2023-10-01 04:35:06
CHARCMO – The Greenbrier West Cavaliers manhandled the Shady Spring Tigers Friday night in a 55-0 homecoming victory that served notice to Class A schools across the state. The Cavaliers are for real. The game was billed as West’s first test of the season. If that’s the case, give coach Kelly Vaughan’s squad an A for the night.
Shady Spring was held to a three-and–out on its first series. Greenbrier West started their first possession in Shady territory thanks to a facemask penalty away from the ball on the return. Two short runs by Jake Pate were followed by a Cole Vandall scramble that left the Cavaliers with an early decision. Fourth and six at the Tiger 41-yard line was a gutsy go for it call for Coach Vaughan, but the gamble paid off. Vandall rose up and hit Ethan Holliday in stride for a 30-yard completion as he sprinted up the right hash mark. Shady’s defense snuffed out two Cavalier runs, but once once more, the offense answered. Pate went in motion to the right side as the ball was snapped and looped up the right sideline. Wideout Colton Dunbar slanted toward the goalpost, luring the Shady defender with him as he decoyed to the middle. Vandall lofted a soft pass to Pate on the right side for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Hayden Ridgeway came on to chip in the PAT for a 7-0 West lead with 8:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Shady Spring started their second series at their own 24-yard line. Senior quarterback Brady Green connected with junior Jalon Bailey on second down for a gain of nine yards, then carried the ball himself for a Tiger first down. A facemask call once morest the Cavaliers pushed Shady into West territory at the 49-yard line. C.W. Sturgill then took it upon himself to stymie the Tiger attack. Sturgill blitzed from his linebacker position on first down to drop Shady running back Gavin Davis for a 3-yard loss. On second down, Sturgill shadowed Green as he scrambled out of the pocket. Sturgill met Green with a thunderous collision at the West 49. On third down, Sturgill quickly and correctly diagnosed a screen call by the Tigers, slipped around the open field block attempt and locked up Davis following a gain of only two yards. Shady head coach Vince Culicerto made the decision to punt the ball away.
The decision looked like a great call following the ball rolled dead at the Cavalier 13-yard line. Looks were deceiving. Pate took a handoff from Vandall moving left to right but pivoted back to his left near the line of scrimmage. Tiger junior defensive lineman Nathan Hill got a hand on Pate’s jersey, enough to give another Shady lineman a shot at tackling him for a short gain. Pate kept his legs churning and ran through the diving attempt from Colten Henderson. The sliver of daylight would be all Pate needed. Pate raced up the numbers on the Shady sideline for an electric 87-yard score that had the homecoming crowd in a tizzy. Pate’s touchdown was tied for the eighth longest touchdown run in Greenbrier West history. Ridgeway tacked on the extra point and West led 14-0 with 5:05 left in the opening quarter.
Shady then pieced together their best drive of the night. Starting from their own 31-yard line, the Tigers generated three first downs in nine plays, advancing to the West 35-yard line. The West defense buttoned up the Shady attack from there. Brandon Poticher blitzed on first down and dropped Green for a 10-yard loss. Green dumped the ball off to Davis on second down, and he was upended by Tucker Lilly at the 43. Green was forced from the pocket on third down and fired incomplete to Josiah McKoy. Culicerto once more ordered a punt that pinned the Cavaliers back at their own four-yard line as the first quarter expired.
Isaac Agee appeared to run the Cavaliers out of poor field position on the first play of the second quarter. Cutting inside a precision trap block from Jacob Whitt, Agee burst over the right side between perfect blocks from Trent Parker and Peyton Ford. Agee galloped out to the 30-yard line, then cut back inside and up to the 43-yard line before being tackled. As Agee hit the turf, the ball popped loose. Officials ruled the fumble occurred before Agee was down, giving Shady the ball at the Cavalier 44. After two quick plays gave Shady a first down, the Cavalier defense clamped down. Davis was bottled up on first down. A reverse, halfback pass fell woefully incomplete on second down. Green was wrapped up by Ethan Hamons and Poticher on third down, and Green’s deep ball on fourth down was overthrown, turning the ball over on downs.
Evoking memories of Cavalier teams of the past, West lined up in a power-I formation and ran right at the Tigers. Moses Gray carried three consecutive times to advance the ball 17 yards. Staying in the “I,” West then elected to throw the ball. Vandall reversed out and faked the handoff to Gray, freezing Shady cornerback Christian Smith. Holliday streaked past Smith and hauled in Vandall’s throw at the Shady 34-yard line. Holliday used a series of stop-and-go, in-and-out moves to advance the ball to the Tiger 18-yard line. It appeared the Cavaliers were in business, but Shady fought back. Two straight stops put West in a third down situation, and multiple substitutions entered the backfield for West. Third down was not a thing of beauty as the play broke down immediately. Vandall, scrambling in the confusion, coughed up the football. Joseph Cowgher recovered for the Tigers and Shady had dodged a strong scoring opportunity for the Cavaliers.
Two turnovers had plagued the Cavaliers in the second quarter, but the ball was getting ready to bounce their way. Shady would move the ball to their own 34-yard line but three straight incompletions by Green would force Shady into a punting situation. Long snapper Nathan Hill sailed the snap over the head of Colton Henderson at the Shady 20-yard line. Henderson turned to retrieve the ball with Holliday and Agee hot on his heels in a footrace. As the ball wobbled over the goal line into the West endzone, Henderson leaned over to scoop it up. Holliday looked like a harpoon, slicing under Henderson to recover the ball for a Cavalier touchdown. Ridgeway added the extra point for a 21-0 advantage with 5:49 left in the first half.
