The William Byrd football team remained undefeated with a Blue Ridge District win over William Fleming last Friday. The Terriers are 6-0 after beating the Colonels in Roanoke, 49-20.

Larry Basham had another big night for Byrd, scoring six touchdowns. That was one off his personal high, as he found the end zone seven times in a win over Lord Botetourt last year.

The William Byrd record for touchdowns in a game is eight by Jerome Mann in 2001. He tortured Rockbridge with eight rushing TDs in a game that was surprisingly close. In fact, that’s why Mann was still in the game to get his eighth score.

Last Friday’s game wasn’t that close, mostly thanks to Basham. Just a week after being sick he lugged the pig 35 times for 324 yards, the third time in his career he’s gone over 300 rushing yards in a game. Last year in that Botetourt game he piled up a career high 331, and as a sophomore he rushed for 301 yards against Cave Spring.

Basham was already Byrd’s all-time scoring leader coming into this season, and he’s putting second place O.J. Thomason far in the rear view mirror. Basham will soon be over 200 points ahead of Thomason’s prior school record.

“I thought O.J.’s record would stand for a long time,” said Byrd coach Jeff Highfill.

No one has been able to stop Basham thus far. The Terriers led 7-0 after the first quarter Friday but Fleming was threatening early in the second quarter. Byrd held on the two, then marched 98 yards, chewing up the clock and finishing with a one yard Basham run for the score. Larry would add a 12 yard touchdown but Fleming scored late in the half and it was 21-7 at intermission.

Basham scored on a seven yard run in the third quarter to make it 28-7, and his fifth touchdown, a 19 yard run, gave Byrd a 35-7 lead early in the fourth period. Fleming would hit for another TD pass, but Byrd closed strong with a 51 yard TD run by Basham and a 19 yard score by TJ Johnson to close out the game. Nathan Patrick was perfect on seven extra point kicks.

While Basham gets all the headlines, Byrd’s offensive line also played well. Matt Hale, Zach Figart, Nathan Loving, Terrell Smith and Thomas Adams all had high grades for the Terriers. Johnson and Dylan Hatfield added 30 rushing yards each.

Sam Dantzler was three for four passing for 47 yards and Basham also threw a pass, completing it to Aaron Stanley for 41 yards. Adams, Smith and Johnson had one reception each.

On defense Logan Taylor led the team with 11 tackles. Trevor Hill had eight, Hunter Meador seven, Adams six and Johnson and Stanley had five each.

The win kept the Terriers in fourth place in the Virginia High School League Region 4D standings. The top four all remained the same with E.C. Glass on top, Blacksburg second, Charlottesville third and Byrd fourth. Rounding out the top eight are GW-Danville, Pulaski, Amherst and Salem. The top eight make the playoffs.

Byrd is the only undefeated team in Region 4D at 6-0. The Terriers are off this week, returning October 13 to meet Fleming for a second time, this time in Vinton for Byrd’s Homecoming. Highfill will scout Fleming’s game this Friday in Northside despite having seen the Colonels in person last week.

“Next time they could be doing something entirely different,” he said. “If I didn’t go and they surprised me I couldn’t live with myself.”

The jayvees lost to Fleming, 14-13, in the last five seconds and the middle school lost to Read Mountain last week.