Johnson, Strong lead Blue Tornado to rout of Carroll County
Richlands (55) vs. Carroll County (16)
Written: Oct 15, 2011
By MIKE DAVIS
for the Daily Telegraph
HILLSVILLE, Va. — The Blue Tornado remained perfect on the season Friday night after taking down the Cavaliers in a Southwest District clash at Tommy Thompson Field.
The Tornado scored 41 points in the opening half and held Carroll County at bay to get a win on the road, 48-23.
Richlands (7-0, 2-0 SWD) stacked up 529 yards including 287 yard rushing and 242 through the air and pushed the chains ahead for 17 first downs. The Cavaliers (1-6, 1-1) finished the night with 238 total yards.
“I think offensively we played very well,” Richlands head coach Greg Mance said. “We didn’t punt in the first half, we executed and we hit the big plays. Offensively line did a great job and defensively, we’ve got to get better on our pass coverage.”
“But, Carroll County has a great football team and we were lucky to get out with a win.”
Richlands duo Reece Strong and Devon Johnson were atop the highlight reel for the Blues putting up personal bests through the air and on the ground.
Strong threw for 240 yards — a career best — and three touchdowns while spreading the ball among six receivers. Johnson, meanwhile, took the ball 12 times for 231 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and added another one receiving.
“Devon Johnson had a big effort and just ran over people,” Mance said. “Reece Strong spread the field and D.J. Flack, Todd McGlothlin, Josh Compton all had big nights for us.”
The Tornado came out of the gate and touched down quick in Carroll County and scored on their first possession on a quick two-play drive. A short gain and a holding call pushed the line of scrimmage back to their own 17-yard line.
Strong turned and handed the ball off to Johnson who ran through the line of scrimmage and broke tackles to daylight before turning on the burners for an 83-yard touchdown run. The kick was wide holding the score at 6-0.
The Blues scored three more touchdowns in the opening quarter when Colton Staten ran in a one-yard score followed by Strong finding D.J. Flack for a 43-yard hookup with 2:57 showing on the clock.
Carroll County interrupted the Richlands scoring frenzy when Jacob Mollett rolled in from the 3-yard line.
However, it didn’t take long for the Blues to get back on track. They scored 30 seconds later when Johnson ran in a 58-yarder and Ben Brown added the 2-point conversion on a short run.
Strong threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter as he found Todd McGlothlin for a 15-yard score and Johnson on a catch and run for 27 yards.
The Cavaliers scored once in the second quarter when Logan Hodges bowled in from the 3-yard line.
Each team added a score in the second half with Richlands scoring on their opening possession capping the journey with Staten running in from three yards out. The Cavs’ scored in the fourth on a 7-yard run by Patrick Davis.
McGlothlin led the Tornado in catches with five for 71 yards followed by Flack who hauled in three receptions for 67 yards. Compton caught five passes for the Blues for 49 yards on the night.
Conner Blundy was 8-of-15 for the Cavaliers passing for 123 yard and Mollett caught two passes for 35 yards.
Richlands returns home next week for another district match when they host the Abingdon Falcons.
at Tommy Thompson Field
Richlands.....................27 14 7 0 — 48
Carroll County................8 8 0 7 — 23
Scoring summary
First quarter
R — Johnson 83-yard run (kick no good)
R — Staten 1-yard run (Strong kick)
R — Flack 43-yard pass from Strong (kick no good)
C — Mollett 3-yard run (Underwood run)
R — Johnson 58-yard run (Brown run)
Second quarter
R — McGlothlin 15-yard pass from Strong (Strong kick)
C — Hodges 3-yard run (Hash pass from Underwood)
R — Johnson 27-yard pass from Strong (Strong kick)
Third quarter
R — Staten 3-yard run
Fourth quarter
C — Davis 7-yard run (Combs kick)
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