Christiansburg handily wins the
“Battle of the Burgs” 49-0
George N. Porterfield Stadium, Christiansburg, Va – Rivalry games are special. The script of the season can flip, teams having a rough go can rally and pull off unexpected upsets. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the script didn’t flip this time. The Blue Demons went into the battle riding a successful season, sporting only one loss to Salem, while Blacksburg went in still looking for their first victory. From the get-go it was all Christiansburg. The Blue Demons got the job done on the ground, in the air, and on defense. RB/LB 42 Kenyon Johnson-Buchannon and RB/LB 31 Stephan Myrthil combined for three rushing TD’s and QB/DB 8 Casey Graham connected for an additional three passing scores. 
Christiansburg racked up seven touchdowns and a
safety for the night, but Blacksburg made their stand, forcing turnovers including a clutch interception from RB/LB 2 Daquan Terry. While the “Battle of the Burgs” was indeed a battle, it was a battle between friends according to C-burg head coach Alex Wilkens, “these kids have been playing against each other for a long time. A lot of them are buddies and neither team wishes ill-will on the other.” Both teams play again on the 15th, Christiansburg will take on Hidden Valley and Blacksburg will take on the Pulaski County Cougars, still looking for their first win.
First Quarter – Blacksburg got the ball first, but they wouldn’t keep it for long. The Bruins tested the Blue Demon defense on the ground and Christiansburg answered. In four plays, Blacksburg punted the ball away without gaining a single yard. The C-burg offense led by Graham, converted quickly with two thirty-five-yard passes. The first, to WR/DB 3 Jayron Thompson and the other to WR/DB 5 Jaxson Clarke, who broke through end zone to draw first blood. RB/DB Spencer Conner punched in the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 9:20 left in the quarter. After another Blacksburg drive ended with an RB/LB 6 Traye Roberts punt, the two burg’ teams traded interceptions. Blacksburg’s Daquan Terry got up to snatch the Graham pass out of the air, putting an end to a promising drive for the Blue Demons.
Daquan Terry gets up for an interception
Two plays later, it was Thompson who intercepted Blacksburg QB/LB 12 Parker Epperley’s potential first down pass, but he wasn’t done yet. Thompson managed to return the football inside the Bruin ten, setting up a quick score. Just like the last C-burg TD, this one came in only two plays. Johnson-Buchannon picked up the seven yards in question to get the last score of the quarter, but the PAT went wide to make the game 13-0 with a 1:25 left. Blacksburg unfortunately ended the quarter on fourth down with thirteen yards to go.
Second Quarter – The second quarter pretty much echoed the first. Christiansburg added another two TD’s one around nine minutes and one with a minute and half left in the quarter. The scores however wouldn’t come quite as easy as last time due to a fired-up Bruins defense. Plus, Blacksburg put together a real drive of their own. After another Bruins punt the white and blue defense stepped up. Epperley snuck behind the C-burg line and took down Johnson-Buchannon for a twelve-yard loss and the next play a host of Bruins sacked Graham for another twelve-yard loss. Good teams find a way and the Blue Demons are football force to be reckoned with.
Blue Demon RB 42 Kenyon Johnson-Buchannon celebrates a touchdown
Noticing the Blacksburg blitz, Graham popped the ball over to Clarke who picked up a clutch thirty-yards to rescue the Blue Demons from fourth and long. Johnson-Buchannon did the rest and Conner kicked in the PAT The next two possessions resulted in punts for both teams, leaving the ball in Bruin hands. RB/LB 42 Bryce Ferguson took over for Blacksburg and strung together a handful of decent carries giving the Bruins their first flash of offense. The Blue Demon defense had other plans. After heavy pressure on Epperley the Bruin QB was forced to try and get rid of the ball. The refs called intentional grounding which subsequently grounded the Blacksburg run. The Blue Demons capitalized on their resulting field position with a Graham TD pass to RB/DB 20 Tyrique Taylor. The PAT solidified the score at 27-0 to end the half.
