Warriors Get Win With 2nd Half Comeback
The Sherando defense did a good job all night against the Applemen's offensive attack led by Baxter Newman and Shawn Branham.
Photo By: Tim Barlow / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Dalton Boyd contributed on both sides of the ball Friday night against Musselman. His 3 catches for 50 yards and 4 total tackles helped lead the Warriors to a big win.
Photo By: Tim Barlow / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
Musselman's Ray Wiesenburg tallied 6 receptions for 86 yards, including the two Musselman scores. His play kept the Applemen in the game until the very end.
Photo By: Tim Barlow / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
STEPHENS CITY, VA - The weather was perfect and Labor Day weekend was just getting underway as the Sherando Warriors opened up their 2009 home schedule Friday night against the Musselman Applemen out of West Virginia. By the time the game actually got underway all of the buildup for the 2009 season at Arrowhead Stadium had completely boiled over and the Sherando faithful were going crazy. Of course, when you go to Sherando you have to see Traveler and the Sherando Warrior that enter the field and plant the Warrior spear near mid-field. What made Friday night extremely enjoyable was the use of fireworks by the administrative staff that made for an even more festive environment for the first home game of the year. The Warriors may have stressed the hometown faithful out just a bit during the game, but in the end it was the Warriors coming away victorious with the 16-12 win, their second on the season as they improved to 2-0.
Musselman started the game with possession and was moving through the Sherando defense until an untimely fumble ended the drive abruptly. Sherando would be able to capitalize in a small way after the turnover. The Warriors offense turned the Musselman misfortune into a Justin Haines field goal and a 3-0 lead with 3:54 to play in the opening quarter. Not wanting to let their previous possession be a telling sign of what was to come Musselman made the most of their next possession. A good return on the kickoff and a 15-yard facemask penalty against the Warriors placed the ball at midfield for the Applemen. Senior quarterback Brandon Michael proceeded to lead the team down the field mainly with the ground attack. Michael was given the opportunity to throw twice during the drive and both times he connected with senior wide receiver Ray Wiesenburg. The second completion was in the end zone as the Applemen took a 6-3 lead as time ran out in the opening quarter of play.
Both offenses would bog down a bit in the 2nd quarter with neither being able to crack the scoreboard. Musselman had the best chances in the 2nd stanza to add to their 6-3 but came up short on a missed field goal attempt and an interception late in the half. From the Sherando 37 yard line Michael looked downfield for his favorite target of the evening in Wiesenburg but unfortunately missed his target and it was the Warriors' Zach James coming away with an interception as there was only :09 remaining before the teams took the 20-minute intermission to regroup and make changes to their game plans for the pivotal 2nd half.
Sherando seemed to make the correct changes in the locker room as they started the 3rd quarter with the football and on the 3rd offensive play from scrimmage it was Kadeem Blackwood racing through the Musselman defense and into the end zone for his first score of the game from 53-yards away. That seemed to be the spark that Coach Bill Hall and the Warriors coaching staff was looking for. On the very next possession of the game the Sherando defense made their biggest stand of the night. They forced Musselman into a 3-and-out situation, holding the Applemen to -1 yard on the drive. After Musselman punted the football back over to Sherando it was time again for Roger Smith, Jr. to show why he is one of the best running backs in the area. Sherando would make the drive last exactly 3 minutes and consist of 7 plays; 5 of which were running plays to Smith. On the drive Smith gained 14 of his 79 yards on the night and capped the drive with a nice 3-yard touchdown rush through the middle of the Applemen defense. With the Smith touchdown the Warriors extended the lead to 16-6 and things looked to be in order for another win on the season. On their very next possession Musselman would again turn the ball over when Zach James picked off Michael yet again for his second interception of the game. The Sherando faithful thought the interception just might seal the deal until the very next play when Corey Rice was picked off by the Applemen defense and momentum began to shift yet again toward the visitors.
Musselman started their drive deep in Sherando territory at the 22-yard line and took just 2 plays to find pay dirt again. It was again Michael finding Wiesenburg in the end zone for the score. Wiesenburg finished the game with 6 catches for 86 yards and both Musselman scores. So as the 3rd quarter came to a close it was 16-12 in favor of the home team with 12:00 left to play in what had become a very interesting contest.
After trading possessions and a missed field goal opportunity for the Warriors it was Musselman's opportunity to steal the win. With just 5:12 remaining in the contest Musselman began their final drive at their own 20 yard line and needed to get into the end zone. The Musselman offense did their best on the drive, converting two 4th down opportunities and getting the ball into Sherando territory at the 44 yard line with just over 2 minutes to play. After good gains on 1st and 2nd down it was Michael again going to the air and looking for his favorite target inside the Sherando 15 yard line, but it was Dalton Boyd who made the play of the game, breaking up the pass and forcing a 4th and 1 for the Applemen. After taking a timeout to discuss their plan the Applemen offense lined up in a double tight formation and attempted a quarterback sneak, a play that had gotten more than 1 first down during the game. However, during the center to quarterback exchange something happened and the football popped out and onto the ground. When Brandon Michael fell on the football 1-yard deep in his own backfield the game was all but over. Sherando would take the football and run out the clock, getting a win 16-12 to open the 2009 season at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a packed house on Labor Day weekend.
Sherando will travel next Friday night to Washington, WV to play in a game that can be heard on The Gameday Radio Network. Rick Ours and Jerry Metheny will be on the call for the action next Friday night for the ball game with the pre-game show set to begin at 7:15pm.
BEST BUY PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Ray Wiesenburg, Musselman, WV - Wiesenburg made big plays all night long. He totaled 6 receptions for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on the offensive side of the football. He also played a major role in leading the Applemen defense.
Zach James, Sherando - James played like an experienced veteran in this ballgame. His two interceptions came at very key moments in this game. If James had not come up with his interceptions it could have been a completely different outcome in this tight ballgame.
