Bulldogs looking to even series with Blue Devils
Published 10/26/2006 By GEORGE THWAITES
Past, present and future will converge when Appalachia (7-1, 4-1) faces Gate City (4-4, 3-2) at Legion Field Friday night.
Gate City has a one-game lead (20-19-1) in the football series between the two communities that began in 1932 when Shoemaker High School was the home of the Blue Devils.
The rivalry attained storied status in the mid-1960s with Harry Fry coaching the Blue Devils and Jim Riggs commanding the Bulldogs. After a 20-year hiatus, the series resumed in 1990 with two other VHSL Hall-of-Fame coaches on opposite sidelines: Gate City's Nick Colobro and Appalachia's Tom Turner.
Gate City maintained a 6-3 edge during the 1990s, but nearly all the games between the two programs that decade were high-profile crowd pleasers.
Turner died unexpectedly last April shortly after announcing his retirement. Fry passed away in May.
"It's hard to get away from the fact that you miss old times," said Colobro, who was a teammate of Turner's at Virginia Tech.
"That's always going to be there when you walk out. You feel like you're supposed to see Tom over there. You feel like you're supposed to see coach Fry and coach Riggs out there."
"That's life. Time moves on," Colobro reflected, "But you still have memories about it. That's always going to be a big part of the history of this ballgame."
Last year, Gate City beat Appalachia 21-6. This year, the Bulldogs - whose only loss has been to unbeaten J.I. Burton - find the Blue Devils in difficult circumstances.
Running back Tyler Parks, who'd rushed for 808 yards and 11 scores prior to getting injured early at Clintwood, won't play Friday and is probably gone for the season. Late in last week's 39-21 loss to Powell Valley, Gate City lost quarterback Tihlee Anderson to a concussion.
Anderson could possibly return to action next week against J.I. Burton, but is doubtful for this week.
Sophomore Jon Kern is the probable starter at quarterback, with sophomore Eric Hutchins - younger brother of Shawn Hutchins - in a back-up role. Payton Jenkins and Dustin Jones will show up in the backfield, as will Jessee Broadwater. Hutchins, who can also line up at flanker, could also see some carries.
"You'd like to have somebody with the experience that some of our veterans have. They've seen things. They've done things. They know what to expect," said Colobro.
"But they're not there, so these kids are stepping in. We think they've done some things real well for us. We're just thankful that we have the effort they're giving us, and they're doing a good job."
Appalachia has done nothing but steadily improve since losing 47-0 to Norton in game two. Fullback Brett Leedy (124-667, 10 TDs) and halfbacks Sammy Jessee (7-564, 5 TDs) and Morgan Ireson (53-431, 6 TDs) and rhombus fullback Andrew "Roadkill" Carter fuel the Bulldogs' punishing ground attack.
The play-action pass is also an effective weapon for Appalachia. Quarterback Cody Richardson has passed for 780 yards and eight scoring strikes. Ireson (14-246, 2 TDs), Adam Kiser (11-287, 5 TDs) and Devin Brickey (8-212, 2 TDs) pace the Bulldog receiving corps
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