The William Byrd football team played Staunton River for a second time
last Friday and scored one less point than in the first meeting. This time, however,
they held the Eagles scoreless and 20 was plenty for a 20-0 win.
The Terriers beat the Golden Eagles in overtime, 21-20, on November 1 st
in Moneta in a game that went down to the final seconds and the final inches of a
failed two-point conversion attempt. Last Friday the fourth seeded Byrdmen got
to host the fifth seeded Eagles in the first round of the Virginia High School
League Region 3D playoffs, and Byrd shut out the visitors at Patterson Stadium.
With the win Byrd advances to this week’s region semifinal at Abingdon High
School.
Certainly playing in Vinton was a benefit, but Byrd coach Brad Lutz and
his staff were able to makes some adjustments for the second meeting with
Staunton River. The result was the fourth shutout of the season for the Terrier
defense as Byrd improved to 9-2 on the season.
“While we won the first game against Staunton River, they had success
against us on offense and defense,” said Lutz. “Offensively, they produced
success in the run game, and our defensive staff made a few adjustments that
made a huge difference. Defensively, they created a lot of pressure on our passing
game, and our players put in a ton of film and field time to adjust. The extra
adjustments and prep paid off, and I believe was the difference in the game.”
Byrd jumped on top early this time around. Ethan Haston picked off a pass
on Staunton River’s first possession and two plays later Cannin Lutz found Tate
Kotz for a 42 yard TD pass. The extra point attempt failed but Byrd had a 6-0 lead
with less than two minutes gone.
The defense held Staunton River on the ensuing possession and Byrd
struck again on a 42 yard TD pass from Lutz to Kam McKee. This time the
conversion was good and Byrd led 13-0 in the first quarter.
After a scoreless second period the Terriers put another score on the board
in the third quarter. After a brief delay due to a power outage the Terriers lit up
the scoreboard with Kotz’ second TD reception from Cannin Lutz, this time from
24 yards out. The 20-0 lead was plenty for the Byrd defense as the Terriers closed
out a big win.
Lutz completed 10 of 15 passes in the game for 193 yards and three
scores. Kotz had five catches for 115 yards and McKee had 53 yards on two
receptions. Jerrett Shepherd had 103 yards rushing on 17 carries and Gray
Matthews rolled up 58 yards on a dozen attempts.
The defense was solid as Blake Anderson led with eight tackles and Jahdai
English had six. Graylen Castleberry had a huge game with five tackles, including
four for losses, and two quarterback pressures. Reliable Maurice Burnette had a
tackle for a loss and a pair of QB pressures to go with four tackles. Shepherd and
Kotz had four tackles each.
The playoff win was Byrd’s fourth in the past two years. Byrd is 21-4 over
the past two seasons after going 3-16 the two seasons prior, and you can see the
confidence building.
“Confidence is the key ingredient in growing any program or team,” said
coach Lutz. “Our players have worked very hard and earned an opportunity to
compete in the playoffs. We are blessed to have an older group, who has not only
had playoff experience, but experienced success in the playoffs. Playing in a game
of this magnitude is not new to them, so that is a big advantage for us.”
This Friday the Terriers will take on the top-seeded Falcons at Abingdon
High. Abingdon is 10-1 and their only loss was to Tennessee High of Bristol, 21-
0, the last Friday in September. The only common opponent between the two is
Christiansburg, who Byrd beat 33-0 and Abingdon defeated 31-28. Both games
were in September one week apart.
“They are the biggest team that we have played this season,” said Lutz. “They only have a few players that go both ways, which is a big advantage. They have a lot of team speed and run an offense that limits your offensive possessions. They are very well coached and play extremely hard.”
Byrd and Abingdon have never played each other in the history of both
schools. The winner will play for the Region 3D championship against the winner
of a game between second seeded Magna Vista and third seeded Lord Botetourt.
If Byrd wins this week they will be on the road again the day after Thanksgiving,
but that shouldn’t be a problem. The Terriers are 4-1 in road games this year with
their only loss at Lord Botetourt in a game that went to the final seconds before it
was decided.
“Our program has a very structured game day routine, so we want to keep
that routine this Friday,” said Lutz “The extended trip creates a few challenges,
but we will adapt. Emory and Henry University is near Abingdon High School, so
we’re going to stop there and use their facilities to have our normal pre-game
snack, walk through and dress for the game.”
Coach Lutz knows his way around the E & H campus as his son Bryson, a
former Byrd standout, is a junior offensive lineman for the Wasps.
