Class 3D No. 1 Lord Botetourt took on their rivals, Class 3D No. 2 Northside, in the VHSL Region 3D Championship, a third round playoff encounter during this 2019 campaign. While the Cavaliers had previously beaten the Vikings 14-7 in the regular season, they had a pretty good idea that this re-match would be another tough fight.
When all was said and done, Lord Botetourt won another region title, 31-23, to remain undefeated on the season, a true testament to a program that has had to overcome injuries throughout their journey, including to standout Evan Eller.
The Cavaliers started their game off strong, behind a pair of touchdowns by James-Ryan Salvi and Hunter Rice and both extra points by Tarren Baker, all with just under five minutes left in the first period. Botetourt continued their successes through the second period as Hunter Rice scored their third touchdown of the game, with another Baker point after, and their defense held strong against the Viking’s offense, keeping the score 21-0 at the half.
According to Northside’s Coach Scott Fisher, some of the biggest adversity they faced was due to “losing our [the Vikings] center the week before” and “putting someone in who had never played that position before.”
Like Northside, Botetourt faced adversity as well, but in the first half of the game. Due to Nick Pitzer’s broken collarbone due to a “questionable play,” Coach Harless said they “had to put Hunter Rice at linebacker when their plan was to keep him fresh as a tailback only,” which changed the game for them, as Rice is one of their key players.
Regardless of adversity on either side, the Vikings proved to be a challenge in the third period. The Cavaliers’ Baker attempted to secure their lead with field goal from 30 yards, and was successful, making the score 24-0.
Although Botetourt’s defense was able to hold strong against Northside in the first half, the Vikings offense proved to be a threat for them in the second half, as Sidney Webb scored their first touchdown of the game and their attempted two-point conversion, making the score 24-8.
They kept it coming at the start of the fourth period as recovered an onside kick and scored shortly after on a 44-yard pass to Isaac Earls and another successful two-point conversion, cutting the Cavalier lead to 24-16. Still in the fourth period, the Cavaliers’ Baker was successful on a 44-yard field goal; however, Northside was hit with a 15-yard personal foul for roughing the kicker and the Cavalier’s elected to take the first down.
A few plays later, Hunter Rice galloped into the end zone and, with the point after, gives the Cavaliers a 31-16 lead. Even a late 16-yard touchdown pass from Sidney Webb to Zach Horton was not enough to overcome the Cavalier’s drive for success, as they held strong and finished the final period with a winning score of 31-23, and ended the Viking’s 2019 season.
The Cavaliers’ Hunter Rice finished the game with 211 rushing yard and 3 touchdowns, while Northside's Sidney Webb accounted for 177 passing yards, 42 rushing yards, and 3 total touchdowns. Lord Botetourt’s defense held Christian Fisher to only 49 rushing yards, one of his worst totals of the season.
Lord Botetourt’s Coach Jamie Harless knew their “big first half” and offense “running the ball really well” had a significant impact on the final outcome of the game. Although the Cavaliers struggled some in the second half, Harless thought “defensively, [they] executed as well as [they] could have.”
Conversely on the other side, Coach Fisher knew on the “second play” when “Zach Horton fumbled the ball” it was going to be a tough game on their part. Because of that fumble, “two plays later they [the Cavaliers],” were on their way to “14-0.”
Responding to their tough loss, Coach Fisher simply said, “There really were just two halves. They [Botetourt] outplayed us in the first half and we outplayed them in the second half.”
The win over Northside was a sweet one for Lord Botetourt as it puts them a step closer to the ultimate goal, just two wins away from a State Championship.
“Before, during and after the game, our players and coaches acted – and won – with class,” Harless noted.
Now the Region 3D Champions, the Cavaliers will move on to the State Semifinals, where on Saturday, December 7 they will host Heritage-Lynchburg. It’s the second meeting in as many years as the Pioneers won the 2018 encounter on their way to a Class 3 State Championship. Anything less than another hard-fought battle similar to their 42-39 clash from a year ago would be unexpected.
