By Tom Bragg
For Lootpress.com
St. Albans football has seen hard times over the years, and this season started off in similar fashion with injuries and losses piling up against one of the state’s most difficult schedules.
The Red Dragons, however, did not close up shop after an 0-5 start. They beat rival South Charleston and Lincoln County before falling at Parkersburg two weeks ago. Last week, the Red Dragons welcomed Riverside to Crawford Field with a chance to recapture some of its momentum.
Junior quarterback Reece Lilly helped lead a balanced attack against the Warriors, completing 7 of 15 pass attempts for 72 yards but also connecting on two touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter to put the game away in a 20-7 win.
For his efforts, Lilly has been named the Lootpress Kanawha Valley Player of the Week. The award is presented by The Law Offices of Brandon S. Steele.
“[Lilly] provides great leadership for us,” St. Albans head coach Derek Stotts said. “We had to get some people in the box to open up the pass, and we were able to run to pass the ball. He was able to take advantage when we got the one-on-one matchup with our skill positions.”
Lilly has thrown for 587 yards and six touchdowns this season but perhaps more importantly is his leadership for the Red Dragons as the team figured out its identity and learned how to win.
“Our running game is our bread and butter, and we pride ourselves on being able to line up and get those tough yards,” Stotts said. “We may not be the team that will pop you for 50 but we’ll consistently hit your with body blows until get the front and back end we want to take advantage of that
“The running game has been our backbone and we’ve been able to allow Reece to grow and mature into the leader that he is without having to put the whole offense on his shoulders.”
Herbert Hoover junior Blake Fisher, who ran for 64 yards and two touchdowns while also catching two touchdown passes in the Huskies’ 45-0 win on the road at Hedgesville last week, won the Community Choice fan poll with nearly 88 percent of the votes
Player of the Week winners
Week 1: Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover
Week 2: Noah Vellaithambi, Hurricane
Week 3: David Robinson, Capital
Week 4: Sai’Vyon Brown, George Washington
Week 5: Malakhi Hope, Riverside
Week 6: Blake Fisher, Herbert Hoover
Week 7: Josh Moody, Nitro
Week 8: David Fennessy, Scott
Week 9: Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover
Week 10: Reece Lilly, St. Albans
Community Choice
Week 1: Kam McBride, Poca
Week 2: Blake Fisher, Herbert Hoover
Week 3: Spencer Jones, Poca
Week 4: Peyton Grigsby, Capital
Week 5: Talon Harrison, Herbert Hoover
Week 6: A.J. Gregory, Hurricane
Week 7: Sam Kee, Herbert Hoover
Week 8: Sean McCord, Saint Albans
Week 9: Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover
Week 10: Blake Fisher, Herbert Hoover