Blacksburg QB 12 Parker Epperley looks for an open receiver
Third Quarter – Christiansburg didn’t take their feet off the gas, scoring another two touchdowns in the third and Blacksburg put together a very promising drive of their own. After an emphatic twenty-seven-yard opening carry from RB/LB 9 Drew Lloyd, C-burg moved all the way downfield ended the drive with a Graham TD pass to Thompson. After the Conner PAT the Blue Demons were up by thirty-four. The Christiansburg defense stopped the Bruins inside their own five, but they wouldn’t keep the ball long. After a funky snap, Blacksburg recovered the fumble, giving the Bruins another shot at a drive. C-burg smelled blood as Blacksburg recovered the ball a few yards from their end zone and sure enough, the Blue Demons added another two points to their tally and took over possession. The drive began with bang, namely, a twenty-eight-yard Graham to Thompson pass. The drive was over in a few plays, with the TD coming from a quick ten-yard Lloyd carry, putting the score at 42-0. The Bruins showed some grit, and OL/DL 64 Thomas DeMasi stepped up to block the PAT. Blacksburg rode that energy into their next possession. The Bruins offense, led by Ferguson, cobbled together a drive of solid runs to end the quarter.
HB 9 Drew Lloyd picks up some yards for Christiansburg
Blacksburg RB 42 Bryce Ferguson braces for impact
Fourth Quarter – Blacksburg started the final quarter in style with a clean twenty-yard Epperley pass to WR/DB 9 Ethan Karpa, breaking into Blue Demon territory. After strong rushes from Ferguson and Epperley, the Bruins were knocking on C-burg’s door, but football is all about the little things. A high snap was all it took.
Blue Demon RB 31 Stephen Myrthil moves in for the touchdown
Christiansburg recovered and head the other way. This time it was Myrthil and QB/DB 4 Tanner Evans who got it done for the Blue Demons. Each player picked up around forty-yards on the drive, including a twenty-two-yard Myrthil TD where he appeared to blow by everyone on defense. The PAT raised the Blue Demon total to forty-nine, where it would stay. The remaining possessions resulted in “three and outs” for both teams, drawing the “Battle of the Burgs” and another night of high school football to a close. – Graham Whitaker
Offense:
Rushing: Christiansburg – Stephen Myrthil 6-79yds 1 TD, Kenyon Johnson-Buchannon 9-19yds 2 TD, Drew Lloyd 3-36yds 1 TD, Tanner Evans 3-23yds, Max Fernandez 1-2yds, Jayron Thompson 1-1yd, Casey Graham 3-(-10yds) Blacksburg – Bryce Ferguson 15-48yds, Daniel Johnson 5-10yds, Traye Roberts 3-0yds, Parker Epperley 11-(-7yds) Passing: Christiansburg – Casey Graham 10/12-192yds 3 TD 1 INT, Tanner Evans 1/2-24yds Blacksburg – Parker Epperley 2/9-21yds 1 INT Receiving: Christiansburg – Jayron Thompson 5-91yds 1 TD, Jaxson Clarke 4-82 yds 1 TD, Tyrique Taylor 1-19yds 1 TD, Brody Blout 1-24yds Blacksburg – Ethan Karpa 1-19yds, Carter Ackerman 1-2yds Punting: Christiansburg – 2/38avg. Blacksburg– 7/43avg.
Scoring
First Quarter
• Christiansburg: Clarke 35-yd pass from Graham: Conner PAT 9:20
• Christiansburg: Johnson-Buchannon 1-yd run: PAT failed 1:25
Second Quarter
• Christiansburg: Johson-Buchannon 2-yd run: Conner PAT 9:31
• Christiansburg: Taylor 19-yd pass from Graham: Conner PAT 1:20
Third Quarter
• Christiansburg: Thompson 16-yd pass from Graham: Conner PAT 9:05
• Christiansburg: safety 6:01
• Christiansburg: Lloyd 10-yd run: PAT failed 3:55
Fourth Quarter
• Christiansburg: Myrthil 22-yd run: Conner PAT 6:51