Bland County defeats Fort Chiswell

BLAND COUNTY BEATS DOWN PIONEERS, CLINCHES TIE FOR DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP
By JERRY SCOTT/Correspondent

“Bear season opens 10-31-08. Beat down in Bastian. Go Pioneers! Beat Bland County.” Those were the words on the rotating message board that a Fort Chiswell business adjacent to Interstate 81 had going all last week.
If you heed the words of Bland County coach Harris Hart, every Friday is opening day for Bear season. No game is any more important than another. And there was a beat down in Bastian but it was Hart’s Bears that did the beating down.
A pressure packed defense that was led by Jacob Lambert, Korey Kennedy, and Kyle Kennedy paved the way for a 26-6 win by Bland County. The win clinched at least a tie for the MED championship but more importantly, assured the Bears of their second consecutive Region C appearance and possible home field advantage throughout regional competition.
Lambert collected five solo tackles and seven assists as well as producing a fumble recovery and interception, two of the six turnovers that the Pioneers (2-1, 5-4) amassed. Korey Kennedy and Kyle Kennedy finished with 10 and eight total tackles, respectively, while teammates Cody Greene and Ethan Jones had fumble recoveries and Josh Shrader had an interception and forced a fumble that went through the end zone for a touchback.
“I’m very happy with the way we played,” Hart stated. “We came out and were physical defensively. We just flew around and got some turnovers, some of it because of their mistakes but more because we were so physical and aggressive with solid tackling.”
Shrader again spearheaded the offense as he rushed for 97 yards on 13 carries while completing eight of his 10 passes for an additional 63 yards. He also scored three times, raising his season touchdown total to 17, thus setting a new Bears’ single season record that bettered Casey Elliott’s 2001 record of 15 and duplicated by Thomas Willis in 2006.
Picked by many to not be able to upend the Pioneers, Bland County took it to Stephen James’ club right out of the gate and was not challenged whatsoever. Greene recovered the first of Fort Chiswell’s six fumbles with just over nine minutes left in the first stanza, the takeaway sending the Bears on their way.
From the Pioneers’ 36, the Bears needed just three plays to take the lead 6-0. Josh Pennington’s 10-yard reception on second down from the 34 set up Shrader’s record-tying 15th touchdown as he broke tackle after tackle en route to his 24-yard score at the 8:45 mark of the period.
Fort Chiswell drove to the 33 of Bland County on the ensuing possession before turning the ball back to the Bears on downs and Bland County used that series to march 67 yards in eight plays to up the lead to 12-0 at the 4:19 mark. Korey Kennedy’s 10th score of the campaign came on a three-yard run that capped the drive that also included a pair of second down catches by Nick Leighton that totaled 29 yards and runs of 15 yards by Kristopher Kennedy and 11 yards by Kyle Kennedy.
The game’s next three possessions ended in fumble recoveries by Bland County’s Jones and Lambert and Fort Chiswell’s Dieter Chandler. On Fort Chiswell’s first drive of the second quarter, the Pioneers lost their fourth fumble of the first half.
That came at the Bears’ 20 after a 25-yard catch-and-run by the Fort’s Bradley Robinson. But when Shrader stripped the ball from behind and the errant pigskin bounced out of the end zone for a touchback, the Bears set sail of their third touchdown of the half to take a 19-0 halftime lead.
The Bears embarked on an 80-yard drive that consumed 13 plays, Shrader scoring from a yard out with 2:26 remaining in the first half. A personal foul against Fort Chiswell on an incomplete pass was crucial early in the drive as was two converted third down situations, the second when Shrader bowled over the Pioneers’ Michael Dunford near the right sideline for a 28-yard gain that gave the Bears first-and-goal at the eight-yard line.
“He set a tone with that run,” Hart said. “We were there to play physical and that run sent that message.”
Things only got worse for Fort Chiswell. They drove from their own 31 on the ensuing series to the Bland County 26 but again turned the ball over. Pioneers’ quarterback Hody Viars completed passes of 14 yards to Parker Mabe and 10 yards to Robinson during the drive but it was his fifth pass that was intercepted by Shrader at the Bears’ six that brought the possession to a screeching halt. The pick was Shrader’s sixth of the season and tied the Bears’ single season record set by Jon Michael Newberry in 1996.
Neither team was able to score in the third period as an interception thrown by Shrader ended the Bears’ opening possession of the second half and the ensuing two possessions by each team ended in punts. Fort Chiswell then turned their opening possession of the fourth stanza over on downs at its own 45 to set up Bland County fourth and final touchdown.
The Bears used up 6:08 of clock on the 11-play drive, extending their lead to 26-0 at the 4:20 mark on Shrader’s one-yard run and third score of the game. The score capped a drive in which the Bears were again very successful in third downs, converting three, as well as getting good rushing yardage throughout the drive by Lambert, Korey Kennedy, and Shrader.
Lambert capped his game by picking off his third pass of the season at the BC 35 to squelch the next Fort Chiswell possession. A couple of minutes later, Fort Chiswell blocked Leighton’s fourth punt of the game, the block eventually leading to the lone Pioneers’ score when reserve quarterback Will Freeman connected with junior Jacob Henley for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left in the game.
The Bears finished with 210 yards rushing en route to rolling up 273 yards of total offense. Korey Kennedy finished with just 40 yards on 15 carries and Leighton caught four passes for 49 yards. Lambert added 37 yards in returns.
Fort Chiswell outgained the Bears in total offense as it accumulated 316 total yards. Chris Rodriquez collected 127 yards on 16 carries but was really never a factor in the game. Most of his yardage came on two first quarter runs of 35 yards each and a fourth period run of 31 yards.
Viars hit five of 13 passes for 67 yards with one interception and Freeman nailed five of 12 for 77 yards and an interception. The Pioneers finished with 172 yards rushing and 144 passing and were pretty much eliminated from postseason play with the loss.
Robinson caught three passes for 44 yards for the Pioneers. Storm Bond added three receptions for 38 yards.
The Bears upped their year-to-date turnover ration to plus-nine in their eighth win of the season against one loss. The eight wins ties the all-time regular season win mark set in 1995, a year the Bears went to their second straight regional and finished at 9-3 overall.
“We could never establish any momentum,” James stated after the game. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot [with turnovers]. They [Bland County] executed and we didn’t.”
The Bears will finish the regular season by traveling to Independence this Friday to face winless Grayson County (0-3, 0-9). The Blue Devils are mired in possibly their worst season ever and were bullwhipped 69-20 last week by Harlan City, Ky.
However, Bland County can boast of only two wins against Grayson County since the program began in 1992. Bland County defeated the Blue Devils 14-13 in 1994 and had a 45-0 loss in 1997 overturned to a forfeit after it was discovered that an ineligible Blue Devils’ player participated in the game. A win this week by the Bears would ensure Bland County’s first ever outright district championship.
“We’re going to come in here Monday and start preparing, just like we do each week to get focused,” Hart stated. “We realize it’s for the district championship but it’s just another game and an opportunity to go out and play.”

