Allen Gregory
BIG STONE GAP, Va. - Early this season, Garrett Amburgey set the all-time school record for wins by an Abingdon football coach.
The latest victory for Amburgey was among the sweetest.
With a relentless running game and physical defense, the AHS Falcons downed the Union Bears 28-21 in a battle for Mountain 7 District supremacy.
In was the third triumph at famed Bullitt Park in the last four trips for AHS.
"Anytime you are competing for a district championship, a win is special," Amburgey said. "That was our goal at the beginning of the season and it was a big motivator for our kids tonight."
AHS running back Owen Barr was certainly motivated.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound senior accounted for 188 yards rushing and two scores on 38 carries.
People are also reading... HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Honaker undergoes coaching change, Aaron Lowe to be interim boss NBA: Mac McClung (Gate City) dishes out two assists for Magic in loss at Memphis HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Prep Predictions for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: On a day with sublime stats and a state record, Virginia High's Keshawn Smith is star of stars in win over Lebanon HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Carter Creasy has authored a storybook run at Tazewell HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Emmah McAmis becomes VHSL career kills leader in Wise Central's loss to Ridgeview; Abingdon beats Battle in M7 semis FRIDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Richlands sends 19-game losing skid packing; Lee's Pendergraft throws 7 TD passes; Rye Cove edges Chilhowie; Holston, Eastside are 7-1; Four more TDs for GW's Rainey; Plus much, much more HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Reynolds helps Patrick Henry wrap up Hogo tourney win over Honaker HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Statzer, Trivette's blocks boost Abingdon to win over Ridgeview in Mountain 7 playoff HISTORY WITH HAYES | From pros to pops: Julius Jones has no regrets about NFL career and is now dad of two football-playing sons HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: A calculator was needed to add up sublime stats in the week that was. A look back and a glance ahead MONDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Council vs. Grundy in BDD volleyball finals; Central's McAmis on verge of history; Central, Twin Springs, Rye Cove, Chilhowie, Ridgeview, Auburn sweep; THS runners fare well in region TUESDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Southwest, Hogoheegee, Mountain Empire District cross country meets held; Grundy wins BDD volleyball tourney; Lebanon, Richlands, Twin Valley, Eastside, J.I. Burton also win in vball HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Walker Hillman loves to pound away at defenders for Gate City HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Virginia High extends win streak at SWD tourney; Marion also wins
"I'm a little tired, but I could have run the ball all run night the way my teammates were supporting me," Barr said.
Behind the tandem of powerful junior running back Keith Chandler and quick junior quarterback Kam Bostic, Union (6-3, 4-1) took a 21-14 lead into halftime.
"We went into the fourth quarter tied with a Class 3 team, and I thought we had a chance," Union coach Travis Turner said.
Enter Barr.
Following his linemen and making smart cuts, the speedster continually split the Union defense for five-yard gains.
The Falcons (8-1, 5-0) forced a 21-21 tie at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter when Barr finished off an eight-play drive covering 49 yards.
After stopping Union on downs at midfield, AHS then crafted an 11-play and 50-yard march that culminated with another Barr scoring run with 8:59 left in the game. Senior right tackle Gage Crabtree delivered the key block.
"We were able to milk the clock after that," Amburgey said. "Owen runs the ball so hard and our guys up front did a tremendous job blocking."
Perhaps the most important carry of the night for Barr came on a fourth down and two situation at the Union 21-yard line with 2:10 remaining.
Despite getting hit at the line scrimmage, Barr bounced off the defender and picked up the first down.
"I knew where I had to go, so I just put my head down and went after it," Barr said.
Amburgey has seen Barr work his second effort magic many times.
"Teams know the ball is going to Owen, but he has great vision and still breaks tackles," Amburgey said.
Union had few chances on offense in the final quarter.
"Abingdon did a good job of controlling the game in the second half behind that big offensive line and excellent running back in Barr," Turner said.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed | Omny Studio
Chandler finished with 99 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Bostic added 107 yards and another score on 12 carries.
"We played extremely hard and had some momentum," Turner said. "Abingdon is just massive up front and we couldn't make the key stops or keep our drives going."
Linebackers Kieffer Widener and Alex Hawkins combined on 15 tackles for AHS.
But the familiar hero of the night for AHS fans was Barr.
"Along with my linebacker, I give credit to our new running back coach," Barr said. "Coach (Raequon) Jordan is a great guy and he coaches up on ways to make cuts and reads."
Another key for Barr is an intangible.
"To me, football all comes down to a mindset," Barr said. "Late in the game tonight, I knew we had to get those first downs and I wasn't about to go out.
"I became a lot more physical in the off season and that's helped."
Many teams have folded under the big game atmosphere and theatrics at Bullitt Park.
What's the secret for Amburgey?
"This is a great place to play, but we just told the guys that we needed to settle in and play our game without letting the crowd, train horn and overall noise get to us," Amburgey said.
"We were able to do that and we're going to savor this win."
Abingdon 7 7 7 7-28
Union 6 15 0 0 0-21
Scoring Summary
U - Chander 1 run (kick failed)
AHS - Honaker 30 pass from Brooks (Sollien kick)
AHS - Dillow 25 interception return (Sollien kick)
U - Bostic 34 run (Chandler run)
U - Wharton 6 pass from Bostic (Bishop kick)
AHS - Barr 7 run (Sollien kick)
AHS - Barr 4 run (Sollien kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: AHS 18, U 14; Rushes-Yards: AHS 44-199, U 202; Passing Yards: AHS 54, U 43; Comp.-Att.-Int.: AHS 4-8-1, U 5-9-1; Penalties: AHS 3-36, U 6-50; Fumbles-Lost: AHS 0-0, U 0-0; Punts-Average: AHS 1-45, U 2-40
[email protected] | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Allen Gregory Author facebook Author twitter Author email Follow Allen Gregory Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today