The Shadow
Warm Springs, Va- It’s been no secret around the county of Bath that the Chargers were undefeated and having a phenomenal season. In the small county, few things muster support and comradery like when the Chargers are playing good football and having successful outings on the gridiron.
This season began with small crowds and ended with crowds so big you had to show up an hour early to get a favorable parking spot. This all came to a head this past Friday evening with the Bath County Chargers taking on Grayson County for the regional championship. The Chargers hadn’t had this kind of success since back in 2007, so to say the entire county was excited would be an understatement.
Bath was undefeated and had blown out many opponents. Grayson County, likewise, has enjoyed a great season. One difference between the two though is that Grayson knows what it’s like to play from behind and they have felt the sting of defeat.
The game was held in Bath County and at gametime it was around 25 degrees and blowing snow, conditions that the Chargers are accustomed to.
Unfortunately, homefield advantage was not enough.
Grayson won the toss and deferred to the second half giving Bath the ball first. After the kickoff, the Chargers started from the 18-yard line. Bath didn’t get but a yard or two their first couple of carries putting them in a long third-down situation. Wyatt Cambell broke free for the first and it was the only time he would in this game and ran for 36 yards, but unfortunately a holding call would erase that.
At this point it just seemed like the Chargers offense was constantly in long third-down situations. They were able to move the ball and get some first downs, but any time they would have a good positive play there was always a penalty to erase it. Whether it was holding, offsides, or delay of game, the Bath offense hurt themselves just as much as The Blue Devils from Grayson County were able to.
Defense won this game and both defenses played great, and until the end of the fourth quarter, neither teams’ offense had much luck moving the ball more than a couple of yards at a time. When the fourth quarter was over, for the first time all year, the score was not in the Chargers’ favor.
Grayson County won the regional championship 20-0 and will move on to play Rye Cove in their next matchup. The Bath County Chargers can hold their heads high while looking at everything they accomplished this season. Nobody predicted the Chargers to go as far as they did, and they proved their doubters wrong and had a phenomenal year.
Bath County will give it another shot next season when they hit the field in August of 2025.
