Bluefield/Martinsburg articles...

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.bdtonline.com/articles/2004/10/02/sports/01.beavers.txt

 

Beavers take bite out of No. 1 Bulldogs

Posted: Saturday, Oct 02, 2004 - 01:16:29 am EDT

By DUSTY HARMAN

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

BLUEFIELD - Seven minutes is a long time to kill.

 

But to secure their 31-28 victory over Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg, the Bluefield Beavers worked the "seven-minute drill" to perfection Friday night.

 

"Seven minutes to go in the game, we just don't want to give them that ball back," Bluefield coach Fred Simon said. "Our offense knew what they had to do and they just kept them from getting it."

 

Not giving the ball back was key because the Bulldogs had scored on all three of their second-half drives to keep the game close.

 

After an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nate Sowers to Ryan Miller cut the BHS lead to 31-28, the Beavers started to work a clock-oriented ground game from their own 23 with 7:01 remaining in the contest.

 

The drive encompassed 14 plays, with Bluefield (5-0) overcoming a holding penalty and converting on three third-down plays.

 

Quarterback Rusty Coeburn finished the contest with three straight knees, to the delight of the Bluefield fans.

 

"We hung in there and didn't turn the ball over," said Coeburn, who passed for 120 yards and ran for a score. "We just kept playing and waiting for that final buzzer."

 

The Class AA top-rated Beavers won despite losing the yardage battle 407-274 to the Bulldogs (5-1).

 

The majority of the difference came thanks to Sowers, who collected 309 yards of total offense.

 

"They're just as good as any AAA team in the state," Sowers said of the Beavers.

 

The senior quarterback completed 22-of-32 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He gave up one interception, which led to Lucas Stone's 34-yard field goal - which proved to be the final difference in the contest.

 

"I'm just glad it was straight," Stone said of the kick.

 

Quintin Steptoe led the Beavers with three touchdowns, including a 44-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Repass to put Bluefield up 31-21 at the end of the third stanza.

 

The Bulldogs missed two big opportunities after drives ended inside the BHS 20 in the first half.

 

The second drive came to a close when Michael Davis intercepted Sowers at the goal line, and the Beavers got Stone's 34-yard field goal out of the ensuing drive.

 

The Bulldogs then shanked a punt at their own 20 - the ball traveled just four yards - and Repass returned the kick to the 5. Two plays later, Steptoe scored for a 17-7 halftime lead.

 

After a Beaver punt, the teams traded second-half scores back and forth until the Beavers' final drive killed the clock.

 

"They've got great players, we knew that coming in," Martinsburg coach David Walker said. "They made plays and we came up a little short."

 

- Contact Dusty Harman

dharman@bdtonline.com

 

At Chmara Field/Mitchell Stadium

 

Martinsburg (5-1).................7 0 14 7 - 28

 

Bluefield (5-0)......................0 17 14 0 - 31

 

First Quarter

 

MHS - Miller, 26-yard pass from Sowers (Johnson kick)

 

Second Quarter

 

BHS - Coeburn 1-yard run (Stone kick)

 

BHS - Stone 34-yard field goal

 

BHS - Q. Steptoe 4-yard run (Stone kick)

 

Third Quarter

 

MHS - Moore, 9-yard pass from Sowers (Johnson kick)

 

BHS - Q. Steptoe 23-yard run (Stone kick)

 

MHS - Adams 3-yard run (Johnson kick)

 

BHS - Q. Steptoe, 44-yard pass from Repass (Stone kick)

 

Fourth Quarter

 

MHS - Miller, 18-yard pass from Sowers (Johnson kick)

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2004100211

 

BLUEFIELD 31, MARTINSBURG 28: Quintin Steptoe gained only 44 yards on the ground but scored three TDs to help the host Class AA top-ranked Beavers upset Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg.

 

Steptoe, who scored two TDs rushing and one receiving, gave Bluefield (5-0) a 17-7 halftime lead with a 4-yard run. Martinsburg (5-1) scored on all three of its second-half possessions, but the Beavers anwered every time. After the Bulldogs pulled within three points (31-28), Bluefield ran out the final 7:01. Bluefield quarterback Rusty Coeburn completed 8-of-10 passes for 120 yards and scored a TD on the ground. For Martinsburg, Kennedy Award candidate Nate Sowers passed for 249 yards on 23-of-32 accuracy with three TDs and a interception and added 60 yards on the ground.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.journal-news.net/sports/story/102202004_spt01_martblue_100204_s.asp

 

The Blues: Bulldogs fall

Martinsburg's 27-game regular-season win streak ends

 

By John O'Brien

Journal Sports Writer

 

 

BLUEFIELD - Nate Sowers was just a freshman special-teamer the last time Martinsburg lost a regular season game before Friday.

