Luray commits three turnovers in non-district matchup
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Sept. 20 — In a battle between two solid ground games, Stuarts Draft ground out nearly 250 rushing yards on Friday night, while the Cougar’s defense held Luray to 158. The Bulldogs turned the ball over three times, including two interceptions, while the Cougars scored on five of 12 possessions en route to a 31-0 victory on the road.
Sophomore running back Baylor Graber racked up a game-high 72 yards on 16 carries (4.5 yards per carry), including two touchdowns for the Cougars. Luray’s sophomore running back Ryan Jenkins finished the game with a team-high 67 yards on 20 carries (3.3 ypc), followed by junior Cason Bryant with 42 yards on 12 carries (3.5 ypc). Jenkins and Bryant combined for 109 of the Bulldogs’ 159 yards of offense.
After the Luray defense forced a three-and-out on Draft’s opening drive, the Luray offense ended a nine-play drive with an interception by Cougars’ senior Da’shea Smith. Five plays later, junior quarterback Silas Martin hit junior Derrick Moore for a 17-yard touchdown strike and the Cougars went up 7-0 with 2:43 left in the first quarter.
Luray then committed its second turnover on its second possession by fumbling the kickoff and giving the Cougars the ball on their own 33-yard line. After picking up one first down, Draft then opted for a 27-yard field goal that put them up 10-0 at the close of the first quarter.
Luray’s offense would then pick up four first downs on its next three possessions, but ended up punting each time. The Luray defense forced a three-and-out, but then gave up a big play. Smith broke through the line on the first play of Draft’s next possession and reversed his field for an 87-yard sprint to the end zone, giving the Cougars a 17-0 lead at halftime.
Both teams started the second half by ending drives on downs, and then exchanging punts on their second possession. However, the Bulldogs’ then committed its third turnover by throwing another interception, snagged by Moore, who ran it down to the Luray 4-yard line. Two plays later, the Cougars converted the turnover into points on a two-yard touchdown dash by Graber with 1:46 left in the third quarter.
Following a three-and-out and punt by Luray, Stuarts Draft went 56 yards on five plays, and Graber capped the scoring at 31-0 after a seven-yard touchdown run with 9:28 left in the game. Back-ups for the Cougars would commit their only turnover of the game, with a fumble on their final full possession.
On the Bulldogs’ final possession, Luray stalled out a nine-play drive at the 19-yard line — where Draft then took a knee to end the game.
While both teams focused on the ground game, Draft went 6-of-11 through the air for 20 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown. The Luray defense played the short pass well as the Cougars lost yardage on three of their six completed passes. The Bulldogs only threw the ball six times, completing one pass for one yard, and giving up two interceptions.
Next up, Luray (1-3) travels to Rock Ridge on Friday, Sept. 27 for one last non-district matchup before ending the season on five-straight games in the Bull Run. The Bulldogs entered Friday night’s game following a 35-6 win on the road in Stanardsville against William Monroe. Luray started off 0-2 after a tough 9-7 opening loss in the final minute at East Rockingham, followed by a 47-7 loss to Buffalo Gap at home.
Stuarts Draft (3-1) will travel to Staunton on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Winston Wine Memorial Stadium at Gypsy Hill Park. The Cougars entered Friday night’s game at Bulldog Field after a 28-6 loss at Rustburg the previous week (7-6 at half). Draft began the season 2-0 after wins against Surry (42-12) and King William (41-20). The Cougars have outscored their opponents 142-38 through four games.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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