GAME SUMMARY

For a few differing reasons, Friday night’s contest was a bit of a must-win for East Rockingham and Spotswood when the two teams met in Elkton. The Trailblazers have shown bits of excellence through the season but have also had moments where they’ve gotten in their own paths. In the contest, Spotswood held a 3-3 record and found themselves sitting outside the postseason picture after the VHSL released their first power ratings for the 2024 season.

The home-standing Eagles held a 5-1 record and wanted to show everyone they could stand toe to toe with a quality opponent in a higher class. Additionally, the two schools are separated by about a ten-minute drive, so area bragging rights were on the line. Before the game, the Trailblazers had defeated East Rockingham in each of the four meetings between the two teams.

Spotswood extended that streak to five games with a convincing 45-0 defeat of the Eagles, helping their cause as they move into position to earn a postseason berth down the stretch. The shutout was the third in four games for the Trailblazers, who have outpaced opponents 153-17 during the stretch.

Although they didn’t score, Spotswood moved the ball with little resistance to start the game after receiving the opening kickoff. Sophomore Camden Kraft carried the ball six times and a pair of East Rockingham penalties had the Trailblazers in the redzone on their first offensive drive.

An offsides call and a fumble for a big loss halted the momentum of the visitors' offense, however, as the Trailblazers threw two incomplete passes which ended the driver turning the ball over on downs. It was the next sequence of events that led to the first score of the game.

After the East Rockingham offense only managed to gain one yard on the first three plays when they took possession, the Eagles lined up to punt on fourth down. The snap from the center sailed over punter Bentley Hensley’s head and the swarming Spotswood defense tackled the punter at the Eagles eight-yard line.

Two plays later Da’Quan Hamilton rushed into the endzone to put the Trailblazers ahead 7-0.

Following the snafu, the two teams traded possessions, each offense unable to manage a first down but it was another bad snap for East Rockingham that helped Spotswood extend their lead. This time, the Trailblazers found themselves starting at the Eagles 18-yard line. Unlike the opening drive, however, the offense failed to move the football but kicker Elton Shabani nailed a 35-yard field goal for his team extending the Trailblazers lead to 10-0.

The Eagles continued to struggle to find rhythm on offense when they got the ball back and the Trailblazers took advantage on offense. Quarterback Elliott Brown would throw two touchdown passes before halftime. The first was a simple lob over the Eagles defense to senior tight end John Myers. After securing the pass, Myers rumbled 40 yards to the endzone for a score. On their next offensive possession, Spotswood took just four plays to reach the endzone with running back Jaylyn Reese scoring on a six yard run to put Spotswood ahead 24-0 with 5:39 remaining in the first half.

East Rockingham’s offense failed to move the ball again on their next drive but a loose ball on the punt after the ball hit a Trailblazers foot was recovered by the Eagles. For a moment, it seemed as if the team had found some momentum they could build on heading into intermission.

Spotswood’ defense quickly put a halt to that thought, however, when Jackson Graves intercepted an Eagles pass and returning it to the 29-yard line. Two plays later, Brown found a wide open Justin Barnes in the endzone to put the Trailblazers ahead 31-0 with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

Following the break in play, the second half seemed to mimic the first, simply without as much scoring. East Rockingham’s offense couldn’t manage to get anything going, ending the night with six first downs and 59 total yards of offense. For Spotswood, both Hamilton and Reese added a rushing score to contribute to the final score.

