FAIRLEA- Welcome back to the third year—I think??—of ‘The Bake’s Take’ where we look back at the key points and plays that stood out in the most recent Greenbrier East Spartans football game. These are obviously not all the memorable moments, just the ones that I feel contributed to the final score the most.
Our first edition is Riverside who the Spartans beat 24-20 to start the 2024 season at 1-0.
Here’s what stood out to me from win number one:
–Sloppy Play from First Game Jitters for Both Teams Early
East and Riverside both had their set of issues early in the game, especially the first half. For the Warriors, they struggled with bad snaps and turnovers. Two high snaps over their punter Eli Taft’s head led to two safeties and four Spartan points. They also lost two fumbles in the first quarter—and two more in the second half for that matter—and those miscues really hurt them in the long run and probably cost them stealing a win on the road.
The Spartans, however, struggled to turn those fumbles into points as they got deep in Riverside territory multiple times, but at one point in the game they had four consecutive turnovers on downs. The red zone offense just was not clicking for the Spartans, but luckily for them and all the home fans that filled the bleachers, they figured out the whole scoring points thing later in the contest.
–Keshawn Bland was Everywhere on Defense
Bland, a sophomore that also is a standout Spartan wrestler, put all his athletic skills to use on Friday night. I have not gone back and rewatched the tape yet, nor do I have his official stats, but Bland was all over the field making tackles and big plays consistently all night. He would be considered one of my surprise performance players based on this one game. To put the cherry on top of his stellar night, he recovered the game-sealing fumble on the final kickoff that would have given the Warriors a chance to drive down the field and make something happen. If Bland keeps up his style of play moving forward, it will be a nice shot in the arm for the Spartan defense.
–Brady May’s Tough Running Set a Tone
May, a transfer from the powerful Alleghany Cougars program in Low Moor, VA, is proving to be a good offseason pickup. The junior is built low to the ground and has a strong base that allows him to get a good push forward with the ball in his hands. He racked up 129 yards on the ground and caught a 52-yard touchdown pass where he escaped a couple would-be tacklers on his way across the goal line. May was also a good baseball player for the Cougars and his change of scenery ‘may’ be just what the doctor ordered for the next step in his athletic career. Something to watch comes in three weeks when May and the Spartans travel 35 minutes across state lines to face his former Alleghany team. The Cougars won their opening game 47-13 over Waynesboro.
–Brody Hamric and Nate Suttle Finally Connect at a Critical Time
Nate Suttle grabbed a contested 64-yard touchdown pass from Brody Hamric with just over two minutes left that gave the Spartans the lead and it turned out to be the game winning score. The two had been a little off target the entire game with Hamric just barely overthrowing his fellow junior. Other than the first offensive play of the season when it was Suttle that found Hamric on a reverse pass for 54 yards, the two did not hook up again until that final game winner outside of a swing pass that lost eight yards. The hope is that Hamric’s timing with Suttle is now back in sync and that the two can make many more plays together for the remainder of the season.
Quote to Remember: “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi
