Pikeville, KY – The Bluefield Rams traveled to Pikeville on Saturday for a pivotal AAC matchup, both teams entering the game undefeated in conference play. Unfortunately for the Rams, they fell to the Bears 48-34 in a hard-fought battle.
The game started with Pikeville striking first. However, the Rams quickly responded, pushing the ball downfield to set up Senior kicker Riley Stubbs for a 42-yard field goal, putting Bluefield on the board at 3-0. The momentum shifted again when Nehemiah Carter intercepted a pass from Pikeville's quarterback, Kirkland, who had thrown only six interceptions all season. Capitalizing on the turnover, Stubbs kicked another field goal, leveling the game at 6-6.
The second quarter saw the Bears take control, surging ahead to a 27-6 lead. But the Rams, led by quarterback Nathan Herstich, rallied with a series of key passes to Gage Chambers, Jordan Edwards, Christian Mack, and Marcus Bromley. After a timeout at the Pikeville 12-yard line, Herstich found Gio Burns for a 12-yard touchdown, with Stubbs adding the extra point to make it 27-13 at halftime.
The Bears came out strong in the third quarter, scoring two more touchdowns to extend their lead to 41-13. However, the Rams began to mount a comeback. After another interception, this time by Eric Boyd, Bluefield capitalized with a touchdown pass from Herstich to Connor Padgett, making it 41-20.
As the game progressed, a pivotal moment emerged when a pass from Herstich to Burns was initially ruled incomplete. Coach Lusk decided to challenge the call, and the AAC officials overturned the decision, ruling it a touchdown. This marked a significant milestone, as it was only the second time in AAC history that a challenge was successfully overturned for a touchdown. This adjustment brought the score to 48-27.
Despite Pikeville scoring again, the Rams kept pressing. Herstich connected with Jordan Edwards for a 32-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 48-34 after another successful extra point from Stubbs.
Head Coach Dewey Lusk after the game, "UPike has the best offensive football team we have seen this season. We battled and played hard, and never gave up. We played much better in the 2nd half and cut into their lead, but it was too late. We will have to regroup this week and get ready for Reinhardt another tough AAC opponent."
Game Leaders
Passing
Rushing
- Rayjuan Trynham: 9 carries for 64 yards (avg. 7.1 yards/carry)
- Braydon Holley: 11 carries for 52 yards (avg. 4.7 yards/carry)
- Nathan Herstich: 7 carries for 23 yards (avg. 3.3 yards/carry)
Receiving
Defense
Punting
- Riley Stubbs: 4 punts for 160 yards (avg. 40.0 yards), long of 46 yards
Field Goals
The Rams will be back in action on their home field this Saturday, November 2nd, at 1:30 PM, as they take on Reinhardt University for another crucial AAC match-up.
