Bassett beats Cave Spring in double overtime in the Region D – 3A first round of playoffs
Ed Bassett Field, Fieldale, VA – “I’m proud of our team, love this team. We fought our butts off. That’s a phenomenal football game. We just didn’t come out on the winning end.” Cave Spring Coach Nick Leftwich summed it up for the Knights in a two overtime 34-26 first round playoff loss to the Bassett Bengals Thursday night. Both teams scored in the first OT with subsequent successful 2 point follow ups. The Bengals went to their workhorse, RB/TE/DE 6 Ja’Ricous Hairston (6’4, 220 lbs) scoring on first down and then Hairston following up on the following 2-point run. Hairston finished the night with 3 rushing TDs. Cave’s tying score and 2-ptr was more exciting. RB 3 Cam Parker arched his back and stretched the ball over the goal line on fourth down. QB 9 Carter Jeffords somehow found RB 24 Caleb Grider made an ‘peek-a-boo” catch in the front corner of the end zone. He made the catch without seeing the pass for most of its flight. In the second OT, Jeffords looked to have a path to the goal line, but was hit and fumbled and Bassett recovered the loose ball. From there it took three plays for Hairston to bull his way in for the win. The game was moved a day earlier to avoid the rain band and remnants of Hurricane Nicole. It worked for about a half before the game turned soggy. Typical of a first round, wet playoff games turnovers played a role. Bassett picked up two INTs and the recovered the all important fumble to end the game. Cave, for their part, picked up two big fourth down Bengal fumbles by QB 5. DL 68 Michael Ray’s pickup and DL 70 Preston Lonker’s theft led to Cave tying the game up late. But in the end Bassett pulled out the win in the second overtime. Cave has improved under Leftwich in the first two years of his tenure. “That’s what Knight Vision is about. It’s about waking people up to who we are. Making them see us differently, because we know how we see ourselves.” This was a special group to the coach, “I’m going to miss these Seniors. But we are going to be ready next season. Just a tough night, very proud of our kids.” – Cap’n Crunch
