Sports Blog

12

Gate City vs. Gretna

 Dec 08, 2007

Speed vs Power. Which team do you pick?

One hour until game time. Let’s get it on.

1. As usual, the army of Gate City fans arrived hours before kickoff. The key for the Blue Devils will be to establish fearless senior running back Tyler Parks and keep the explosive Gretna off the field. 



Posted by Allen Gregory

Buffalo Gap 28, Clintwood 19

 Dec 08, 2007

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Salem, Va. – Buffalo Gap junior running back Pickle Nuckols pushed his way into the end zone, and Clintwood’s hopes were gone. Shoulders sagged. Helmets hung low. The Greenwave would have to wait another year before they could try and lay claim to their first state championship since 1978.
Nuckols was a monster, racking up 217 yards and a TD on 32 carries, and he led Buffalo Gap to a 28-19 win over Clintwood in a VHSL Group A, Division 1 state championship game on Saturday afternoon at Salem Stadium before an estimated crowd of 7,000.
Second-best isn’t what the Greenwave (9-5) wanted. But it’s a shining symbol of how far Clintwood came this season.
“I’m already looking back,” said Greenwave junior running back Chris Robinson (21 carries, 129 yards). “We got through so much this year. We all stuck together – just like last year. Nobody thought we’d be here, you know? We’ve all come a long way.”
Clintwood was within 14-13 at halftime, but the Greenwave had no answer for a Bison rushing attack that chomped up yards and ate up the game clock.
Buffalo Gap (14-0) ran 44 times for 362 yards, and the Bison used a number of long drives and big plays to slowly pull the championship away from Clintwood.
Greenwave quarterback Heath Counts was 6 of 13 for 126 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Nick Robinson caught both of Counts’ touchdown passes, and picked up 50 yards on three receptions.
Buffalo Gap quarterback Travis Morris was 4-of-9 passing for 48 yards, one TD and one interception. Morris also added 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 10 carries.
The Bison found the end zone first. Morris turned a quarterback keeper into a 3-yard score when he managed to evade three approaching Greenwave defenders and cross into the far-left corner of the end zone.
But Clintwood immediately bounced back, marching 78 yards in under 4 minutes. And when Derek Robbins barreled his way 10 yards – running straight, cutting left and then stumbling – into the end zone with 6 minutes, 53 seconds left in the second quarter, it was 7-6 Bison.
Clintwood then took a 13-7 lead when quarterback Counts connected with Nick Robinson for a 28-yard touchdown with 1:23 remaining in the first half. Buffalo Gap’s defense bit hard on Counts’ play-action fake, Robinson had a full-yard lead on his defender, and Counts threw a perfect arcing spiral into Robinson’s outstretched hands.
However, a major Clintwood defensive meltdown allowed the Bison to take a 14-13 lead into halftime.
Buffalo Gap drove nearly 80 yards in under 1:30, and Morris hit Josh Wenger for a 15-yard touchdown with just 3 seconds left in the second quarter. Morris rolled right, faced very little pressure from the Greenwave’s defensive line, and found Wenger wide open in the end zone. Even more perplexing was the fact that Wenger was loosely surrounded by three Clintwood defenders, yet none of the three made a considerable effort to deflect Morris’ underthrown pass.
“They just executed better than us,” said Greenwave coach Rick Mullins. “They made some plays and we didn’t.”
Clintwood’s defensive breakdowns late in the first half carried over to the third quarter.
Morris turned a simple misdirection keeper into a 69-yard touchdown on the Bison’s first play from scrimmage in the second half, as he ran through a huge hole in the left side of the Greenwave’s defense, cut upfield, and raced untouched down the left sideline to put Buffalo Gap up 20-13 with 11:35 left in the third period.
A Clintwood fumble at the Bison’s 38-yard line added to the Greenwave’s sudden struggles.
Yet Clintwood freshman defensive back Trey Meade appeared to bail his team out of serious trouble when he ended another long Bison drive by jumping high in the air to intercept a pass by Miller in the Greenwave’s endzone with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
Clintwood was unable to convert on Meade’s get-out-of-jail card, however.
The Greenwave faced 4th-and-2 at the Bison’s 5-yard line, and an option run to the right side of the field was stopped cold.
| (276) 645-2569

