Justice prevails as Rebels roll on
Hurley (44) vs. Twin Valley (24)
Written: Nov 07, 2015
By LLOYD COMBS
for the Daily Telegraph
KEEN MOUNTAIN, Va. — It as billed as a battle of two of the top running backs in the region and neither one of them disappointed, despite extra defensive attention.
Brady Justice ran the ball 32 times for a whopping 313 yards and six touchdowns to lead Hurley to a 44-24 win over Buchanan County rival Twin Valley Friday night.
Justice scored the first 42 Hurley points. He had TD runs of 4, 8 and 43 yards in the first half, and with the help of some key defensive stops that included a big sack and pass breakup, he helped the Rebels salt the game away in the second half.
Behind Austin Shortridge and athletic sophomore quarterback Tayten Sykes the Panthers (6-4) got within 28-24 with 7:21 remaining in the game.
Shortridge finished with 216 rushing yards and three TDs on 30 carries. Justice, who raced 64 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the third quarter, made a series of sharp cuts and carried the ball on 10 of Hurley’s last 11 plays and scored two more TDs in the final minutes.
“We just got to get (Brady) loosened them up a little bit,” said Hurley coach Greg Tester. “Get him in some lanes and let him create and he’s going to get his.
“The type of back he is I think he’s one of the best in the area. We got three good backs and it’s hard to key on just Brady.”
It was a closer game than the final outcome. Sykes added 89 rushing yards and threw a 31-yard TD pass to Cody Dales when he eluded the pass rush and scrambled to his right in the second period.
The Rebels scored on consecutive series in the first quarter. Justice’s first TD was set up by a 55-yard run on a jet sweep by Chris Spencer.
Like he did late, Justice did it all by himself on the last six plays of a 9-play, 58-yard scoring drive, but he declined to take all the credit, despite gaining 211 yards in the second half alone.
“I just ran hard and my line opened some holes up. They were huge, anybody could have done it,” he said.
Shortridge picked up 152 yards in the second half, including 101 inthe third quarter.
“It was definitely a shootout between the two of us,” Justice added. “I think the fans definitely got what they wanted to see.”
Hurley got two big defensive stops in the second half, including an interception by Zack Lester in the end zone with 8:38 remaining.
Twin Valley had a first-and-goal at the 10 moments before that.
“We just got stuffed and Zack (Lester) made a heck of a play on the ball,” Twin Valley coach Tommy Crigger said. “Hats off to them, it ain’t like we played a bad football team.
“Brady Justice is one of the best backs in the region. I believe Austin’s one of the best backs in the region and they both proved it today. But, when it comes down to it you gotta make the plays when the game’s on the line.”
The win clinched a possible home game for the Rebels (8-2) in the first round of next week’s playoffs.
Tester was just thrilled to get a win in a rivalry game at this point of the season.
“I give credit to Tommy Crigger and that Twin Valley football team,” he said. “They fight hard and they’ve improved so much over the season.
“Shortridge, he’s a tough runner. He’s hard to bring down. You can be guaranteed one thing, he’s going to pack two or three with him.”
At Keen Mountain
Hurley....................14 8 6 16 -- 44
Twin Valley...............0 12 6 6 -- 24
H-Justice 4 run (run failed)
H-Justice 8 run (Justice run)
TV-Dales 31 pass from Sykes (pass failed)
TV-Shortridge 31 run (run failed)
H-Justice 43 run (Justice run)
H-Justice 64 run (pass failed)
TV-Shortridge 14 run (run failed)
TV-Shortridge 26 run (run failed)
H-Justice 19 run (Justice run)
H-Justice 12 run (Tester run)
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TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: H 13, TV 18; Rushes-Yards: H 45-396, TV 43-302; Passing Yards: H 13, TV 63; Comp-Att-Int: H 1-2-1, TV 4-15-1; Fumbles-Lost: H 5-0, TV 3-1; Penalties-Yards: H 9-80, TV 2-20; Punts-Average: H 3-26.3, TV 2-33.5.
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