CHARMCO – There’s nothing like a win to breathe a little life into a football team. When you’ve lost three straight games, victory can seem like forever ago. Last night in Charmco, a band of senior Cavaliers were celebrated before the game for their career achievements. After the game, those same seniors were celebrating themselves after a resounding 47-12 win over a 6-1, seventh rated Sherman squad that boosted the Cavaliers back into the Class A playoff race. Victory is sweet.
The West offensive attack has centered around Evan Vandall the past few weeks. Vandall carried the ball a quarterback-record 40 times last week in a loss at Petersburg. Vandall also lugged the football 22 times at James Monroe and 35 times two weeks before in a win over Man. Cavalier head coach Kelly Vaughan knew that workload was precarious for his senior signal caller.
“I’ve gotta give Evan a lot of credit. He plays so daggone hard” stated Vaughan. “I have nothing but praise for Evan. He’s done a wonderful job, and actually he’s carrying the ball too much. But the fact of the matter is he’s strong, he’s hard to tackle, and he throws a nice ball. I have nothing but positive things to say about Evan…”
With that in mind, the Greenbrier West focus was on getting fellow senior Brandon Poticher more work. Poticher stepped in as the feature tailback after the loss of Isaac Agee in the Pocahontas County win. All Poticher did was keep up with the Cavalier mantra of next man up. Poticher posted 136 yards on nine carries in the win over the Warriors. Poticher didn’t post another 100-yard night between weeks 5-8, but his number was called early and often in the Sherman gameplan.
On the Cavalier’s first drive, Poticher took his opening carry around the right end for a gain of fifteen yards. His next carry was a burst up the middle for eight yards. Poticher was stuffed for no gain on play number three and had a modest carry of three yards for a West first down. Mixing in a dash of Vandall, offensive coordinator Isac Osborne kept the Tide off-balance. Vandall faked to Poticher and ran for a gain of seven yards. Poticher took over with a bullish run to the Sherman 33-yard line, carrying four Tide defenders with him. The bait was set. Vandall took the next carry up the gut before bouncing to the outside at the 15 and cruising into the endzone for the game’s first score. Kamden Sams PAT was blocked but the Cavaliers led 6-0 only 2:42 into the game.
Sherman’s buck sweep had carried them to a 6-1 start in 2024. Cavalier defensive coordinator Jared Robertson knew the big Tide offensive line and rangy backs would be a challenge for his unit. His gut feeling was correct. Sherman came out of the gate running for all they were worth. Starting at their own 25-yard line, the Tide promptly marched to the Cavalier 41-yard line in only four plays, but a pair of penalties on the same play halted their momentum. A block in the back foul was declined but the Cavaliers elected to accept a holding call. The assessed yardage moved Sherman back to their own 34-yard line and ultimately, a Tide punt.
Poticher started out by gouging the Tide for 11 yards directly up the middle. Two more Poticher runs netted four yards, but Vandall was stuffed for a two-yard loss on third down. Facing a fourth and eight, West left their offense on the field. Vandall barked out a snap count that drew Jackson Foster offsides, giving the Cavaliers a manageable fourth and three to go. Vandall followed Poticher through the interior of the Sherman defense for a gain of four to keep the drive alive. A first down loss of two followed by a false start back Greenbrier West up to the Sherman 42-yard line. Undaunted, Vandall fired a ball over the middle to Colton Dunbar for a gain of fifteen yards, setting up a third and two. Once again, Vandall followed Poticher for a gain of three and a fresh set of downs. A horse collar penalty on senior defensive lineman Connor Sprouse gave West the ball at Sherman’s fifteen-yard line. This time, it was Poticher’s turn. Following fellow seniors Joevan Robinson and Jonathan Painter, Poticher burst up the middle for a 15-yard scoring run. Vandall rolled to his right and fired a pass back across the formation to Dunbar for the 2-point conversion, giving West a nice 14-0 advantage with only 1:24 left in the opening quarter.