Buffalo Gap 28, Clintwood 19
Buffalo Gap 0 14 7 7—28
Clintwood 0 13 0 6—19
Scoring Summary
BG—Travis Morris 3 run (Ian Rosenfeld kick)
C—Derek Robbins 10 run (Devin Elswick kick)
C—Nick Robinson 28 pass from Heath Counts (kick failed)
BG—Josh Wenger 15 pass from Morris (Rosenfeld kick)
BG—Morris 69 run (Rosenfeld kick)
BG—Nuckols 8 run (Rosenfeld kick)
C—N. Robinson 22 pass from Counts (two-point conversion failed)
Individual Stats
Rushing – BG – Nuckols 32-216, Morris 10-99, Joe Workman 2-35, Michael Johnson 1-12; C – Chris Robinson 21-99, Counts 4-13, Derek Robbins 8-49, Devin Elswick 4-18.
Passing – BG – Morris 4-9-1-48; C – Counts 6-13-1-126.
Receiving – BG – Wenger 3-35, Johnson 1-13; C – Ryan Lyle 2-34, N. Robinson 3-50, Alec Osborne 2-32.
Team Stats
First Downs: BG 18, C 18; Rushes-Yards: BG 44-362, C 37-221; Passing Yards: BG 48, C 126; Comp-Att-Int: BG 4-8-1, C 6-13-1; Fumbles-Lost: BG 0-0, C 2-1; Penalties-Yards BG 2-25, C 1-5; Kickoff Returns-Yards BG 2-17; C 4-65; Punt Returns-Yards BG 1-3; C 0-0.

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Salem, Va. – “You’ve done a great job. A great job! Pick your heads up. You’ve got a lot to be proud of.”
A Clintwood sideline coach said the words, and the Greenwave listened.
Helmets lifted. Hands clapped. Words of encouragement were passed around.
Clintwood had lost the Group A, Division 1 state championship to Buffalo Gap. But in terms of everything else – the stuff that matters; the things that last – Clintwood had done just fine.
“We’re winners, we’re winners,” said Greenwave coach Rick Mullins, holding back tears. “We kept our composure and we had a number of chances to win it. We made drives. We played strong. We’re winners.”
Clintwood quarterback Heath Counts was thinking the same exact thing minutes later. While Mullins hoisted a second-place trophy high in the air for a large sea of green-clad fans to admire and salute, Counts was full of pride and resilience.
“We never quit,” Counts said. “We worked and stayed together and we really tried. We could have quit but we didn’t. We’re a team and we played like a team through everything.”
The Greenwave have four state championships to their name. A fifth one eluded them on Saturday. But Counts still plans to add another to his school’s trophy case before he leaves Clintwood.
“I’d much rather be state champions,” Counts said. “It’s a great feeling to come this far. I’m proud of everything we’ve done. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be back here again next year.”



Posted by Brian T. Smith

Buffalo Gap vs. Clintwood - VHSL Group A, Division 1 State Championship

 Dec 08, 2007

Blogging live from the press box at Salem Stadium.

Twenty minutes til kickoff.

Clintwood won the toss and chose to receive.

Nice, overcast day. Field looks great. Packed house. Should be a good one.

First quarter

C- 3rd and 8 from their own 28-yard line.

Punt.

BG - 4th and 5 from Clintwood 9. Stopped. Bison turn the ball over on downs.

C - 1st and 10 from their own 22. 4:51 left in first quarter. Greenwave QB Heath Counts made a nice run on 3rd and 15 that helped Clintwood get away from its own endzone.

Counts intercepted.

0-0 after 1Q.

Bison at Greenwave 8, 1st and goal.

Second quarter

Bison 7-0. Buffalo Gap QB Travis Morris runs 3 yards into the left corner of the end zone, with 9:45 left in the period.

C- 1st and 10 from Bison 25.

7-7. Clintwood turns a 78-yard drive into points when Derek Robbins barrels 10 yards for a score.

6:53 left in 2Q.

13-7 Clintwood. Counts hit Nick Robinson wide-open in the middle of the field for a 28-yard TD.

14-13 Bison. Buffalo Gap moved the ball nearly 80 yards in under 1:30. Poor Greenwave defense. Bison QB Morris hit Josh Wenger for a 15-yard TD with 3 seconds left in the first half. Wenger was surrounded by three Clintwood defenders, but none of them made a move to try and deflect the pass.

