PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Chilhowie, Twin Valley get long

A comeback culminated in a skid-busting win for Reid Sturgill in his first game as the head football coach at Chilhowie High School.

Asher Chapman threw two touchdown passes to Noah Hill in the second half as the Warriors rallied for a 21-9 non-district victory over the visiting Marion Scarlet Hurricanes on Friday night.

Chilhowie won for the first time since Oct. 28, 2021, snapping a 14-game losing streak and making Sturgill 1-0 as Chilhowie’s boss.

The Warriors trailed 9-0 in the second quarter.

“We had multiple guys step up when their number was called,” Sturgill said. “I thought our leadership was essential in the win.”

Hill caught three passes for 86 yards and two of those were TDs that covered 27 and 15 yards. Chapman finished with 107 yards through the air, while Ian Sturgill rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries and reached the end zone.

Marion got its lone touchdown in the second quarter as Reid Osborne threw a scoring toss to Brody Whitt. The Scarlet Hurricanes held a 279-230 edge in total offense and held the ball for all but three minutes of the first half.

However, the ‘Canes committed three turnovers and were penalized 15 times for 96 yards.

Marion has now dropped 10 straight games, tied with Castlewood for the longest skid among far Southwest Virginia squads.

Marion 2 7 0 0—9

Chilhowie 0 8 7 6—21

Scoring Summary

M – Safety, holding penalty in the end zone

M – B. Whitt 18 pass from Osborne (Wolfe kick)

C – I. Sturgill 1 run (Taylor pass from Chapman)

C – Hill 27 pass from Chapman (Gonzalez kick)

C – Hill 15 pass from Chapman (pass failed)

Team Stats

First Downs: M 13, C 6; Rushes-Yards: M 48-194, C 20-123; Passing Yards: M 85, C 107; Comp.-Att.-Int.: M 4-15-1, C 6-12-0; Fumbles-Lost: M 4-2, C 0-0; Penalties-Yards: M 15-96, C 11-71; Punts-Average: M 2-46, C 2-29.5.

The duo of Colton Hess (seven carries, 113 yards, two touchdowns) and Luke Greene (six carries, 70 yards, two TDs) were dynamic as the Holston Cavaliers overwhelmed Eastern Montgomery for a non-district triumph in Damascus.

Hess scored on runs of 1 and 20 yards, while Greene got to the end zone on trots of 12 and 5 years.

Both are juniors.

Senior Merrick Buchanan and sophomore Collin Widener also had TD runs. Head coach Chris Akers’ club finished with 290 yards on the ground.

Eastern Montgomery was limited to 146 yards of total offense and its lone touchdown came via Gage Akers in the fourth quarter.

Holston improved to 7-0 all-time against the Mustangs.

Eastern Montgomery 0 0 0 8—8

Holston 14 20 7 0—41

H – Greene 12 run (Greene run)

H – C. Hess 1 run (kick failed)

H – Buchanan 1 run (L. Thomas kick)

H – C. Hess 20 run (L. Thomas kick)

H – Greene 5 run (kick failed)

H – Widener 3 run (Casey kick)

EM – Akers 75 run (Bierman pass from Akers)

Dawson Green scored a tiebreaking touchdown in the second quarter and the Sherman Tide topped the Hurley Rebels.

Hurley got its touchdowns from Canaan Shafer and Kevin Looney.

Sherman 12 8 0 0—20

Hurley 6 6 0 0—12

S – R. Williams 49 run (run failed)

S – Greene 30 run (run failed)

H – Shafer 26 run (run failed)

H – Looney 17 run (run failed)

S – Greene 23 run (R. Williams run)

Landen Clark picked up right where he left off a year ago.

Radford’s ultra-talented quarterback rushed for three touchdowns and also threw for two scores as head coach Michael Crist’s Bobcats turned Friday night’s highly-anticipated showdown into a blowout.

Clark threw for 138 yards and most of those came via wide receiver Max Kanipe, who caught five passes for 107 yards and a TD.

Freshman Keymoni Kimbrough also caught a touchdown pass and rushed for a score.

George Wythe’s lone TD came in the third quarter as Laden Houston caught a 55 yard touchdown pass from Tandom Smith. Houston finished with four catches for 74 yards.

