JF shuts out E.C. Glass in Black and Blue Bowl

Jefferson Forest’s defense made sure the Black and Blue Bowl lived up to its name Thursday night at City Stadium.

The Cavaliers’ defense dominated E.C. Glass allowing the Hilltoppers just 56 yards of total offense and just two first downs as JF improved to 3-0 on the season with a 20-0 victory.

“When you play a team running the split-back veer or an option, you have play responsibility defense,” Cavaliers coach Don Rice said. “You have to have confidence in the guy beside you. It takes team defense and that’s what we were telling them all week.

“We took their triple option away. We took their veer away. For the most part it was perfect defensive game. It was team defense.”

Despite the fact that the Hilltoppers’ offense was being manhandled by Jefferson Forest’s defense, the Cavaliers still needed a turnover in Glass’ end to set up JF’s only score in the first half.

Hilltoppers’ running back Traves Wesely was stripped of the ball and Cavaliers’ Mark Carter recovered the fumble at Glass’ 33 with 3:14 left in the half.

Six plays later, Jefferson Forest’s Josh Storm broke the scoreless tie with a 33-yard field goal.

“I’m very proud of our defense,” Hilltoppers coach Richard Trent said. “Defensively we played extremely well.”

Until then Jefferson Forest had been frustrated by penalties. The Cavaliers were penalized four times in the first half and all four penalties halted JF drives.

“If you take away those silly penalties that just drive coaches crazy I don’t know what the score might have been at the end of the first half,” Rice said.

The Cavaliers got the ball to start the second half and marched 65 yards on 11 plays and took a 10-0 lead on Desmond Goode’s four-yard touchdown run and Storm’s extra point.

Goode finished the night with 140 yards on 26 carries.

“Our defense had to be tired. They stayed on the field the whole game,” Trent said. “We just didn’t get it done offensively.

“We just need to keep working on the big picture. We believe in what we are doing and going to keep working on it.”

Jefferson Forest tacked on a 9-yard touchdown run by Rahsad Hall and 39-yard field goal by Storm in the fourth quarter.

While JF’s offense started to get things rolling, Glass’ offense found it even more difficult to move the ball without starting quarterback Joey Flores.

Flores injured his shoulder in the first quarter and left the game in the middle of the second.

Only 13 of the Hilltoppers’ 56 yards of total offense came in the second half and Glass didn’t gain a first down in the final 24 minutes.

“The last two years we’ve lost to this team and it has kept us out of the playoffs,” Cavaliers linebacker/fullback Tyler Rosser said. “We’ve been waiting for this redemption for so long. We’ve trained hard all year long and it paid off for us.”

In its last two games, Jefferson Forest has held Rockbridge and E.C. Glass to a combined six points, 154 yards and five first downs.

“(Giving up) 13 yards in the second half,” Goode said. “What can you say about that? I think we’ve got the best defense in the state.”