Player: Brian Mann Position: RB/DB Height: 5' 9" Weight: 160 lb Academic: Senior School: Giles

By BRIAN WOODSON

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

PEARISBURG, Va. — Brian Mann said it best.

“I was busy that night,’ Mann said.

Very busy.

Mann was the man for Giles last Saturday afternoon, leading the Spartans to a thrilling 30-29 win over Christiansburg, running for 236 yards on 34 carries out of the single wing offense.

What may have been a surprise was Mann also completed 6-of-10 pass attempts for 120 yards and three more touchdowns.

And, he also had an interception on defense that helped the Spartans overcome a 22-0 first quarter deficit, and Giles was able extend its regular season win streak to 30 straight games.

“He was a big part of why we won that football game,” Giles head coach Jeff Williams said.

Definitely. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound speedy senior accumulated 356 yards on offense, picked off a pass to set up a score, and played a role in all 30 points.

His efforts, which began with exhorting his teammates to keep working toward victory, earned Mann the Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week award.

“I am always trying to talk to the guys and telling them to keep playing 110 percent every play,” said Mann, who ran for 159 yards and four touchdowns in a season opening win over Blacksburg. “We really regrouped after that first quarter and we just came together and the next thing you know we are up.”

Mann won the award in a week when there were several worthy candidates, including Matt Ryan at Summers County, Graham’s Jamorya’ Cousin, Carlos Reed from Bluefield and Nick Blankenship at Richlands.

“The award is nice,” Mann said, “but it doesn’t matter as long as our team gets the ‘W’ at the end of the day.”

They did. It just took a while. Giles originally arrived at Christiansburg on Friday evening, expecting to play what was the first game of the season for the Blue Demons. Mother Nature had other plans, specifically lightning that affected several contests across the region.

“It was different, that is for sure, we got there and stayed in the locker room for probably about 2 1/2 hours and then got word that we had to come home and we were going to play in the morning,” Mann said. “I didn’t get home until about 11 or 11:30 and I woke up at 7, and then played a great Christiansburg team at 11 so it was tough.”

It got even tougher when Christiansburg jumped out to a 22-0 first quarter lead on a pair of touchdown runs and 45-yard punt return.

“We just really regrouped, the first quarter we wasn’t playing together and we wasn’t playing as a team,” Mann said. “After they got that punt return for a touchdown, we really regrouped and stepped up and played as a team and we came back.”

It was similar to last year’s state quarterfinal playoff loss to Glenvar when the Highlanders jumped on the Spartans and never let them get back in the game. That loss never crossed Mann’s mind.

“The only thing I was focused on was scoring a touchdown, scoring one touchdown at a time,” said Mann, who put the Spartans on the board early in the second quarter on a 66-yard run to paydirt. “We were down 22-0 and after that first touchdown, we don’t want to try to get all the points back at once.

“We had to take our time, no mistakes or anything like that, we just took our time and regrouped and played as a team and came back.”

That touchdown by the senior leader seemed to energize the Spartans, and took a little of the fight out of the Blue Demons.

“We kind of regrouped, got a little fired up and had a little testament to our character,” Williams said. “It seems like when Brian broke that long run to get our first score, I could see Christiansburg, I was watching their players while he ran down the field when he scored and I could see them kind of deflate just a little bit.

“I thought right then if we could score again and we are right back in it, but then we ended up scoring two more times right before half.”

Giles is known for the single wing. They pass only when necessary. Christiansburg forced the issue.

“I had career highs in almost all passing categories,” Mann said. “I threw 10 times, that is kind of unbelievable in the single wing, but it was working so we had to do what was working...

“Christiansburg played really, really tough against our run and it was kind of hard for us to get going. We made a few big plays in the passing game and it really started our offense and made it keep going.”

It was Mann who then made the big play on defense after his initial score, picking off a Christiansburg pass to give the ball right back to the Spartans.

“He is an emotional player, he really is, and he is one of our captains,” Williams said. “He just got going there, I think when he broke that long run it really got him fired up and got us fired up a little bit. Then on the next series he turned around and intercepts a pass.”

Mann’s interception led to his 13-yard scoring pass to Trent Pennington, and he later added 26-yard pass to Patrick Beidleman. Max Riley made a pair of extra points, and the Spartans had fought back to within 22-20 at the break.

