Staunton River falls to Northside, backs into Region III playoffs

Staunton River clinched its first playoff berth in more than a decade despite losing Friday night’s game to a Northside team that was an offensive buzzsaw.

The Vikings rolled up 601 yards of total offense in a 51-26 victory that sealed the Blue Ridge District title outright.

Staunton River finishes the regular season 5-5 but remained in the No. 5 position in the six-team Region III, Division 4 playoffs, slightly ahead of rival William Byrd (5-5), which followed up its win over the Golden Eagles last week by beating Alleghany.

The Golden Eagles trailed 30-7 early in the third quarter but mounted a rally thanks to Wesley Gates, who returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and caught a 72-yard TD pass from Cody Jones, pulling Staunton River within 30-20.

But Northside answered with a 47-yard Ryan Keith to Tyler Fisher touchdown pass, pushing the margin back to three scores.

The Vikings racked up 528 rushing yards, led by Phillip Scott’s 227 yards on 17 carries. Dustin Phelps ran for 183 yards on 11 carries.

Gates caught seven passes for 167 yards for the Golden Eagles.