CHARMCO (WVDN) – Old rivalries are chock full of storylines. Respect. Familiarity. Intensity. Rancor. Bad blood. Greenbrier West and Summers County, or Hinton to those of us that have been around for a while, have a long and storied rivalry. In the 55-year history of the Cavalier football program, no opponent other than the Bobcats has faced Greenbrier West every single season. With that history comes all of the aforementioned storylines and then some.
Coming into the 2022 edition of the rivalry, both teams were 1-0. The Cavaliers shut out Buffalo at home and Summers County kept the Battle for the Bluestone trophy in Hinton after soundly defeating Pikeview. Bobcat head coach Josh Evans felt like the Greenbrier West game was the contest that the Bobcats let slip away from them in 2021. Riding the momentum of the Pikeview victory, Evans’ team had the Cavaliers zeroed in on their radar. Greenbrier West, however, had a next game approach choosing to focus on themselves and how they could get better.
The Cavaliers got the ball first but the drive fizzled fast as the West offense went three-and-out. The Bobcats started in Cavalier territory at the 43-yard line after a 16-yard punt return by Willie Dodson. Back-to-back tackles by Ty Nickell followed by a backfield stop from Cole Vandall and Ethan Holliday set up the first pivotal play of the game. The Bobcats would go for it on 4th & 5 from the West 38-yard line. Dodson, moving left to right across the Cavalier defense, took the jet sweep handoff and tried to cut up the field. Vandall beat his blocker and turned Dodson into the hands of Holliday and Reney Cordial, two yards shy of the first down marker.
After another three-and-out drive by the Cavaliers, Summers County could not muster any offense either and prepared to punt on 4th & 8 from their own 42-yard line. The snap sailed high over the outstretched arms of Bobcat punter Cruz Testerman. Momentarily, it looked like a Cavalier opportunity. That moment quickly dissipated as Testerman tracked the ball down at the 21-yard line, slipped through a West tackle, and sprinted across the green grass between himself and the West sideline. Testerman earned the Bobcats a fresh set of downs at the Cavalier 44-yard line. Drake Cole appeared to build on the momentum with a 14-yard carry, but a holding call backed the Bobcats into their own territory. Vandall sacked Dodson on the Bobcats next play dropping Summers County on their own 34-yard line.
The tide that turned in Summers County’s favor moments earlier quickly turned against the Bobcats. Nickell sliced through the line and blocked the Summers County punt. The ball caromed off Nickell’s hands, bounced at the 35-yard line and climbed over the fingertips of Ethan Hamons. After the ball took another short hop, Jacob Nutter scooped it into his right hand and returned it thirteen yards to the Bobcat 27-yard line. The Cavaliers were in business.
After a first down incompletion, Vandall dumped a screen pass across the middle to Dalton Heath for a gain of eight yards. Nickell did the rest of the damage as he carried the ball in from 19 yards out, slipping three tackles on his way to the Cavalier touchdown. The Cavaliers overcame the adversity of the Bobcat’s fourth down conversion to lead the game 6-0.
Summers County would try to answer the Cavalier scoring drive with one of their own. Mixing runs from Cole and Tyson Adkins, Summers County advanced into West territory. Dodson got in on the action and carried the Bobcats to a first down at the Cavalier 35-yard line. Ryan Oliveros, the Bobcats sophomore signal caller, bobbled the snap and the ball squirted through the hands of West lineman Daron Vaughan. Brandon Poticher covered the loose ball for the Cavaliers, killing the Summers County drive.
It would not take the Cavaliers long to capitalize. Nickell carried for an eight-yard gain over the right side even though the play was not blocked correctly. The Cavaliers came right back to the play and were rewarded instantly. Nickell burst into the secondary and broke down the Bobcat sideline for a 58-yard touchdown. Hayden Ridgeway booted the extra-point and the Cavaliers led 13-0.
The remainder of the first half and much of the third quarter was a penalty-marred affair. Greenbrier West was penalized 14 times in the game for a total of 139 yards. Summers County received 8 penalties for 75 yards. The barrage of miscues and flags killed drives and took touchdowns off the scoreboard for the Cavaliers.
