The Red Devils (2-4) line up during the second quarter to defend against the Cougars (4-2) on a rainy night at Laidley Field.
Capital (4-2) shut out St. Albans (2-4) on the rain soaked turf at Laidley Field this evening, beating the Red Dragons, 14-0, on homecoming night. The win was not pretty—plagued with penalties, mishandling of the football, and a host of unsubstantial drives on both ends—but Capital managed to keep the ball on the ground and, more importantly, score.
Capital has had success in the rain with the help of their star running back, Keion Wright. Wright was instrumental in the Cougars’ 8-6 win against South Charleston just 2 weeks ago, rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown during a torrential downpour at Oakes Field.
Wright was first to score against the Red Devils on a goal line run early in the second quarter putting Capital on top, 7-0.
According to St. Albans fan Kristina Saddler, Injuries and illnesses were a problem for the Red Dragons before and during the game, which may have accounted for some of the trouble the offense had in responding.
“There are several team members who have injuries, and they’re getting better now,” St. Albans fan Kristina Saddler said. “And with prayers and the community, they’ll be fine.”
With little time to prepare for the absence of their starting quarterback, Wade Slayton, the Red Dragons enlisted their freshman backup quarterback.
“Wade came to school, had the flu today, and had to go home,” St. Albans head coach Derek Christian said. “So, we had to improvise, and we did what we could do. We still played them tough and we came up short.”
The Red Devils (2-4) tend to defensive tackle Joe Kyle as rain saturates Laidley field.
In addition to the quarterback’s absence, Red Devils wideout JC Synder and tackle Joe Kyle were carried off the field in the opening half of tonight’s game. Both players were being evaluated for sprains and fractures.
The score remained 7-0 until late in the fourth quarter. With 3:11 left in the game, the Red Dragons were sitting fourth and thirteen on their own 13-yard-line. Forced to punt, they lined up with the place holder near the end zone. The ball was snapped high and Capital’s sophomore linebacker, Dustin Pullin recovered in the end zone. Capital jumped ahead 14-0.
“We couldn’t get a break,” Christian said. “The ball was all over the turf and we just couldn’t get on that dang thing.”
The Red Dragons had little time to recover, but they were able to return the kickoff to the Cougars 43-yard-line and follow up with a rush to the 7-yard-line before going out of bounds. With 2:25 on the clock, the Cougars held strong, regained possession and ran the clock out.
“It’s tough when you lose your quarterback on the day of the game and, you know, it probably kind of affected them somewhat mentally,” Christian said. “But, the bottom line is, Capital whipped us up front basically, so that’s about it.”
Next week the Cougars travel to Spring Valley to take on the top-ranked and Spring Valley (7-0). The Red Dragons also face a big challenge as they head to South Charleston to take on last year’s Class AAA state champions, the Big Eagles (5-1).
Comments: