Single-Wing Giles Invades Monday Night

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Prep Football Invades Monday

By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BASTIAN, Va. — Monday night football is not exclusive property of the pros anymore. Just ask prep football fans in Bland County and the Pearisburg area, who are eagerly anticipating district games tonight.

Rain-soaked turf on Friday caused the Bland County Bears and Giles Spartans to postpone their football games to tonight. In the area of Virginia west of Roanoke, at least 17 games were delayed.

Both the Spartans and tonight’s opponents from Floyd County are 6-1 and are tied for first place in the Three Rivers District with 2-0 league records. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Pearisburg.

Giles sits atop the ratings of the Virginia High School League (VHSL) in their division, 0.8 points ahead of George Wythe (7-1), as of last Thursday’s computer report.

The Bears (6-1) will greet the Maroon Wave of Galax (2-5) tonight in a Mountain Empire District (MED) matchup in Bastian at 7 p.m. Bland County is second in their division of the VHSL, just 0.2 rating points behind Rural Retreat (6-2).

Bears running back Korey Kennedy won the Pocahontas Coal Association / Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week award last week for his 136-yard rushing performance in Bland County’s Oct. 19 win at Narrows.

The Bastian-based team, combining students from Rocky Gap and Bland high schools, is the co-leader of the MED with Grayson County (6-2 overall, 3-0 in the district). The Blue Devils host Fort Chiswell tonight.

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The Bluefield Daily Telegraph928 Bluefield Ave, Bluefield, West Virginia

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Man Middle Tops Tigers for Black Diamond Title

Man Middle Tops Tigers for Black Diamond Title

By PAUL ADKINS, Sports Editor


CHAPMANVILLE n Tootie Carter knew the 2007 season would be a challenging one for his Man Middle School football team.

Only two players were back from last year’s 8-0-1 squad which won the Logan County championship and the Black Diamond Conference title.

Then in the season opener, the Pioneers were upset 19-6 by Van.

It looked like it could be a long season.

Man, though, put it together, steadily improved all year and saw the reward on Saturday afternoon n a 27-22 victory over previously unbeaten Chapmanville at Chapmanville’s Tiger Stadium in the Black Diamond Conference championship game.

The win over the Tigers avenged an earlier 28-21 loss at home to Chapmanville n the only other defeat suffered by the Pioneers all season.

Man trailed Chapmanville by nine points twice but rallied late.

The Pioneers (7-2) were down 22-19 and had the ball first-and-10 on its own 21-yard line with just 2:37 left in the ballgame.



Man had two go 79 yards to win the game or at least get into field goal position to possibly tie the game up.

There would be no field goals.

The Pioneers drove all the way down for the win in dramatic fashion.

Man had a third-and-goal at the Chapmanville 4-yard line with 9.5 ticks to go after quarterback Shane Browning spiked the ball to stop the clock.

Browning then cashed in, rolling left and hitting a diving Tommy Belcher in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 4.3 seconds left. Jimmy Duba then ran in the two-point conversion to put the Pioneers on top 27-22.

Man’s game-winning touchdown was set up three plays earlier when Mike Vitrals fired a 30-yard, halfback pass to a leaping Belcher at the Chapmanville 7.

After a 3-yard run by Browning, the Man quarterback was forced to spike the ball on the next play as the Pioneers were out of timeouts.

The drive began with a 24-yard completion from Browning to Belcher.

Belcher ended up with three catches for 58 yards on the game-winning drive alone.

After Belcher’s touchdown, Man elected to go for an on-side kick on the ensuing kickoff to avoid a possible long return.

Chapmanville recovered the ball at the Man 49 and only had time enough for one more play.

The Tigers’ Tyler Cox tossed a bomb which was caught by Dustin Smith for a 29-yard gainer to the Pioneer 20. He was tackled, however, and the clock expired, icing the win for Man.

Coach Carter said it was a sweet win for his Pioneers. In the last two years, Carter has led Man Middle to a 15-2-1 mark and two Black Diamond Conference championships.