“They had a lot of people up there on the line of scrimmage, we figured we could throw the ball a little bit,” said Williams, who noted how unseasonably hot it was at Christiansburg. “He has been throwing the ball really well here lately and some of the kids that he threw passes to made great plays too, made great catches as well.”

Giles took its first lead in the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Max Riley, but Christiansburg finally scored again, taking a 29-23 edge into the final period.

Mann went back to the air in the fourth, driving the Spartans 70 yards, completing the drive with a 13-yard scoring pass to Beidleman with eight minutes left in the game. Riley added the extra point and that is how the game would end.

“Everybody did a great job of getting open and running their routes and I had the time and threw the ball the best I could,” Mann said. “We practice throwing the ball and catching the ball a lot, we are used to it, but there is just something different in a game.”

It was a career-high game for Mann, but nothing that Williams hadn’t seen before. His previous single game high had been 221 yards rushing last year at Radford, and he has accumulated nearly 3,000 yards and 44 touchdowns over the last two seasons.

“We expect things like that out of him now,” Williams said. “He is a three-year starter for us, had a great year his sophomore year and a great year last year, we just hope he continues on with that this year

“He was a go-to guy Saturday.”

He was also ready for a break. He’ll get it, with a bye week before the Spartans (2-0) return to action on Sept. 18 against archrival Narrows.

“I think this open week comes at a good time,” Williams said. “After the two tough scrimmages that we had and the two opening ball games that we had, it comes at a good time.”

They earned it. Especially Mann.

“I was dead after the game,” he said. “Christiansburg was a heck of a football team. I am definitely going to use this bye week to my advantage and really rest up.”

bwoodson@bdtonline.com

/ Twitter @bdtwoodson

Player of Week Honorable Mention

Week 2

Bland County (21-14 OT over Rural Retreat)

Colton Slaughter 13-74 rush; Dylan Jackson 19-67 rush; Brian Arnold, td run (24) fumble recovery for td (3) 5:26 left, forced overtime, recovered fumble in OT to clinch win, also two-point conversion run to make it 14-14

Bluefield (35-21 over Princeton): Mookie Collier, 17-133 1 td rush; Carlos Reed, 14-64 1 td rush, returned interception and punt for touchdowns; Jason Edwards, 7-72 1 td passing; Zac Springman, 5-5 ExP.

Giles (30-29 over Christiansburg): Patrick Beidleman 3-44, 2 td catch.

Graham (42-14 win over Tazewell): Jamorya' Cousin 7-191, 3 td; Roman Workman, 111 yards, 3 td passes; Logan Surface 6-6 ExP.

Honaker (35-7 win over Castlewood): Avin Parrott, 1 td catch, 1 td fumble recovery; Jordan Stout, 5-5 ExP, FG from 25, 37; Hartley Hilton, 2 td passes.

Hurley (32-6 def. Eastside): Devin Tester, 13-147, 1 td; Brady Justice, 14-138, 4 td.

Montcalm (54-18 loss to Twin Valley): Marcus Mitchell 10-95, 1 td, kick return for td, 11 tackles; Colton Egnor 15-63, 1 td.

Narrows (41-14 win over East Montgomery): Cole Blaker 12-129, 1 td, 1 td pass; Cam Honaker td run, fumble recovery for td; Blaize Hopkins 19-76, 2 td.

Princeton (35-21 loss to Bluefield): Jordan Jones 11-114, 1 td; Kevin Phillips 9-83, 1 td, 1 td catch; Christian Shafer 7-14-72 yds, 1 td, 2 int; Tyler Whitt 5-38 catches.

Richlands (42-41 OT, loss to Union): John-Luke Asbury, 270 yards passing, 2 td; Nick Blankenship 182 yards rush, 3 td; Cody Howie, kick return for td.

Summers County (def. Liberty 29-26): Jacob Persiani, 33 field goal to win game in final seconds; Matt Ryan 16-201 rush 2 td, 73 passing, 1 td; Nathan Grimmett, 7-41 rush, passed for 8 yards, 1-47, 1 td catch.

Tazewell (42-14 loss to Graham): Zach Hurley 35-156 rush.

Wyoming East (lost to Westside 50-8): Uriah Adkins, 20-90 rush.