George Wythe 0 0 7 0—7

Radford 8 20 0 14—42

R – Clark 10 run (Thompson pass from Clark)

R – Kanipe 38 pass from Clark (Clark run)

R – Clark 6 run (pass failed)

R – Clark 22 run (kick failed)

R – Kimbrough 18 pass from Clark (Pugliese kick)

GW – Houston 55 pass from Smith (Mitchell kick)

R – Kimbrough 40 run (Pugliese kick)

Team Stats

First Downs: R 15, GW 11; Rushes-Yards: R 28-148, GW 22-87; Passing Yards: R 138, GW 126; Comp.-Att.-Int.: R 10-23-0, GW 13-20-1; Fumbles-Lost: R 1-0, GW 5-4; Penalties-Yards: R 5-30, GW 7-55

The West Ridge Wolves are 2-0.

The bunch from Blountville dominated the second half en route to the win.

The Carroll County Cavaliers scored late in the fourth quarter to escape with a non-district road win over Grundy.

Grundy built a 16-14 halftime lead as Logan Lester threw a touchdown pass to Tristan Ellis and Ethan Roberts got the two-point conversion to get the Golden Wave on the board.

Roberts scored the second TD and Carson Deel added the two-pointer.

However, Carroll County kept Grundy off the board during the game’s final 24 minutes and spoiled Keegan Bartley’s debut as head coach of the Wave.

Darin Gulley passed for 265 yards and four touchdowns as Thomas Walker walloped Cumberland Gap for a road win.

Dylan McCurry was a force on both sides of the ball for the Pioneers as he rushed for 66 yards and made 12 tackles. TW built a 27-0 lead en route to the triumph.

Graham ran its regular-season winning streak to 31 games by besting the Bluefield Beavers in front of a packed crowd at Mitchell Stadium.

A touchdown pass from Dalton Roberts to Blake Graham with 2:07 left in the third quarter put the defending VHSL Class 2 state champions ahead to stay.

Bluefield led 9-7 at halftime.

Jacob Justice scored two touchdowns as the Twin Valley Panthers got to celebrate a long-awaited victory on Friday night.

The Panthers prevailed for the first time since November 2021 and relied on a balanced attack to do so.

Justice finished with 80 yards on 11 carries, while Alex Blankenship had 74 rushing yards and 105 receiving yards. Nathanial Deel (19 carries, 79 yards, one TD) and quarterback Brayden White (7-of-10, 105 passing yards) also had memorable showings.

Twin Valley finished with 387 yards of total offense.

The Phelps Hornets have lost 12 in a row.

It was all Twin Springs all the time as the Titans thrashed Northwood for a non-district victory.

Northwood got both of its touchdowns from Austin Graber.

Keith Chandler and William Lowery each rushed for two touchdowns as Union had no trouble with Lee High in opening the season with a Mountain 7 District road win.

The Bears feasted in the annual “Brawl for the Bucket” rivalry game and remained unbeaten all-time against the Generals.

The game was called at halftime due to severe lightning in the area.

Chandler finished with 56 yards on six carries, while quarterback Reyshawn Anderson threw for 79 yards and rushed for 64 more.

Preston McCray added an interception return for Union.

Lee managed just 63 yards of total offense and committed two turnovers.

Union 13 21 0 0—34

Lee High 0 0 0 0—0

Scoring Summary

U – K. Chandler 21 run (K. Chandler kick)

U – K. Chandler 10 run (kick failed)

U – Lowery 7 run (Bishop kick)

U – McCray 28 INT return (Bishop kick)

U – Lowery 3 run (Bishop kick)

Team Stats

First Downs: U 20, L 2; Rushes-Yards: U 17-160, L 7-9; Passing Yards: U 79, L 54; Comp.-Att.-Int.: U 12-21-0, L 7-15-1; Fumbles-Lost: U 0-0, L 2-1; Penalties-Yards: U 8-62, L 6-63; Punts-Average: U 1-33, L 2-36.

Missed opportunities doomed Rural Retreat as the Indians lost to Wythe County rival Fort Chiswell.

Rural Retreat missed a potential game-tying two-point conversion with four minutes remaining as Zane Quesenberry was victorious in his first game as Fort Chiswell’s head coach.

Rural Retreat held a 317-225 edge in total offense, but had several promising drives stall.

