Bluefield High School Class of 1971

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12-04-2004 - No. 1 Beavers wrap perfect season with eighth state championship
No. 1 Beavers wrap perfect season with eighth state championship

WHEELING - In the long, long history of the Bluefield Beavers, perhaps no championship season was ever decided with such a tremendous performance.

The Beavers capped off their 10th perfect season Friday night with a 69-24 smashing of the No. 2 team in Class AA, the Wayne Pioneers, on the artificial turf at Wheeling Island Stadium.

The team, dressed in "Chmara blue," claimed its eighth state title - its first since 1997 - and its second crown since joining the Class AA ranks.

Along the way, they tied the record for points scored in a modern-era West Virginia high school championship game. Nitro scored 69 points against Morgantown in 1998. Bluefield broke the Class AA record for points scored - which had been set against BHS by Wyoming East in the 1999 title tilt, a 57-21 win.

In all, a dozen Class AA records fell in the extraordinary game.

The first offensive play was a shocking 51-yard gain by Wayne's Joshua Powers. Only a sprinting tackle by Mike Davis of BHS prevented a touchdown.

Then, the tide immediately - and inexorably - turned.

Bluefield coach Fred Simon said, "Mistakes may happen a little bit, but I've never given up on these players, all year long. I knew we'd be OK."

Bad snaps, worse punts, fumbles and first-half fizzles in the passing game contributed to Wayne's decline. The Beavers' Herculean defense had a lot to do with the meltdown as well.

Wayne quarterback Nicholas Newell fumbled the ball away - the first of six lost fumbles by the Pioneers - and Andy Bales gathered in the ball and dashed 67 yards to the end zone with 2:16 gone on the clock. Lucas Stone's kick hooked to the left, and the Beavers led 6-0.

The BHS defense held steady on the next series, and Wayne punter Daniel Runyon had to scramble after a high snap. Derrick Steptoe thumped him to the turf a yard away from the goal. The left side of the Beaver line parted the defense for David Perdue's score on the next snap. Stone's kick was true, and BHS led 13-0 after possessing the ball for 5 seconds.

Early in the second quarter, Steptoe cashed in from five yards out to extend the Bluefield lead. Wayne could have run the clock out in the last 20 seconds of the half, but chose to pass and was picked off by Quintin Steptoe.

The next play was a touchdown as Johnathan Repass ran a fade route to the back left corner of the end zone and hauled in Rusty Coeburn's pass. T.J. Morris ran in the two-point conversion to provide BHS a 28-0 halftime margin.

Morris launched the second-half scoring by running 4 yards to the goal line with a fumble. Wayne answered with a long pass from Newell to Trevor Marcum and a 6-yard scoring run by Powers.

The Pioneers then began a series of successful on-side kicks, but the next score belonged to Bluefield. Davis intercepted Newell and ran the ball back 80 yards. Davis added a 14-yard scoring reception from Coeburn later in the period. Wayne ended the third quarter with two passing touchdowns of its own, and the margin was 49-18 going into the final frame.

Derrick Steptoe juked and lunged for a 27-yard score with 10:56 left. The Beaver defense produced another 3-and-out, setting Stone up for a 30-yard field goal which set the Class AA record for points scored by one team in a title game.

On the next snap, the Pioneers' Newell set a Class AA title record of his own - 212 yards passing - with a 73-yard TD completion to Jacob Gilliam.

With 5:20 left in the game, Stone nailed a 41-yard field goal, the longest in a Class AA title game. Wayne committed its last fumble on the next series, recovered by Allen Carter of Bluefield. The stage was set for the final touchdown, a toss from Repass to Jerome Powell. Stone's kick produced the 69-24 final score.

Wayne won time of possession, and held a 292-to-236 edge in total offense.

Bluefield had just one first-half penalty and wound up with 9 flags for 87 yards, with two ejections. Wayne had 12 penalties for 67 yards.

Amid the joyous celebration after the game, Coeburn said, "I can't describe the feeling. I just love being here, winning this game with my brothers. It's a dream come true.

"I think the first play, we were still a little bit under the emotion of being here, but we stopped them and kept them from scoring. We played our butts off. I guess you could tell by the scoreboard that we played our hearts out.

"I'm going to miss it. These are my brothers. I love these guys because each one brings something else to the table. It's great."

Simon said, "I'm very pleased with my players. We played well. We've been here three times and we've had good experience as far as getting her, and I thought our team was ready to go.

"This (senior class) is a special group. We've had great groups before but this is the best of any of them."

Stone, wrapping up his senior year of football, said, "It was wonderful. We had been working on it for so long. It's hard work. It finally paid off and it was great."

Stone more than made up for a botched extra point in a muddy, snowy overtime title game last year that resulted in a 21-20 loss.

"You don't think about last year. It's over. You don't dwell on it. We came out here with a new team, and a new game, and we got it this time."

Wayne coach Tom Harmon said, "It's hard to win any football game when you fumble and bumble around, but we played a very good football team and we wouold have had to have played nearly a perfect game, and that just don't happen very much on this stage.

"I thought our kids didn't quit regardless of the circumstances. We kept on playing to the end.

"I wouldn't trade our kids for anybody. We played valiant all year and we just came out and made a few mistakes. If that's the worst thing that happens to them, then they'll go pretty good."

Coeburn received Bluefield's share of the Samuel A. Mumley Most Valuable Player Award at game's end. Powers was named Wayne's MVP.

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