William Byrd has beaten Cave Spring 42-14 and Hidden Valley 35-25 . Larry Basham has rushed for 260 plus yards in both games for William Byrd . DeAngelo Ramsey had 245 against Amherst in loss.
Salem 0-1 vs 2-0 Byrd next week.
- Thread starter freeatlast2013
- Start date
Basham is like 85% of their total yards. Put 8 in the box, slow him down, dare them to do the same against Ramsey. Bounce back game for Beckley and receivers. As long as D has some semblance of tackling ability this week they win.
I'm not sure Salem needs to make adjustments on Defense. The kids blew some assignments against an offense that is hard to prepare for and a great opponent with great athletes. Byrd is going to run it right at us with Basham.
With Salem's loss to Amherst, this is an even bigger match-up for both teams than perhaps it figured to be. Salem needs to win out the rest of the way to keep any realistic hope of landing the top seed in 4A West. This year's Spartans have a lot to prove on the defensive side of the ball. The objective will be simple in concept, much tougher in execution: stop Basham. I thought there was a noticeable lack of focus and intensity on the part of Salem's defense two weeks ago, which manifested itself in the missed tackles and blown coverages. The Spartan offense was by no means perfect; Mr. Beckley and his receivers need to find their mojo, and the O-line has to keep coming along every week. But I feel the big burden of proof is on the defense - was the Amherst game just a bad outing defensively, or is this going to be a bad defensive team? IMHO that's currently the biggest question surrounding this Salem squad, and I believe the answer will be a positive one for Spartan fans.
For Byrd, a win is less critical, but will be no less desired by their players and staff. By knocking off the Spartans, the Terriers would stamp themselves as a legitimate contender for one of the top four 4A West seeds. Tough games with Magna Vista, Staunton River, Botetourt, and perhaps Northside still await. However, if Byrd can beat Salem, they can beat anyone left on their schedule, and will probably be favored to do so. And, the Terriers can give longtime Coach Highfill one more win against Salem in his probable last meeting with the Spartans, as the series ends for the foreseeable future.
For Byrd, a win is less critical, but will be no less desired by their players and staff. By knocking off the Spartans, the Terriers would stamp themselves as a legitimate contender for one of the top four 4A West seeds. Tough games with Magna Vista, Staunton River, Botetourt, and perhaps Northside still await. However, if Byrd can beat Salem, they can beat anyone left on their schedule, and will probably be favored to do so. And, the Terriers can give longtime Coach Highfill one more win against Salem in his probable last meeting with the Spartans, as the series ends for the foreseeable future.
I forgot to say that I was surprised by how close Byrd's game with Hidden Valley was. I thought Byrd would beat the Titans to the tune of 49-14 or some such. So, Byrd will get their first chance of the season to prove they can cut it against stiffer competition.
Last edited:
Against any other team that had the same results as WB has had this season, I would tend to agree, and say that "on paper", the Spartans should be big favorites - current question marks and all. However - I'd say at least five of the seven times Byrd has beaten Salem, Salem was the favorite, "on paper." Weird things happen in this rivalry, for whatever reasons.
That underscores another weird aspect of the rivalry: five of Byrd's seven wins over the Spartans have come at Salem Stadium. The Terriers have more victories at the Stadium than any other Spartan opponent.
Similar threads
