Usually when a team scores five touchdowns in a row and nine overall in a game, you can assume that they have had an easy night of it. But nothing could be further from the truth about tonight's game in which the Gladiators had to come from behind not once, but twice, to pick up the victory over an inspired Little Giants team. With the win, the Big Red finishes with a perfect 6-0 record in Shenandoah District play and they are now 8-1 heading into next week's finale against John Marshall. Yes, THAT John Marshall as in the basketball powerhouse, but we will talk about them next week.
Tonight Waynesboro came out fired up and earned the respect of the Gladiators as well as their own fans. They displayed some incredible speed and athleticism and kept the Gladiators on their heels all night. Number 3 especially was a water bug that gave the Gladiators fits from the get go, scoring three times for the home team. Equally impressive was the Waynesboro quarterback, who had either two or three touchdown throws including an especially impressive one to number 5 (I was hoping to remember his name but now it escapes me), who ran under what appeared to be a certain overthrow and made a shoestring catch and took it in for about a 60 yard score.
However, even though their offense has improved by leaps and bounds and will certainly be a force to reckon with next season, the Giants were done in tonight by the fact that they just could not contain Riverheads, which should be obvious from the Gladiators' season-high 60 point total. For the most part, the Big Red scored with their patented ground and pound running game, but at times their passing attack was right up there with Waynesboro's and I imagine the Big Red came close to the 100 yard mark through the air, which is virtually unheard of in Greenville.
As fans settled into their seats, the word spread that RHS would again be missing running back Austin Roberts. However to make matters worse, sophomore Jonathan Talbott, who I believe is statistically the Big Red's leading rusher this season, was also going to be out tonight. Therefore fans wondered aloud "Can CCC carry them all by himself?"
Well he certainly stepped up to the plate, scoring five touchdowns by my count. But the Gladiators had plenty of help as they got two touchdowns from the fullback position, one each from Brendon Fortune and Carson Brooks, and Brady Boehm scored on a one yard plunge. Fortune especially had an outstanding game as he dragged defenders with him all night long and most likely topped the 100 yard mark. As fullbacks go, he is undersized for the position, but pound for pound, he was one of the best backs on the field tonight.
The ninth Gladiator TD came through the air from Levi Dunlap to Caleb Weston, their second TD connection of the season. in addition to his scoring play, Weston hauled in another circus catch that led to one of the other Big Red scores.
So in case you have not figured it out yet, this one was a free for all, and that should have been expected considering that the Giants had put up big numbers in their last two games. So picking up where they left off, they scored off the opening kickoff to jump in front 7-0, needing only two minutes to reach the end zone.
Riverheads then surprised everyone in the stadium by going to the air on the first play from scrimmage as Dunlap found CCC over the middle for about a 35 yard gain. He scored a play or two later as the Gladiators only needed 1:13 to score the equalizer.
Waynesboro's number 3 (somebody told me that he was the son of former Waynesboro star Tracy Blair but don't quote me on that, since I did not catch his name or see a program) zipped down the home sideline for the second Giants TD to make it 14-7 with over half the first quarter still ahead.
Another strategy Waynesboro employed all night long was the onside kick and quite frankly Riverheads did not handle them very well, actually losing one of them in fact. But the Big Red did not lose its poise, as they scored their second and third TDs before the quarter ended to take the lead for good at 19-14.
Waynesboro appeared ready to move in and re-take the lead but in the pivotal stretch of the game, RHS stopped them at the 12 and went on to score twice more themselves for a 33-14 halftime lead. The Big Red then scored a fifth consecutive TD on the opening series of the second half to make it 40-14. From that point on, defense was just thrown out the window and the two TD catches by Weston and Waynesboro's number 5 were among the six TDs combined that were scored before the game finally ended.
