BY LLOYD COMBS
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
GRUNDY, Va. – Defense has been the cornerstone of every good Richlands football team.
Even in a year of adjustments, when the Blue Tornado have lost as many games as they did in the previous four regular seasons combined, defense helped the Blues win a championship.
The defense led the way until the offense got untracked on Thursday night, as the Blues claimed the Southwest District crown with a 49-13 win over Grundy at Nelson Memorial Field.
The Blues’ defense forced five turnovers – two on interceptions by Bradley Strong – registered eight quarterback sacks (seven in the first half) and kept Grundy out of the end zone until the fourth quarter.
“We hang our hat on our defense at Richlands,” said Blues coach Greg Mance, whose club has won six of seven since a 1-2 start. “We spend a lot of time on it, we take a lot of pride in it. Defense wins championships.
“In our first [few] games we set our defense up to fail. We turned the ball over four times against Gate City; seven times against Powell Valley. Tonight, we played great defense, and our defense and our special teams set up some scores for us.”
A blocked punt set up one Richlands touchdown. The defense added a score when senior linebacker Derek Jackson scooped up a Grundy fumble and rambled 40 yards for a touchdown that staked the Blues to a 28-0 halftime advantage.
“Last week I thought I had [a touchdown] and didn’t get it,” Jackson said. “The ball just bounced right to me. I guess it was just meant for me to get one. I scored the first touchdown of my varsity career in the last regular season game of my senior year. It’s a great feeling.”
After a slow start, Joel Elswick and Taylor Sizemore led a Richlands running game that produced 301 yards. Elswick ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Sizemore added a touchdown and 82 of his 86 yards in the first half.
“Taylor Sizemore is a great kid. I’m happy to see him have a good game for us,” Mance said. “He’s the type of player who will do anything you ask him to do. He blocks, he plays special teams, he plays defense. He’s gotten to the point now where we can trust him to run the ball 15 times a game.”
Elswick scored the first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard run in the first period and added a 77-yard TD run early in the third quarter. He tossed a 9-yard TD pass to Bradley Strong in the second quarter. Bryan Humphrey added a 37-yard scoring run for Richlands (7-3, 6-0) late in the third period.
“Our offensive line opened up some holes for us,” Elswick said. “They’ve worked hard and gotten better every week.”
Josh Lindsay rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries, while quarterback Jon Kelly and freshman Jacob McCowan had fourth-quarter touchdown runs for Grundy (1-9, 0-6).
“Richlands was just too stout for us on defense,” Grundy coach Greg Rowe said. “And when we did get something going on offense, we couldn’t get everybody on the same page.”
The Blues, who have been to three straight state finals, have two weeks to prepare for Patrick County, their likely first round playoff opponent in Region IV, Division 3. Defense, as usual, is the key as Richlands goes after yet another regional title.
“I really think our defense is capable of doing the job [in the playoffs],” Mance said.
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