Green Wave beats County Rival Giles in Overtime 21-20
Harry Ragsdale Field, Narrows, VA – A rivalry that captivates an entire county lived up to the hype. Shops and generally, the entire town shut down for the biggest game of the year in Narrows, Virginia. Narrows versus Giles was a good old fashioned slug fest.
As expected, the game started and finished in the trenches, with back and forth defensive stops but also setting the tone for the rest of the game. After squandering great field position to Narrows, Junior RB/LB 4 Cooper Helvey sprinted down the sidelines for a 52-yard touchdown to open up the scoring. The extra point was no good, and Narrows led 6-0. Flags were flying all game and kept drives going, churning the game clock. The physicality led into the half.
After a little back and forth with a field position early in the 3rd quarter, Narrows struck again with a 9-yard TD pass from QB 18 Hunter Owens to Sophomore WR/DB 8 Elijah Knoetze to extend Narrows lead to 14-0, following a converted 2 point conversion. After that, the Spartans woke up. RB 34 Trevor Ratcliffe broke off a 47-yard run to the one. He punched it in for the first Giles touchdown, shaving the lead to 14-7. Ratcliffe and Giles weren’t done. On their next series, number 34 got loose on a 69-yard run to tie it up, 14-14. The defenses took over in the second half, sending the game into OT at the end of regulation.
In what was possibly the first overtime game in the Narrows – Giles storied history lead to one of the most dramatic finishes in the rivalry. Narrows won the toss and decided to play defense. After two plays, Ratcliffe bulled his way in for a 20-14 Giles lead. But the all important extra point was missed. Narrows fought and clawed their way down to the goal line where QB 14 Owens found Senior WR/DB #10 Gavin Hazlewood for the tying score. Helvey nailed the PAT and that was ‘all she wrote.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Final | |
| Narrows | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Giles | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
This game is what high school football is all about- good rivalry, with players who care, giving their all for their home teams. Congrats to both squads. – Chase Dorman
Scoring
1st Quarter:
Narrows 6-0 Cooper Helvey 52-yard TD run; PAT No good (5:33)
2nd Quarter:
3rd Quarter:
Narrows 14-0 WR 8 Elijah Knoetze 9yd TD catch from QB 18 Hunter Owens; Cooper Helvey 2pt conversion (8:36)
Giles 7-14 RB 34 Trevor Ratcliffe 1-yard TD run; PAT good (6:38)
Giles 14-14 RB 34 Trevor Ratcliffe 69-yard TD run; PAT good (2:09)
4th Quarter:
Overtime:
Giles 20-14 RB 34 Trevor Ratcliffe 8-yard TD run; PAT No good
Narrows 21-14 WR 10 Gavin Hazelwood 3-yard TD reception from QB 18 Hunter Owens; Cooper Hevley PAT