FAIRLEA, WV- For one half, the Greenbrier East Spartans were within striking distance after playing some inspired football. However, in the second half the Oak Hill Red Devils found their stride, and the Spartans suffered a 40-6 defeat to the Red Devils in Fairlea on Friday, Oct. 6.
It was a rainy night that began with the Little Mr. and Miss Spartan—Judson Surgeon and Dahlia Bland—in the pregame hours and when the ball finally kicked off, East looked ready to play.
The Spartans (0-6) took the ball first and put together arguably one of their best drives of the season. They ran 14 plays, took nearly ten minutes off the clock, and Grant Burdette hauled in four catches for over 50 yards as East churned out yardage. However, on a third-and-short, Oak Hill’s Tyler Ashmore sacked Brody Hamric and East turned the ball over on downs.
Aiden Cole, who had a big night, blocked the Oak Hill punt on the next series, but the Spartan offense did not take advantage of the short field that started on the Red Devils 29-yard line.
Midway through the second quarter, Oak Hill got the ball, and they started moving quickly despite starting on their own 1-yard line. Quarterback Malachi Lewis hit Armanyi Hicks for a 31-yard gain. Then, he found Elijah Gray for 29 more and in two plays, the Red Devils were in Spartan territory. A few plays later, Lewis hit Gray for 25 more yards, and Lewis capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run as Oak Hill took a 6-0 lead with 3:33 left in the first half. Cole blocked the extra point.
Hoping to run the first half clock down, the Spartans went three-and-out and the Red Devils (5-1) got the ball back. It took them just one play for Gray to catch a 66-yard TD pass and the Red Devils held a 13-0 lead at halftime.
Once the Red Devils got their first score of the third quarter, they never seemed to let up. After Lewis found Gray for a 75-yard strike, JD Mauritz followed with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 20-0 Oak Hill lead late in the third.
Mauritz would proceed to score on runs of 34 and 25 yards in the fourth to put the game out of reach and end any hopes East had to make a splash comeback.
The Spartans got on the board when Hamric snuck into the end zone from five yards away late in the fourth quarter, but Oak Hill headed back home with a victory under their belt.
Nate Suttle had 67 total yards. Burdette finished with six catches for 61 yards. Hamric was 13-of-26 for 109 yards. Cole, Weston Pence, Carter Hamilton, and James McCraw were some defensive players that stood out early.
For the Red Devils, who gained 450 yards on the night, Lewis threw for 265 yards. Gray had 204 of those on five receptions. Mauritz got 88 yards on 15 carries and three scores.
The Spartans will travel to Ripley on Friday, Oct. 13.
Stats courtesy of 103.1, WRON.
Scoring Plays:
Second Quarter:
OH- Lewis 1-yd run
OH- Gray 66-yd reception
Third Quarter:
OH- Mauritz 1-yd run
Fourth Quarter:
OH- Mauritz 34-yd run
OH- Mauritz 25-yd run
GE- Hamric 5-yd run
OH- Treadway 66-yd reception
