Moments of the Year is a series of stories reflecting on performances, plays or games that occurred during the 2021-22 school year. Installations of the series will be released regularly throughout the summer, leading in to the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
During the 2021-22 school year, every time Greenbrier West and James Monroe squared off against each other, it always seemed like something big was on the line.
That definitely was the case in week seven of the high school football season when the No. 13-rated Cavaliers hosted the No. 14-rated Mavericks.
With playoff implications on the line, the game featured big plays, big hits, costly mistakes and a breakout performance by Cooper Ridgeway from James Monroe.
When the final horn sounded, the Mavericks were on the positive side of a 20-14 thriller.
“I have been at James Monroe for 25 years and there is nothing like the playoffs and this was a playoff atmosphere tonight,” veteran Mavericks head coach John Mustain said after the win. “My goal is getting this group to the playoffs because we haven’t been there in a while – since 2017. We have a lot of youth, only eight seniors, but I think if we can accomplish that goal, it will really carry over to the next few years.”
Greenbrier West controlled the game for the first 30 minutes, but could not shake the boys from Monroe County.
The Cavaliers held on downs in James Monroe’s opening drive before turning to power football for a 70-yard touchdown drive.
The hometown celebration was short lived however when Braydie Carr returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to put James Monroe in front 7-6.
“Braydie did a heck of a job reading the holes. The boys did a heck of a job picking up the defenders and staying with them,” Mustain said.
West’s next drive was derailed by a fumble in James Monroe territory, but the visitors could not take advantage and again turned the ball over on downs.
The run-dominant Cavaliers then stunned the Mavs by going to the air and Kadin Parker reeled in a 34-yard pass to move the ball deep into James Monroe territory.
Five plays later with just 18 seconds on the clock, quarterback Cole Vandall scored from one yard out to give West a 14-7 halftime lead.
Greenbrier West had a chance to put the game away on the opening drive of the second half, but the golden opportunity slipped through their fingers.
After driving the ball to the two-yard line, miscues haunted the Cavaliers the remainder of the half.
A false start, along with a high snap and a sliding catch that was ruled out of the end zone ended the promising scoring drive.
“We got down to the two-yard line and didn’t get it in and it changed the whole ball game” Greenbrier West head coach Toby Harris said.
Mustain went old-school James Monroe in the second half by using Ridgeway as the work-horse and he delivered big time.
Ridgeway carried the ball eight times on a 10-play 81-yard march and capped the drive with a shovel pass to Grant Lively who scored from 28 yards out to tie the game at 14-14 late in the third quarter.
The sophomore sensation carried the ball 29 times on the night for 152 yards. He only scored once, but it was be the eventual game-winner early in the fourth quarter.
West was its own worst enemy in the second half.
Although an interception set up Ridgeway’s go-ahead score, a fumble and a turnover on downs prevented the Cavaliers from tying or taking the lead in the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, West still had a chance to score with just over three minutes to play in the contest when the Mavericks were forced to punt on fourth-and-14 from its own 32.
However, one last mistake by the Cavaliers sealed the win for James Monroe. The Cavaliers were penalized 15 yards for too many men on the field.
“That was a crusher,” Harris said. “The kickoff return, interceptions, fumbles and bad snaps. It just wasn’t a clean game for us tonight. You just can’t do those things, especially against really good teams.”
Mustain was spot-on in his assessment as the win over West jump-started a playoff run that took the Mavericks into the quarterfinal round.
“I told these boys, in 34 years, I have never been more proud of a bunch of kids in my life, never,” Mustain said that night. “Our defense has really come on lately. Not taking anything away from Pendleton (County), because we had a tough time with them. But this was our first really big game this year.”