FIRST HALF BOX
Clintwood X, Buffalo Gap X
Buffalo Gap 0 14 x x—x
Clintwood 0 13 x x—x
Scoring Summary
BG—Travis Morris 3 run (Ian Rosenfeld kick)
C—Derek Robbins 10 run (Devin Elswick kick)
C—Nick Robinson 28 pass from Heath Counts (kick failed)
BG—Josh Wenger 15 pass from Morris (Rosenfeld kick)
Individual Stats
Rushing – BG – Pickle Nuckols 9-75, Morris 6-20, Joe Workman 1-30, Michael Johnson 1-12; C – Chris Robinson 12-58, Counts 4-50, Derek Robbins 5-35, Devin Elswick 2-10.
Passing – BG – Morris 3-6-x-33; C – Counts 3-5-1-53.
Receiving – BG – Wenger 3-33; C – C. Robinson 1-3, Ryan Lyle 1-22, N. Robinson 1-28.


Third quarter
Buffalo Gap 21-13, 8:10 left in the period.

Clintwood’s defensive breakdowns late in the first half carried over to the third quarter.
Morris turned a simple misdirection keeper into a 69-yard touchdown on the Bison’s first play from scrimmage in the second half, as he ran through a huge hole in the left side of the Greenwave’s defense, cut upfield, and raced untouched down the left sideline to put Buffalo Gap up 20-13 with 11:35 left in the third period.

A Clintwood fumble at the Bison’s 38-yard line added to the Greenwave’s sudden struggles.

Clintwood freshman DB Troy Meade intercepts Miller in the Greenwave’s endzone.

Greenwave 3rd and 2 at Bison 5. 23 seconds left in third quarter.

Clintwood stopped cold on 4th-and-2 at Buffalo Gap 5. Over on downs.

Fourth quarter

Bison driving. 3-and-5 at Greenwave 45. 7:47 left in game.



Posted by Brian T. Smith

ETSU 79, Marshall 73

 Dec 04, 2007

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Johnson City, Tenn. – ETSU coach Murry Bartow’s pleas had turned into harsh, guttural screams.
Bartow wanted defense. Aggressive play. Intensity.
“It was an important game, and I just felt I needed to assert myself a little bit more. So I did,” Bartow said.
It took the Bucs eight solid minutes to answer Bartow’s challenge. But once ETSU did, it never looked back.
The Bucs played their most-complete game of the season as they defeated Marshall 79-73 in a non-conference game on Tuesday evening inside the Memorial Center before a crowd of 4,080.
A much-improved ETSU (4-3) defense was the key. The Bucs held Marshall (3-2) to 38.8 percent (26 of 67) shooting from the field, while Marshall committed 19 turnovers.
Most importantly for the Bucs, they held their own in the rebound war – the Herd’s 38-36 advantage was offset by the fact that 22 of Marshall’s rebounds came in the first half.
“We went from a 1-2-2 zone to a 2-3 zone just to make them shoot – we knew they weren’t really a good shooting team,” said ETSU sophomore forward Mike Smith, who came off the bench to score seven points, collect six rebounds and dish out three assists.
Meanwhile, ETSU junior forward Kevin Tiggs continued his early-season charge.
Tiggs scored a game-high 24 points (9-of-17 shooting), while grabbing six rebounds and one steal.
“There was a little guy on me, and I knew I could blow right by him,” Tiggs said. “What was he gonna do? Grab me?”
Courtney Pigram used a hot second half to pick up 14 points and two steals for the Bucs.
Matt Walls led Marshall with 21 points, hitting 6 of his 14 3-point attempts.
After a sluggish first eight minutes, during which ETSU’s offense looked completely out of rhythm and lacked focus, the Bucs’ bench suddenly brought ETSU to life.
Smith and fellow ETSU reserves Jocolby Davis (five points) and Dequan Twilley (season-high 15 points) quickly gave the Bucs the edge they lacked in the early going.
“It’s important to get good play off the bench,” Bartow said. “I thought Mike looked a little more relaxed. Dequan was great. Jocolby was really good in his time.”
As Davis pushed the tempo and cut through Marshall’s interior, Twilley found a warm spot just beneath the middle-right side of the key, knocking down three mid-range jump shots in a four-minute span.
Then Tiggs came alive.
Starting from the top of the circle, Tiggs dribbled twice, crossed over, blew past two Herd defenders, and took a long leap before slamming the ball through the net.
When Tiggs followed with a putback basket on the Bucs’ next possession, ETSU grabbed a 22-21 lead with 7:30 left in the first half.
“[Kevin’s] just an energy guy,” Bartow said. “Kevin’s a very unusual kid, and I say that in a very complimentary way.”
The Bucs took a 35-31 lead into halftime.
A slow second half ignited for ETSU when Tiggs sent consecutive 10-foot jumpers off the glass and into the net, stretching the Bucs’ lead to 49-44 with 11:35 left in the period.
Tiggs’ inspired play also woke up Pigram.
After sitting on two points for the first 31 minutes, Pigram scored seven in the next 1:30.
“He played the way we wanted him to play,” Bartow said. “He took really good shots … he was very efficient.”
ETSU hits the road for a five-game road trip beginning with a matchup against Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8.
| (276) 645-2569

