Rams Fall Apart in Third Quarter as Reinhardt Rolls, 50-10

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

Photo Courtesy of Al Levine

BLUEFIELD, Va. – In a game that was delayed nearly three hours due to inclement weather, 26 points in the third quarter blew a close contest wide open for No. 10 Reinhardt on Saturday, as the Eagles flew away from the Rams of Bluefield (Va.) with a big second half in a 50-10 final.

The hometown team is on the verge of another Appalachian Division crown within the Mid-South Conference after improving to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the league.

"Great win with some adversity because of the lightning delay," head coach James Miller said. "I thought our kids handled that good. We did some good things in the first half, but hurt ourselves with some penalties, mistakes and a poor kick on the extra-point. We came in at the half and the kids got us right and had a really good second half. I thought our kids made some big plays through the air… Really good to see Navarie make the plays we know he can. Kelly is a big-play threat as well, and the B-backs are running really hard.

"Defense created big turnovers and a touchdown on defense, so I am super proud of their effort. We really got after the quarterback and our special teams responded like I knew they would; so proud of the effort, especially on kickoff. I love our staff and players… Great effort across the board and I am really proud."

A 39-yard field goal from Reinhardt was the only scoring in the first quarter on either side, but the Eagles would cap off an 80-yard drive with a 27-yarder through the air from Billy Hall to Navarie Solomon for a score in the early minutes of the second period to make it 10-0.

The scoring would heat up in the middle portions of the second stanza as the Rams got on the board with a short field goal of their own, but they watched as Solomon responded with another score through the air from two yards away.

Bluefield would grab momentum right before halftime after it traveled 90 yards to score a touchdown and head to the locker room down by just seven at 17-10.

From there, the wheels fell off for the hosts from Virginia.

The third quarter was full of highlights for the visitors, which included a 34-yard touchdown catch by Dylan Kelly, a 25-yard interception return for a score on the next offensive play by Teon Burroughs and a 2-yard run into the paint by Bryce Burgess following another turnover.

The Eagles weren't done there, either, as they made the score 43-10 after Hall went deep down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown strike to PJ Williams. The visiting defense continued to dominate the Rams in the second half and got the ball back to Hall and company, who scored once more – 40 seconds into the final period – on an 8-yard dash by Kelly.

The hometown team had 485 yards of offense, including 283 through the air.

Hall was 10-of-18 for 286 yards and four scores through the air. Kelly finished with 130 yards receiving and a score. Williams had 72 yards and Solomon added 69.

The Eagle defense had four interceptions by four different players. Bryce Atchison had six total tackles and numerous players had three-or-more stops.

Senior Day is next week as the team takes on the Knights of Kentucky Christian with the division title up for grabs.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

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