Bath County defeats Bland County in regional football game

BATH COUNTY ESCAPES BEARS 17-13 IN REGIONAL PLAY
By JERRY SCOTT/Correspondent

For the second straight season, Bland County’s Bears are one-and-done in Region C football competition. Bath County, after getting a game-saving interception with 1:11 remaining in the game as well as the benefits of a couple of questionable calls in the first half, literally stole its 17-13 win in the Division 1 regional semifinals last Friday night in Bastian.
The Bears were in the playoffs for the second consecutive season and fifth time overall after posting a best ever 9-1 regular season record and winning the MED championship. The three-time Region C runners-up from the mid-90s had high hopes of advancing into the regional title game this season but instead were forced to settle with a 9-2 ledger.
“Bath County is a solid football team that did a lot of good things,” Bland County’s Harris Hart said dejectedly following the game. “We just couldn’t overcome our mistakes; we played hard and gave good effort but couldn’t overcome. We needed more time.”
Bath County upped its record to 8-3 with the win and advanced into the championship tilt this week to face Holston (10-1). The top-seeded Cavaliers broke a drought of 24 years between playoff wins by edging fourth-ranked Eastern Montgomery 13-12 in Damascus in the other semifinal game.
Holston led 13-6 at the two-minute mark of the fourth period but EastMont’s Shawn Christian 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-seven to Brian Deare closed the deficit to one point. Rather that go for the tie, the Mustangs opted for the two-point conversion that failed inches from the goal line. EastMont’s season ended at 5-6.
At Bastian, Bath County’s J. P. Plecker rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries as the Charges collected 251 yards of total offense. Quarterback Michael Robertson passed for 96 yards hitting seven of 14 passes and Bath County also got a critical end around pass play from Jim King to Matt O’Conner that covered 30 yards and helped set up the game’s first touchdown. O’Conner also had 72 yards in punt returns.
The Bears were able to stop the Chargers on the game’s opening possession and Bland County answered by marching from its own 32 to the Bath County 32 before turning the ball over on downs at the 5:57 mark of the first quarter. Bath County then drove back and scored with 1:33 remaining in the stanza on a two-yard scoring run by Robertson. King’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
The drive came with drama, however, and featured a pair of huge plays that went Bath County’s way. The first came with the Chargers at the Bears’ 38 with Bath County facing second-and-eight.
King tried a screen pass over-the-middle that Bland County’s Nick Leighton intercepted but the officials ruled the ball had hit the ground for an incomplete pass. Then from the same spot on fourth down, the Chargers’ King hit O’Conner for a 30-yard pass play on the end around that gave Bath County first down at the Bears’ 8 and three plays later Robertson scored.
Three plays into the ensuing drive for the Bears, quarterback Josh Shrader’s fumble was recovered by O’Conner which aided in Bath County’s getting its second score. The Chargers bridged the first and second quarters together by driving 67 yards in nine plays and taking a 14-0 lead with 8:52 left in the first half on Dillon Perdue’s 15-yard scoring run.
Key to the drive was another questionable call as Bears’ sophomore Cody Green was whistled for a late hit on Robertson with Bath County looking at third-and-17 from the Bears’ 28. With new life at the Bears’ 13, Bath County needed just three more plays to find the end zone and take the two-touchdown advantage.
Always a class act, Hart refused to comment on the officiating after the game. He simply diverted the question.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” he said. “We just couldn’t overcome ours.”
Bath County’s defense then stiffened even more and the Bears were forced to punt away their next possession. The Chargers marched back from their own 20 and were looking to score again before Bland County finally caught a break late in the drive.
Robertson had hit King for 18 yards as Bath County crossed into Bears’ territory and Plecker dashed 33 yards from the Bears’ 47 to the 14 for a Chargers’ first down. Moments later, back-to-back holding flags on Bath County had the Chargers facing second-and-35 from the Bears’ 39.
Bath County wound up punting the ball back to the Bears, who drove from their own 20 to their own 49 before backfield tackles on Kyle Kennedy and Shrader forced the second of Leighton’s two punts on the last play of the first half. O’Conner netted 38 yards on the return as time expired.
In the third period, Bland County punted away its first two possessions and Bath County its first as neither team found success moving the ball. Leighton, who was named first-team All-MED punter earlier in the week and is one of Bland County’s best ever punters, boomed a monster kick on the second one that covered 85 yards by the time the ball was downed.
Worth noting, Leighton finishes his Bears’ career with four Bland County punting records. In addition to the single-kick distance mark, Leighton also holds the mark for punt yards in a season (1,384) which is 88 yards more than Brandon Kelley [1,296] had in 2002. Leighton’s yardage in 2008 on 33 kicks averages 41.9 yards per kick, eclipsing his own record of 38.2 set last season [27 punts, 1,032 yards] and his career punt average of 40.2 yards per kick [60 punts, 2,416 yards] crushes Kelley’s marks of 32.3 yards per kick on 105 punts and 3,378 yards from 1999-2002.
Seemingly unfazed by Leighton’s kick, Bath County proceeded to drive 72 yards in 10 plays before settling on a 37-yard field goal by King that made it 17-0 with 44 seconds left in the third stanza. King came into the game having kicked eight field goals already this season and he made a pair of key catches in this drive totaling 54 yards that helped set up his kick. The Chargers also benefited from another late hit flag on Bland County after a Robertson pass of two yards to Dillon Fry moved the ball from the Bears’ 35 to the 18.
Unwilling to quit, Bland County finally found some offensive life on the ensuing possession. Korey Kennedy bolted 39 yards on first down from the Bears’ 20 to the Chargers’ 41 and his six-yard gain to the 35 closed out the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth, Kennedy again rolled for 18 yards to the 17 before Shrader scored from 10 yards out with 10:26 to go that sliced the lead to 17-7. The score was Shrader’s 21st of the season and his 34 career touchdowns fall three shy of Casey Elliott’s record of 37 from 1998-2001.
Bath County went three-and-punt on the game’s next possession and the Bears again responded, this time driving 65 yards in 14 plays and scoring with 4:00 to play on a three-yard run by Kyle Kennedy that made 17-13. Leighton’s PAT kick was blocked by the Chargers.
Once, the Bears converted a fourth down and twice third downs to help sustain the drive. Dylan Kidd picked up 10 yards on a fake punt from the Bears’ 39 and from the Chargers’ 48, Kyle Kennedy’s 13-yard, third down reception gave the Bears a first down at the 35. Later, Shrader picked up six yards on third-and-one from the 26 and a pass interference flag against Bath County on third-and-goal from the six preceded Kennedy’s scoring run.
“We knew they [Bland County] wouldn’t lay down,” Bath County coach Will Fields said. “Most 9-1 teams don’t. We felt like they were a second half team and they fought it right to the end.”
With the game now in the balance, Bath County was forced to punt for the fifth time with 2:18 remaining and the Bears took over at their own 30. On third-and-10 Shrader connected with fellow senior Josh Pennington with a pass of 10 yards to the 40. Three plays later, however, Bath County’s King snared an over-the-middle aerial from Shrader, this at 1:11 to seal the win.
“At that point they were bringing it to us,” Fields stated. “We are lucky that he made that mistake. He didn’t make many.”
In addition to Plecker’s 60 yards for the Chargers, Fry netted 24 yards on six carries. King caught five passes for 88 yards.
For Bland County, Korey Kennedy gained 96 yards on 13 carries and finishes his career with 2,469 yards on 372 carries and 29 touchdowns. Shrader collected 78 yards on 19 carries as the Bears mounted up 191 rushing yards among their 227 total yards.
Defensively for Bland County, senior B. J. Gibson finished with 13 tackles, including 12 assists. Other top tacklers were Jacob Lambert and Korey Kennedy with 10 tackles each and Leighton with eight.
The most successful season in Bland County Bears varsity football history is now in the books. Once the sting from this loss is gone these players can look back and be proud of what they accomplished in 2008.
Disappointingly absorbing the loss, Hart emphasized that, too.
“This is really a great group of kids, especially those 13 seniors,” he said. “They played so hard, all year. They don’t know the meaning of ‘quit,’ ‘giving up.’