“It feels great for me and the kids,” said Carter, a legendary area football coach who led Man High School to three Class AA state championship games and 200 wins in his tenure which spanned 1969-98. “We lost just about our whole team from last year and these kids have improved so much. You saw today that they are a pretty good football team.”

After the season-opening defeat to Van, Man bounced back in Week 2 with a 38-14 rout over Gilbert.

The Pioneers then began to come into their own.

“They’ve come a long way,” Carter said. “I’m so proud of them because some of them don’t have that much experience. We’ve only got two kids back from last year’s team n an offensive guard and a defensive back. We lost that first game but we’ve come a long way. I’m tickled to death for them.”

Man had advanced to the title game with last week’s 13-0 semifinal victory over Madison.

Chapmanville moved on with a 46-6 victory over Sherman.

The Tigers, coached by P.D. Clemens, were hoping to close out the season unbeaten with the conference title.

Chapmanville had already wrapped up the Logan County title after beating Logan Middle School, 44-12, then knocking off Man on Sept. 13.

The Pioneers had to contend with top Tiger running back Dylan Wiley, who rolled up 275 yards rushing on 15 carries and scored five touchdowns in the last meeting between the two teams.

This time, the Pioneers were able to hold down Wiley somewhat as he had 22 carries for 132 yards and three TDs.

“I was hoping that we could keep Wiley down. We did a little bit but they kept the ball away from us in the second quarter,” Carter said.

Man got on the scoreboard first as Jimmy Duba scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:02 left in the first quarter. Josh Booth, a 6-foot-4 starting lineman, kicked the PAT to make it 7-0 Man Middle.

Chapmanville bounced back with 9.9 ticks to go as Wiley ran in from 2 yards out. He tacked on the two-point conversion run from the single wing formation to put CMS ahead 8-7.

Then with 31.2 seconds left until halftime, Wiley struck again with a 5-yard TD run. Wiley then again ran in the two-point conversion from the single wing to put the Tigers ahead 16-7 at the half.

The Pioneers pulled to within 16-13 with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter after Duba ran in from 3 yards out. Booth’s PAT was blocked by John Toler.

Then with 58.9 seconds in the third quarter, Wiley scored on a 4-yard touchdown run n his third of the game n to put the Tigers ahead 22-13. Tyler Cox attempted to run in the conversion from the single wing but was drilled by Thomas Blair a yard short of the goal line.

Man then scored on the last play of the third quarter as Browning dumped off a screen pass to Josh Cline, who then raced 69 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass play failed, leaving the score at 22-19 in favor of Chapmanville.

Man Middle School was then able to score the game winner in the last ticks of the ballgame.

Cox added 101 yards rushing on 14 carries for CMS, which closed out the season 8-1.

Austin Watts led the Chapmanville defense with six tackles.

Dougie Mullins had five tackles and three assists, while Mark Lawson had five stops and two assists.

Dustin Smith had four solos, one assist and one interception. Toler and Thomas Belcher had four tackles and one assist each.




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The Logan Banner
437 - 447 Stratton Street
Downtown Logan, WV 25601

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Biller powers NorthWood

Article published Oct 27, 2007
Biller powers NorthWood

JAKE BROWN
Tribune Staff Writer

NAPPANEE -- NorthWood High School's football team had an answer every time Glenn scored a touchdown to take the lead -- Kent Biller.

Biller, who packs a black-and-blue running style into his black-and-red Panther uniform, ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries to lead NorthWood to a 22-19 victory over visiting Glenn on a rain-soaked Friday night at Andrews Field.

Glenn closes its season at 6-5. NorthWood advances to the Class 3-A sectional championship game on the road against St. Joseph's with a 7-4 record.

Glenn scored three touchdowns to take the lead three times. Each time, Biller's punishing attack powered the Panthers to pay dirt in response.

"He did an outstanding job," NorthWood head coach Rich Dodson said. "He's obviously a big part of our [Single-Wing] offense. He runs hard. It's not just speed. He's able to break a tackle. He's able to get that extra yard or two when he gets tackled."Glenn jumped out to a 7-0 lead after blocking a NorthWood punt early in the first quarter, but Biller led NorthWood right down the field with an answer.

