Wythevillle…Playing on a very pleasant evening, the Fort Chiswell Pioneers were down inside the Maroons 15-yard line twice in the first half but didn’t score. The Maroons made them pay by defeating Fort Chiswell 40-13.
The Maroons (2-0) got two touchdowns from Qb Deacon Beamer and two from running back Kane “Booger” Owens. Beamer threw for 178 yards on 7 of 13 passing plays and threw two touchdown passes. Owens got a 45-yarder with 6:48 to go in the opening quarter. Beamer then hit Walker Nowers on a 39-yard pass over the middle with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter. Owens scored the first two touchdowns in the game as he rushed 12 times for 38 yards. He also had one touchdown receiving for 45 more yards.
Leading 20-0 at intermission, the Maroons took the opening kickoff and marched down the field with Markell Moss racing in from 13 yards. Holding the Pioneers to three, the Maroons then marched and scored again this time with Nowers catching a 39-yarder. The rout was on when George Wythe got on the scoreboard again as Beamer was able to sneak in from five yards out and Malaki Russell’s fourth point after made it 40-0 with six minutes to go in the third quarter.
Fort Chiswell foiled the shutout when Colby Rider caught a 33-yard pass in the end zone with two players hanging onto him. Tyler Dunford’s kick was wide right with two minutes left in the quarter. The Pioneers kept battling. The Maroons’ Cole Simmons dropped back to pass and got hit causing the fumble. Jonah “Loopie” Turpin scooped up the pigskin at the Pioneer 30 and rumpled 44 yards to the Maroons 26. On the first play, Brody Crockett threw a pass in the flat to T J James as he ran for six and Dunford’s kick made it 40-13 with six minutes to go in the game.
George Wythe passed for 221 yards and rushed for 201 totaling 422 yards of offense.
The Pioneers finished with just 67 yards rushing and threw for 193 for 259 yards of offense.
Head coach Todd Tiller of Fort Chiswell said, “We had two opportunities there in the first half and couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Then we started the second half flat and they scored on three straight possessions.” He then added, ”They are good and they have a big, athletic front line. You know I’m proud of the way my guys played hard to the end. We played physical, but we blew a couple defensive calls that hurt us.”
Fort Chiswell (1-1) will travel to Radford next Friday for a 7 pm kickoff.
Photos: Courtesy of Tina Quesenberry (# 2- Anthony Morris, #7-Colby Rider,#9-Sean Morgan)
GW 7 13 20 0 – 40
FC 0 0 6 7 – 13
Rushing- GW- Beamer 6-42, Owens- 12-38, Harber 6-49, Moss 6-54, Dawson 3-5, Sawyers 1-2, T. Brown 3-6, Johnson 2-2, Wells 1-0, Simmons 2-( -4), Wilson 2-10, D. Brown 1-(-3)
– FC- Morgan- 10-14, Moore- 8-20, Jakubiak 3-30, Stoots 1-2, Rider 1-1
C A Int Td Yds.
Passing – GW – Beamer – 7 13 0 2 178
– – Simmons – 3 3 0 0 43
– FC – Moore -14 29 1 1 195
– Crockett – 2 2 0 1 31
Receptions – Skeens 1, Wilson 1, Johnson 2, Moss 1, Nowers 4, Owens 1
– Bailey 5, Rider 2, Stoots 4, James 2, Parrott 2
First Downs – GW – 20; FC – 18