TAZEWELL — Fifty points before halftime. Seventy-one by the final whistle.
Southern Gap’s offense just keeps finding another gear.
With the War Pigs clearing the way and three running backs making the most of those openings, the Eagles piled up 538 rushing yards Friday, Oct. 9, in a 71-34 Southwest District road victory over Tazewell.
Freshman Carson Blankenship supplied the early fireworks. Junior Aidan Baker delivered his breakout performance of the season. Freshman Gunner Baker added another hard-nosed runner to a backfield the Bulldogs struggled to contain.
And it all started with the big boys up front.
Southern Gap improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in district play with its fourth consecutive victory. The Eagles have scored 241 points during that stretch, reaching 60 or more in three of those games.
“We come out of the gate firing,” Southern Gap coach Greg Tester said. “They just did a phenomenal job up front.”
On a pleasant night for football, Tazewell welcomed its Little League players, with the familiar Shake Rag community sign part of the Friday night setting. Southern Gap quickly commanded attention on the field.
Blankenship needed just one offensive play to get the Eagles rolling, breaking loose for an 82-yard touchdown with 10:17 remaining in the first quarter.
It was an early glimpse of what Tazewell would spend the rest of the night trying to stop.
Aidan Baker followed with a 14-yard touchdown run, and Blankenship added the two-point conversion for a 14-0 lead. Quarterback Brayden White then scored on a 34-yard run before finding the end zone again on defense.
White intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown with 49 seconds left in the opening quarter. His conversion pass to Kanan Justice pushed Southern Gap’s advantage to 28-0.
When Aidan Baker scored from 29 yards out early in the second quarter, the Eagles had built a 34-0 cushion.
The running backs finished the plays, but Southern Gap’s offensive line made them possible.
Chase Baker and Henry Brown spearheaded the War Pigs, with contributions from Colin Wolfrum, Trevor Blankenship, Matthew Thompson, and the big tight end Kanan Justice, all of whom played crucial roles in an impressive performance in the trenches. They created openings at the line of scrimmage and continued to push forward downfield, enabling the backs to turn solid gains into long runs.
Blankenship said Chase Baker was sometimes still blocking alongside him 30 yards downfield.
“They played great,” Blankenship said. “It was amazing.”
Blankenship finished with 226 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. His ability to burst through an opening and get into the secondary put pressure on Tazewell from the opening possession.
Aidan Baker was equally difficult to bring down.
The junior combined power with sharp cuts, breaking tackles and changing direction to keep runs alive. He finished with 185 yards and five touchdowns on 12 carries, scoring on runs of 14, 29, 52, 8 and 53 yards.
“I just think we played together as a team, did what we wanted to do and executed,” Aidan Baker said. “O-line did great.”
Gunner Baker added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown, giving the Eagles another physical runner capable of working through contact. White managed the offense and contributed a rushing touchdown as Southern Gap gained its 538 yards on 35 carries.
Tester credited his coaching staff for the preparation behind the production.
“If you noticed, I got four or five offensive line guys on this staff for a reason, and tonight was that reason,” Tester said. “You seen that show up tonight.”
Asked whether he anticipated the numbers his backs would produce, particularly with Blankenship still a freshman, Tester said they exceeded his expectations.
“Honestly, I did not expect it, but, you know, I’ll take it any day of the week,” he said. “That’s just the credit to our guys on the offensive line, man. It really is, and those guys too.”
Tazewell coach J’me Harris saw the same thing from the opposite sideline.
“They kind of dominated the line of scrimmage on us tonight,” Harris said. “We’re a little young up front, but we’re getting better.”
The Bulldogs, however, kept competing.
With starting quarterback Ty Whittaker sidelined by a broken wrist, Robbie Galloway gave Tazewell a passing attack that repeatedly challenged Southern Gap downfield.
Galloway finished 17-for-42 passing for 364 yards and five touchdowns, with three interceptions. Despite the turnovers and Southern Gap’s early lead, he continued attacking through the air.
Chase McDonald and Ellis Day provided difficult matchups for the Eagles’ secondary, helping Tazewell produce several long gains and get back on the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs scored three second-quarter touchdowns, but Southern Gap answered with more production from Aidan Baker. His 52-yard touchdown run and an 8-yard score helped send the Eagles into halftime ahead 50-21.
Tazewell recovered an onside kick to open the second half, creating an opportunity to cut further into the lead. Southern Gap’s defense held on downs, and Blankenship soon added a 33-yard touchdown run.
White’s conversion pass to Ayden Whited made it 58-21.
The scoring continued as Tazewell found more opportunities through the air and Aidan Baker broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Gunner Baker finished Southern Gap’s scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth, and Thompson added the extra point.
For all the Eagles accomplished offensively, the long passing plays gave them something to address during their upcoming open week.
“They got some great skill guys, and they was hard to cover,” Tester said. “While it’s a high-scoring game, it was an exciting game.”
Harris praised McDonald’s ability to create problems for a defense.
“Chase is a really good football player,” Harris said. “We got to get him a little bit better staying focused early on, but once he’s focused, he’s one of the best receivers in the district.”
While Tazewell found success throwing the football, Southern Gap shut down the ground game. The Bulldogs finished with minus-7 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Chase Baker helped set the tone up front, and Branton Stacy recorded two sacks. Josh Keller and Gunner Baker contributed at linebacker, while freshman defensive back Mason Rife broke up several passes.
Whited intercepted two passes, joining White in accounting for the Eagles’ three interceptions.
Harris credited his team for continuing to battle and said Galloway’s snaps would provide valuable film as Tazewell moves forward in district play.
“First of all, I mean, that’s a really good football team we played against tonight,” Harris said. “They’re really well coached, and, you know, we wish them the best of luck moving forward.”
“Our kids persevered, and they battled,” he added.
Tazewell fell to 3-3, while Southern Gap heads into an open week before its final three regular-season games. The Eagles return to action Oct. 23 against River View, West Virginia.
Blankenship said the Eagles would use the break to keep improving.
“We’ll get back to practice next week, on our bye week, you know, and get back after it,” he said.
Tester left Tazewell pleased with the effort behind another big offensive night.
“I’m so proud of these kids and the effort of the offensive line and what they’re doing on offense,” he said.