Bath County 7 7 3 0—17
Bland County 0 0 0 13—13

SCORING—
First quarter:
BaC—M. Robertson 2 run (King kick) 1:33
Second quarter:
BaC—Perdue 15 run (King kick) 8:52
Third quarter:
BaC—King 37 FG: 44
Fourth quarter:
BlC—Shrader 10 run (Leighton kick) 10:26
BlC—Ky. Kennedy 3 run (kick blocked) 4:00

TEAM STATISTICS—
BaC BlC
First downs 12 15
Rushes/yds 40/125 44/191
Comp/Att/Int 8/15/0 4/12/1
Passing yds 126 36
Returns/yds 3/79 4/53
Penalties/yds 11/73 7/52
Fumbles/lost 1/0 3/1
Punts/avg yds 5/35.8 4/58.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS—
Rushing:
Bath County—Plecker 11/60, Fry 6/24, M. Robertson 9/15, Perdue 7/14, Bratton 5/10, J. Robertson 1/5, King 1/-3. Bland County—Ko. Kennedy 13/96, Shrader 19/78, Kidd 1/10, Lambert 2/7, Ky. Kennedy 6/3, Kr. Kennedy 3/-3.
Passing:
Bath County—M. Robertson 7/14/0, 96 yds., King 1/1/0, 30 yds. Bland County—Shrader 4/12/1, 36 yds.
Receiving:
Bath County—King 5/88, O’Conner 1/30, J. Robertson 1/6, Fry 1/ 2. Bland County—Ky. Kennedy 2/14, Kr. Kennedy 1/12, Pennington 1/10.