The Alleghany Mountaineers put on an absolute clinic against the Roanoke Catholic Celtics on Friday night, at Mountaineer Field. The defense stood stoic as a brick wall, while the offense seemed to score at will.
The Mountaineers pounded the Celtics right out of the gate. While a big gain on an early pass attempt was negated by a penalty, run after run saw Alleghany reach the end zone from nine yards out on the Mountaineer’s first possession.
With 2:41 remaining in the first quarter, Allegheny’s Hunter DePriest returned a punt 75-yards to the end zone. After missing their first point-after attempt, J.D. Groves’ kick put the Mountaineers ahead 13 – 0. As the seconds ticked away in quarter-one, Alleghany’s defense continued their stellar play by forcing a quarterback fumble, which was also recovered by Groves.
With the Mountaineers once again on offense, an incomplete pass was followed up by a 27 yard run from Maddox Crane. Another six-yard run by Crane and the Mountaineers racked up their nineteenth point of the quarter. After the second successful point-after attempt, Alleghany sat atop the Celtics 20 – 0.
With 37-seconds remaining in the first, and the confidence of a double-digit lead, the Mountaineers’ Hunter Knighton attempted an onside-kick. Although appropriately-aggressive play-calling, the attempt was unsuccessful, and the kick was recovered by Roanoke Catholic.
The Celtics showed some signs of life throughout the second quarter, including capitalizing on a Mountaineer-fumble. The ensuing Celtic touchdown saw the score narrow to 20 – 6 with 8:34 remaining in the half. But this would be as close as it would get, and the Celtics blew what was perhaps their best opportunity to cut the lead even more in the final seconds before halftime.
A drive that saw the Celtics with a first and one was met with two procedural penalties, and another brilliant series of defensive play, ultimately left Roanoke Catholic pushed back to the 27-yard line on third down. On the next play, Hunter DePriest added the exclamation point with another spectacular 75-yard play, this time a pick-six. A successful two-point conversion run by Matthew Howell left the Mountaineers up 28 – 6 at the half.
The Celtics began the second half with a first and 10 from the 45. A three-yard run on first down was immediately negated by an off-sides penalty. Third down saw Roanoke Catholic barely return the ball to the original line of scrimmage, and the drive ended one play later with a solo tackle from linebacker Casey Simmons.
Once back on offense, the Mountaineers picked right back up where they left off. Strong lead-blocking from Nathan Clark cleared the way for a nearly 40-yard Gavin Via run which brought Alleghany to the Celtics 30 yard line. Unfortunately, off-setting unsportman-like penalties on the field were mishandled by the officials, advancing the Mountaineers to fourth down and 15. However, Alleghany would not be deterred. The next two plays resulted in yet another Mountaineer touchdown, followed by another successful point-after. With just under 7 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Mountaineers were on top 35 – 6.
Late in the third, Roanoke Catholic benefited by one of the very few mistakes made by the Mountaineers, as quarterback James Campbell was intercepted on Alleghany’s own five-yard line. Although as the fourth quarter got underway, the Mountaineer defense remained unphased. After a quick Celtics three-and-out followed by another long punt return from DePriest, Campbell was back under center.
A few plays later and the Mountaineers brought in their second-team players to get some reps on the field. The end result was much the same, and the drive ended in a six-inch touchdown run from Gavin Via. Another two-point conversion and Alleghany extended their dominant lead to 43 – 6.
And that’s how it ended; Alleghany Mountaineers 43, Roanoke Catholic Celtics 6.
It should be noted that, despite the imbalance of the final score, it was by no means an accurate reflection of the effort put forth by the Celtics. Roanoke Catholic dressed 18-players for the game against Alleghany’s 37, and played hard until the final whistle. The Mountaineers put up a dominant performance, but the Celtics made them work for every yard.
Friday night’s win is the Mountaineer’s first season-opening win since defeating Covington in 2018. The Alleghany Mountaineers (1-0) will next host the Bath County Chargers at Mountaineer Field at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 3.
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