By Randall Jett
Register-Herald Sports Writer
September 13, 2008 01:03 am
—
Greenbrier West turned a third-quarter Independence turnover into a game-winning touchdown drive. The Cavaliers’ Brian Gray rumbled 24 yards to lift West to a 14-7 victory Friday night in Coal City.
Gray’s run capped a six-play drive that started on the Patriots’ 31-yard line after Jeffrey Manspile fell on an Independence fumble.
“The turnover made the difference,” Cavaliers coach Lewis McClung said. “That got us going a little bit there.”
The senior tailback punched through the right side of the line and raced to the end zone with 1:24 remaining in the quarter.
“Brian is just a warrior,” McClung said. “When we need tough yards, our opponents know who we’re giving it to and we do to.”
Gray finished with 116 yards on 21 carries.
The game was a defensive struggle. Both teams moved the ball, but neither had a lot of success finding the end zone.
Independence (1-2) struck first on the scoreboard.
The Patriots put together a 14-play drive that started on their own 29-yard line and marched down the field mixing the run and the pass.
Jake Justice bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out for the score.
Justice would finish with 35 yards on 10 touches.
Greenbrier West (2-1) finally put a drive together late in the first half.
It stalled on the 17-yard line, but facing a fourth down and five, quarterback Chase Fitzwater rolled around the left end and danced his way through the Patriots’ defense for the score.
Independence marched deep in West’s territory, but an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive on the 28-yard line.
“It was a real hard-fought high school football game,” Patriots coach Scotty Cuthbert said. “We had been struggling defensively and I thought our defense really stepped up.”
Independence travels to Shady Spring next Friday, while Greenbrier West heads to Oak Hill.
Greenbrier West 14, Independence 7
GW (2-1) 0 7 7 0 — 14
I (1-2) 0 7 0 0 — 7
Second Quarter
I — Jake Justice 2 run (John Bennett kick) 7:57
GW — Chase Fitzwater 17 run (Cameron McQuain kick) 0:55
Third Quarter
GW — Brian Gray 24 run (McQuain kick) 1:24
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — GW: Gray 21-116-1, Fitzwater 7-56-1, Janeek Wiggan 12-54, Cody Duncan 1-3. I: Jeff Clifton 8-42, Justice 10-35-1, Jeremy Buchanan 11-56, Ben Cadle 1-7, Kyle Belcher 4-(-1), John Bennett 3-(-12), Team 1-(-26).
PASSING — GW: Fitzwater 1-1-0-16-0. I: Buchanan 4-10-0-49-0, Bennett 7-13-1-94-0.
RECEIVING — GW: Wiggan 1-16. I: Clifton 5-52, Justice 3-63, Cadle 2-15, Thompson 1-13.
TURNOVERS — GW: Jeffrey Manspile (fr), Duncan (int). I: Zach Poore (fr).
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