RC Loses 16th Straight Game
Struggling on both sides of the ball against a fast and strong team, the Rockbridge County High School football team suffered a 59-14 road loss to Shenandoah District rival Buffalo Gap on Friday night in Swoope.
On their homecoming night, the Bison (5-1 overall, 4-0 district) racked up 504 total yards of offense, rushing for 403 yards and passing for 91 yards. Gap effectively applied its single- wing offense, featuring an unbalanced line and a direct snap to a deep back rather than a quarterback under center.
The Wildcats, losing their 16th consecutive game, fell to 0-6 overall and 0-4 in the district. Challenged by a Gap defense that forced many tackles for loss, the Wildcats had just 116 yards of offense, 51 on the ground and 65 in the air.
“They’re a good program,” said RC head coach Zack Rhodenizer of the Bison. “They’ve got a lot of experienced players. Their coaching staff’s a good group. They called a good game.”
On the importance of getting physically stronger, Rhodenizer said, “As we grow and we spend time in the weight room, we’ve got to understand that mass is part of the equation. As our guys get bigger, that battle in the trenches is something that is important in the game of football. It’s physical. When you play a team that runs the ball a lot, you’ve got to be able to fight that battle in the trenches and go pound for pound with a guy. That happens in the weight room in the offseason.”
The Wildcats had the ball on the first possession of the game, and Gap wasted no time. On third-and-7, Gap’s Jude Louk intercepted RC sophomore quarterback Taylan Tyree and ran the ball back for 28 yards for a touchdown to put the Bison up 6-0 less than two minutes into the game.
Tyree was intercepted on the Wildcats’ next drive also when Gap’s Cooper Reed picked him off at the RC 19-yard line. From there, the Bison made several short runs to set up Carson Townsend for a 4-yard TD run, and Ace Long’s extrapoint kick extended Gap’s lead to 13-0 with 5:06 left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats went three-andout on their next drive, but they got the ball back on a Gap fumble at the RC 33. However, the Wildcats then went three-andout again. After Gap returned the kick to its own 32, Reed sprinted away from defenders for a 68-yard TD, and Gap led 20-0 with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
On the next play, RC’s Carson Fridley returned the kickoff 67 yards to the Gap 15. After losing two yards on the next run, the Wildcats scored their only TD of the first half when Tyree completed a 17-yard pass to Fridley with 12.5 seconds left in the first quarter, and Trey Rhamey’s PAT cut Gap’s lead to 20-7.
Gap answered with three TDs in the second quarter to extend its lead to 39-7 by halftime. The scores were on a 33-yard run by Brandon Argenbright, a 30-yard pass from Reed to Mason Snyder, and a 12-yard pass from Reed to Bradley Shiplett.
The Wildcats had only one first down in the first half.
The Bison added two more TDs in the third quarter, on a 54-yard run by Jaden Humphrey and on a 2-yard run by Aiden Acord, to stretch their lead to 53-7.
RC appeared to score about a minute into the fourth quarter when Tyree completed a 13yard pass that Cole Fine caught in the end zone, but the Wildcats were called for holding. After Gap got the ball back, Swisher made a 72-yard run before he was tackled by RC’s Tyler Shafer at the Gap 18. A 10-yard penalty got the Bison closer, and Swisher scored Gap’s final TD on an 8-yard run to make it 59-7.
Determined to score, the Wildcats made a series of runs to push the ball down the field. Tyree connected with Fine for a 15-yard TD with 42.2 seconds left.
Leading the Wildcats’ offense was Jhordane Campbell with 46 rushing yards on five carries. Tyree, who was sacked six times, was held to 14 yards on 13 carries. Gap had three players rush for more than 90 yards: Swisher for 99 yards on four carries, Reed for 94 yards on four totes, and Humphrey for 92 yards on three attempts.
Among the Wildcats making tackles were Shafer, Presnell, Tyree, Culton Reilley, Shayde Tomlin and Asher Wells.
For their homecoming game this Friday at 7 p.m., the Wildcats will play host to district rival Wilson Memorial (2-3, 1-2) at Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium in Lexington.
Looking ahead, Rhodenizer said, “Our main focus is ourselves. We’ve got to prepare with effort every week. We’ve got to understand our role on the offense, on the defense, where we fit.
“The guys are getting better,” added Rhodenizer. “It’s just, we’re playing good football teams. That’s not an excuse. You wouldn’t want to have it any other way. You want to play good opponents, and the Shenandoah has good opponents.”
RC SOPHOMORE running back Jhordane Campbell takes the ball down the field while teammate Harvey Presnell (2) prepares to block for him. Campbell led the Wildcats with 46 yards on five carries. (Lucretia VanBrocklin photo)
WILDCAT SOPHOMORE quarterback Taylan Tyree runs with the ball whle Buffalo Gap’s Ace Long attempts to tackle him. Tyree passed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, but he was held to 14 yards on 13 carries. (Lucretia VanBrocklin photo)
