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The Rockbridge County high School football concluded its season winless, suffering a 42-6 road loss to Valley District foe William Monroe on Friday night in Stanardsville.
Although the Wildcats (0-10 overall, 0-6 district) have become accustomed to lopsided losses, second-year RC head coach Martin Cox has not let the scores overshadow the positives he’s seen from his team.
“Despite the final score, there were bright spots in that final game,” he said.
Cox said junior running back Gabriel Wade finished on a good note. He rushed for 127 yards on 23 carries. Cox also credited freshmen Elijah Sorrells and Patrick Looney for stepping up and making an impact in their first varsity game.
Wade was the lone scorer for RC. After the Dragons (5-5, 3-3) led 14-0 after the first quarter. Wade shoved his way down the field for a big gain, bringing the ‘Cats to the WM 26-yard line with 6:49 left in the first half.
Wade took a few more handoffs, eventually setting RC up for first-and-goal. He found his way into the end zone from the 2-yard-line for the TD with 3:29 to go in the half to cut WM’s lead to 14-6. The ‘Cats went for two, but were unable to convert a pass play.
This was the final game for RC’s nine seniors: Simon Emore, Caden Culp, Stephen Wells, Josiah Saunders, Caiden Cavazos, Ryan Maxwell, Benjamin Pitsenbarger, John Lindberg and Daniel Grimm.
Only three of the nine seniors had played significant minutes before this season. Cox said he was disappointed for them and wished they could have had a better season, but was grateful for their time on the field.
“It’s tough,” said Cox. “It wasn’t an easy season, but they stuck in there. I have nothing but good things to say about those seniors, just proud of them.”
The Dragons shut down the RC run game while producing an impressive rushing offense of their own.
D’markus Pritchett took the ball for a short carry into the end zone for the Dragons first TD with 5:48 left in the first quarter. Quarterback Davien Griffieth produced the next TD, juking through a gap in the ‘Cats defense to break down the field and into the end zone.
Following the Wildcats’ lone score in the second quarater, Griffieth returned the kickoff to the RC 38-yard line. Preston Hollingsworth took it from there, carrying the ball down the right sideline into the end zone. With 3:11 in the half, Dragons led 21-6.
The Dragons continued to find openings in the ‘Cats defense to gain yardage. To start the second half, ground gainers by Jackson Wood moved the ball steadily downfield. The drive culminated with a Wood rushing TD to put the Dragons up, 28-6.
Wood found pay dirt again on the Dragons’ next possession. He swept around the left sideline 40 yards to put up another six, leaving RC trailing 35-6 with 7:06 to go in the third quarter.
The ‘Cats had a nice opportunity at the end of the quarter, making it all the way to the Dragons’ 15-yard line, but they were unable to convert a fourth-and-10 play.
The Dragons took over from there. Griffieth set WM up well with a big carry that advanced the ball to the home team’s 41-yard-line at the end of the third quarter. And it was Griffieth again who darted down the left sideline for the final TD of the night.
Reflecting on the disappointing season, Cox said he hopes another year of mental and physical maturity from his younger players will be beneficial in 2024. “We’ll have to take a little more time and start evaluating this season a little more intricately, seeing what works and what didn’t, and get ready for next year,” he said.
