Richlands season ends at Cave Spring

By DAVE COX/Staff
ROANOKE- The third quarter, the one that had been so good to Richlands for most of the 2009 season was the worse for the Blues last Friday night in the Region IV, Division 3 finals against Cave Spring in a 35-21 loss that ended the Tornado season at 10-2, just one game short of reaching the state playoffs for the sixth year in a row. The loss also put a stop to the five-year run of Region IV championships for the highly successful RHS football program.
The Blues led the favored Knights 14-7 at halftime, but Cave Spring, which dominated time of possession in the game 31:45 to 16:15, controlled the pace in the third frame as well. The Knights reeled off 26 plays to the Blues’ eight in the quarter and scored the game-tying and go-ahead touchdowns to take the lead at 21-14. A costly fumble by Richlands on its first offensive play of the third quarter followed an 11-play scoring drive by the Knights to start the period. Another nine-play drive put CSHS ahead and the Blues offense sputtered the rest of the period and could not score.
Richlands did manage to knot the contest at 21-21 midway through the fourth chapter on a dazzling catch and run touchdown by Austin Johnson that covered 87 yards.
The unimaginable happened after Cave Spring retook the lead at 28-21 when RHS quarterback Cody Johnson left the game with an injury. The Blues suffered a crucial interception on the next play that ended any hopes for a Blues’ comeback. Cave Spring added an insurance touchdown three plays after the pick.
:”I really felt we were going to win the game after that (Austin Johnson) score,” said Richlands head coach Greg Mance. “We had the momentum and our kids were bouncing up and down, but we just couldn’t get our defense off the field.”
Very cold and windy conditions greeted the large crowd of mostly Richlands fans, which outnumbered the Cave Spring faithful by about three to one, but seemingly the only adverse effect the weather had on the game was on an extra point kick by the Blues after their first score of the evening.
Cave Spring (10-2) tried to surprise the Blues with a game-opening onside kick, but it was recovered by Tanner Smith to give the visitors great field position at their own 49 yard line. Ten plays later Cody Johnson bolted into the end zone from four yards away for the first touchdown of the game. The swirling wind caught Reece Strong’s extra point kick attempt, sending it wide, but the Tornado was up 6-0 with 9:02 left in the opening period.
Sam Wright raced 38 yards on the first offensive play by Cave Spring to put his team on the right track to pay dirt. Knight quarterback Josh Woodrum hit Erik Jacobsen with an 11-yard pass to tie the contest. Ethan Hafey nailed the extra point kick to give his team the lead at 7-6 with 5:23 to play in the first frame.
After an exchange of punts, the Blues used just four plays to retake the lead. Cody Johnson’s pass to a wide open Cody Thomas climaxed the 81-yard drive which included runs of 18 and 52 yards by Austin Johnson. The TD strike to Thomas covered 25 yards. Cody Johnson found Sean Overton on a two-point conversion pass to give the Blues the lead at 14-7 with 7:30 remaining until halftime
A time consuming 18-play drive by Cave Spring followed the Richlands score, but came up empty when big Will Lowe knocked down a Woodrum pass on a fourth-and-three situation at the RHS 9-yard line.
Cave Spring started the third quarter on a mission. Woodrum picked up 37 yards on a keeper play to set up a Knights’ score. Woodrum and Wright did most of the leg work on the 86-yard scoring drive with Wright scoring the first of his three touchdowns on the night on a 4-yard gallop with 8:33 left in the period. Hafey added the PAT to tie the game at 14-14.
Richlands turned the ball right back over to CSHS at the RHS 28 with a fumble on their first offensive play of the third quarter. Nine plays later Wright added another tally on a 2-yard burst. Hafey made it 21-14 with his extra point kick with 5:03 left inn the third stanza.
A Cave Spring punt pinned the Blues deep at their own 13, but on the first play after the kick, Austin Johnson took a short slant pass from Cody Johnson and looked to be bottled up in his backfield. However, he reversed his field a couple of times until he found an opening that would result in an 87-yard touchdown. Strong’s kick was true to knot the score at 21-21 with 6:44 left to play. That’s when Woodrum put his tam on his capable shoulders!
Woodrum completed a third-and-nine pass to Jacobsen to keep a Knights’ drive alive and then ran for a pair of 20-yard gains, the last one coming after he converted another third down situation on a three yard carry. The latter 20-yard gain put the football on the Blues’ two. Wright took care of those yards on the next play to put his team ahead to stay. Hafey added the extra point for a 28-21 Knights’ edge with 2:54 to play.
With their back to the wall, the visitors set about their chores, but Cody Johnson went down on a hard hit by a Cave Spring defender and had to leave the game. Jack Vance replaced him and was intercepted by Jacobsen at the Cave Spring 48 on his first pass attempt.
Woodrum took full advantage of the break and ran untouched for 50 yards before he was brought down from behind at the RHS 2. The RHS defense dropped Wright for a one yard loss before Woodrum barely made it across the goal line from the three. Hafey added the PAT to end the night’s scoring at 35-21 with only 26 seconds left in the game.
Vance completed passes of 12 and nine yards to Bradley Strong before the clock expired.
Wodrum racked up 189 of the Knights’ 295 rushing yards on the night on 27 carries. Wright finished with 105 yards on 24 tries. Woodrum connected on 13 of his 25 pass attempts for 137 yards and was not intercepted. Most of his completions came on quick, short slant passes which the Blues just couldn’t defend.
Richlands ran for 162 yards, led by Austin Johnson’s 80 on just three carries. Cody Johnson managed 54 yards on 18 carries. He completed five of 10 pass attempts and was not intercepted. Johnson had 141 passing yards. Austin Johnson collected 95 yards on two catches. As a team, the Blues were 7-of-14 for 154 yards through the air. Cave Spring posted 23 first downs to 13 for RHS.
Defensively, Devon Johnson led the Blues with seven tackles. Will Lowe, Thomas and Albert Fajardo had six tackles each.
Cave Spring advanced to the state Group AA, Division 3 semifinals this week and will host Northside, an upset winner over Liberty-Bedford in the Region III, Division 3 finals last Friday. The Knights edged Northside in regular season play.
“The kids represented the Southwest District and our town very well,’ said Mance. “We’re used to playing in December, but you can say that the better team won tonight. We had a great season at 10-2 with just five seniors. We fought to the end.”