Glenvar will host Radford in Friday rematch
The Glenvar football team proved they were indeed not a “one trick pony” with a convincing win over Nelson County in the first round of the VHSL Region 2C playoffs last Friday. The Highlanders shut out the Governors, 50-0, at Highlander Stadium to remain undefeated and advance to the second round of the region tournament against Radford this Friday at 7 pm.
Glenvar played without all-state quarterback Brody Dawyot, who injured his shoulder in the regular season finale and sat out the Nelson County game. He’s also a standout at defensive end but the Highlanders managed to shut out Nelson and hang a crooked 50 on the Glenvar scoreboard with backup Cale Vaughan at quarterback.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” said Glenvar coach Kevin Clifford. “They responded to adversity and played hard. We executed well and I’m super proud of the effort.”
Clifford didn’t have to make a lot of changes in the offense with Dawyot on the sidelines. Brody is the VHSL all-time leader in passing touchdowns but Vaughan filled in admirably with 11 completions on 20 attempts and a touchdown pass to, ironically enough, Brody’s brother Tre. Cooper Mullins had four catches for 32 yards, Jace Forster had two for 77 and Haden Henderson had one catch for a 20 yard gain.
“We didn’t have to change much,” said Clifford. “We are what we are.”
The Highanders ran the ball more than usual and the Governors couldn’t stop them. Ranger Swanson had 18 carries for 129 yards and five touchdowns, averaging just over seven yards per attempt. Bryan Mateo had two carries for 20 yards and scored a sixth rushing touchdown for the Highlanders.
Jackson Hartman filled in for Brody at defensive end and helped the Highlanders record their sixth shutout of the season. Swanson had 15 tackles, Nick Wilson had 14, Jake Franklin had 11, Dalton Shoemaker had nine and Forster had an interception.
“They have a good looking runningback and a big tight end but we settled in and played good defense,” said Clifford. “Any time you shut someone out it’s a good night.”
The Highlanders now advance to the second round of the playoffs and a home game against Radford. Dawyot is “questionable” for this week’s game. In the first meeting Brody was 15 for 19 passing for 124 yards and he also rushed 17 times for 99 yards, accounting for four touchdowns.
“We’ll see how he feels later in the week,” said Clifford on Monday.
Glenvar and Radford are Three Rivers District rivals with no love lost between them. The first meeting this season, a 35-0 win on October 17 at Glenvar, got a little “chippy” with more personal foul penalties than Clifford likes. Friday’s game is sure to be another physical battle.
The Highlanders come into this week’s game at 11-0, just the third time ever they’ve gone 11 games in a season without losing. The last time was 2015, the year after they won the state championship. Radford comes here at 7-4 counting a forfeit win over Galax. The Bobcats have won their last three games, including a 44-7 win last week over Appomattox to open the playoffs.
“They’ll be the best team we play to this point,” said Clifford. “It’s a rivalry game and it’s hard to beat someone twice. We can’t take anything for granted. We’re excited.”
The winner will meet the winner of a game between third seeded Floyd and second seeded Gretna in the other semifinal. If Glenvar beats Radford the Highlanders, the region’s top seed, would be home for the Region 2C championship game next weekend.
