After being shutout to Blacksburg in their season opener, the Giles Spartans (0-2) fell to their second Montgomery County opponent of the season, the Christiansburg Blue Demons. The Blue Demons not only ended the six-year losing streak to the Spartans but they also will start out the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2012.
Christiansburg also matched their win total for the entire 2018 season.
Running back Maston Stanley torched the Spartan defense with 209 rushing yards and two touchdowns to lead the Blue Demons to a 28-13 victory.
Christiansburg got on the board in their opening drive with the help of a costly penalty. After stopping the Blue Demons on a third-and-long, Giles committed a personal foul penalty, giving Christiansburg a free set of downs. It wasn’t long after that when Stanley took it around the right end for a touchdown from 23 yards out to jump out to a 7-0 lead.
Maston Stanley 23 yard TD. Stanley finished with 209 rushing yards and two TDs (photo by Adam Hankins)
Giles looked to answer back on the following possession as they used the single-wing attack to march down the field. The Spartans found themselves facing a fourth down inside the Christiansburg 20-yard line. Head Coach Jeff Williams elected to go for it instead of attempting the field goal but the Spartans came up short, giving the ball and momentum back to the Blue Demons.
On the ensuing drive, Christiansburg found themselves in another third-and-long situation, but Giles committed an additional costly penalty, giving the Blue Demons a first down. Christiansburg drove deeper into Spartan territory and from there quarterback M.J. Hunter scrambled into the endzone from five yards out.
Dominic Collini with plenty of open field as he carries it to endzone for 59 yards. (photo by Adam Hankins)
Trailing 14-0, Giles wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, as fullback Dominic Collini broke loose up the middle and ran 59 yards to paydirt. After a failed two-point conversion, Giles narrowed the lead to 14-6 going into the half.
The Blue Demons added two more scores in the second half. Early in the third quarter, Hunter connected with Simpkins for the 25 yard TD. Stanley added his second score of the night late in the fourth with a 49 yard TD run.
Tailback Chaston Ratcliffe had the lone score in the second half for Giles from five yards out.
Collini lead the Spartans with 103 yards and one TD on 18 carries. Ratcliffe finished with 52 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Gage Fleeman completed five of eight passes for 58 yards for Giles.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Spartans as they travel to Bluefield, VA on Friday to meet up with the defending 2A-State Champions, Graham.
Christiansburg will host Patrick County on Friday.
Born in Pulaski, Va it only took a few years before I would end up in the beautiful Giles County where I would graduate in 2012 from Giles High School. Since the age of 4, Pearisburg has been my homeplace and I don’t have any plans to leave.
Sports have always been big in my family. My father was fortunate enough to be able to play football for the Spartans in 1978, which was the first year that Coach Steve Ragsdale introduced the single-wing offense which we will still run today.
My high school football career was cut short due to a knee injury that I sustained my junior year, but fortunately I was able to compete in the State Championship my senior year as a shot put thrower on the track and field team.
I now get to enjoy the football games in the stands with my father as we are known as, “them guys with the train horn,” which we take to every football game. GO SPARTANS!