Sherman set out to answer the West scoring drive with some points of their own. Beginning at their own 22-yard line, the Tide tried their bread-and-butter buck sweep without much success. Facing a third and eleven from their own 33-yard line, the Tide went to the air. Sophomore Elijah Pauley connected with a wide-open River Williams for sixteen yards. Changing their approach on the ground, Sherman looked to senior 220-pound running back Dawson Green. Green ripped through the Cavalier defense for a gain of 27 yards. Two short gains were followed by a Pauley incompletion. Pauly then found Williams across the middle for a crucial first down. Three plays later, Pauley lofted a 15-yard scoring toss to Gerald Lester for Sherman’s first score. The Cavaliers covered Pauley’s attempt for a two-point pass, and West maintained a 14-6 advantage with 7:05 left in the first half.
A promising start to West’s next drive was short-lived. Vandall had a gain of 22 yards into Sherman territory. A false start cost the Cavalier five yards, and West narrowly escaped a disastrous turnover when Sherman freshman Colby Atkins stepped in front of a pass targeted for Sams. A third down screen pass attempt to Dunbar was underthrown, and the Cavaliers had to punt the ball away.
Sherman escaped a potential turnover themselves when River Williams had struck hard by Robinson, dislodging the football. Officials ruled Williams down on the play or West would’ve had the ball at the Sherman 34-yard line. Sherman used four running plays to advance to the Cavalier 40-yard line. Pauley then lofted a pass in the direction of Gerald Lester. Appearing to be overthrown, Pauley’s pass was run down by the lanky junior receiver for a gain of 27 yards. With their backs to the wall, the Greenbrier West defense would be forced to make a stand. Ty Pate slithered through the Sherman line to stalemate Green on first down. Lester drifted into the right flat for a pass from Pauley on second down but was dropped by Poticher at the eight-yard line. Pauley’s out pattern to Lester on third down was batted away by Bradley Hodge, setting up a critical fourth down. The Cavalier pass rush overmatched the Tide offensive line, however, as Dunbar, Robinson, and Emory Sanford converged on Pauley. Sanford completed the sack to end the Sherman on downs. West would go into halftime with a touchdown lead.
The defensive stop before the break was crucial with Sherman set to receive the second half kickoff. It became even more critical when the Cavaliers were flagged for being offsides on the first attempt. West’s second attempt was a whirling spinner that traveled only 17 yards, giving the Tide possession at their own 48-yard line. The good fortune would be short-lived when Pauley tossed an incompletion over the middle on third and four, forcing Sherman to punt.
The Cavaliers gained nine yards and faced a fourth and one at their own 29-yard line when fortune smiled on West once again. Staying in an offensive formation, West used a hard count to draw a blitzing Jackson Foster offsides for a second time in the game. The result was a fresh set of downs. An eight-yard carry by Poticher was followed by a six-yard keep from Vandall. On first and ten from the Cavalier 49-yard line, Poticher took a toss to the left and cutback between a kick out from Dunbar and a chip-block from Randy Keener. Colton Caruthers and Logan Berry sealed the running lane to Poticher’s left while Payton Ford and Jonathn Painter did the same to his right. Poticher burst up the middle and accelerated, splitting Sherman’s safeties. At the Tide 35-yard line, defenders began converging on Poticher while he kept driving forward. By plays end, it took five Sherman defenders to wrangle Poticher down at the 21-yard line, a 30-yard advance of the ball.
Poticher wasn’t done. On the next play, the senior tailback ripped through the heart of the Tide defense again for a tackler-carrying gain of 17 yards. Poticher was finally slowed on first and goal for a two-yard gain. On second and goal, Vandall got under center and kept the ball himself, sneaking off the right side for a two-yard touchdown. The conversion run would fail but West had built a 20-6 with 7:31 remaining in the third quarter.
