Bluefield High School Class of 1971

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12-01-2004 - Beavers focusing on 'unfinished business'
Beavers focusing on 'unfinished business'
By DUSTY HARMAN
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Rainy day runner ... Bluefield High School's Tony Bland totes the ball on Monday afternoon as the Beavers worked out in a heavy rain to prepare for Friday night's Class AA state championship game. (Staff photo by Eric DiNovo)

BLUEFIELD - With their stunning comeback to beat Weir still fresh in mind, the Bluefield Beavers know they have plenty of unfinished business remaining.

Namely, their third straight trip to Wheeling Island Stadium for the Class AA state championship game.

That contest kicks off Friday night in Wheeling, where the top-rated Beavers (13-0) will face No. 2 Wayne (13-0) at 7:30 p.m.

But to reach the championship round, the Beavers had to rally from a 14-0 deficit with just 2:30 remaining on Saturday, sparking an unbelievable comeback that culminated in a 21-20 victory in overtime.

"What a game to be a part of and win," Bluefield coach Fred Simon said. "It just tops off the season so far. With the players, we just have to take care of one other thing and it can be a great season."

Bluefield seemed to be out of luck in the semifinal contest, trailing by two touchdowns and with Weir at the Beaver 32. But the Bluefield defense forced a fourth-and-2, and the Red Riders went for a swing pass instead of a run.

BHS' Tracy Coppola deflected the ball and Michael Davis hauled it in for a 75-yard return to the end zone. The Beavers then executed a perfect on-side kick and scored the tying touchdown on fourth down in the final second of regulation.

"I'm proud of our players," Simon said. "You tell them all the time that you never quit, that you have to play for 48 minutes, but our players never gave up. Yes, it took an opportunity (like the interception), but once we had it, we did execute to the best of our abilities after that."

The Beavers scored first in overtime, and place-kicker Lucas Stone drilled his third point-after to put Bluefield on top 21-14.

The Red Riders answered back with a score of their own, but Coppola put pressure on kicker Ryan Dennis and the PAT sailed wide to end the contest.

"You just don't experience that very often, if ever," Simon said. "I thank God for that opportunity right there; we got an opportunity, we were very fortunate there. I'm just glad our players responded like they did.

"You know, you can crush somebody, but when you have a game like this, it's a game you never forget. Unless you're part of it, it's just hard to describe. It's like hitting the lottery."

The semifinal rally gave the Beavers another shot at their first state title since 1997.

Bluefield hasn't met Wayne on the gridiron since downing the Pioneers 10-0 to reach the 2002 Super Six.

Bluefield lost back-to-back title games to Poca that season and 2003 - the final two of a record three straight championships for the Dots.

"We've still got some things to take care of - we've got some unfinished business left," Simon said. "You can't really enjoy (the Weir game) until your business is finished. Once it's finished, then we can really reflect on it."

Simon said all the Beavers can do is try their best and hope to draw on their experience from the two previous trips north.

"Nothing's guaranteed in this world, but we do have a shot," Simon said. "We'll just go up there and try our guts out. We've had a lot of good student support, we've had a lot of good community support, and we'll need that more than ever this Friday night."

- Contact Dusty Harman at dharman@bdtonline.com

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