WYTHEVILLE -- A large rectangular sign is perched on a hill beyond the east end zone at George Wythe High School's Pendleton Field.

It reads "GW Home of the Maroons State Champions 2002 2012."

So what's next?

This is 2022, right?

George Wythe kept its hopes alive for a third VHSL championship in school history Saturday as the Maroons used big plays and a dominant defense to post a 35-12 victory over visiting Grundy in a Class 1 semifinal.

But when the Maroons (10-3) get to Salem Stadium on Dec. 10 for the state final, they will encounter an opponent accustomed to winning titles more frequently than every 10 years.

The Region 1C Champs will line up against six-time defending State Champion Riverheads, a 21-8 semifinal winner over previously undefeated Essex.

"Our kids are going to have to play better than they did today," Maroons Coach Brandon Harner said. "And that's saying a lot."

George Wythe arrived Saturday bent on avenging a 42-28 loss at Grundy in a regular-season game Oct. 7.

The Maroons wasted little time as quarterback Tandom Smith blazed 48-yards on Wythe's second play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead with less than two minutes elapsed.

While Grundy (8-5) featured a high-powered offensive tandem in running back Ian Scammell and quarterback Isaiah Boyd, the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Smith was a dual threat all by himself.

The junior QB added a 4-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead, and he threw TD passes of 33 yards to Laden Houston and 56-yards to Ben Jollay. Smith finished with 102 yards rushing on 13 carries while passing for 113.

Not bad for a guy who began the season at wide receiver and switched positions in Week 3 against Mountain Empire District rival Giles after an injury to starting quarterback Luke Jollay.

"I had to stay focused," Smith said. "Nothing could get in my head. So I just went in there and did it. I put in a lot of work."

George Wythe standout defensive end Colton Green chats after his team's 35-12 win over Grundy in the VHSL Class 1 State Semis on Saturday, December 3, 2022.

Harner had a potential dilemma when Luke Jollay returned from his injury. He shifted the senior to a receiver position, and the team's chemistry did not suffer.

"That's probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," Harner said. "And that hurts, because Luke Jollay is an all-star. He said, 'Coach, I'll do whatever it takes to win.'

"Tandom's done a great job, don't get me wrong. But what Luke did after that, says everything about our team."

George Wythe's defense was a brick wall after allowing Boyd and Scammell to combine for six TDs and nearly 400 rushing yards in the regular-season game.

The Maroons allowed just 2.6 yards per rush, recording nine tackles for negative yardage and giving up more than 5 yards on a carry just 12 times out of Grundy's 54 rushing attempts.

Grundy fared no better through the air, completing just six of 15 passes for 60 yards.

"The better team won," Grundy Coach Craig Plymal said. "The better team won on the line of scrimmage. The better team won in the scary, athletic part that we talked about all along. Just too many weapons.

"They're strong as in physical strong. They played a heck of a defensive game. We were getting to the point [of attack] but we were not sustaining that drive. When we tried to get wide on the speed, we could not. We could not cut the edge. We couldn't sustain that block."

Defensive stalwarts for Wythe were numerous, led by linebacker Leyton Fowler, end Colton Green, interior defenders Owen Repass and Brock Ayers, and Brady Walters and Ben Jollay on the corners.

Wythe even dominated on special teams. Green averaged 52.5 yards on two punts including a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter than Austin Repass kept from going into the end zone with a diving save.

George Wythe Head Football Coach Brandon Harner chats with the press following his team's 35-12 victory over Grundy in the VHSL Class 1 State Semis on Saturday, December 3, 2022.

George Wythe was minus several starters in the regular-season loss to Grundy, including both quarterbacks, but there had to more to Saturday's effort than just a healthy lineup.

"We were just more focused this game," Green said. "Last game we slackened. This game, we knew what we were playing for. We were focused all week. We were keying to stopping the run. Everybody play where you're supposed to play, hit the right gaps. You've just got to trust your brother, and that's what we did."

Fowler had a more basic explanation about the regular-season loss to Grundy and the drive to Buchanan County in the middle of a six-game road swing to face an opponent George Wythe had not played since 1950.

"I didn't know where Grundy was, honestly," Fowler said. "I didn't know where we were going. Then we got there, like, 'Where are we at?' Then when the game got going they just pounded it and pounded it."

