Saturday, October 24, 2009
Goodman's kick propels Radford's Bobcats over Glenvar
The senior kicker nails a 40-yard field goal in the second half and Radford puts away Glenvar. | Radford 9, Glenvar 6
Radford's William Minter (8) tries to stop Glenvar's Cameron Holshouser, who threw an interception early in the fourth quarter.
Photos by STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times
Radford's D.J. Palmer (2) is stopped by Glenvar's Corey Bolden (20), Jacob Noble (15) and Neelesh Shaw in the third quarter of the Bobcats' victory over host Glenvar on Friday night.
varsity.roanoke.com
Timesland on Twitter
Related
VarsityCast Game of the Week
Michael Goodman has the perfect surname for a kicker.
The first four letters were all Radford fans needed to hear as Goodman kicked a 40-yard field goal with 9:48 left in the third quarter to give the visiting Bobcats a 9-6 Three Rivers District victory over Glenvar.
Goodman's kick from the left hash was into a slight wind, but the 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior drilled the game-winner with room to spare.
"I didn't hit it great but it went through," Goodman said. "I knew as long as I made contact and kept it straight, it was going in."
Radford (5-3, 3-0) remained in first place in the Three Rivers, one game ahead of Giles.
It was far from a comfortable win. Glenvar (6-2, 1-2) outmuscled Radford for much of the night and outgained the Bobcats 213-127. However, Radford's defense turned away a final threat by the Highlanders at the 24-yard line to ice the victory.
"We just hung in there and played really hard. Glenvar had a great game plan," Radford coach Matthew Saunders said. "They're a good football team. We managed just to hang in there long enough."
Radford took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Dontae Carter to D.J. Palmer. Glenvar answered on a 4-yard run by Corey Bolden with 1:11 left before halftime.
The Highlanders -- who got a game-high 72 yards rushing from Zach Hill out of its T-formation offense -- had three major scoring opportunities and failed to convert any of them.
With Radford leading 9-6 late in the third quarter, Bolden attempted a 25-yard field goal but kicked a low line drive that was blocked.
Glenvar drove to the Radford 19 on its next series but Corey Dark intercepted a third-down pass over the middle by Highlanders quarterback Cameron Holshouser.
Phillip Tarpley's 56-yard punt return put Glenvar in good position on the final drive, but with the bruising 6-foot-1, 245-pound Bolden out with an injured right ankle, Holshouser threw incomplete for Richard Gleason in the end zone on fourth-and-5.
It was Glenvar's second close loss with the first coming 30-28 on a last-second field goal at Giles.
"It definitely hurts," Glenvar coach Kevin Clifford said. "We've got a lot of kids that are hurting right now. We battled in both ballgames.
"The season isn't over. We've got two big ballgames left and it's all about finishing. If we finish strong and keep competing, everything will happen the way it's supposed to."
Radford had only one second-half possession that did not end in a punt, the one that resulted in Goodman's field goal.
The Bobcats took over at Glenvar's 26 when Tarpley muffed a punt and the visitors recovered.
Goodman never expected that his kick would hold up as the winning points.
"When I kicked it, I thought we were just going to roll from there," Goodman said.
Tarpley gave Glenvar a chance to win with his weaving punt return after fielding the ball on the 15. Had 230-pound Radford tackle Josh Oliver not tracked Tarpley down from behind, Glenvar might have won the game.
"I saw him run right by me and I said, 'I've just got to do it.' " Oliver said. "I just realized I've only got two more games left and I want to make the playoffs. That was my inspiration."
Radford -- which lost nondistrict games to Pulaski County, George Wythe and two-time defending Group A Division 2 champion Gretna -- is two wins away from sweeping through the Three Rivers.
"That's where we want to be," Saunders said. "We've talked about it all year. You've got to win the right five."
Radford 6 0 3 0--9
Glenvar 0 6 0 0--6
R -- Palmer 7 pass from Carter (kick blocked)
G -- Bolden 4 run (kick blocked)
R -- FG Goodman 40
RA GL
First downs 5 13
Yards rushing 27-71 54-155
Passes C-A-I 7-15-0 3-8-1
Yards passing 61 58
Penalties-yards 8-65 1-15
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0
Punts-average 6-39 3-40
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Radford -- Palmer 6-34, Mitchell 3-15, Adkins 11-13, Carter 6-11, Team 1-(minus-2). Glenvar -- Hill 19-72, Bolden 20-60, Tarpley 10-30, Woods 4-3, Holshouser 1-(minus-10).
PASSING -- Radford -- Carter 7-14-0-61, Palmer 0-1-0-0. Glenvar -- Holshouser 3-8-1-58.
RECEIVING -- Radford -- Palmer 3-7, Mumpower 2-16, Thompson 1-32, Patterson 1-6. Glenvar -- Gleason 3-58.