Sherman’s answer would be deliberate. From the Tide 39-yard line, Green ripped off runs of ten and eleven yards. A three-yard Green gain was followed by a 25-yard Pauley to Jeremiah Jones connection. Jones was blanketed by Kamden Sams but got a toe tip in bounds as he tight roped the sideline. Green gained minimal yardage on the next play, but Pauley linked up with a wide-open Williams on the next play for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Pauley’s pass attempt for two was wide but Greenbrier West was flagged for pass interference. Getting a second shot from the West one-yard line, Sherman went to the bruising Green for their attempt. Emory Sandford burst through A-gap and stopped Green’s forward momentum, allowing Caruthers and Poticher to assist on the stop. With 4:20 to go in the third quarter, the Cavaliers maintained a 20-12 advantage.
Ben Butler gave West great starting position with a 19-yard kickoff return to the Cavalier 44-yard line. Poticher and Vandall combined for 28 yards on the ground, setting up a second and ten at Sherman’s 28. Having relied on the running game most of the night, West opted to throw the ball. The choice was timed perfectly. Kamden Sams got a step on freshman cornerback Colby Atkins and outstretched for a ball at the Tide five-yard line, coming down at the two with a 26-yard reception. Vandall punched the ball in on the next play and tacked on a two-point run for a 28-12 lead with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, a hungry Cavalier defense began to feast on Tide offense. Joevan Robinson crashed into Pauley for a strip sack that was scooped up by Logan Berry. Berry rumbled 22-yards before Green was able to wrestle him to the turf. Poticher wasted no time, slicing through the beleaguered Sherman defense for an 11-yard touchdown on West’s first play. Vandall’s two-point pass but the rout was on at 34-12 with 11:45 remaining.
The swarming Cavalier defense was creating havoc for Sherman and forced a three-and-out on their next possession. A punt to midfield gave West fantastic starting position for what would become a memorable scoring drive.
Starting at their own 49, Poticher carried off the left side for a modest two-yard gain. On second down, Poticher followed Robinson and Dunbar to the right and got to the edge, racing down the Sherman sideline for what appeared to be a 49-yard score. Out in front of everyone, Poticher surprised everyone and began to stutter-step at the one-yard line, dancing out of bounds without scoring.
A common rally cry from the Cavaliers following a timeout is “family on three, one, two, three, family!” In Charmco, the rally cry isn’t merely something to say, its meaningful. Poticher and his teammates had discussed amongst themselves how they could continue a tradition born in 2019 when Toby Harris returned as head coach. Each season since Harris’ return, Greenbrier West has found a way to let a senior lineman carry the football. This time, it would be Peyton Ford’s opportunity. Lining up at fullback, Ford barreled into the endzone for a one-yard score, prompting a raucous cheer from the crowd and a burst from an air horn. Sams added the PAT for a 41-12 cushion with 8:25 to go.
Mason Ward would add a 62-yard touchdown run on the junior varsity’s first play following a turnover on downs by Sherman. With 5:30 left in the game, the score gave West a 35-point lead that would allow the clock to run continuously for the remainder of the game.
The win stopped a three-game losing streak for Greenbrier West and improved their record to 5-4. The win also lifted the Cavaliers back into the playoff field with West projected to hold the sixteenth spot in next week’s ratings. The Cavaliers travel to 3-5 Midland Trail next week.
Sherman dropped to 6-2 and has lost six straight to the Cavaliers. The Tide, rated #7 before the game, will likely fall to the tenth position. The Tide will have a huge game with 7-2, #9 Wirt County next week.
Vandall’s four pass attempts were his lowest total of the season. The senior attempted five passes in the season opener at Pendleton County.
Brandon Poticher (22-206yds) gave Greenbrier West back-to-back 200-yard rushing games (Vandall had 200 last week vs Petersburg) for the first time since November 2019. Poticher set career-highs in both carries and yards with his performance and was named Rock 95’s McDonald’s of Rainelle Player of the Game.
