The Graham G-Men, the defending AA state champions, will play host to the resurgent Tazewell Bulldogs tonight in one of the area”s oldest rivalries.
Graham is coming off a 41-27 loss to rival Bluefield in a packed house at Mitchell Stadium. The G-Men were led by their senior quarterback Devin Lester. The do-it-all Old Dominion University commit compiled over 250 yards rushing against the stacked Beavers defense, while adding over 100 yards through the air and accounting two touchdowns. The tough running halfback Tre Booker added a touchdown on the ground and sophomore Xavion Turner added multiple big plays that wowed the massive crowd. On defense the G-Men were led by senior linebacker Aaron Edwards, who accounted for close to 20 tackles and 5 sacks against the Beavers. Sure footed Joey Dales kept the G-Men in good field position, while connecting on three of four extra points.
Tazewell is entering week two after a blowout win over the Virginia High Bearcats. Chancellor Harris impressed the crowd at Fred Selfe Stadium on the campus of Emory & Henry by rushing for 210 yards on only 9 carries and four touchdowns. Harris also supplied a highlight reel punt return for a touchdown. New starting quarterback Gavin Nunley directed the offense, completing all four of his passes, while rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Josiah Jordan showed off his big play ability, rushing the ball twice for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs averaged over 21 yards per carry on the night on offense, while only allowing a mere 14 points on defense. Senior linebacker Cameron Taylor led the charge for the Bulldogs, while defensive end Jacob Witt came up with a big interception for the ‘Dogs.
This matchup will be the 99th meeting between the two schools. The G-Men hold a 56-37-5 advantage over the Bulldogs. Graham has increased the margin over Tazewell by winning 10 of the last 11 matchups. Tazewell’s last win in the series came in 2014.
Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at Mitchell Stadium. If you can’t be there, tune in to the Tazewell Bulldog Radio Network. You can find the radio broadcast on their dedicated apps, by searching “Tazewell Bulldog Radio Network” on the Apple or Google Play app stores, or on Facebook Live at Facebook.com/TazewellBulldogRadio. The stream can also always be found on TazewellBulldogRadio.com
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