What to Know: One of the biggest turnaround stories in Virginia High School Football lately has transpired at a small school nestled in the Appalachian Mountain of Southwest Virginia. In 2022, new Head Coach Gary Collier inherited a Rye Cove team that was on a 13-game losing streak and made them an instant contender. It […]
What to Know: One of the biggest turnaround stories in Virginia High School Football lately has transpired at a small school nestled in the Appalachian Mountain of Southwest Virginia. In 2022, new Head Coach Gary Collier inherited a Rye Cove team that was on a 13-game losing streak and made them an instant contender. It opened a surprising 5-0 and the hot start helped them make them playoff-bound for the first time in 11 years. That was followed by an 11-2 mark in 2023 and 13-1 record last year, where they won the Region 1D crown and reached the State Semis.
Only nine seniors graduated from the history-making season where the Eagles put up a whopping 648 points – 48 per contest. Having said that, many of them were integral contributors, seven being starters on both sides of the ball. The guy that orchestrated their attack from the quarterback position, Landon Lane, is now an assistant coach. All Lane did on the field was account for 3021 yards and 51 total TD’s – 28 rushing and 23 passing – while completing 63.8% of his passes.
Two players, senior Jacob Jessee (5-11, 170) and junior Tyler Shupe (5-9, 190), are competing for the snaps at QB. A couple of freshmen, Gage Walden and Eli Head, may not see varsity action this season, but appear to be future candidates at the position for the Eagles. Jacob was sidelined all of last year with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Whoever sees the most time under center will have the luxury of throwing it to Jacob’s twin brother, senior tight end Luke Jessee (6-0, 167), or handing it off to a quartet of really effective rushers in Will Rollins (6-1, 225), Carter Roach-Hodge (5-11, 190), Cole Barnette (5-10, 145) and Blake Goins (5-8, 160). All are seniors except Barnette, a rising junior.
Rollins is the engine to their attack, rolling up 795 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground to go with a team-high 108 tackles from his linebacker spot on defense. In fact, he was one of the two All-State First Team picks for the Eagles a year ago. Roach-Hodge earned First Team All-Region accolades at linebacker and 2nd Team All-Region running the football. It won’t stun anyone if he gets triple-digit stops this year and pops off several games of 100+ yards from scrimmage.
Barnette, a Second Team All-State selection at kick returner and 2nd Team All-Cumberland District at running back, is dangerous in space. His 75-yard kickoff return to the house to begin the second half was a highlight-reel moment in a 61-28 rout of Grundy in the regional semifinals. Goins recovered from a broken collarbone sustained last September against Honaker to run for 111 yards on only nine touches in that game vs. Grundy, often displaying superb vision and balance when he touches the rock.
Simply put, the Rye Cove offense isn’t short on weaponry. Nor adequate blocking. The linchpin of a sturdy offensive line is mammoth lineman Ethan Lawson (6-6, 300), a Class of 2027 prospect with offers to date from East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Syracuse and UVA-Wise. The First Team All-Region 1D honoree towers over defenders throughout the Commonwealth. Both he and senior Cooper Bowen (6-2, 252), a 2nd Team All-Cumberland choice, lead the line.
Others that factor in on the equation on the line of scrimmage include senior C/DE Carter Austin (6-0, 201), junior OG/LB Clifton Bishop (5-11, 191), senior OT/DT Shaun Edwards (6-3, 251) and junior tight end Ben McElroy (5-11, 200). A couple more Second Team All-Cumberland District performers – senior LB/DE Hagan Rhoton (5-11, 235) and senior DB Brady Darnell (5-8, 165) – will be counted on to make plays on defense with some of the two-way standouts.
In total, there are about 12 seniors on the Rye Cove football team and they have more depth than most teams at the Class 1 level. The combination of experience and rotating in players to stay fresh ought to serve beneficial as the Eagles close in on the postseason in Region 1D, where teams like Eastside, Chilhowie and Honaker are chomping at the bit to keep them from returning to the State Playoffs.
Out of the gate, Rye Cove gets a very tricky opener played on August 23rd at Emory & Henry against Lord Botetourt, a traditional Class 3 title contender. Many will be circling the October 10th trip to Coeburn to take on Eastside in a re-match of last year’s Region 1D Finals that they won by a count of 26-20. That game will go a long way towards determining home-field in the playoffs. With the mix of backs, linemen and two hard-hitting linebackers leading them, another terrific foray into November, perhaps even December, awaits.
Other Class 1 Top Ten Previews:
#8 – George Wythe Maroons – Read More Here
#9 – Narrows Green Wave – Read More Here
#10 – Northumberland Indians – Read More Here
Final Class 1 Top Ten Rankings from 2024:
#1 – Essex (14-1)
#2 – Altavista (12-1)
#3 – Grayson County (10-4)
#4 – Rye Cove (13-1)
#5 – Rappahannock (12-1)
#6 – Eastside (11-2)
#7 – Bath County (11-1)
#8 – George Wythe (8-4)
#9 – Grundy (7-5)
#10 – Westmoreland (7-5)
Matthew Hatfield has served as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com since 2016 and been writing for the web site under the Rivals umbrella dating back to 2004. Matthew also has served as the Play-by-Play Voice for Old Dominion Women’s Basketball since 2021. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates. To contact Matthew, please e-mail [email protected], and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV, where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.
Category: General Sports
