It’s off to the races and the endzone for Radford’s Trenton Carter. (Elizabeth Kanipe/Patriot Publishing)
By Rodney Young
NRVSports.net
Playing at home for the first time this season, the Radford Bobcats played host to Class 3 William Byrd. What starts well doesn’t always finish that way, as the Bobcats found out.
It was a very pleasant evening, and Radford jumped out to a 28-0 advantage in the opening quarter.
The Terriers would rip off 40 unanswered points and hold on to win the game, 40-35.
Radford would stop the Terriers on their opening drive and then score on their first offensive play as QB Peyton Dobbins hit Trenton Carter on a 48-yard bomb to go up 7-0. They would then onside kick and recover at the Bryd 47. Two plays later, Pace Prioleau would score from 18 yards out on a run, and Luciano Pugliese’s kick had the Bobcats up 14-0.
Radford would halt the Terriers and take over at their own 28. Dobbins would drop back and hit Carter for a 72-yard touchdown strike, and Radford had gone up 21-0 with 5:21 left in the first quarter. They would score again this time with 22.4 seconds to go in the quarter, with Dobbins hitting Carter on a pass and run of 89 yards. Pugliese’s point after saw the Bobcats up 28-0.
The rout was on it, it seemed.
William Byrd would get on the scoreboard at the 10:24 mark of the second quarter as quarterback Carter Gray hit Stephen Byars over the middle of the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Gray would hit Jaman Toler with a 10-yard touchdown, and Lukas Riddle’s kick had cut the Radford lead in half to 28-14 with 1:37 before intermission.
The third quarter saw Byrd junior running back Gray Matthews take the game over. He would score on a six-yard run twice to make the score 28-27 with Riddle’s point after missing wide right with 4:42 showing on the third-quarter clock.
Byrd would get their first lead with just eight seconds left in the quarter, with Matthews taking the handoff and weaving his way in for a 49-yard touchdown, but their two-point conversion run was stopped short and it was, 33-28 Byrd.
They would score again with 8:27 to go in the game as Matthews would race 90 yards from his eight to the Radford two. He then ran in from two yards, and Byrd had scored 40 unanswered points and led 40-28.
Radford would receive the kickoff with Pace Prioleau taking it at his 23-yard line and started running to his right. He would then hand the ball off to Carter, who would go down the left sideline for a 77-yard touchdown run to cut the Byrd lead to 40-35, with 8:17 to go.
The Bobcats would have two more opportunities to retake the lead, but would throw an interception in the Byrd end zone . After halting the Terriers, Radford would once again drive, this time to the Byrd 15.
Dobbins would take the snap and plow his way to the five-yard line, and as he was starting to get up, a flag was thrown back at the line of scrimmage. A holding call was made on the Bobcats, moving the ball back to the 25. They would then be called for motion, delay of game, and offside on three straight plays. They would get sacked and turn the ball over on downs, ending the game.
In a very quiet Radford locker room, head coach Michael Crist remarked, “William Byrd is a really good team. The Matthews (Gray) running back is tough. He got stronger as the game went on. We had some opportunities that slipped away. (Trenton) Carter had a great game for us . We have like six or seven guys playing both ways, and they have something like two. They grabbed the momentum there, and we struggled to get it back.”
Radford committed six turnovers and still was in the game. Seemed like some calls went against the home-standing Bobcats at the wrong time. Carter caught six passes for 227 yards and, with his 77-yard punt return, he accounted for 304 yards and scored four touchdowns.
William Byrd’s Matthews finished with 35 rushes for 301 yards, and he had 39 yards on receptions, accounting for 340 yards, and scored four touchdowns.
Byrd improved to 5-0, and Radford falls to 4-1. The Bobcats will go back on the road next Friday, going to Patrick County, with kickoff slated for 7 pm.
Radford 28 0 0 7-35
Wm. Byrd 0 14 19 7-40
Rushing– Radford – Dobbins 11-49, Prioleau 5-31, Dehart-Lewis 5-1, Byrd- Matthews 35-301, Gray 8-17, Kroner 1-13, Purcell1-0, Zane Taylor 1- Minus (-6), Purcell 1-0
Passing– Radford- Dobbins- 11-21- 3 INTs. -3 TDs. – 278 yds; Byrd-Gray- 14- 25, 2 INTs, 2 TDs, 125 yds.
Receptions- Radford – Carter 6-227, Williams 3-39, Garner-Rollins 1-9, Blaney 1-3, Byrd- Purcell 2-12, Matthews 3-39, Wade 1-11, Byars 2-16, Kotz 4-29, Toler 1-10, Zane Taylor 1-8
First Downs– Radford 11, Byrd 18
Fumbles- lost– Radford 2-2, Byrd 1-0
Penalties – Radford – 8-45, Byrd – 10-80
Punts- Avg.– Radford – 2-35.5, Byrd 3-29.0
Total Yds.– Radford 359, Byrd 450
Total TOs– Radford 6, Byrd 2