ETSU 79, MARSHALL 73
MARSHALL (4-2)
WALLS, Matt 6-15 3-3 21; BAINES, Tirrell 5-9 5-7 15; HUMPHREY, Markel 6-13
2-3 14; DORRIS, Mark 5-9 0-0 11; MARSHALL, Taurean 2-6 0-1 5; MERTHIE,
Darryl 2-10 0-0 5; WILKERSON, Tyler 0-2 2-4 2; OGLESBY, Jesse 0-1 0-0 0; BRO
GREBE, J.F. 0-0 0-0 0; JACKSON, Robbie 0-1 0-0 0; ALTIDOR CESPEDES, PM 0-1
0-0 0. Totals 26-67 12-18 73.
ETSU (4-3)
TIGGS, Kevin 9-17 6-10 24; TWILLEY, Dequan 4-6 6-8 15; PIGRAM, Courtney 6-10
1-1 14; REED, Andrew 3-8 1-2 7; SMITH, Mike 2-3 3-5 7; DAVIS, Jocolby 1-1
3-6 5; STRONG, Travis 1-3 0-0 3; SWADER, Kenyona 1-2 1-2 3; MISHLER, Blake
0-0 1-2 1; HUBBARD, Tommy 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 27-50 22-38 79.
Marshall 31 42-73
ETSU 35 44-79
3-point goals--Marshall 9-32 (WALLS, Matt 6-14; DORRIS, Mark 1-3; MERTHIE,
Darryl 1-6; MARSHALL, Taurean 1-4; ALTIDOR CESPEDES, PM 0-1; HUMPHREY,
Markel 0-4), ETSU 3-9 (PIGRAM, Courtney 1-2; TWILLEY, Dequan 1-1; STRONG,
Travis 1-3; SWADER, Kenyona 0-1; SMITH, Mike 0-1; TIGGS, Kevin 0-1). Fouled
out--Marshall-WALLS, Matt, ETSU-None. Rebounds--Marshall 38 (DORRIS, Mark
8), ETSU 36 (REED, Andrew 10). Assists--Marshall 11 (HUMPHREY, Markel 3),
ETSU 16 (SMITH, Mike 4). Total fouls--Mar



Posted by Brian T. Smith

Kevin Tiggs notes

 Dec 04, 2007

Leftovers with Tiggs

Here are some leftover notes from the feature on ETSU junior forward Kevin Tiggs.

http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/sports.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-12-03-0045.html

- Tiggs was taught to “make the ball bounce off the white square” when he first learned to play basketball.

- Tiggs had never heard of ETSU or Johnson City before being recruited by Bartow and the Bucs.

- Tiggs also visited Georgia State, Ball State and Long Beach State before committing to ETSU.

- Tiggs said the hotel he stayed at while visiting ETSU was by far the nicest place he’s ever stayed in his life.

- According to Bartow, Tiggs—known for his constant smile—was happy and ready to go when the Bucs called a 5:30 a.m. practice a couple weeks ago.

- Tiggs said the biggest change he had to make in his game once he began playing organized basketball was “slowing down.”

“I’ve got the ball and I see three guys in front me and I just wanna kill ‘em,” Tiggs said. “But now, I can’t. I know I’ve gotta wait and slow down and run a play.”

- Tiggs constantly keeps in touch with his extended family in Flint, Mich., primarily his aunt.



Posted by Brian T. Smith

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