Bluefield – The Bluefield Beavers are accustomed to piling up wins.
Though it took until Oct. 11 for them to pick up their first.
With quarantines and remote learning forcing the Beavers to go 35 days between games, it took awhile before they found the winning track, but it’s been ugly for opponents since they have.
Last week the Beavers picked up two wins, beating PikeView 66-0 and Tazewell 57-14. In both contests several Beavers stood out but none more than senior receiver and defensive back Jacorian Green.
Green caught six passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns last week. Well, at least on offense.
On defense Green intercepted two passes returning them for scores of 75 and 90 yards.
For his efforts, Green has been named the Week 8 Lootpress Players of the Week by the Lootpress sportswriters. The award is sponsored by Bodyworks and the Law Offices of Brandon Steele.
Green was also the winner of the fan vote, which served as a tiebreaker between Green and Greenbrier East running back Ian Cline, accumulating over 30 percent of the final tally. The Independence offensive line finished second in the fan vote.
“It means the most to all of us,” Green said. “Not being able to play for over a month, it hurt. We weren’t even able to get on the field to practice. We took two depressing losses because we really didn’t get a lot of time to practice and stuff. But getting in and getting the wins makes us happy.”
It’s not surprise Green is a playmaker, after all the history of Bluefield football is littered with them. To put into context how explosive he is as a player, it would help to note he’s the reigning Class AA 200-meter state champion, something evident on the field.
As a runner it didn’t take too long for Green to get back in game shape after the long layoff and make an impact for the Beavers.
“It was a little hard at first,” Green admitted. “But when my adrenaline got pumping I got used to it after that. Just getting in the game and getting that game feeling makes me play faster.”
The issue with Green being as explosive as he is is that he attracts extra attention from opposing defenses. After his performance against PikeView, where he caught two passes for 74 yards and two scores, Tazewell elected to double him, limiting him to four catches for 30 yards.
He doesn’t sulk though, but instead finds a way to get involved, even if it’s on defense. Interception returns for touchdowns in both games proved that point.
“I just like doing anything to help my team win,” Green said. “If I can’t do anything on offense or produce on that end I do anything I can on the defensive side. We want to make the playoffs and chase a championship so we’ve all got to do what it takes to win.”
Green will be honored with the end of the year winter award winners as well as the other Player of the Week winners at the Winter Lootpress Sports Banquet on Dec. 11.