By BRIAN WOODSON
RICHLANDS, Va. — There is only one senior on the Richlands offensive line.
From the start of practice back in August, Cody Lee has asserted his leadership skills, helping to mold what has become a strength for the Blue Tornado football team.
“I just tried to help them with the schemes in the preseason during a two-a-days.” said Lee, a two-year starter at left guard for the high-powered Richlands offense. “I felt after the first two games this year, it just kind of came together and we have really improved each week.”
It’s shown in the results. Since a 10-7 loss to Gate City to open the season, the Tornado (10-1) has won 10 straight games, earning their sixth straight Southwest District title. They’ve also reached the Region IV championship game for a sixth straight season.
Richlands won the first five.
They’re going for six on Friday when the Blue Tornado travels to Bogle Field at Cave Spring Middle School in Roanoke to face Cave Spring (9-2). The game is slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
The winner will play either Liberty-Bedford or Northside in the Group A, Division 3 semifinals the following weekend.
While Cave Spring was 2-8 in each of the last two seasons and has last reached the playoffs in 2005, the Blues last didn’t reach or win the regional title way back in 2003.
Despite an apparent advantage in postseason experience, Lee knows getting past the potent Knights will be a tall task.
“They’re real big kids, and they seem to play football very well,” said the 6-foot, 265-pound Lee. “We’re just going to have to play our “A” game to be able to go in there and leave with a win.”
Lee has one state championship ring, having been a freshman when the Blues won the Division 3 title in 2006. He was a sophomore in ‘07 when Richlands lost in the finals, and a junior last season when the Tornado fell at Brookville in the state semifinals.
That success isn’t an accident. Lee knows how much work has gone into a program that’s compiled a 68-11 record over the last six years.
“I think about it sometimes, but when I think about it I realize we have a real good program,” Lee said. “We’re dedicated in the offseason, and we’ll just do anything to win the next region championship.”
Richlands lost nine of 11 offensive starters off last year’s 9-4 squad that fell big at Brookville in the Division 3 state semifinals. Rebuilding an offensive line is never an easy chore, but the Tornado has regrouped since that initial loss and have thrived since, winning by an average of 24.8 points a contest.
Only two of those wins have been by single digits, and only three were by less than 20 points.
Lee, who plays exclusively on offense, has been a key cog in helping the Richlands’ offensive trio of Cody, Austin and Devon Johnson make big plays. That trio has accounted for 52 touchdowns for Richlands, and when they’re not scoring, Bradley Strong and Cody Parnell and others are.
The youngest of the three, Devon has run for 1,058 yards this season and 13 touchdowns. Lee knows that Richlands’ must control the football against the Knights, and helping the talented sophomore get loose on the ground will be key.
“We’ve got to be able to maintain time and be able to run the ball and open up holes for Devon,” Lee said. “He’s such a young back, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast. He’s a just a real good natural runner and if you just give him a little bit of room he can take it to the house any time.”
The only holdover other than Lee to see much time last season was Todd Smith, who lines up at tackle next to Smith. Lee, who saw limited time as a sophomore, has improved weekly for Richlands, and hopes that progress continues with an opportunity at the college level.
“Mostly I have just tried to stay in shape and keep the intensity up every week and just try to play mistake-free football,” Lee said.
Lee and Smith are joined on the offensive line by junior left tackle Joseph Guerrero, and a pair of sophomores, center Taylor Wade and left guard Josh Hess.
That quintet has played a huge role in the offensive firepower displayed by Richlands, who average 36.3 points per game, reaching at least 31 points seven times.
“It took a little bit of time for us to get together, but after that, I believe we have all come together,” Lee said. “We have helped Austin and Devon and Cody and our other good players out.”
Even though Richlands defeated Marion 31-10 last Friday in its playoff opener, the Blues led just 10-7 at the break. Lee said the Tornado regrouped at halftime, and Richlands’ head coach Greg Mance agreed, adding that they proceeded to play their best half of football this season.
“We just came back in here at halftime and we just got together and said we couldn’t play that type of football like we did in the first half or our season would have been over,” Lee said.
Lee said a slow start isn’t a good idea against Cave Spring, which enters having defeated Graham 42-0 last Friday on the same turf field in Roanoke.
“We’ve had to come out firing on all eight cylinders,” Lee said.
Regional title games are nothing new in Richlands. Lee’s been a part of three, including last year’s 28-27 overtime thriller at Tazewell.
“I just try to play every game as it comes, but probably the most memorable game in my career was last year’s region championship game against Tazewell,” Lee said. “We won by one point in overtime, that was a real fun game.”
What could be even more fun? Lee knows.
“I would love to get back to the state again and get another championship ring,” Lee said.
First things first, the Knights await.
“We’re just going to have to get after them early and not give them any room to get after us,” Lee said. “We’re just going to have to be physical with them up front and control the line of scrimmage and that way we can take over the game.”
As for having to travel, that isn’t a problem for Richlands. The Blue Tornado faithful have become famous for their willingness to travel in large numbers to wherever their team is playing next.
“I don’t really know why it is, but I just know when we go on the road that we always have almost as many fans as the team we’re playing does,” Lee said. “It’s a great feeling to walk out there on the road and see more blue than you do any other color.”
—Contact Brian Woodson
at bwoodson@bdtonline.com
