CHARMCO – In a game of big plays, Greenbrier West made the biggest one Friday night in the home opener for the Cavaliers. Colton Caruthers upended Warrior quarterback Griffin Taylor just shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion try that would’ve tied the game with only 2:41 remaining. The stop preserved a 16-14 win for Greenbrier West and improved the Cavaliers to 2-2 on the season, keeping West in the top 16 teams of the WVSSAC playoff ratings.
For the first three weeks of the season, the Cavaliers had scored on their opening possession of each game. Pocahontas County won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Greenbrier West the ball first once again. Starting at their own 31-yard line, the Cavaliers moved into Warrior territory with alternating runs from both Colton Chrisman and Colton Dunbar, but penalties stalled the drive at the Pocahontas County 37-yard line and forced a West punt.
The Warriors appeared to convert a fourth and two play from their own 28-yard line on their opening drive, but a holding call pushed the ball back to the 18-yard line and forced a punting situation. A poor snap had Pocahontas County punter Hayden Moore scrambling to pick up the loose ball where he was then engulfed by West senior standout Logan Berry at Warrior eight-yard line. Chrisman made the Warriors pay on the first play following the turnover on downs, gutting the defense for an eight-yard touchdown run. Dunbar shuffled to his left for the two-point conversion and the Cavaliers led it 8-0 with 5:59 to go in the first quarter.
Pocahontas County would rally on their next drive with a pair of big plays through the air. After quarterback Griffin Taylor ran for a first down, he connected with junior slot receiver Anthony Bennett on a 28-yard pass play that moved the Warriors into West territory at the 32-yard line. Back-to-back illegal procedure penalties didn’t stop the Pocahontas County drive as Taylor scrambled to his right after a low snap, gaining twelve yards. As the quarter ended, facing a 4th and 13 situation, Taylor dropped back and lofted a pass down the middle to junior Morgan Beverage. The result of the play was a 32-yard completion and a first and goal from the Cavalier three-yard line. Moore rumbled in the endzone two plays later and added the conversion run to tie the game 8-8 with 11:03 left in the first half.
Despite driving deep into Warrior territory on its next drive, Greenbrier West was forced to punt when the drive stalled at the Pocahontas County 35-yard line. Scott McClung’s kick rolled favorably for the Cavaliers and was downed inside the one-yard line by Shane Plogger. Pocahontas County went three and out but flipped the field with a 58-yard punt by Moore.
Working with a short clock, the Cavaliers went right to work. The Cavaliers got the big play they were looking for when Dunbar took a direct snap and sliced up the middle before veering to the right sideline. Dunbar broke three tackles on a spectacular, 48-yard run before being run out of bounds at the Warrior five-yard line. On first and goal, West attempted a quarterback sweep to the left. Just before Dunbar crossed the goal line, the ball was kocked loose and skittered along the one-yard line before Chrisman covered it up for the Cavaliers. Greenbrier West would take three more cracks at the endzone from the one-yard line only to come up empty. The goal line stand was a huge boost for the Warriors who not only got the stop but would be getting the ball first in the second half.
As it turns out, getting the ball and sustaining drives didn’t necessarily go hand in hand. Each team took possession of the ball in the third quarter with less than stellar results. Colton Dunbar, who intercepted two Jaxson Workman passes last week at Liberty, provided the most entertainment value when he got his hands on two Griffin passes in the quarter. Unable to reel in the picks, he still wowed the home crowd with athletic deflections. Pocahontas County got their best starting position of the evening on a short punt to the West 33 but turned the ball over on downs in only four plays.
From here, the Cavaliers went to work on their most impressive, time-consuming drive of the season. Colton Chrisman, getting his first start at tailback after Ben Butler suffered an injury in the loss at Liberty, was the Greenbrier West workhorse. Chrisman carried the ball nine times for 47 yards on a 15-play, 76-yard go-ahead scoring drive. Dunbar carried twice on the drive, but his 13-yard completion to Ty Pate for a first down to extend the drive was a beauty. Dunbar then tossed a 9-yard post pattern to Mason Ward to break the deadlock. Dunbar outraced the Warrior defense to the pylon for the two-point conversion. West had a 16-8 lead with 8:35 remaining.
The Warrior offense fizzled on the ensuing possession and punted the ball back to West after a three-and-out. Greenbrier West, pinned inside their own 20-yard line, followed suit and handed Pocahontas County great starting field position at the Cavalier 37 after a three-and-out of their own. Penalties and a third Dunbar pass deflection forced the Warriors to turn the ball over on downs.
Greenbrier West had an opportunity to salt the game away on the next possession. Dunbar had tested the Warrior secondary on several occasions with deep passes to Kameron Parker that had just missed connecting. On second and ten, Dunbar dropped back and had his choice of receiver running down the field to his left. Shane Plogger ran down the sideline and Ward was running straight down the hash marks. Dunbar targeted Ward but the sophomore receiver got turned and the pass fell incomplete. Chrisman was stopped on third down, setting up a pivotal punt with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
Scott McClung punted the ball away from the Cavalier 17-yard line. Warrior returner Hayden Moore settled under the punt at the Pocahontas County 45-yard line. Getting to the left sideline, Moore broke an arm tackle at the Cavalier 45 while maintaining his momentum. Moore cut back to the middle of the field at the 25-yard line, then cut sharply back to his left out of the reach of a diving McClung. Kameron Parker made a last-ditch tackle on Moore at the West one-yard line to save a touchdown. The 54-yard punt return handed Pocahontas County a first and goal from point blank field position.
Just before halftime, the Warrior defense slammed the door on the Cavaliers on three straight plays from the one. Greenbrier West would try to return the favor, but Griffin Taylor was able to just barely get the ball across for the touchdown. The outcome would come down to a two-point conversion.
For those that are versed in the series between Greenbrier West and Pocahontas County, you’ll remember a huge stop on a two-point conversion attempt in 2007 in the same endzone of Cavalier Field. The Warriors were able to stop Cavalier great Brian Gray short on a run to preserve a 21-20 win and break a 17-game losing streak to Greenbrier West. While the stakes weren’t the same, could the Cavaliers return the favor?
Fast forward to 2025. The Warriors would choose to go back to the same play Taylor scored the one-yard touchdown on. This time, defensive tackle Colton Caruthers shed his blocker and crushed Taylor as he attempted to cut back for the game-tying score. The conversion was denied, keeping a two-point lead for West at 16-14 with 2:41 to go in the game.
The Cavaliers covered the Warriors’ onside kick and ran out the remainder of the clock to secure the win.
Both Colton Chrisman and Colton Dunbar tallied their first career 100-yard rushing performances in the win. Chrisman carried 28 times for 121 yards and a touchdown while Dunbar added 117 yards on 17 carries. The duo’s rushing outputs broke a four-game streak in which West hadn’t registered a 100-yard ballcarrier.
Dunbar and Ward connected for a touchdown pass for the third time this season. Dunbar finished 4-12 for 36 yards and a touchdown through the air.
The win pushed Greenbrier West’s record to 2-2 with a trip to 1-3 Man coming up next Friday. It will be the Cavaliers first trip to Man High School since the 1978 Class AA playoffs. Pocahontas County drops to 0-4 and hosts Richwood on Friday.
