Lord Botetourt ends Riverheads
52 game win streak, 35-21
Riverheads High School – Two giants in Virginia high school football met on Friday night with Riverheads putting their 52 game winning streak on the line against a big and physical Lord Botetourt Cavalier team. When the smoke cleared it was Coach Jamie Harless’ Cavs walking away the victor, leaving the Gladiators one win shy of tying the all time, consecutive win streak held by Lane H.S. of Charlottesville. LB quarterback 7 Jakari Nicely led the charge with 187 yards on 34 carries and 4TDs. The Junior also threw a 34-yard TD to WR 6 Cade Lang with 1:05 left in the half to tie it up 21-21. Botetourt followed that up with a 16 play, 65-yard scoring drive that ate up nearly 9 minutes of the third quarter. Coach Harless was proud of that series, “Coming out of the lockerroom in the second half is when the character of our team showed up.” Botetourt knocked out Riverheads best running back in the first half. RB 33 Cayden Cook-Cash had picked up 109 yards on 5 carries and a score before leaving the game with a separated shoulder. Riverheads Head Coach Ray Norcross was gracious in defeat, “You have to give a lot of credit to Lord Botetourt. They were the better team tonight. I tip my hat to them.”
This game was a much anticipated rematch from last year when Riverheads traveled to Daleville and left with a 62-38 win against the Division 3A power. Riverheads, a 1A 6 consecutive state champion, welcomed the challenge again. But this time it was for a record 53rd win to tie the VHSL state consecutive win record. And this time Botetourt was up to the challenge.
As the two teams warmed up, there was a feeling in the air that both teams punters were not going to need to lace up their cleats. That proved to be true, as the game witnessed only one punt on the night by Botetourt later in the fourth quarter. Both teams went for it on fourth down a total of six times. “We had our opportunities and let them slip out 2 or 3 times on 4th down. We (our defense) could’ve have come off the field with a tie or the lead.
We let them off the hook, but that’s something we will learn from this game,” said Gladiators Coach Norcross.
Lord Botetourt kept the ball ate up clock on their drives. Their first touchdown took five minutes and 11 plays. Their second score, Nicely from nine yards out, to tie it up took another 11 plays and covered seven and a half minutes. Possibly the turning point in the game came on a 32-yard touchdown toss from Nicely to WR 6 Cade Lang in a crowd of Gladiators in the endzone with 1:05 left in the half. The TD toss notched the score at 21-21.
The Cavs would get the ball first in the second half and Coach Harless’ troops were up to the challenge. Again a 16-play drive expired clock and extended the visitor’s lead.
Nicely bulled in from the two to make it 28-21. Twice Botetourt kept the drive alive with fourth down conversions.
Riverheads was put into a position they were not familiar with, behind in the second half. Forced to throw, QB 2 Bennet Dunlap was picked off by DB 6 Lang at the Botetourt forty-six. This was Lang’s second big play of the game. The Cavs marched 54-yards in 7 plays to extend the lead to 35-21 on Nicely’s fourth TD from the six. The Botetourt defense dug in from there holding Riverheads on downs to end one drive and then a Nicely interception as the final nail in the coffin.
– Cap’n Crunch
the second half
Offense:
Rushing – Lord Botetourt – Jakari Nicely 34/187, 4TD, Tristan Overbay 19/101, Zion Woody 3/5, Andrew Gilbert 1/2 Riverheads – Luke Bryant 9/42, Cayden Cook-Cash 5/109, TD, Cody Cash 3/7, David Austin 5/21, 2TD
Passing – Lord Botetourt – Jakari Nicely 4/4, 60, TD Riverheads– Bennett Dunlap 4/8, 109, 2 INTs
Receiving – Lord Botetourt – Andrew Gilbert1/16, Cade Lang 2/35, TD, Seth Reiter 1/9 Riverheads – Luke Bryant 1/79, David Austin 1/4, Austin Roberts 1/22
Punting – Lord Botetourt – Dean Webb 1/24 yd avg Riverheads – N/A
Kicking – Lord Botetourt – Dean Webb 5/5 PATs Riverheads– Pablo Chavez 3/3 PATs
Scoring:
First Quarter –
• Riverheads: C. Cook-Cash 65-yard run; P. Chavez PAT (10:47)
• Lord Botetourt: J. Nicely 2-yard run; D. Webb PAT (5:33)
• Riverheads: D. Austin 2-yard run; P. Chavez PAT (1:17)
Second Quarter –
• Lord Botetourt: J. Nicely 9-yard run; D. Webb PAT (8:46)
• Riverheads: D. Austin 3-yard run; P. Chavez PAT (7:15)
• Lord Botetourt: Cade Lang 34-yard reception from J. Nicely (1:05)
Third Quarter –
• Lord Botetourt: J. Nicely 2-yard run; D. Webb PAT (3:14)
Fourth Quarter –
• Lord Botetourt: J. Nicely 6-yard run; D. Webb PAT (10:44)
