Published: September 23, 2008 05:10 pm            

Valley Middle improves to 3-0

Valley scored once in each half and made that stand up in a 12-0 shutout of visiting Fayetteville last Thursday in middle school football action.

The Greyhounds received an 11-yard touchdown run from Ken Haynes during a 19-carry-for-128-yards effort, and quarterback Matt Whiteside provided the other six points on a one-yard sneak. Whiteside rushed for 27 yards and was 4-of-7 for 81 yards through the air.

Haynes caught a 6-yard pass, Drew Jones snared two balls for 20 yards, and Arik McGinnis hauled in a 55-yarder.

Whiteside and Casey Stewart had six tackles each to power the defense. McGinnis provided an interception and two tackles, Jones had a pass theft and three tackles, and Nathan Phillips recovered a fumble and recorded four stops.

“The game was more of a defensive battle,” said Valley coach Chip Warden, whose team limited the Pirates’ rushing attack to 32 yards. “I was most proud of the way we played defense.”

“It was a well-contested game,” said Fayetteville coach John Mark Kincaid, whose team suffered three turnovers compared to none for Valley. “I am pleased with how our seventh graders are improving.

“I was proud of our effort and intensity.”.

Valley entertains Ansted at 6 p.m. Thursday at WVU Tech’s Martin Field.

In earlier games:



Valley 28, Meadow Bridge 8



Buoyed by Ken Haynes’ 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the game, the host Greyhounds rolled to a 20-0 halftime lead and cruised past the Wildcats.

Meadow Bridge coach Steve Hambrick said three fumbles hurt the progress of the Wildcat offense. “The first two drives we were doing well, then we coughed the ball up,” he said.

For Valley, Haynes also carried 10 times for 80 yards and one score, and he reached paydirt on a 5-yard pass from Matt Whiteside. The other Greyhound score came on a 48-yard scoring strike from Whiteside to Arik McGinnis in the second half.

Valley also got a pair of two-point conversions from Whiteside.

Whiteside passed for 59 yards and rushed for 35 yards, Keyshawn Payne rushed for 32, and Drew Jones added a 6-yard reception from Whiteside.

Nathan Phillips and Slayton Beard supplied four tackles each for the Greyhounds, and Cody Winter and Casey Stewart had fumble recoveries.



Valley 32, Ansted 8



In the season opener, Valley got four TDs from Ken Haynes in coasting past the Trailblazers. Haynes scored on runs covering 13, 4 and 25 yards and on a 68-yard pass from Matt Whiteside. He caught a total of five passes for 120 yards and rushed 13 times for 116 stripes.

Whiteside reached the end zone on a 14-yard jaunt, and Drew Jones contributed a two-point conversion run.

Darius Hutchinson had six carries for 31 yards.

Defensively for Valley, Nathan Phillips and Shane Hypes recorded five tackles each, Casey Stewart collected four tackles and a fumble recovery, and Myles White registered a pair of stops, a fumble recovery and an interception.

        

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