Bluefield burned by Blue Devils
Bluefield (7) vs. Gate City (21)
Written: Oct 01, 2011
By LARRY EDENS
for the Daily Telegraph
GATE CITY, Va. — Historically, it has been extremely hard for a visiting football team to beat the Gate City Blue Devils at Legion Field. Since 1960, they have reportedly won an impressive 87 percent of their home games.
On Friday evening, that task became even more difficult for the Bluefield Beavers, after they committed two first-half turnovers and had a potential game-tying 31-yard field goal attempt blocked midway through the second quarter.
With just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, and Bluefield moving the football on the ground, running back C.J. Manns was hit by a charging Gate City linebacker and fumbled the ball after a substantial gain.
The Blue Devils recovered at the Bluefield 44 yard line and promptly drove 44 yards for the game’s first score, when senior running back Derick Miller scored from three yards out.
On Bluefield’s ensuing possession, quarterback D.J. Edwards’ third-down pass to Manns was intercepted by Gate City defensive back Wesley Byrd and the Blue Devils ran out the first quarter’s final 49 seconds.
Bluefield’s best chance to score in the opening half came after senior linebacker Jeff James blocked a Gate City punt and Tyler Myers picked the ball up and took it to the Blue Devils’ 3 yard line.
Unfortunately, the Beavers had 12 men on the field on the next play, and the resulting five-yard penalty was costly. With the ball now placed at the Gate City 8 yard line, Manns rushed for two yards, and on the next play, running back Montel Leggett was taken down in the backfield for a seven-yard loss.
Edwards couldn’t find a receiver on third down and was sacked at the Gate City 14 yard line. When Bluefield kicker Justin Mariotti tried a field goal attempt of 31 yards, it was blocked by Gate City senior defensive back Montana Harris.
“The snap was slow and I got a good start off the edge,” Harris said. “No one touched me.”
Bluefield coach Fred Simon knew it was a huge opportunity missed.
“You have to get points right there. It could have changed the game’s momentum,” said Simon.
It definitely was a game-changer. Gate City took over possession at Bluefield’s 21 yard line and promptly marched 79 yards on 11 plays for the second touchdown of the game.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Bowen hit a streaking Byrd across the end zone with a touchdown pass with only 40 seconds remaining in the half.
Gate City dominated the game on the ground and controlled much of the clock in the second half. For the game, they rushed for 200 yards on 44 carries, with Seaver Elliott and Miller combining for 157 of those yards.
“They are ball control like they always are, and did a good job of keeping it away from us,” Simon said. “They’re physical and good up front, and we aren’t as big and strong as we were last year.”
Gate City coach Bill Houseright was pleased with the win and effort of his football team.
“We worked on a lot of blocking and tackling this week, and it helped us. Our backs ran strong and hard tonight,” he said.
The leading rusher for the Beavers was Edwards with 56 yards on 13 carries.
He connected on eight of 15 pass attempts for 84 yards. Bowen completed five of 11 for 79 yards.
Bluefield’s lone score came late in the fourth quarter when Justin Carter hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Edwards with eight minutes remaining in the game.
Although it was a tough loss, Simon is still striving for more wins than losses at season’s end.
He said, “We’re going to fight as hard as we can for a winning season. That’s what we play for.”
At Gate City
Bluefield........0 0 0 7 — 7
Gate City........7 7 7 0 — 21
First Quarter
GC – Miller 1 run (Bowen kick), 1:21
Second Quarter
GC – Byrd 13 pass from Bowen (Bowen kick), 0:46
Third Quarter
GC – Miller 12 run (Bowen kick), 6:24
Fourth Quarter
BHS – Carter 10 pass from Edwards (Mariotti kick), 8:05
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