Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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  • To the victors... Members of the Bluefield Beavers, along with a young fan in the foreground, celebrate their win over Graham in the Mitchell Stadium end zone on Friday night. They are gathered around the Greater Bluefield Jaycees’ Twin State Trophy at center, while a player holds up the trophy presented by the Great American Rivalry Series at right. Contributed pPhoto by Marcus Constantino

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August 28, 2010

Blue night

Williams scores twice as Beavers roll

By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — In a big game, experience can be a key factor. The Bluefield Beavers proved that on Friday night at Mitchell Stadium.

With a packed stadium of fans looking on, Bluefield began defense of its Class AA state championship with a 48-0 shutout of their rivals, the Graham G-Men.

The Beavers ran up 284 yards on the ground and 146 through the air, while limiting the G-Men to 46 net rushing yards and 69 passing.

Brad Fox got the scoring started, taking a pitch down the right sideline 63 yards on Bluefield’s second offensive series. Trey Williams got the next two scores, in the second quarter, from short yardage behind pristine blocking.

Byron Steptoe high-stepped through the Graham defense to give Bluefield a 27-0 halftime lead.

Fox capped off the Beavers’ initial drive of the second half with a short scoring burst for the only touchdown of the third quarter.

With 7:51 left, Bluefield’s Jeff James blocked a punt attempt by Aaron Davidson, and Tyler Myers scooped up the ball and ran it 6 yards for a score.

The Beavers’ reserve quarterback David Edwards tossed a 46-yard pass to Aaron Bell, who was tackled on the 1-yard-line on the next series. Edwards then plunged across the goal with 51 seconds remaining. Justin Mariotti kicked his sixth extra point in seven tries for the final score.

Commenting on the running game, Bluefield head coach Fred Simon said, “Trey ran well — and Brad, and Byron, and Levi. It was kind of spread around. That’s what we want to do, not to let anybody key on any one of our players.”

His response was similar about the defensive effort. “I don’t know who stands out,” he said. “We’re a team.”

He said, “They (Graham) came out with a different look from what we expected, but we adjusted.”

On offense, Beavers quarterback Levi Beckett was masterful, operating behind the experienced line. He completed seven of eight passes for 146 yards, and ran for 42 more, often into the heart of the line of scrimmage.

Fox finished with 107 yards on the ground and Byron Steptoe had 81 yards, both of them on just seven rushes.

Williams was named to receive the most valuable player trophy by the Great American Rivalry Series, which transmitted local radio coverage of the game on its internet site.

Williams said, “This is very special. I’m loving every minute of this. I’m glad to be part of this football team.”

He praised his offensive line. “They’re three-year starters,” he said. “They just got better as the game got going.”

A defensive standout was 6-foot-6 Joe Woodrum, playing his first football game in the high-charged environment of the big opening game. He said, “It was like nothing I’ve ever imagined. It’s a great rivalry. It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

In Graham’s somber locker room, head coach Doug Marrs said, “We’ve got to work on our concentration, and playing our technique.”

The G-Men’s senior quarterback, Aaron Davidson, led the ground game with 30 yards on three carries. He completed 11 of 22 passes, and returned to the game even after being injured and helped off the field in the second half.

Running back Aderrius Jackson had tough sledding running out of the triple option against the Beavers’ defense. The Graham junior carried the ball nine times for negative-4 yards and caught four passes for 24 yards.

Lamont Edwards gained 20 yards on eight carries and had three receptions for 18 yards.

After watching the inexperienced Graham squad stand in for four quarters, Marrs said, “I’m not concerned about their toughness. We’re going to get it together. We’re going to get it together.”

Jackson said, “It was pretty intense. They hit, we hit. ... We’ve got to go back to work. This week was a lesson. We have to come back with a different attitude, a different work ethic.”

Bluefield High graduate Pete Wood was on hand to be inducted into the Great American Rivalry Series Hall of Fame. Graham alumnus Ahmad Bradshaw was also inducted, represented on the field by his aunt Carol Oakes and uncle Leon Bradshaw.

Leah Little, director of events for the series, said, “The community support, the crowd — it’s been a great experience, and I’ve done this quite a few years and traveled all over the country. ... This is maybe my best (experience).”

The Beavers host another local rival, Princeton, next Friday night at Mitchell Stadium while Graham will travel to Cave Spring in Roanoke, Va. for a Friday night contest.

— Contact Tom Bone at

tbone@bdtonline.com



At Mitchell Stadium

Bluefield...............................7   20   7   14 — 48

Graham................................0     0    0    0 —   0

First Quarter

BHS – Brad Fox 63 run (Justin Mariotti kick), 6:35

Second Quarter

BHS – Trey Williams 3 run (Mariotti kick), 8:44

BHS – Williams 1 run (Mariotti kick), 5:12

BHS – Byron Steptoe 11 run (kick failed), 1:43

Third Quarter

BHS – Fox 3 run (Mariotti kick), 5:25

Fourth Quarter

BHS – Tyler Myers 6 run with blocked punt (Mariotti kick), 7:51

BHS – David Edwards 1 run (Mariotti kick), 0:51

———

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Bluefield, Brad Fox 7-107, Byron Steptoe 7-81, Levi Beckett 7-42, Trey Williams 11-46, David Edwards 1-0, C.J. Manns 1-8. Graham, Aderrius Jackson 9-(—4), Lamont Edwards 8-20, Cody Hatfield 4-5, Gabe Hunt 1-(—4), Aaron Davidson 3-30, Taylor Gearhart 1-(—1).

PASSING — Bluefield, Beckett 7-8-146-0-0. Graham, Davidson 11-22-69-0-0.

RECEIVING — Bluefield, Steptoe 4-68, Joe Woodrum 3-74. Graham, Jackson 4-24, Lamont Edwards 3-18, Hatfield 1-9, Hunt 3-18.

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