As the game entered the fourth quarter, the Bobcats had to take some chances to try to get back into the game and get on the scoreboard. Summers County converted a 4th & 1 at their own 24-yard line. On the next play, sophomore cornerback Evan Vandall jarred the ball loose from Cole. Heath pounced on the loose ball, giving the Cavaliers possession at the Bobcat 31-yard line.
After a Vandall incompletion and a Lilly scramble left the Cavaliers facing a 3rd & 10, Nickell took a screen pass down to the Summers County twelve-yard line, but a holding penalty backed the Cavaliers up once more. A Vandall scramble gave the Cavaliers a first down followed by a fourteen-yard touchdown reception by Heath. A flag near the goal line backed the Cavaliers up to the twelve-yard line. Lilly lofted a pass to the endline, but Holliday was knocked out of bounds as he made an apparent touchdown catch. After a Heath reception moved the Cavaliers to the six-yard line, another penalty dropped the Cavaliers to the twenty. On 4th & 16, Vandall scrambled to the eight where the Cavaliers finally turned the ball over on downs.
The Bobcats went to their bag of tricks on the ensuing possession trying to manufacture some offense. Dodson took a jet sweep handoff to his left and pulled up to loft a deep ball to Lane. Marcus Adkins was in perfect position and knocked the ball away. Summers County, although deep in their own territory, went for a 4th & 7 from their own twelve but Oliveros’ throw across the middle to Dodson fell incomplete.
West would take advantage of the short field and score in two plays as Holliday crossed the goal line on a 2-yard run. Ridgeway added the extra point for a 20-0 lead with 7:15 remaining in the contest.
Now trailing by three touchdowns, Summers County finally started to find some offensive success. The Bobcats methodically moved the ball downfield on the legs of Cole and Adkins. The eight-play drive chewed clock, though, and ended disastrously. Facing a 2nd & 3 at the Cavalier 22-yard line, Summers County attempted to run a reverse. Cole took the handoff from Oliveros moving to his right. Dodson started in motion to his left to take the ball from Cole but Vaughan knocked it away at the mesh point. Evan Vandall and Trent Parker covered up the loose ball for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers’ job at this point was to possess the ball and wind the clock down. Nickell and Cole Vandall took the Cavaliers on a seven-play drive toward the scoreboard endzone. Running between the tackles every play, the Bobcats simply couldn’t stop the West running game. Vandall broke three tackles on his way to a 15-yard touchdown run. The Cavaliers took a knee on the conversion. With 1:35 remaining, Greenbrier West led 26-0.
The Cavalier win marked the 33rd time in 55 seasons that a West football team has started out 2-0. It was the third time that Greenbrier West has opened a season with back-to-back shutouts, joining the 1981 and ‘83 teams. The win was also the fourth straight for the Cavaliers over the Bobcats. Head coach Toby Harris is now 12-2 all-time vs Hinton/Summers County.
Summers County 0 0 0 0 – 0
Greenbrier West 7 6 0 13 – 26
1st
(0:23) Ty Nickell 19-yard rush (Kick failed)
2nd
(9:12) Ty Nickell 58-yard rush (Hayden Ridgeway kick)
4th
(7:15) Ethan Holliday 2-yard rush (Ridgeway kick)
(1:35) Cole Vandall 15-yard rush (Kneel)
Passing: GW – (7-13, 58 yards, 1 INT) C. Vandall 5-9, 54yds INT; Lilly 2-4, 4yd SC – (2-7, 7 yards) Oliveros 2-5, 7yds; Dodson 0-2 0yds
Rushing: GW – (34-268yds 4TD) Nickell 16-182yds, 2TD (19,58), C. Vandall 11- 73 TD (15) SC – (47-146yds) Cole 19-71yds, Adkins 14-68, Dodson 7-8, Testerman 1-19, Oliveros 6-(-20)
Receiving: GW – (7-58yds) Nickell 1-18, Heath 4-44, Holliday 1-(-3), Lilly 1-(-1) SC – (2-7yds) Dodson 2-7
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