Scammell scored both of Grundy's TDs on 2-yard runs, the first in the third quarter to cut George Wythe's lead to 28-6 and the second on Grundy's final play of the game to complete a 99-yard drive.

Boyd ran for 238 yards and four TDs in the regular-season win over George Wythe. This time the Maroons limited him to 7 yards on 11 carries.

"They won the battle of front," Scammell said. "They knew the plays that were coming. They watched a lot of film. They had all the run plays down. We just couldn't move the ball very well."

George Wythe had no such trouble.

With Grundy content to kick short punts to the sideline in the opening quarter, the Maroons got a short field on their third series and drove 57 yards in nine plays for a 4-yard TD run by Smith and a 14-0 lead.

The home team added a third score with more flair. The Maroons quickly covered 79 yards as Smith found Houston wide open for a 33-yard TD pass and a 20-0 lead.

If there was hope on the Grundy sideline with a 20-point halftime deficit, it vaporized in 17 seconds.

Just like in the first quarter, George Wythe scored on its second snap as Smith hit Ben Jollay out of the backfield for a 56-yard TD and an insurmountable 28-0 cushion.

Grundy record-setting running back Ian Scammell chats following his team's 35-12 loss to George Wythe in the Class 1 State Semis on Saturday, December 3, 2022.

Ben Jollay, who rushed 10 times for 59 yards, added Wythe's final TD on a 16-yard run with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.

The outcome all but decided, Harner was visibly emotional on the George Wythe sideline in the waning moments of his first State Semifinal victory as a Head Coach.

"Any time I get to spend one more week with this group ... it's something else," Harner said. "It's a pretty special group of kids. I'm kind of lost right now."

Harner is the fourth George Wythe Coach to take a team to a State Final, following Paul Wheeler (1983), Donnie Pruitt (2002) and current H.S. Ingo (2012).

Harner and his staff will try to solve the Riverheads puzzle. The Gladiators have not lost in the State Playoffs since a 7-6 setback against Galax in the 2015 Final.

"George Wythe whether they're in Double-A football or Single-A football, they've always had that gifted kid," Plymal said. "I think they've got a chance, and that's all they can ask for."

Grundy will turn its attention to defending its state wrestling title this winter.

Scammell, one of five individual State Wrestling Champs on the football team, finished his senior year with 2,102 yards and 24 TD's, winding up with an unofficial career total of 6,870 yards.

"It's too hard to say right now. I'm sure I'll think about it later. It's kind of still getting me right now.

It's been a long journey from my freshman year. I know a lot of people didn't think we'd ever win [a region title]. We made it happen. At lot of hard work and a lot of early mornings. I'm proud of this team, and I'll miss this."

Grundy Head Football Coach Craig Plymal chats with the assembled media after a 35-12 loss to George Wythe in the VHSL Class 1 State Semis on Saturday, December 3, 2022.

Grundy;0;0;6;6;--;12

George Wythe;14;6;15;0;--;35

First quarter

GW -- Smith 48 run (Mitchell kick), 10:11

GW -- Smith 4 run (Mitchell kick), :14

Second quarter

GW -- Houston 33 pass from Smith (kick failed), 4:46

Third quarter

GW -- B.Jollay 56 pass from Smith (Houston run), 11:43

Gru -- Scammell 2 run (run failed), 5:33

GW -- B.Jollay 16 run (Mitchell kick), :35

Fourth quarter

Gru -- Scammell 2 run (pass failed), :08.

TEAM STATISTICS

;;Gru;;GW

First downs;;14;17

Rushes-yards;;54-142;;33-238

Yards passing;;60;;113

Comp-Att-Int;;6-15-1;;7-15-2

Fumbles-lost;;0-0;;0-0

Penalties;;3-22;;8-60

Punts;;4-25.0;;2-52.5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Grundy, Scammell 24-92, Roberts 10-43, Boyd 11-9, Bush 2-7, Lester 6-(minus 7), Team 1-(minus 2). George Wythe, Smith 13-102, B.Jollay 10-59, Fowler 5-51, Houston 4-28, Team 1-(minus 2).

PASSING -- Grundy, Boyd 4-12-1-21, Lester 2-3-0--39. George Wythe, Smith 6-14-1--113, Green 0-1-1--0.

RECEIVING -- Grundy, Lester 3-21, Boyd 1-22, J.Looney 1-17, Roberts 1-0. George Wythe, Houston 2-49, B.Jollay 1-56, Walters 1-6, L.Jollay 1-6.