Things were bad for the Tigers, but they were regarding to get decidedly worse. Facing a 21-point deficit and a third and ten from their own 20, Green took the shotgun snap and looked down the middle of the field. Poticher sliced into the backfield from the left side of the Cavaliers’ line. He tomahawked the ball out of Greens hands for a strip-sack. Jacob Whitt covered the ball for the Cavaliers, but the followingmath of the play was carrying on at the point of attack. Adding injury to insult for the Tigers, Green was tackled to the turf, hurting his right lower leg in the process. Medical teams from both sides attended to the injured Green, and eventually a cart was brought out to assist him off the field. Green’s night was over.
The demoralized Shady squad didn’t offer much resistance following Green’s injury. Vandall took the snap, and much like his first scoring pass, Lilly flashed into the middle of the endzone as Holliday cruised across the goal line, uncovered. Vandall lofted the ball to Holliday for a 13-yard touchdown. Ridgeway booted the ball through the uprights for a 28-0 bulge with 4:34 left in the half.
Poticher forced another turnover on the Tigers next possession, this time with a strip-sack of newly inserted quarterback Cal Culicerto. Hamons recovered at the Shady 25, and West went on the offensive.
Vandall zipped a ball to Lilly on the left to the Shady 16. Marcus Adkins carried the ball twice, advancing to the Tiger 12 and a West first down. From there, the Cavaliers tried to cash in. Vandall pump faked to the left flat in the direction of Holliday, then lofted the ball to Lilly as he crossed the goal line. The ball was in the air too long, as Shady safety Jalon Bailey swooped in for the interception, returning the ball to the Tiger 19-yard line, effectively ending the first half.
After a rare three and out for the Cavaliers to start the second half, Shady experienced a little déjà vu. The offense was stifled without the senior leader Green in the lineup, and Shady was forced to punt. At least that was what the Tigers’ intent was. Running a player on the field as the ball was snapped, the Tigers were flagged on the play. That was the least of their worries. Once once more, the snap rocketed over Henderson’s hands. The 25-yard loss and change of possession crushed Shady.
Jake Pate took the handoff and weaved his way to his right, finding the goal line for a 14-yard touchdown. Ridgeway’s PAT made it 35-0 greenbrier West with 8:03 to play in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers intensity increased with the lead. West defenders teed off on Shady ball carriers and forced Cal Culicerto to throw on the run. A quick three and out put the ball back in the hands of the West offense.
From the Cavalier 43-yard line, Vandall threaded the needle to Colton Dunbar to convert a third and seven into a first down at the Shady 35. Vandall then connected with Lilly in the right flat for a gain of eleven yards. After a misfire to Lilly and a short gain by Agee, West was once more faced with a third down. Running the same play Pate used to score the first touchdown, Agee glided out into the left flat and up the sideline. Vandall spiraled a 24-yard scoring toss to Agee to complete the drive. With his third touchdown pass of the night, Vandall tied eight other Cavalier quarterbacks for the most touchdown passes in a game. The conversion pass was incomplete for a 41-0 lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Shady would see limited success on its next drive before lining up to punt. They say catastrophes often come in threes, and Shady’s punting woes backed up the saying. Lining up at their own 48-yard line, the Tigers ran an eleventh player on the field late. For a third time, the snap was airmailed out of Henderson’s reach. Poticher and Lilly looked like greyhounds chasing following the ball. Henderson covered the loose ball at the Tiger 14-yard line.
West wasted no time. Pate wiggled his way to the one-yard line and Holliday capped the two-play scoring drive with a run up the middle. Ridgeway booted the PAT, and West led 48-0 with 0:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers would add one more score in a fourth quarter that featured a running clock. Holliday set up the score with a 22-yard punt return, allowing West to start their drive at Shady’s 39-yard line. Adkins and Agee alternated carries to the Tiger 17. Joevan Robinson was inserted at quarterback and carried for two yards, then the backfield duo of Adkins and Agee resumed their alternating carries. Agee’s 9-yard touchdown run to end the night was a thing of beauty, carrying the ball over the right side, breaking two tackles at the seven, then dragging Kaiden Helmer the final four yards into the endzone. Ridgeway capped the scoring with his seventh PAT of the night, tying a school record he holds with three other players. Ridgeway has hit the mark three times.
Pate became the first Cavalier back to have a 100-yard rushing game this season in the win. Pate carried six times for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. Additionally, Pate secured his first scoring reception of the season. Vandall put up his third 100-yard passing game of the season, going 8-15 for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns. Holliday scored three different ways, rushing, receiving, and recovery. C.W. Sturgill was named the Rock 95 McDonald’s Player of the Game.
Greenbrier West moves to 5-0 with the win and should be tied for 4th in this week’s WVSSAC playoff ratings. The Cavaliers host a monumental showdown with James Monroe this Friday night. The Mavericks should be tied for #1 in the Class A ratings. Shady Spring falls to 3-3 and heads to Class A #3 Man on Friday night.
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