 

Now a senior quarterback and two-time Class AAA first-teamer, Sowers was part of a Bulldog team that saw its 27-game regular season winning streak end Friday night at the hands of the Bluefield Beavers, 31-28, in a matchup of AAA's co-No. 1 team and AA's top-ranked team.

 

"You know, I guess you can't win them all," said Sowers, who guided Martinsburg (5-1) to pair of 10-0 seasons in his sophomore and junior years.

 

"We were very capable of winning this game."

 

Instead, Sowers tasted regular-season defeat for the first time since

 

Southern Garrett, Md., beat Martinsburg on a "Hail Mary" in October, 2001. The Beavers did it by running off the final seven minutes of the game, keeping Martinsburg from attempting to score on a fourth straight possession.

 

After Ryan Miller caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sowers with 7:10 left to make it 31-28, Bluefield took over on its own 23-yard line, overcame a holding penalty and achieved four first downs before downing the ball during the last 1 minute, 23 seconds.

 

"I'll just say it, we beat a helluva football team," Bluefield coach Fred Simon said. "I tell you what, we got a holding penalty and still got the first down we needed. I'm so proud of our kids, every one of them."

 

Bluefield quarterback Rusty Coeburn was 9-of-10 passing for 120 yards and a rushing touchdown, and wide receiver Jonathan Repass threw a touchdown to Quentin Steptoe on a trick play, one of three Steptoe touchdowns.

 

"I just thank God that we all got to be a part of this," Coeburn said.

 

"Coming down to 31-28, you just can't say much more about it than that."

 

Things started slowly for Bluefield, which was held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season. Plus, the varsity defense allowed only its second touchdown of the year when Ryan Miller caught a 26-yard pass from Sowers with 3:08 left in the first quarter.

 

Bluefield responded with a nine-play drive that culminated in Coeburn's 1-yard sneak 19 seconds into the second quarter.

 

Martinsburg, for the second time in the half, went for it on a fourth

 

down inside the Beavers' 20 and failed as Michael Davis intercepted Sowers at the goal line and returned it to midfield, setting up Lucas Stone's 34-yard field goal with 1:34 left.

 

Sowers threw incomplete on three straight passes on the next possession, and Josh Roemer's punt went only six yards before being scooped up by Repass, who returned it to the Martinsburg 5 with 1:10 left.

 

Two plays later, Steptoe scored on a 4-yard run.

 

"Obviously, I think we let one get away from us," Martinsburg coach David Walker said. "We missed a few opportunities in the first half to score, and I take the blame for that."

 

Martinsburg had no trouble scoring in the second half, but neither did Bluefield.

 

Jacquin Moore's 9-yard TD catch on a fourth-down play cut the Bluefield lead to 17-14, but Steptoe scored on a 23-yard run that bumped the lead back to 10 with 4:39 left in the third quarter.

 

D.J. Adams capped a quick seven-play drive with a 3-yard run with 2:08 left in the third to again bring the Bulldogs to within three, but Repass took a backward swing pass from Coeburn and threw to a wide-open Steptoe for a 44-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left in the third.

 

Martinsburg scored on its next drive, but never got the ball back.

 

Bluefield had 304 yards of offense on 48 plays, a 6.3 average. The Steptoe brothers, Quentin and Dustin, did most of the damage on the ground.

 

Quentin had 57 yards on 14 carries, and Dustin had 56 on 10.

 

"We knew they had speed," Sowers said. "They did a good job of getting around the ends. The linemen didn't stop coming. They kept coming and coming. They did a hell of a job.

 

"We had a few missed tackles and missed assignments, and you can't have those in a big game."

 

Martinsburg's Josh Twyman had 149 all-purpose yards, getting 87 on 14 rushes and 62 on three catches. Sowers rushed 12 times for 57 yards and hit Miller four times for 57 yards and Aaron Stokes five times for 55.

 

"This was just a fantastic game to be part of," Simon said. "What makes it even better is that we won the game.

 

"You know, you can battle hard and lose and still be proud, but this is great."

[bluefieldRocks 14]

[ QUOTE ]

Bluefield had 304 yards of offense on 48 plays, a 6.3 average. The Steptoe brothers, Quentin and Dustin did most of the damage on the ground.

 

[/ QUOTE ] =,

lol....it thought that was pretty funny when i red it considering you cant really tell the difference between them if you didnt know then good....but now his name is dustin...lo

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

BTW: I don't think this has been noted anywhere, but Bluefield has now won 15 straight games at Mitchell Stadium...

[bluefieldRocks 14]

if im not mistaken the last game was against graham?

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Bluefield last lost at home was to Oak Hill in 2002, 21-14...