Caleb Roberts threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with Austin Umberger and Gunner Hagerman for scores. Tucker Fontaine added six receptions for 57 yards and Chaz Penwright was a top tackler in the loss.

Fort Chiswell got both its touchdowns from Michael Melton via a kickoff return to start the game and a 69-yard scamper in the third quarter.

Rural Retreat 6 0 0 6—12

Fort Chiswell 7 0 7 0—14

Scoring Summary

FC – Melton 69 kickoff return (Billings kick)

RR – Umberger 23 pass from Roberts (kick failed)

FC – Melton 69 run (Billings kick)

RR – Hagerman 9 pass from Roberts (conversion failed)

Team Stats

First Downs: RR 18, FC 10; Rushes-Yards: RR 39-120, FC 22-132; Passing Yards: RR 197, FC 93; Comp.-Att.-Int.: RR 18-31-0, FC 10-19-1; Fumbles-Lost: RR 1-1, FC 0-0; Penalties-Yards: RR 6-37, FC 2-20; Punts-Average: RR 3-29, FC 1-47

Ryan O’Quinn began his junior season in style on Friday night.

The Ridgeview quarterback threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two scores as the Wolfpack walloped Burton.

Ridgeview scored all 44 of its points in the first half and finished with 372 yards of total offense.

O’Quinn carried the ball four times for 45 yards, while completing 6-of-10 passes for 88 yards. His only punt also traveled 40 yards.

Gabe Hackney (seven carries, 121 yards, two TDs) was the leading rusher for the Wolfpack, while Hayden “Big Play” Baker (three catches, 156 yards, two TDs) was the top pass-catcher.

Burton had just 108 yards of total offense and committed four turnovers. Alex Colley led the Raiders with 28 rushing yards.

J.I. Burton 0 0 0 0—0

Ridgeview 20 24 0 0—44

Scoring Summary

R – Baker 89 pass from R. O’Quinn (conversion failed)

R – Hackney 60 run (L. Sutherland pass from R. O’Quinn)

R – R. O’Quinn 3 run (conversion failed)

R – R. O’Quinn 11 run (Hackney run)

R – Hackney 5 run (Fuller run)

R – Baker 56 pass from R. O’Quinn (Honaker pass from R. O’Quinn)

Team Stats

First Downs: JIB 7, R 14; Rushes-Yards: JIB 33-97, R 19-184; Passing Yards: JIB 11, R 188; Comp.-Att.-Int.: JIB 3-12-2, R 6-11-0; Fumbles-Lost: JIB 3-2, R 0-0; Punts-Average: JIB 5-31.8, R 1-40.

Luke Bledsoe threw two touchdown passes to Eli McMurray and Gate City rolled past Richlands for a non-district road win at Ernie Hicks Stadium.

The Blue Devils avenged last year’s 27-13 loss to Richlands in a big way as they dominated the rematch.

Mason Hickman, Jude Crawford and Walker Hillman also had rushing touchdowns, Landon McDonald gained 79 yards on the ground and Corey Byrd intercepted a pass on defense for head coach Jeremy Houseright’s team.

Richlands got 142 passing yards from Andrew Boyd, but the Blue Tornado managed just 38 rushing yards. The only TD for Richlands came when Kaden Dupree intercepted a pass and took it to the house in the second quarter.

Gate City 13 7 7 7—34

Richlands 0 7 0 0—7

Scoring Summary

GC – Hickman 1 run (kick failed)

GC – McMurray 17 pass from Bledsoe (McClain kick)

R – Dupree INT return (B. Jones kick)

GC – Crawford 5 run (McClain kick)

GC – McMurray 16 pass from Bledsoe (McClain kick)

GC – Hillman 2 run (McClain kick)

Team Stats

First Downs: GC 16, R 9; Rushes-Yards: GC 36-178, R 27-38; Passing Yards; GC 72, R 142; Comp.-Att.-Int.: GC 9-14-1, R 13-24-1; Fumbles-Lost: GC 0-0, R 2-1; Penalties-Yards: GC 6-40, R 4-40; Punts-Average: GC 4-34, R 3-40.3

Josh Duffy scored three touchdowns as North Greene overpowered Castlewood for a win and avenged last year’s defeat to the Blue Devils.

