While Spotswood rolled to victory a week ago behind an aerial assault that tallied 370 yards and six touchdowns, the Blazers’ ground attack proved more than adequate this week in the persistent mist that dampened Western Albemarle’s home opener in Crozet. The Valley District visitors, who in 2019 return a stable of playmakers from last year’s 9-1 squad that earned the No. 2 seed in Region 3C, used their size and seniority in the trenches to wear down Western’s youth and head back to Penn Laird with a 35-0 win.
“Spotswood’s very good and they execute the double-wing, their power run game, very well,” said Western coach Ed Redmond. “I thought our defense played but, but when you’re as young as we are, trying to grow against a senior-type football team, you’re going to see that.”
The Blazers’ ground game, which amassed 454 yards and all five of the game’s touchdowns, was led by a trio of seniors. Two of them set the tone on the first series of the game after Spotswood won the coin toss and elected to receive. Ethan Barnhart opened with back-to-back carries of 19 and 12 yards, on his way to 222 in the first half. Cole Myers capped the 73-yard drive with a nine yard run. In between, junior quarterback Ryan High completed a couple of passes for 32 yards.
“Our guys up front have done a nice job of getting in the weight room all offseason, making themselves stronger,” said Spotswood coach Dale Shifflett. “Our three running backs are the same way; they don’t miss weight room sessions. They’re older guys and they want to be successful and they all want to see each other do well. Ryan played well again, but with the conditions didn’t get to showcase some things like he did last week, but those will come when the weather’s better.”
With the score still 7-0 later in the first quarter, the wetness finally yielded a loose snap in Spotswood’s backfield and a prime opportunity for Western. Linebacker Josh Haws scooped up the ball near midfield and took off the other way. But as he crossed the 10 yardline, a pursuing offensive player managed to force another fumble, which the Blazers recovered.
“I was very pleased Haws had the presence to pick the ball up and start running, but he’s a linebacker and not used to carrying the ball,” said Redmond. “Kid came up from behind him with a tomahawk (strip) and jarred it out, and that’s the game; high school kids making plays.”
Remarkably, that single play accounted for the game’s only two turnovers. The teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter. After a 59-yard effort from Carter Shifflett pinned Spotswood at its own 8, it was Barnhart and Ben Conahan who combined to lead an eight-play scoring drive. Barnhart capped it with his only touchdown, a 16-yarder.
“The line was phenomenal,” said Barnhart. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen them perform. They knew it was going to be wet, they knew it was going to be a game like this, and we just punched them in the mouth. I think that’s what we have to continue doing.”
Western drove into Spotswood territory on its next two offensive series, but both stalled outside the 40 and ended with punts. The Warriors were 1-of-5 on third down in the first half and managed just 69 yards of offense. Spotswood wracked up 321 total yards but the scoreboard margin was only 14-0.
“Our defense played really well, and again I thought the battle was won up front,” said Spotswood coach Dale Shifflett. “When we took away those running lanes, we were able to contain both the quarterback and running back from getting any kind of big runs.”
Western mounted a nice drive to start the third quarter, propelled by three passes from Shifflett. Senior Will Mitchell was on the receiving end of two of them for 32 yards as the Warriors reached the Blazers’ 36; however, an untimely false start penalty backed them up on third down, and the drive ended with a punt on fourth-and-six at the 38.
Spotswood essentially sealed the game later in the quarter with an 11-play, 64-yard drive that stretched nearly five minutes. Barnhart carried six times for 43 yards before Conahan plunged in from a yard out to make it 21-0. In the fourth, the Blazers added two more touchdowns via an 8-yard run from Myers and another 1-yarder from Conahan.
Barnhart finished with 311 yards on 32 rushes. Myers was next with 96 on eight carries, and Conahan added 43 on six touches. High completed 6-of-14 passes for 65 yards.
“I think they won the line of scrimmage,” Redmond said. “They really just wore us down. But when you have young talent, a game like this can do a lot of good. I think we’ll continue to get better.”
For Western, Carter Shifflett led with 28 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and completed 9-of-18 passes for 78 yards. Breaker Mendenhall was his top target with four receptions for 32 yards.
The Valley-Jefferson showdowns continue next week as Spotswood (3-0) hosts Monticello (0-3), while Western (0-2) heads to Waynesboro (0-3).
