Tornado blows through
Richlands (45) vs. Bluefield (30)
Written: Oct 03, 2015
 By JIM NELSON
for the Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD — John-Luke Asbury threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns in helping Richlands to a 45-30 win over Bluefield on Friday night at Mitchell Stadium.
The back and forth contest featured some wild momentum swings, but ultimately Richlands’ pass game proved to be the difference.
Bluefield’s DrayQuan Hickman stripped Richlands’ running back Nick Blankenship of the football and rambled in for the first score of the game.
The Blue Tornado countered with a 20-yard Nick Barrett field goal.
In the second period, the Beavers’ Zac Springman nailed a pair of 34-yard field goals, and Richlands answered with touchdown passes of 24 yards to Cody Howie and a 43-yarder to Scottie Ball.
After intermission Richlands quickly stretched their lead to 11, 24-13, on another Asbury to Ball td connection.
As Richlands was moving for another potential score, the Beavers recovered a bad snap in the shotgun, and one play later Mookie Collier struck with a 57-yard touchdown run.
It was 24-20 Richlands after three quarters.
In the fourth period the Beavers’ first pass of the night, a 53-yard Jordan Smith to Jason Edwards strike, set up Springman’s third field goal of the night and the deficit was just one, 24-23.
Richlands answered instantly. On their first snap of the ensuing possession Asbury hit Howie 86-yard bomb. The Tornado recovered a squib kick and struck one play later on a 35-yard Asbury to Howie touchdown pass.
That gave Richlands a 38-23 lead, but Bluefield had one more rally.
The Beavers drove the length of the field and Smith scored with 6:14 in the game and the deficit was just eight, 38-30.
Richlands discovered its ground game then, and a four-minute drive put the game away when Blankenship pounded it in from seven yards out.
Howie caught eight passes for 223 yards and three scores. The Tornado overcame a sputtering run game which produced a negative-9 yards on the night with their aerial assault.
Richlands (5-1) will visit Tazewell on Friday, while Bluefield (5-1) won’t play again until Oct. 23 at Oak Hill.
at Mitchell Stadium
Richlands................3 14 7 21 — 45
Bluefield.................7 6 7 10 — 30
Scoring
First Quarter
BF: Hickman 5 fumble return (Springman kick) 4:16
RL: Barrett 20 field goal 1:15
Second Quarter
BF: Springman 34 field goal 7:55
RL: Howie 24 pass from Asbury (Barrett kick) 7:31
BF: Springman 34 field goal 2:38
RL: Ball 43 pass from Asbury (Barrett kick) 2:08
Third Quarter
RL: Ball 35 pass from Asbury (Barrett kick) 10:48
BF: Collier 57 run (Springman kick) 4:09
Fourth Quarter
BF: Springman 21 field goal 9:33
RL: Howie 86 pass from Asbury (Barrett kick) 9:16
RL: Howie 35 pass from Asbury (Barret kick) 8:54
BF: Smith 5 run (Springman kick) 6:14
RL: Blankenship 7 run (Barrett kick) 2:06
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