William Byrd stuns Salem in football win

A hard-nosed, blue-collar physical football team walked out of Salem Stadium on Friday with its third straight season-opening football victory.

It was not the Salem Spartans.

William Byrd butted into Salem's homecoming dance, turned over the punch bowl and headed back to Vinton with a pulsating 30-29 triumph for its first win over the Spartans since 2003.

Quarterback Zac Hill had all the right moves for Byrd (3-0). The 5-foot-10 senior ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns and engineered the game-winning drive that ended with a two-point conversion pass to James Stinnette with 1:26 to play.

The Terriers became just the third visiting team to win a regular-season game on Salem's home field in the last 10 seasons, overcoming a 15-0 first-quarter deficit to hand Timesland's second-ranked team its first regular-season loss since 2011.

Hill, who passed for 70 yards and caught a pass for 11 yards, wasn't shocked.

"I had a feeling today at school," he said. "I just felt like we were about to get it, and we got it."

Salem (2-1) seemed ready to send the home fans away happy again after Devante Payne's 2-yard run with 4:16 to play put the Spartans up 29-22.

It was just a speed bump for Hill, who led Byrd on a 65-yard scoring drive in eight plays, completing a 42-yard pass to Josh Marcus that set up Simeon Horstmann's 1-yard run with 1:26 left .

Byrd coach Jeff Highfill, a Salem native who led Byrd to six wins over the Spartans between 1993 and 2003, never hesitated in going for the two-point conversion.

The Terriers flooded the right side of the field with receivers, but Hill looked left and found Stinnette wide open for the game-winning score.

"We've had that play for years," Highfill said. "We just adjusted it a little bit this week. We always try to have something ready. We don't always use them."

Byrd nearly put the game away when John Kelly recovered the ensuing line-drive kickoff after it bounced off Salem's Jacob Lindamood. The Spartans forced a punt, but used all three of their timeouts.

Salem's final drive began at its 24-yard line with 53 seconds remaining.

Rahmir Stovall and Horstmann sacked Spartans quarterback Austin Coulling on first-down, then Dylan Fisher recorded a third-down sack. When a harried Coulling spiked the ball on fourth down, the game was over.

Byrd left with its biggest victory since current Terriers assistant Jeff Highfill Jr. quarterbacked the program to three straight wins over the Spartans from 2001-03.

"Coach just said, 'We're coming into the bully's back yard tonight and we just got to punch them in the mouth, ' "
Hill said. "They got up on us 15-0 and we never quit."

Salem led 8-0 after Coulling hit Isaiah Parker for a 46-yard TD on the opening series. Following a bad snap on a punt by Byrd, the Spartans went up 15-0 on a 1-yard run by Coleman Fox.

That's when Hill went to work.

Operating behind the lead-blocking of Horstmann and powerful L.J. Williams, Hill scored on runs of 11, 7 and 22 yards to put the Terriers up 22-15.

"He certainly didn't do it himself, but Zac's a warrior," Highfill said.

Salem tied the score in the third quarter on Coulling's 4-yard TD pass to Fox, then the Spartans took their final lead on Payne's score.

No problem for Hill.

Marcus, a Byrd basketball player who did not play in 2012 because of a back injury, made a brilliant catch to put the Terriers at the Salem 1, leading to the winning score.

"I got him to come out this year because I knew he would make a big difference," Hill said.

Hill amassed 34 carries, giving him almost 80 in three games. Salem could not stop him.

"We knew they had heart and they were going to bring it out today," Salem tackle Alex Light said. "We had our hands full."

The loss prevented Salem coach Stephen Magenbauer from reaching 100 victories at Salem in his 10th season on the job. The Spartans coach was impressed with Byrd's power-running game featuring Hill.

"What makes it work is they're one of the few teams left that makes sure they practice physical every day and hits you in the mouth all game," Magenbauer said. "That's why it's always worked at Byrd.

"We've played Byrd every year since I was at Glenvar. You sort of feel what they're going to do. It doesn't help much. You've got to stop it. I respect that a lot."

Byrd was happy to be a homecoming spoiler.

"When we beat them in '93, it was the first time we ever beat them up here," Highfill said. "I think it was homecoming. I know most football coaches don't care for homecoming. I'm glad we could go to someone else's homecoming."

BOX SCORE

William Byrd 0 15 7 8-30
Salem 15 0 7 7-29

Sal - Parker 46 pass from Coulling (Fox run)

Sal - Fox 1 run (Reighard kick)

WB - Hill 11 run (Coleman kick)

WB - Hill 7 run (Hill run)

WB - Hill 22 run (Coleman kick)

Sal - Fox 4 pass from Coulling (Reighard kick)

Sal - Payne 2 run (Reighard kick)

WB - Horstmann 1 run (Stinnette pass from Hill)

WB SA

First downs 22 13

Yards rushing 52-283 38-201

Passes C-A-I 7-15-0 10-15-0

Yards passing 81 123

Penalties-yards 2-15 5-40

Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-1

Punts-average 3-35.3 0-0.0

Individual statistics

RUSHING - William Byrd, Hill 34-198, Horstmann 12-46, Fletcher 1-29, Williams 3-16, Team 2-(-6).

Salem, Fox 19-142, Payne 5-27, Womack 8-24, Hunt 4-19, Coulling 2-(-11).

PASSING - William Byrd, Hill 6-14-0-70, Fletcher 1-1-0-11. Salem, Coulling 10-15-0-123.

RECEIVING - William Byrd, Marcus 4-59, Shepherd 2-14, Hill 1-11. Salem, Parker 6-95, Gladden 2-18, Ramsey 1-9, Fox 1-1.

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