Climbing high

Taylor Mickelberry, Sports Correspondent
Published: September 13, 2008

Idle weeks are typically used as a time to stop and regroup and establish what was working and what was not. But for a Madison team that now sits at 2-0, this week was used simply to relax and practice for the tough schedule they have ahead.

What the Mountaineers have been using so far has been working. Madison has relied heavily on its run game in convincing victories over Nelson County and William Monroe, but the passing game hasn’t been far behind.

Quarterback Will Taylor had a terrific first game against Nelson, gaining 130 yards through the air and throwing two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Devon Boone has 213 yards on the ground already this season and has helped Madison continually get in the end zone on short-yardage situations.

The first game was a huge win against Nelson County, a team that beat them in 2007. The Mountaineers returned the favor this year with a 28-8 win over the Governors. The offense gained 264 yards in that game and the defense limited Nelson in both the running game and shut down what was thought to be a dynamic passing team.

“It sets a good tone for the season,” Madison coach Stuart Dean said after the Nelson win.

So far, he’s been right. The next game took the Mountaineers into enemy territory as they faced border rival William Monroe.

Madison scored in all four quarters despite Taylor going down with a shoulder injury in the opening period.

That meant that backup quarterback Dustin Kirby had the rest of the game to settle into the role and he responded by throwing a touchdown in the second quarter, a 33 yard hookup to Antonio Childress that put the Mountaineers up 14-0.

Boone and backfield mate Logan Terrell each had over 100 yards with Boone hitting two touchdowns in the first and the fourth quarters to open and close the scoring and Terrell scoring one in the third quarter. Dean hopes winning an important rivalry game can give the Mountaineers the confidence to continue to play well.

“For the community in Madison and the community in Greene, it’s a game that people talk about for 364 days,” Dean said.

During the bye week, Madison focused its attention on the next two home games, against the Luray Bulldogs on Friday and Page County on Sept. 26. Dean and the Mountaineers are looking to emerge 4-0 before heading into a challenging Bull Run District schedule.

Luray is currently 0-2 on the season after losing to Cumberland and Clarke County and the Bulldogs have not scored more than 14 points in either game and have lost by more than 17 in both. Page County is 2-0 on the season after beating Covington High School and George Mason, who could challenge Madison for a playoff spot out of the Bull Run District.