BLUES ROLL IN DISTRICT OPENER
BY: DAVE COX, September 22, 2006, Richlands News Press
GRUNDY, Va. - An explosive Richlands offense rolled to its third straight lopsided victory of the 2006 football season last Friday with a 48-6 thrashing of Southwest District opponent Grundy at Nelson Memorial Field.
RHS quarterback Justin McCracken had another outstanding performance with three touchdown passes and one rushing TD. Caleb Jennings accounted for the other three scores by Richlands (3-0, 1-0 SWD) despite having a pair of scores called back by penalties.
The Blues racked up 209 yards on the ground, paced by 133 from Jennings. McCracken threw for 130 yards on 15 attempts and 11 completions. He threw one interception. McCracken now has 10 touchdown passes on the season. He tossed scoring passes Friday to Ben Addison, C.J. Arms and Austin Fuller. Tornado kicker Connor McCall converted 6-of-7 extra point attempts.
Grundy (0-2, 0-1 SWD) scored its lone touchdown with just two seconds left in the game. It came against the reserve defensive unit of Richlands and covered 83 yards in 15 plays, by far Grundy's longest drive of the night. The Wave score broke a string of 10 straight quarters that the Richlands defense has shut out its opponents. No team had scored on RHS since the opening period of the first game of the season at Gate City. Wave quarterback Kaleb Smith hit Jimmy Ashby with a 10 yard pass for the TD.
Richlands looked like a team in mid-season form as the Blues scored on their first five offensive possessions of the contest. Meanwhile, Grundy managed just one first down in the first half and that came on a face mask penalty against the Tornado.
Richlands won the coin toss and elected to go on offense. McCracken started things off with a nice 10 yard pass to C. J. Arms. Six plays later he nailed Ben Addison with a seven yard scoring pass. The extra point kick was blocked, but the Blues were off and running at 6-0 with 9:58 left in the initial frame.
On the Blues' next offensive series, Jennings had a five yard scoring run nullified by a holding penalty, but three plays later McCracken dashed in from one yard out and that one counted. McCall added the PAT to make it 13-0 with 5:57 remaining in the first period.
McCracken found Arms again on a 19 yard pass to help set up the visitors next tally. That score was a 10 yard McCracken pass to Arms. McCall's kick was true to put his team ahead 20-0 with 1:33 left in the opening quarter.
The next time Jennings touched the football, he raced 53 yards to pay dirt, but a holding penalty erased that score. Jennings would not be denied as he broke tackle after tackle on his way to a 43 yard touchdown with 10:18 left in the first half. McCall booted the extra point for a 34-0 Tornado edge.
The next Blues' score was set up by an interception by D. J. Simmons at the Grundy 33 yard line. Six plays later, Jennings leaped into the end zone from six yards away. McCall added another extra point kick to make it 34-0 with 6:45 left in the second period.
It appeared that the Blues would score again before halftime, but Ashby intercepted a McCracken pass at the goal line and returned it to the Wave 38 before he was stopped.
Richlands added its two final scores of the night on just two plays in the third quarter. The first was set up by a 40 yard punt return by Addison who ran to the Grundy 28 on the play. McCracken found a streaking Fuller on the next play. Fuller was so open that he practically walked into the end zone on the play. McCall kicked the PAT to give RHS a 41-0 lead with 9:24 left in the third stanza.
Kris Null recovered a Wave fumble on the Grundy 12 and from there it was just a matter of one Jennings run to up the score to 47-0. McCall's sixth straight extra point made it 48-0 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter. Tornado head coach Greg Mance filled the field with reserve players the rest of the night.
Mance was pleased with his team except for the penalties that cost his team two scores. The Blues had three scores nullified on penalties the week before against Honaker.
"We did some good things, but still too many penalties," Mance said. I thought we did a good job catching the football and protecting it. Our defense played great and we're excited about that. We're getting a lot better on the defensive side of the football."
Richlands travels to Abingdon next Friday while Grundy is on the road to Bluefield (WVa.) to play the Beavers.
Email: berry1974@adelphia.net