SCORING SUMMARY

Spotswood 7 24 7 7—45

East Rockingham 0 0 0 0—0

FIRST QUARTER

S—Da’Quan Hamilton 4 run (Elton Shabani kick), 6:02

SECOND QUARTER

S—Elton Shabani 35 field goal, 11:48

S—John Myers 40 pass from Elliott Brown, 9:18

S--Jaylyn Reese 6 run (Elton Shabani kick), 5:39

S—Justin Barnes 27 pass from Elliott Brown, (Elton Shabani kick), 0:39

THIRD QUARTER

S—Da’Quan Hamilton 12 run (Elton Shabani kick), 2:52

FOURTH QUARTER

S—Jaylyn Reese 21 run (Elton Shabani kick), 7:21

STANDOUT PLAYERS

Rayne Dean, Spotswood…The Trailblazers senior helped the Spotswood defensive unit record their third shutout in the last four games. In the meantime, they slowed an East Rockingham offense that seemed to be finding some footing behind dual threat quarterback Parker Siever. Dean recorded two sacks in the contest with the Eagles and delivered several tackles while giving the East Rockingham offensive line fits. Dean’s ability to disrupt things on the defensive line helped the rest of his unit thrive, holding East Rockingham to just 59 yards of offense in the victory and improving Spotswood to 2-1 (4-3 overall) in the Valley District.

Jaylyn Reese and Da’Quan Hamiton, Spotswood…The duo scored two touchdowns a piece on the ground including scores in the second quarter that helped the Trailblazers build what was an insurmountable lead. Neither player eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards but both had over five yards per carry while combining for 137 yards on the ground. Reese rushed 11 times for 78 yards while Hamiton toted the rock 12 times for 59 yards in the Trailblazers victory.

Elliott Brown, Spotswood…From a statistical performance, the senior quarterback’s numbers against East Rockingham may not be eye-popping but Brown had two touchdown passes and tossed for 105 yards on just six completed passes. Additionally, the Spotswood quarter helped lead an offensive unit that has now scored 153 points in their last four games. Brown has 1,013 passing yards on the season with 14 touchdown passes. With a supporting cast that features a physical offensive line and skill players who can make plays, Spotswood should be 6-3 heading into their final regular season game with Turner Ashby.

Spotswood’s Defense is Strong

Shutting out an opponent is not an easy task. There are a variety of ways for an offensive unit to put points on the board, not to mention getting special teams and defensive scores are common. To do it in three games is a superior feat. The Trailblazers did allow double-digit totals to their first three opponents of the season but have now recorded three in their last four games. In Friday night’s contest, the Trailblazers not only pitched a shutout but crippled an East Rockingham offense that had scored 40 points on two occasions earlier this season helping their team to a 5-1 record entering this contest. Spotswood’s next two opponents have combined for 127 points in 13 combined games this season playing to the strength of the Trailblazers' defense and having the unit licking their chops.

Not Even Close to Being Out

Despite the lopsided score in this contest, East Rockingham’s record is now 5-2 heading down the stretch. With that said, the Eagles are in a position to put this contest behind them, examining their mistakes but not letting the result affect their overall confidence a great deal. Their victory last week against Rockbridge County ensured the team would have at least a .500 season and generated the most amount of wins the Eagles have had in a season since 2019. Ironically, that year is the only season that the defensive unit has allowed a lower amount of points to opponents and the difference is minimal at best. The Eagles are giving up just 15 points per game despite giving up 45 to Spotswood. With Turner Ashby and Broadway in the windshield, East Rockingham does have quality competition ahead and will want to have better results to firm up their postseason opportunities. The Eagles are in no way, however, down and out after this loss.

WHAT’S NEXT

Spotswood takes on Harrisonburg next week. The Blue Streaks recorded their largest scoring output this week with 17 points against Rockbridge County but fell to 0-6 on the season taking a loss to the Wildcats. The Blue Streaks have lost their last three to Spotswood including a 21-7 victory by the Trailblazers in 2023.

East Rockingham gets straight back to work, facing undefeated Turner Ashby next week on the road. After a slow start against Broadway this week, the Knights took down the Gobblers 31-6. The Eagles will need to slow a dynamic offensive attack by Turner Ashby and also find a way to score points against a unit that has allowed just 33 points through six games this season.

Robert Edmonds has been contributing to Virginiapreps.com, part of the Rivals.com network, since 2013. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) @bigrob2523 and subscribe to his YouTube channel for sports-related content. You can read his work in the Daily Progress and occasionally in other journalism publications. He began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state with a focus in the Central Virginia area. He currently lives in Keswick with his wife and has seven children and two grandchildren. To contact Robert, please email him at bigrob2523@gmail.com.