CHARMCO – As home openers go, Friday night’s victory for Greenbrier West was about as complete as any Cavalier fan could hope for. Head coach Kelly Vaughan’s unit ran past, passed over, and defended their turf as soundly as they ever have in his four-year tenure at the helm. West pounded out 383 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, completed three passes (all for touchdowns) for 81 yards, limited Summers County to 157 yards of total offense, and added a pick six for good measure.
Greenbrier West started quickly. After holding the Bobcats to a three-and-out series, the Cavaliers needed only three plays to go 74 yards for the games’ first score. Junior tailback Ben Butler showcased his playmaking ability taking a handoff and racing down the Summers County sideline for a 69-yard touchdown and the game’s first score. The point after try failed but the Cavaliers owned a 6-0 lead with 8:23 to go in the opening quarter.
Despite beginning their second drive with favorable field position, Summers County’s offense couldn’t generate a push against the aggressive Greenbrier West defense. Senior defensive end Isaiah Coleman wrapped up quarterback Colton Holland for no gain on first down. After a five-yard penalty backed the Bobcats up, Cavalier linebacker Ryan VanMeter dropped Rylan Tabor with a tackle for loss. On third down, sophomore defensive end Peyton Vaughan stripped the football away from Braxton Lambert and Logan Burdette recovered for Greenbrier West at the Bobcat 40-yard line.
The opportunistic Cavaliers wasted no time cashing in the turnover for points. Butler slashed the Bobcats for a 17-yard gain. Two plays later, Vaxton Vaughan faked a handoff to Butler and kept the ball over the left side for a 23-yard scoring run. Linemen Cooper Judy and Briden McClung led the way for Vaughan, creating a massive hole for the sophomore quarterback. Vaughan and Butler executed an option to the right side for a two-point conversion and a 14-0 advantage with 5:53 to go in the opening quarter.
Meanwhile, West’s defense continued to stifle the Summers County offensive unit. Lambert was stopped for no gain by senior defensive end Scott McClung on first down. On second down, Coleman flushed Holland out of the pocket and as he scrambled to his right, tripped the Bobcat signal caller up for a sack and an 8-yard loss. Facing a third and long, Holland swung a pass to Tabor in the left flat, but Elijah McDaniel shook off a blocker and dropped Tabor for a two-yard loss, forcing Summers County to punt. Karsten Burns put the Cavaliers in a good starting spot with a 12-yard punt return to the 50-yard line. Three plays later, Butler showcased his playmaking ability once again with a dazzling 17-yard carry that saw him take a pitch to the right sideline, cut back at the 30, race back to the hash marks at the 20, stay horizontal and then dart down to the 16-yard line. On West’s next play, Vaxton Vaughan stood calmly in the pocket and delivered a touchdown strike to Burns who had broken wide-open in the middle of the field. West’s PAT was wide left, but the Cavaliers owned a comfortable 20-0 lead with :38 left in the first quarter.
Despite a few big runs from Lambert on Summers County’s next drive, the West defense bent but didn’t break and turned the Bobcats over on downs at the Cavalier 36-yard line. The elusive Butler put the Cavaliers at midfield with only one carry, wiggling his way through the stymied Bobcat defense. Two plays later, Scott McClung was inserted at quarterback and lofted a deep spiral to Burns down the right sideline. Burns got behind the Summers County defense, took McClung’s pass in stride at the 30-yard line, and ran away from the Bobcat defenders for a 60-yard touchdown. It was Burns’ second score in the first half and posted the Cavaliers to a 26-0 lead with 9:43 left in the first half. The score would remain that way until halftime.
Junior linebacker Aiden Palmer jump started the scoring for the Cavaliers in the third quarter. With Summers County facing a 3rd and 12 near midfield, Bobcat quarterback Colton Holland dropped back to throw. Isaiah Coleman pressured Holland with a strong rush up the middle and forced him to release the ball early. Palmer was ranging to his right but reached back with his left hand and snared Holland’s pass. With two phenomenal blocks from Scott McClung, Palmer returned the interception 55 yards untouched. Vaxton Vaughan’s PAT made it 33-0 with 7:40 left in the third quarter.
After turning the Bobcats over on downs once more, the Cavalier offense looked to another running back for some offensive production and perhaps some depth. Senior Vinson Vaughan, older brother of Cavalier quarterback Vaxton, has been getting limited looks as he heals from injury. Vinson delivered as he took his second carry for a 22-yard gain to the Summers County 24-yard line. Two plays later, younger brother Vaxton carried the ball inside the five-yard line for a first and goal situation. Three plays failed to get Greenbrier West in the endzone, though, and forced West to call timeout for a little bit of strategy. The plan turned out to be the perfect call. Scott McClung moved to quarterback while Vaxton moved to wide receiver. McClung rolled to his left and threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Vinson who had snuck into the endzone from the left slot position. Vaxton added the PAT for a 40-0 lead with :58 to go in the third quarter.
With the outcome becoming a forgone conclusion, the Bobcats and Greenbrier West’s JV squad took turns trading scores in the fourth quarter. Braxton Lambert got Summers County on the board with an 11-yard scoring catch from Holland. Greenbrier West freshman quarterback Luke Hoke tallied a touchdown with a six-yard burst with 4:35 remaining in the game. The Bobcats then answered when Tanner Plumley took the ball around the right end for a 41-yard scoring run. Luke Stalnaker added the conversion run. The exclamation point of the evening came when Greenbrier West sophomore Ayden Baker carried the ball off left tackle and bolted for a 65-yard touchdown with only :04 left on the clock. The final score was 53-14.
Friday’s win was a game of firsts for many of the Cavaliers. Vaxton Vaughan and Scott McClung each threw their first career touchdown passes. Karsten Burns and Vinson Vaughan caught their first career touchdown passes. The McClung to Burns scoring toss was Greenbrier West’s longest since October of 2023, a 68-yard Cole Vandall to Ethan Holliday connection vs Midland Trail. Aiden Palmer collected his first career score with an interception return. Palmer’s pick six gave a Cavalier defense scores in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2010 team did it over three
consecutive weeks. With the Vaxton and Vinson Vaughan touchdowns, it was the first time that siblings had scored in the same game since Marquis Frazier and Malik Boatwright did it in 2013 against Pocahontas County. Greenbrier West has scored the most points in the first two weeks of the season since 2010 and the third highest point total over the first two games in their 59-year history.
Greenbrier West improved to 2-0 on the season and is now 48-11 all-time in home openers, 44-9 at Cavalier Field. The Cavaliers will face a stiff test from Liberty next Friday in Charmco at 7pm. The Raiders, despite their 0-2 record, have put up some scores and are led by junior quarterback Jaxon Workman. Workman rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s 27-14 win over the Cavaliers at Glen Daniel. Workman and the Raiders are setting a torrid pace in two games this season. Workman has completed 38 passes in 64 attempts for six touchdowns and four interceptions while carrying the ball 50 times for 252 yards and a score.
