LEWISBURG (WVDN) – The Greenbrier East Spartans kept their meaningful season alive on Friday, Oct. 14, when they defeated the Ripley Vikings 47-8 on a chilly homecoming night.
Monquelle Davis threw for three touchdowns and ran for another just in the first half, as East put a nail in the Vikings coffin early.
With the victory, the Spartans (3-4) kept their playoff chances going for another week.
The game started in East’s favor when Ripley’s Virgil Myers fumbled the opening kickoff that East kicker Noah Dotson recovered to give his team the football.
On the second play of the ensuing possession, Ian Cline scampered for 15 yards. Two plays later, he broke free for a 30-yard TD run to the corner of the end zone and gave the Spartans a 7-0 lead with 10:57 to play in the first quarter.
East’s defense came up big on the Vikings first series and forced a punt, and it did not take long for the Spartans to answer.
Davis went right up the middle on a quarterback keeper and scored on a 62-yard run. Following that score, East led 14-0 with 7:27 to go in the first.
Ripley (2-6) converted a 44-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-9 from Myers to Hunter Brown on the next drive that kept them in the game. That made it 14-8 after Chris Jenkins caught the two-point conversion pass.
Later in the slow moving, penalty-filled quarter East’s Lucas McCallister picked off a Myers pass that killed the Vikings drive, and their chances in the game.
Grant Burdette caught a 21-yard pass from Davis, and a couple lays later, Davis ran for 16 more. The drive was capped by a 29-yard touchdown catch from Logan Hayes and East led 21-8 with 1:02 left, still in the opening period. It was Hayes’ first career touchdown reception.
Early in the second quarter, McCallister hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass that extended the East lead to 28-8.
Not to be forgotten, Jake Pate would add a 32-yard TD catch to cap the first half scoring. At the break, East led 35-8 and had taken complete control of the game.
The halftime festivities got a lot of attention this week as Adam Seams, soccer and basketball player, was crowned homecoming king. Tamara Stafford took home the queen honors.
The Spartans continued to ride the momentum train in the second half as Cline scored on touchdown runs of three and 12 yards, respectively. East got a lot of young players in the game late including Caleb Tolley and Brody Hamric on the offensive side of the ball.
Ripley was held to just 160 total yards by the East defense. The Spartans racked up 470.
Davis took home McDonald’s player of the game honors. He threw for 135 yards and three TDs on 7-for-10 passing and ran for 88 yards and another score.
Cline had 151 yards and three touchdowns and C.W. Sturgell had 85.
The Spartans held the talented Myers to just 23 yards on 16 carries.
On paper, East will face their toughest challenge to date this Friday, Oct. 21, when they host Parkersburg South in their home finale. South is ranked 4th in the state and will possibly be number one this week.
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