Blue Tornado blows away Lebanon Pioneers
Richlands (34) vs. Lebanon (14)
Written: Nov 01, 2014
BY ANTHONY STEVENS
for the Daily Telegraph
RICHLANDS, Va. — After a loss last week at Abingdon, traditional power Richlands needed a win to solidify their playoff standing in 2A West. Both Lebanon and Richlands came into the contest with a 5-3 record, but it was the Blues that controlled the game in a 34-14 Southwest District win over Lebanon on a very wet, cold night.
“We had a couple of turnovers I was a little disappointed in,” Richlands coach Greg Mance said. “But in this weather, the ball are wet, but we came out and established the run and the pass. Defensively we were very solid and limited Lebanon’s big plays. This was a good win for our football team.”
The Blue Tornado struck quickly. Lebanon took the opening kickoff but it was a three and out. After the punt, it took Richlands only three plays to move 77 yards. Big running back Griffin McCauley rambled down the field for a 60-yard gain. Quarterback River Michaels then found Austin Atkinson on a slant pattern with a 17-yard TD pass.
“We had momentum at the start of the game,” commented Michaels. “The line started quick. We struggled last week but we came back and had a good week of practice. The offense clicked and the line just blew them off the ball. It was a great game for the offense and the defense.”
The Pioneers took the ensuing kickoff. They were only able to run a couple of plays before losing a fumble that was recovered by Danny Anderson. McCauley had a 29-yard run to set up Michaels. The swift quarterback broke free up the middle on a 17-yard run and the Blue were on their way.
“I give all the credit to the line,” Michaels said. “We can’t run if they don’t block. We just try to do the job after they open up the holes.”
The line definitely gave McCauley some room to run. He finished with 183 yards on the ground on only 19 carries averaging almost 10 yards a pop. McCauley had 141 of those yards rushing in the first half as the Blues took control of the game. They added a third TD on a 25-yard run by McCauley for a 21-0 lead at the half.
Another bright spot for Richlands was the return of wide receiver Bryce Farris who saw his first action of the 2014 season after missing the first eight games with an injury. Farris had three receptions all in the first half for 56 yards.
“It was great to have him back, he’s an outstanding ball player,” stated Michaels. “He runs his routes, executes and gets yards after the catch. Bryce will be a big help to this team.”
Lebanon had trouble getting any momentum established, especially in the first 24 minutes of the contest. The Pioneers punted four times and lost three fumbles in the first half.
“To beat someone like Richlands, you can’t put the ball on the ground like that,” Lebanon coach Phil Henley said. “You put a lot of pressure on your defense. I really feel we had some drives going, but when you lose the ball like that it just deflates your entire team.”
Richland kept rolling in the second half. Michaels scored on a 4-yard run. McCauley added his second TD on a one-yard rush. The Pioneers added a couple of late TD passes by quarterback Ben Sexton.
Richlands will travel to Grundy on Thursday for their final regular season game. Lebanon will host Tazewell in a key SWD game on Friday.
At Ernie Hicks Stadium
Lebanon.....................0 0 0 14 — 14
Richlands....................14 7 6 7 — 34
Scoring Summary
RIC—Atkinson 17 pass from Michaels (Bandy kick)
RIC—Michaels 17 run (Bandy kick)
RIC—McCauley 25 run (Bandy kick)
RIC—Michaels 4 run (kick failed)
RIC—McCauley 1 run (Bandy kick)
LEB—Rasnake 31 pass from Sexton (Owens kick)
LEB—Stamper 29 pass from Sexton (Owens kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: LEB 11, RIC 21; Rushes-Yards: LEB 41-188, RIC 36-249; Passing Yards: LEB 42, RIC 120; Comp-Att-Int: LEB 3-8-0, RIC 9-18-1; Fumbles-Lost: LEB 5-4, RIC 2-2; Penalties-Yards: LEB 6-72, RIC 4-51; Punts-Average: LEB 7-32.6, RIC 3-30.7.
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