Storm Offense Too Much For Bison In 56-35 Victory

BUFFALO GAP – Staunton's high-powered offense is impossible to match touchdown-to-touchdown when its clicking. Buffalo Gap tried its best Friday night, but didn't succeed.

The Storm scored on seven straight possessions bridging the first and second halves en route to a resounding 56-35 victory over the Bison in Shenandoah District play.

Buffalo Gap's offense stayed with the Storm for most of the first half, trailing 28-21 after scoring with 31.4 seconds left. Unfortunately that left too much time on the clock. Staunton needed just 27 seconds to regain a two-touchdown lead, and the Bison never recovered.

Staunton senior Marc Geffrard spearheaded the Storm's offensive barrage with three long touchdown runs of 32, 44 and 54 yards. He tossed an option pass that setup the late first-half score and the 54-yard sprint came on the first snap of the second half.

Thomas Chisley hauled in scoring passes of 10 and 41 yards.

The Storm, who hadn't played since Oct. 11 when the offense was held scoreless at home by Riverheads, came into Week 9 tied for fifth with Rustburg in the Region 3C power ratings.

“After the loss, we really wanted to get back to playing again,” Geffrard said. “To have the offense rolling like it was tonight is a really great feeling.”

Staunton is trying to position itself for a home game in the first round of the playoffs, which would please Geffrard to no end.

“I have never been involved in being at home for a playoff game,” he said. “To be able to play in one as a senior would be fantastic.”

Staunton head coach Mike Bell said the team used the bye week to get healthy.

“We didn't focus on Gap that much early on,” he said. “We didn't want to dwell on them for two whole weeks.

“We are happy with the win but not satisfied. We need to keep winning and focusing on ourselves. We can't be worried about what is happening around us in Region 3C,” Bell said.

While Staunton regained some late-season momentum with the victory, wins have deserted the Bison in the second half, losing four straight. Gap slipped one position to No. 3 in Region 1B, but still are in good shape to earn a first-round home game.

Staunton (6-2, 3-1) has two games left in the regular season. The Storm host Fort Defiance next Friday before finishing up at Waynesboro.

“We have a lot to do to get ready for Fort,” Bell said. “(Trey) Miller is an explosive player, who can hurt you in different ways. That can be said for a lot of players on that team. The focus will definitely have to be there next week.”

The 'focus' Bell referred was the lack of it when it came to penalties. The Storm had nearly 20 flags thrown against them, 12 of those the 15-yard killers.

Staunton was forced to punt after its first possession, but scored the next seven times it touched the ball, which opened a 49-27 advantage with 6:17 left in the third quarter.

The Bison actually led once at 15-14 when Isaac Goff scored on a 4-yard run and Colby Yeago ran in the two-point conversion with 10:10 left in the first half.

But Staunton scored the final 21 points of the half. It was the last touchdown that delivered the crushing blow. The Bison had used a 9-play, 64-yard drive, which Goff capped with a 3-yard run that cut the deficit to 28-21 with 31.4 seconds on the clock.

Still plenty of time for the potent Storm. Geffrard hit Chisley with an option pass for 35 yards to Gap's 10. Chisley was in the end zone on the next snap with his 10-yard pass from Maliq McCauley.

“We have benefited from trick plays like crazy over the years, but they got one on us tonight,” Gap head coach Brad Wygant said.

Geffrard delivered the final dagger to the Bison with his 54-yard burst on the first play of the second half.

“Geffrard has given us problems for years,” Wygant said. “He is a big worry in the open field. He will either run over you or around you.

“When they score so fast, it's hard not to be demoralized. You think you are right there and suddenly you are not,” the Gap coach said.

Gap (4-5, 1-4) has one game remaining. The Bison get their much-needed bye next week before concluding on the road at Fort Defiance.

“We have a few bumps and bruises,” Wygant said. “Every game is like a playoff game to us. We will learn from this game. We had some tactics that weren't as sound as we wanted. We will clean them up and hopefully be ready for a long playoff run.”

The Storm's victory evened the series at five games apiece. The schools played in 1980 and 1981 before taking a long hiatus until they resumed on a yearly basis in 2017. Coming into Friday's game each team had scored 218 points in the series.