FAIRLEA- It was a night no one is going to forget after a Halloween, senior night victory over a top 10 opponent just down the road in the next county.
But if anyone ever does fail to remember it, it’s not going to be senior CB/WR Kaden Stone.
Stone finished with three interceptions on defense–one on the game’s first play and another on the final play–and one went for a pick 6. On offense, he grabbed three catches for 64 yards and another TD in the Spartans’ 29-14 victory over the James Monroe Mavericks on Friday, Oct. 31.
Whenever the Spartans needed a big play, Stone was there to oblige.
But it wasn’t even just Stone that shined.
After his first pick, the Spartans drove right down the field in six plays and quarterback Brody Hamric capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Nate Suttle. That gave Greenbrier East a 7-0 just three minutes into the contest.
A couple series later, with the Mavericks in possession of the football, James Monroe’s Ryan Mann overthrew his receiver and the ball got deflected by Danny Butler up in the air and Stone was right there to snag it and take it 45 yards back the other way for a score. That extended the lead to 14-0 with 9:07 left in the half.
Stone felt his week of watching film on Mann helped him be in the right places at the right times.
“Watching film helped me a lot,” Stone said after the game.
“Just watching his tendencies and what he likes to do with the football was huge. Also, just following the flow of the football. I was able to put myself in a great position to make a play. Overall, my teammates created that pressure to enable me to make a play. Huge shout out to them,” he added.
The Mavericks cut into the East lead right before halftime on Brock Parker’s 1-yard scoring run and James Monroe crawled right back in it and trailed just 14-7 at the break.
Jy Green returned the opening second half kickoff 73 yards all the way down to the Mavs 7-yard line to set the Spartans up nicely. But the offense went backwards on the first few plays, but then it was Stone who showed up on the offensive end this time. On a fourth-and-goal from the 14-yard line, Hamric threw a quick pass out to Stone and the senior zigged, zagged, and cut his way into the end zone for a score and a 21-7 Greenbrier East advantage.
“It definitely played a role in my performance,” Stone said of senior night. I wanted to leave it all on the field. I didn’t want it to be our last game on our field, so it gave us a little more motivation.”
That score stayed the same through the end of the third quarter.
After an interception from Green during what was a long drive from the Mavericks, the game looked to be over. However, James Monroe recovered a Spartan fumble at the 9-yard line and immediately had a first-and-goal. Three plays later, Mann hit Bryce Gardinier on an 8-yard touchdown pass, and the Mavs had made it a game again, down just 21-14 with 6:08 to go in the game.
On East’s subsequent possession, they converted an important third down near midfield and yardage was tacked on due to a James Monroe unsportsmanlike penalty. The drive eventually finished with Hamric hooking up with Suttle for the second time on the night with a 13-yard TD pass. Grant Burdette ran in the 2-point conversion, and the Spartans led 29-14.
The Mavericks moved the ball down the field on a couple big plays with under 30 seconds left, but on the final play of the night, Stone reeled in pick number three.
“When I got the last one, I honestly was thinking about taking it back to the house,” Stone said laughing.
“But once I caught it, I knew there was no more time on the clock, so I just went ahead and took the knee to end the game.”
Stone was the star of the evening, but Hamric also had a big night. The QB completed 16-of-28 for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Suttle caught six passes for 39 yards and Burdette got three for 37.
Parker led James Monroe with 89 yards on 16 carries.
With the victory, the Spartans are all but a lock for the postseason and that will be a huge thing for the seniors.
“It means so much to me and my teammates. We worked so hard this offseason to get go where we are now. Knowing that hard work paid off is satisfying,” Stone concluded.
Greenbrier East will finish the regular season next week at Nitro. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
Stats courtesy of 103.1, The Bear-WRON.
