Blue Eagles Upset Greenbrier West, 33-20
The Blue Eagles’ Nick Priem threw four touchdown passes on 8-12 passes to lead Magnolia to an upset victory over the Greenbrier West Cavaliers, 33-20 Sept. 13 at Greenbrier West High School.
“Saturday was a great win and a great experience for our entire team,” said MHS Head Football Coach Josh Sims. “Now we want eight more.”
The Blue Eagles took the opening kick and traveled 67 yards on 10 plays, keyed by a pair of Priem passes to Caleb Nice that ended with a 17-yard pitch-and-catch to Tyler Anderson for the game’s first score. Anderson also booted the extra point kick.
The Cavaliers answered quickly with a 48-yard TD run to pull to within one after the extra point conversion kick was off its mark. After the ensuing kickoff, the Greenbrier West defense dropped the Eagles running game to a one-yard loss on their second possession to the 19 yard line. Priem led the speedy Brooks Parsons perfectly on an 81-yard bomb to capture a 14-6 lead in the first period after another Anderson PAT.
Neither team mounted another scoring drive until late in the second period, when Greenbrier West scored on a seven-yard scamper to knot the game at 14 after the two-point conversion and just before heading into the locker room at the half.
Neither team scored on their first touches of the third period. But, after holding the defending Class-A runner-up Cavaliers to a three-and-out, the Big Blue scored on a nice Priem-to-Anderson 20-yard pitch-and-catch TD that gave Magnolia back the lead at 21-14.
In the next series of plays, Magnolia recovered a fumble at midfield. After a pair of runs by Anderson and Chase Street,
Priem hit Anderson on a pair of screens with the last one going for 14 yards for the score on the first play of the fourth period. The PAT failed, but Magnolia held a 27-14 lead.
After the ensuing kick, the Magnolia defense held Greenbrier West with Carter Seckman jumping on the slippery pigskin when the third and long snap went over their QB’s head in the end zone. The score stood 33-14 with 10:54 remaining in the game.
Greenbrier West scored late in the fourth period on a 52-yard bomb, but the two-point conversion attempt was off the mark and the game ended with Magnolia on top 33-20 for its first victory of the season.
Priem tossed for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Anderson netted 93 yards receiving and 67 yards rushing for 160 total yards and three touchdowns. Street added 27 yards rushing, Parsons hauled in an 81-yard TD catch and Nice snatched two for 63 yards.
Defensively, Nice made nine solo tackles and four assists, while forcing a fumble and making two quarterback sacks, to lead the charge. Peau Halahingano and Anderson brought down nine and eight Cavaliers respectively. Hunter Brill made six tackles and made a fumble recovery, while Seckman dropped five and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
The Eagles will travel across the river friday night to take on the River Pilots at 7:30 p.m.