Valley topples WG 46-32, remains unbeaten
Sep. 28—SMITHERS — Valley PK-8 prevailed Thursday in an offense-dominated middle school football game over Western Greenbrier to remain unbeaten on the 2023 season.
On homecoming night, the Greyhounds raised their record to 4-0 with the 46-32 triumph over the Timberwolves.
Malakhi Hope provided four touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions to power the Valley attack. He also had a hand in a fifth touchdown. Hope, an eighth-grader, scored on a punt return and on two runs, as well as converting a screen pass from Davon Brockman into another six-pointer.
Additionally, Hope completed a long pass to Craven Austin for another TD.
Brockman, too, provided six points when he collected a defensive fumble caused by Hope and legged it to the end zone. Brockman also tacked on a two-point run.
Cedric Coping rounded out the Valley scoring with a pair of conversions, one on a run and the other on a pass from Brockman.
Valley head coach Warrick Smith said the Western Greenbrier game provided a challenge the first-string Valley defense hadn't seen much this year. "Nobody in middle school throws as much as them," he said. "This was the first scores on our first-team defense this season."
Of the Greyhounds' current 4-0 record, he said, "People are happy. The crowd the other night felt like high school. It's exciting."
Valley is open this week before playing two games next week: Monday, Oct. 2 at Madison Middle and Thursday, Oct. 5 at Fayetteville.
----Also last Thursday, the Midland Trail Patriots suffered a tough 14-8 setback to Peterstown.
Midland Trail drove the ball down the field and scored with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter to go ahead 8-6.
Peterstown received the kickoff with 2:22 left and launched the eventual winning drive. With 16 seconds left, the Pirates scored on a passing play on third-and-2 from the 19-yard line. The two-point conversion left the final score at 14-8.
For the Patriots, offensive contributors included: Jaxon Barnhouse, 10 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown; Van Wood, two carries for 9 yards and one catch for 14 yards; Riley Dixon, five rushes for 10 yards; Rayce Dickerson, five carries for 26 yards, 9-of-16 passing for 90 yards and an interception, and one reception covering 31 yards; and Jacob Brown, eight catches for 76 yards and a two-point conversion.
Defensively for Trail, contributions came from the following: Kolton Eades, 6.5 tackles (2 TFL); Dickerson, 5.5 tackles; Dixon, 3.5 tackles; Anderson Eades, 3.0 tackles; Barnhouse, 2.5 tackles; Parker Holly, 1.5 tackles; Cyrus Taylor, 0.5 tackles; Van Wood, 0.5 tackles; Gage Eades, 0.5 tackles; and Brown, fumble recovery.
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