Dawyot returns to throw three touchdown passes in Region 2C semifinal victory
The Glenvar football players are going to be hungry for Thanksgiving dinner. The Highlanders will work up a good appetite Thursday morning practicing for the Region 2C football championship.
Undefeated and top-seeded Glenvar will host second seeded Gretna this Friday night at Highlander Stadium with the region championship on the line.
Glenvar earned the right to host the game with a 27-3 win over Radford last Friday at home.
Gretna comes to town with a 10-2 record after surviving a thriller against Floyd County last Friday. The Buffaloes failed on a late two-point conversion attempt and Gretna held on for a 56-55 win. The Hawks opened the playoffs with a 57-14 win over Dan River a week prior.
“They’re a really good football team and they’ve had a successful year,” said Glenvar coach Kevin Clifford. “They have good athletes that can run and catch and a good quarterback.”
This will be just the third meeting ever between the two, and Glenvar has won both previous games. In 2023 the Highlanders pulled out a 38-34 win at Gretna and last year the Highlanders won 30-8 at home. Both were playoff games.
Glenvar is now 12-0 after defeating Radford last week, and the good news is senior quarterback Brody Dawyot is back on the field and playing well. Dawyot injured his shoulder in the last regular season game at Floyd. He sat out the second half of a 24-6 Glenvar win and didn’t play in the first playoff game as the Highlanders shutout Nelson County, 50-0.
Last Friday Dawyot returned and played on both sides of the ball. On offense he was 15-for-19 passing for 174 yards and three touchdowns and he also had a rushing TD. On defense he had a team-high 16 tackles with three sacks and two tackles for losses. He also punted three times for a 42 yard average and “felt great” the morning after the game, attending the Virginia Tech game against Miami.
Glenvar’s defense dominated the visiting Bobcats. In addition to Dawyot’s big night Nick Wilson had 11 tackles, with three for losses and two sacks. Cale Vaughan had 11 tackles, Ranger Swanson had 10 and Rawlin Hanks had 10 and two sacks. Glenvar had four interceptions with Jace Forster picking off two passes and Vaughan and Hanks one each.
“We held Radford to three points in two games and that’s an accomplishment against a good team,” said Clifford, as the Highlanders shut out the Bobcats during the regular season.
On offense Swanson had another big night with 142 yards rushing on 29 carries. In the two playoff games Ranger has rushed for 271 yards and scored five touchdowns.
Tre Dawyot, Cooper Mullins and Vaughan all caught touchdown passes for the Highlanders. Tre had six catches for 75 yards, Forster had three receptions for 30 and Vaughan and Haden Henderson had two catches each.
With the win the Highlanders improved to 12-0 for just the second time ever, joining the 2015 team. If Glenvar can win this Friday they would be the first football team in school history to be 13-0.
The winner of Friday’s Glenvar-Gretna game will play either Union High or Ridgeview the following week in the state semifinal. Union defeated Graham last weekend, 12-0, while Ridgeview beat Lebanon, 35-16.
The state championship game is at Salem Stadium on December 13.