Fort Chiswell 0 0 0 6—6
Bland County 12 7 0 7—26

SCORING—
First quarter:
BC—Shrader 24 run (kick failed) 8:45
BC—Ko. Kennedy 3 run (run failed) 4:19
Second quarter:
BC—Shrader 1 run (Leighton kick) 2:26
Fourth quarter:
BC—Shrader 1 run (Leighton kick) 4:20
FC—Henley 25 pass from Freeman (pass failed):20

TEAM STATISTICS—
FC BC
First downs 14 15
Rushes/yds 27/172 49/210
Comp/Att/Int 10/25/2 8/10/1
Passing yds 144 63
Returns/yds 7/60 3/37
Penalties/yds 10/75 7/56
Fumbles/lost 6/4 1/1
Punts/avg yds 2/33.5 4/30.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS—
Rushing:
Fort Chiswell—C. Rodriquez 16/127, Viars 9/37, Di. Chandler 2/8. Bland County—Shrader 13/97, Ko. Kennedy 15/40, Lambert 8/21, Ky. Kennedy 7/20, Kidd 4/17, Kr. Kennedy 1/15. Simms 1/0.
Passing:
Fort Chiswell—Viars 5/13/1, 67 yds., Freeman 5/12/1, 77 yds. Bland County—Shrader 8/10/1, 63 yds., Kidd 0/0/0, 0 yds.
Receiving:
Fort Chiswell—B. Robinson 3/44, Bond 3/38, Henley 1/25, P. Mabe 2/23, Dunford 1/14. Bland County—Leighton 4/49, Pennington 2/12, Kr. Kennedy 1/ 4, Ky. Kennedy 1/-2.
Returns:
Fort Chiswell—Henley 3/35, P. Mabe 1/11, C. Rodriquez 1/8, Dunford 2/6. Bland County—Lambert 2/37, Kidd 1/0.