The Greenbrier East Spartans will conclude their road schedule Friday, October 22, when they make the trek to Romney, to play the Hampshire Trojans.
There is not a lot of info on the Trojans in the internet world, but something that is known is that they are 3-4 this season, and coming off a shootout loss to Berkeley Springs 71-40. Hampshire has defeated Preston (21-0), Park View (69-37) and Petersburg (35-14) and are scoring 27.7 points per game, but are allowing 35.1 to their opponents. They have allowed 50-plus points three times.
The Trojans are led by their quarterback, Alex Hott.
Hott is a talented player that gets better every week. He threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns in the Preston victory and eclipsed 200 again in the win over Petersburg. Holding him under that magic 200 number will be critical for the Spartans as losses seem to pile up for Hampshire when Hott cannot get to that mark.
Throwing against East has also become increasingly difficult lately. In their most recent win over Ripley, senior cornerback Levi Wagner had two interceptions and came close to snagging a third. He has been a ball-hawking player in the last few weeks.
East can also get pressure up front and from the linebackers. JT Spencer, Luke Carola and Jacob Wickline have moved the opposing lines well while Garrett Bennett, Kamon Anderson and Jarret McHale fill the gaps.
When East gets the football, their plan has been pretty simple lately. Get the ball to sophomore Ian Cline.
Against Ripley, Cline etched his name in Spartan lore with 287 rushing yards, good for third place in school history, and also added four touchdowns. With that performance, he now has 920 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Add that to his 191 yards and two receiving TD’s and Cline has made a lasting impression this season.
Monquelle Davis continues to be solid at the quarterback position. The junior has tallied 718 yards with 10 touchdown passes, and added 363 rushing with four scores and 80 receiving with two more scores.
Bryson Ormsbee (19 catches-237 yards, five TD’s) and Lucas McCallister (12 catches-97 yards, TD) continue to lead the pass catchers, respectively.
East also has a weapon in the form of Noah Dotson. The kicker is 4-of-7 on field goals and 27-of-28 on extra points.
Hampshire is a very solid, but not spectacular football team. The Spartans are 5-2 and and can see another state playoff berth staring them in the face. The motivation is high and the buzz around the community is as well.
With all that momentum on their side, and the Trojans sliding in the wrong direction after allowing 70 points last week, the Spartans will roll into Romney and sidle back home after a big win.
Prediction:
Greenbrier East-52
Hampshire- 20
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