Biller capped a nine-play drive with a 27-yard touchdown to tie the score.

Then mother nature took over.

After Glenn returned the ensuing kickoff a downpour came through and lightning in the area forced a 52-minute delay.

When play resumed, both teams' offenses seemed mired in the mud.But Glenn running back Conrad Schubert barreled into the end zone from seven yards out in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 13-7 lead heading into half time.

The Falcons forced NorthWood to punt on its first two possessions of the third quarter, but were unable to add onto their lead thanks to a fumble and a punt of their own.

Then on the third possession of the second half NorthWood scored on one 12-second play. Biller broke off his longest run of the game, a 65-yarder down the sideline that gave the Panthers a 14-13 lead after Brandon Williams completed the extra point.

"He wasn't running inside, he got his big runs outside," Glenn head coach Justin Bogunia said. "I thought our front seven did a great job tonight. I don't think they got pounded down, it was him making an athletic move and bouncing outside."

Glenn recaptured the lead in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Lawler.After the two-point conversion failed for Glenn, there was too much time left on the clock and NorthWood marched right down the field on a seven-play, 58-yard drive capped by Biller's third touchdown for the final 22-19 lead.

"Even if we would've converted, it still would've been tight at the end," Bogunia said. "We made plays and they made plays, that's pretty much what the game came down to."

Glenn had one final shot, but quarterback Chris Patton was unable to complete a tough pass on 4-and-6 to extend its final drive. NorthWood took over on downs and ran out the clock.

At Nappanee

Glenn 7 6 0 6 -- 19NorthWood 7 0 7 8 -- 22

G -- Chris Patton 9 pass to Michael Fansler (Fansler kick)

NW -- Kent Biller 27 run (Brandon Williams kick)

G -- Conrad Schubert 7 run (kick failed)

NW -- Biller 65 run (Williams kick)G -- Chris Lawler 3 run (two-point attempt failed)

NW -- Biller 11 run (Nathaniel Yoder pass from Skyler Titus)

Glenn N'Wood

First downs 12 12

Yards rushing 248 205Yards passing 27 95

Passing 3-4-0 7-15-0

Punting 3-42 4-39

Fumbles lost 2 0

Yards penalized 1-5 4-30

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South Bend Tribune225 W. Colfax Ave.South Bend, IN 46626


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Football Helps Nappanee Community

Single-Wing Team

NorthWood Football Helps Nappanee Community

In the aftermath of the EF-3 tornado and at a time when most of the Nappanee community was without power, the thought of Friday Night Lights could be trivial.

But getting the Panthers back on the field has been therapeutic for NorthWood.

Nappanee is rebuilding and it is healing, the NorthWood football team is healing as well.

"Every kid on this football team was affected by the tornado in one way or another," NorthWood coach Rich Dodson said.

The EF-3 tornado that ripped the small town of Nappanee apart has also in a way brought it together.

"All the guys came over to my house and helped us clean up after the tornado," said NorthWood Sophomore Cam Spitaels.

Cam was in the basement with his family when the tornado ravaged his home.

Grant McClung was staying at a friend's when his home was struck by the tornado.

"I just couldn't believe it," McClung said.

"I was just so thankful that my parents were OK."

The day after the tornado hit Nappanee, the NorthWood Panthers were supposed to play in the opening round of the playoffs. But the game was postponed as the community dealt with the devastation.

Instead, the game was moved to Bremen high school Saturday. While it was tough to focus at first the Panthers came out on top.

"We went into the locker room and said we need to win for the Nappanee community," Spitaels said.

They beat Marian and finally gave their fans something to smile about.

"For 48 minutes we were able to make football be the most important thing," Coach Dodson said.

Now the Panthers will host the second round of Sectionals Friday night on their home field.

Updated: October 23, 2007, 8:35 pm

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WSJV Television, Inc.P.O. Box 28South Bend, Indiana 46624

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