So as they say a win is a win, but Riverheads certainly did not play its best tonight and will have plenty to talk about on Monday. Likewise most folks don't like to talk about moral victories, but Waynesboro grew up a ton tonight and if you look at this team, along with their JV team, which will likely finish with a winning season, the Little Giant program is most definitely trending in the right direction. They will NOT be a winless team next year and considering that next week's season finale is against arch-rival Staunton, I am not really sure they are going to finish 0-10 after all this year.
Tonight Waynesboro came out fired up and earned the respect of the Gladiators as well as their own fans. They displayed some incredible speed and athleticism and kept the Gladiators on their heels all night. Number 3 especially was a water bug that gave the Gladiators fits from the get go, scoring three times for the home team. Equally impressive was the Waynesboro quarterback, who had either two or three touchdown throws including an especially impressive one to number 5 (I was hoping to remember his name but now it escapes me), who ran under what appeared to be a certain overthrow and made a shoestring catch and took it in for about a 60 yard score.
However, even though their offense has improved by leaps and bounds and will certainly be a force to reckon with next season, the Giants were done in tonight by the fact that they just could not contain Riverheads, which should be obvious from the Gladiators' season-high 60 point total. For the most part, the Big Red scored with their patented ground and pound running game, but at times their passing attack was right up there with Waynesboro's and I imagine the Big Red came close to the 100 yard mark through the air, which is virtually unheard of in Greenville.
As fans settled into their seats, the word spread that RHS would again be missing running back Austin Roberts. However to make matters worse, sophomore Jonathan Talbott, who I believe is statistically the Big Red's leading rusher this season, was also going to be out tonight. Therefore fans wondered aloud "Can CCC carry them all by himself?"
Well he certainly stepped up to the plate, scoring five touchdowns by my count. But the Gladiators had plenty of help as they got two touchdowns from the fullback position, one each from Brendon Fortune and Carson Brooks, and Brady Boehm scored on a one yard plunge. Fortune especially had an outstanding game as he dragged defenders with him all night long and most likely topped the 100 yard mark. As fullbacks go, he is undersized for the position, but pound for pound, he was one of the best backs on the field tonight.
The ninth Gladiator TD came through the air from Levi Dunlap to Caleb Weston, their second TD connection of the season. in addition to his scoring play, Weston hauled in another circus catch that led to one of the other Big Red scores.
So in case you have not figured it out yet, this one was a free for all, and that should have been expected considering that the Giants had put up big numbers in their last two games. So picking up where they left off, they scored off the opening kickoff to jump in front 7-0, needing only two minutes to reach the end zone.
Riverheads then surprised everyone in the stadium by going to the air on the first play from scrimmage as Dunlap found CCC over the middle for about a 35 yard gain. He scored a play or two later as the Gladiators only needed 1:13 to score the equalizer.
Waynesboro's number 3 (somebody told me that he was the son of former Waynesboro star Tracy Blair but don't quote me on that, since I did not catch his name or see a program) zipped down the home sideline for the second Giants TD to make it 14-7 with over half the first quarter still ahead.
Another strategy Waynesboro employed all night long was the onside kick and quite frankly Riverheads did not handle them very well, actually losing one of them in fact. But the Big Red did not lose its poise, as they scored their second and third TDs before the quarter ended to take the lead for good at 19-14.
Waynesboro appeared ready to move in and re-take the lead but in the pivotal stretch of the game, RHS stopped them at the 12 and went on to score twice more themselves for a 33-14 halftime lead. The Big Red then scored a fifth consecutive TD on the opening series of the second half to make it 40-14. From that point on, defense was just thrown out the window and the two TD catches by Weston and Waynesboro's number 5 were among the six TDs combined that were scored before the game finally ended.
So as they say a win is a win, but Riverheads certainly did not play its best tonight and will have plenty to talk about on Monday. Likewise most folks don't like to talk about moral victories, but Waynesboro grew up a ton tonight and if you look at this team, along with their JV team, which will likely finish with a winning season, the Little Giant program is most definitely trending in the right direction. They will NOT be a winless team next year and considering that next week's season finale is against arch-rival Staunton, I am not really sure they are going to finish 0-10 after all this year.
