes and finished with seven receptions for 152 yards.
Southern Gap held the Blue Tornado to 15 rushing yards on 17 attempts, and both White and freshman defensive back Mason Rife had an interception in the win.
Tester praised his staff’s preparation and the work of defensive coach Brandon Davis.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the coaches, staff, and the kids,” Tester said.
He also knows what the Eagles have in their freshman running back.
“He’s a game changer, and we all knew that, you know,” Tester said. “We got three more years of him, so that’s a good thing, and he’s got some good talent coming behind him.”
For Blankenship, beating Richlands at home was another reason to enjoy the night.
“Man, it felt good. It felt good beating them, man,” he said.
Still, he was already thinking about what needed attention when the Eagles returned to practice.
“I mean, it was a few mistakes, but hey, like I said, we’ll get back at it Monday and fix it,” Blankenship said.
Tester also spoke warmly of Edwards, recalling their days as college teammates.
“I love Bubba, man. You know, he blocked for me,” Tester said.
The two have stayed in touch throughout the season, and Tester expressed confidence that Edwards would get Richlands headed in the right direction.
“I know he having it rough right now but he will get it figured out over there,” Tester said.
Edwards said Richlands needed to improve its focus and preparation.
“We know, again, it’s the same thing every week. We’re young. We’ve got to overcome,” Edwards said. “So let’s hope we can, you know, put this behind us and move forward and try to get better next week.”
Despite the result, Edwards had warm words for his former teammate and the program Tester is building.
“You know, Greg’s one of my favorite guys. I love him. Nothing but respect for him,” Edwards said. “And I knew that once he got this job, man, the sky’s the limit for Southern Gap. And I’m glad to see him have success.”
The two coaches met for a handshake at midfield after the game.
Southern Gap travels to Tazewell on Oct. 9 for another Southwest District matchup.
Scoring Summary
SG – C. Blankenship 35 run (White run)
R – Absher 57 pass from Capshaw (Onate kick)
SG – Safety, Capshaw tackled by A. Baker
SG – C. Blankenship 31 run (pass failed)
R – Absher 21 pass from Capshaw (kick failed)
SG – C. Blankenship 38 run (A. Baker run)
SG – C. Blankenship 1 run (A. Baker run)
SG – C. Blankenship 74 run (A. Baker run)
SG – C. Justice 49 run (A. Baker run)
R – Absher 30 pass from Capshaw (Lawson run)
SG – G. Baker 5 run (pass failed)
SG – Stiltner 10 run (Thompson kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: R 9, SG 25; Rushes-Yards: R 17-15, SG 50-542; Passing Yards: R 204, SG 43; Comp.-Att.-Int.: R 15-32-2, SG 2-4-1; Fumbles-Lost: R 0-0, SG 2-2; Penalties-Yards: R 3-15, SG 4-30; Punts-Average: R 3-21.3, SG 0-0.