Duffy had two touchdown runs and also returned an interception 62 yards to paydirt. He finished with 83 yards on four carries.

Yeshua Vaught (10 carries, 95 yards) also starred for the Huskies in a game that ended prematurely due to lightning and rain.

Castlewood managed just 105 yards of total offense.

North Greene 14 22 0 0—36

Castlewood 0 0 0 0—0

Scoring Summary

NG – Vaught 3 run (kick blocked)

NG – Duffy 8 run (Darnell run)

NG – Collins 47 pass from Darnell (Duffy run)

NG – Duffy 5 run (Fields kick)

NG – Duffy 62 INT return (Fields kick)

Team Stats

First Downs: NG 10, C 8; Rushes-Yards: NG 15-178, C 22-35; Passing Yards: NG 110, C 70; Comp.-Att.-Int.: NG 5-8-0, C 9-20-1; Fumbles-Lost: NG 1-1, C 1-0; Penalties-Yards: NG 6-50, C 5-40; Punts-Average: NG 1-22, C 3-20.

Londen Horne rushed for both of Wise County Central’s touchdowns as the Warriors edged Eastside in a defensive slugfest.

Horne scored on an 18-yard run with 2:26 left in the first quarter and a 3-yard run with 6:42 remaining in the contest. He finished with 67 yards on eight carries and caught two passes for 21 yards.

Jude Davis was among the leaders for Central’s defense.

The Warriors’ win overshadowed a sterling varsity debut for Eastside freshman Keldan Hamilton. He gained 120 yards on 21 carries and also made eight solo tackles.

The touchdown for Eastside came on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Payton Adkins to Luke Trent in the second quarter.

Wise Central 0 6 2 6—14

Eastside 0 7 0 0—7

WC – Horne 18 run (pass failed)

E – Trent 54 pass from Adkins (Raymond kick)

WC – Safety

WC – Horne 3 run (pass failed)

Team Stats

First Downs: WC 12, E 8; Rushes-Yards: WC 42-69, E 33-92; Passing Yards: WC 91, E 103; Comp.-Att.-Int.: WC 9-19-1, E 4-12-1; Fumbles-Lost: WC 2-0, E 4-1; Penalties-Yards: WC 8-70, E 9-65; Punts-Average: WC 4-37.5, E 4-24.8

Payton Darnell ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run on Rye Cove’s first play from scrimmage and that about sums up how things went for the Eagles on Friday night as they dominated their season-opener.

Darnell finished with 77 yards on the ground and was one of seven Eagles to carry the ball.

Landon Lane scored three touchdowns for the Cove, while Jacob Jessee scored two. Will Rollins got in on the TD action too.

The Eagles scored all their points in the first half.

Zach Lane intercepted a pass, Ryan Bowen blocked a punt and Hamilton Osborne recorded a sack for the defense, which posted its second shutout in Gary Collier’s 11 games as head coach.

Joshua Collins had 38 rushing yards for Hancock County (0-2), but the highlights were few and far between for the Indians from Sneedville, Tennessee. The team finished with just 58 yards of total offense and committed two turnovers.

Hancock County 0 0 0 0—0

Rye Cove 14 34 0 0—48

Scoring Summary

RC – Darnell 57 run (Dortch kick)

RC – Lane 1 run (Dortch kick)

RC – Lane 6 run (Dortch kick)

RC – Rollins 1 run (kick failed)

RC – Lane blocked punt return (Dortch kick)

RC – J. Jessee 20 run (Dortch kick)

RC – J. Jessee 1 run (Dortch kick)

Team Stats

First Downs: HC 4, RC 18; Rushes-Yards: HC 23-49, RC 20-256; Passing Yards: HC 9, RC 38; Comp.-Att.-Int.: HC 2-9-1, RC 3-4-1; Fumbles-Lost: HC 1-1, RC 1-0; Penalties-Yards: HC 4-11, RC 3-29; Punts-Average: HC 5-16.4, RC 1-31.

Grayson County stopped a potential game-tying two-point conversion with 23 seconds remaining in holding on for a season-opening triumph.

Keyshawn Phipps returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Austin Dowell threw a TD pass to Mac Goad for the Blue Devils’ scores.

Mack Lemasters of Alleghany County had 175 passing yards and 55 rushing yards.

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