With strong playoff implications at stake, the Greenbrier East Spartans could not quite get over the hump this past Friday night when they suffered a 26-13 loss to the Oak Hill Red Devils.
Of the two teams, Oak Hill is now in the best position to secure a spot in the field of 16, but all is not lost for the Spartans. They still have plenty of opportunities to make some noise and hope that the chips fall in their favor
Here are my thoughts on the loss to Oak Hill:
Thank Goodness Ethan Vargo-Thomas is a senior.
An Oak Hill utility player, Vargo-Thomas, in his 10th year as a Red Devil (just slightly joking), has haunted East for the last few years. His numbers are never that eye-popping, but his efficiency and consistency are what stand out the most. He ran for 88 yards and a touchdown and also tossed a 19-yard TD pass after taking a pitch handoff. Last season, Vargo-Thomas broke the game open between the two schools with a 47-yard scoring run.
Typically, opposing players are forgotten soon after they play against East, but Vargo-Thomas will haunt fans memories for at least a few years, and he is not quite done this year either. The Spartans will see him on the basketball court in a couple months assuming he decides to play his final year on the hardwood.
The Game Changed Near the End of the First Half.
The Spartans squandered a massive opportunity late in the first half with a minute left when Vargo-Thomas shanked a punt for just 12 yards. East took over at the Red Devils 20-yard line, but on the first play, quarterback Gavin Bennett was bull rushed and tried to get rid of the ball before being sacked. However, Oak Hill’s JJ Jackson picked it off and returned it all the way to midfield.
Then, Vargo-Thomas caught a 19-yard pass and an East penalty tacked on 15 yards to the play. That is when Vargo-Thomas found Jackson for a TD pass. So what could have been a 14-7 lead for East at the break turned out to be a 13-7 deficit. It was a backbreaking play from which the Spartans never fully recovered.
Ian Cline Ran Hard and Ran Well.
Since the first two games in which the whole offense struggled, Ian Cline has definitely found his old form running the football.
He broke all kinds of records last season, and while there are none threatened to be overtaken this year, he has steadily progressed each week. He finished this game with 99 yards on 16 carries and also caught a touchdown pass in the second half.
Cline is also playing well from his safety spot on defense and has made numerous big hits the last couple of weeks. East will continue to try to get Cline involved as much as they can from here on out, in hopes of ending the season on a winning streak.
Is a Quarterback Change Coming?
All season, East backup quarterback Gavin Bennett has seen spot duty action when the situation calls for it, but against Oak Hill he saw his most extensive action all year.
No, it was not perfect, but Bennett was good enough to take home McDonald’s player of the game honors and threw two TD passes.
Monquelle Davis is in no danger of losing the job, as he has played well as he always does, but he is so dynamic on the edge that playing Bennett actually could help the offense over the next few weeks. Davis could still get the ball and make plays in space even more than he does currently. The two QBs even hooked up for a touchdown in the second quarter when Bennett found Davis for a 9-yarder. It will be something coach Ray Lee thinks about this week in practice.
Spartans are Now in Must Win Mode.
It is pretty clear now. If the Spartans want any chance of a state tournament berth, they have to win at least three of their last four games, maybe even all of them. Sitting at 2-4, they are not in the most ideal position this time of year, but there is an outside chance some things could happen and fall into place.
They must start this Friday, Oct. 14 when they host Ripley. It is homecoming for the Spartans so the motivation should be there to pick up their third win of the season.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.