Overton Emerges As The Latest Hero For Richlands

TAZEWELL, Va. – Sean Overton skated across the muddy turf, found a cozy deep in the end zone, and grabbed a piece of history.

Thanks to the eventual game-winning catch by the first-year varsity player, Richlands posted a 28-27 overtime victory over the Tazewell Bulldogs in Saturday’s Region IV, Division 3 championship football game. It was the fifth straight regional title for Richlands.

On a day jammed with emotion and big plays, Overton emerged as an unheralded hero. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore moved to Southwest Virginia from Lithonia, Ga. with his family last year, and had not played organized football since youth league.

“I never expected all this, not even in my dreams,” Overton said.

The dream scenario unfolded on the second play of the extra session. Despite facing heavy pressure, senior quarterback Joel Elswick lofted an accurate pass to the open Overton.

“I ran the pattern the best I could, and Joel put the pass on me,” Overton said, referring to his lone catch of the game. “I give all the credit to Joel. He’s one heck of a quarterback.”

After a near-perfect performance last week, Elswick threw for 278 yards and three scores Saturday against a blitz-happy Bulldog defense. He also ran for a touchdown.

This is a day I’ll remember forever,” Elswick said. “I had to take short steps in this mud, but my receivers and line really did well.”

Elswick credited head coach Greg Mance for devising the crucial play.

“With the coverage [Tazewell] had, we knew either Sean or Brad (Strong) would pop open,” Elswick said. “Sean was there. He’s a great addition for us.”

Tazewell (9-3) answered Overton’s heroics with a second-effort one-yard scoring run by Matt Muncy. The Wake Forest recruit split his time Saturday between quarterback, receiver and running back.

The drama mounted seconds later when the successful extra point kick from senior T.J. Rasnick was negated after Tazewell was penalized for not having enough players on the line of scrimmage.
The second attempt by Rasnick barely went astray. Fans from both sides erupted in shouts.

Tazewell coach Bobby Wyatt lamented not having the opportunity to go with his instincts.

“We had decided to go for two points after our touchdown and end the game one way or the other, but I didn’t have a time out to call,” Wyatt said. “We knew Richlands was coming hard with the rush on the extra points, so we were trying to get the ball up quick.”

Surrounded by his heartbroken players and fans, Wyatt managed to see the big picture.

“I’ve been part of some classic games over the years, but for this to be a regional championship against Richlands and to go down until extra point - that’s got to go down in the record books somewhere,” Wyatt said.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Muncy capped his prep career with four touchdowns, including a remarkable 47-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter where he evaded five tackles while rambling across the field.

“Those kind of plays are why Muncy is going to Wake Forest,” Mance said. “We had him wrapped up two or three times, then he just broke away.”

Tazewell sophomore quarterback Cody Lockhart threw for 197 yards.

Richlands was held to 53 yards rushing, as Elswick basically carried the offense in the second half. He finished with 21 carries.

Behind steady linebacker Derek Jackson, senior receiver Christian Hearl (over 100 yards receiving and one interception and Overton, the Blue Tornado (9-3) continued its Region IV mastery.

“This win is one for the ages and our kids will talk about it for years,” Mance said. “It reminds me of our 29-28 state championship win over Rockbridge County two years ago.
“Our kids just never quit. “They were playing on the road today and under rough conditions, but they found a way to win.”

And Mance found a new weapon in the process.

“Sean (Overton) hadn’t play organized football in a few years before this fall, but now he’s tough as a pine knot and does a great job catching the ball,” Mance said.

With fans and players congratulating in the post-game celebration, Overton embraced his new role.

“I didn’t arrive in Richlands in time to play football last year, but I like the game and I decided to give it another try,” Overton said.
“I’m loving this.”

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544

Richlands 7 7 0 7 7—28
Tazewell 0 6 8 7 6—27
Scoring Summary
R-C. Hearl 45 pass from Elswick (R. Strong kick)
T-Muncy 5 (kick failed)
R-B. Strong 23 pass from Elswick (R. Strong kick)
T-Muncy 22 run (Beavers pass from Muncy)
R-Elswick 1 run (R. Strong kick)
T-Muncy 47 pass from Lockhart (Rasnick kick)
R-Overton 10 pass from Elswick (R. Strong kick)
T-Muncy 1 run (kick failed)
Team Stats
First Downs: R 16, T 12; Rushes-Yards: R 31-53, T 29-85; Passing Yards: R 278, T 197; Comp.-Att.-Int.: 15-30-2, 12-23-3;Penalties-Yards:R 7-60, T 6-50; Fumbles-Lost: R 2-0, T 3-1; Punts-Avg.:R 5-34, T 4-32.