In battle of unbeatens, Alleghany proved emphatically who the top dog is in the TRD

COVINGTON — In Friday night's undefeated showdown, one team proved unequivocally that it is the authority in the Three Rivers District in 2024.

A team that was once two but united under one name and has since reached historic heights, putting not just the TRD on watch, but its region and the entire class as well.

Alleghany cleared its latest obstacle by downing perennial powerhouse Glenvar 34-7 at Casey Field, handing the Highlanders their first loss of the season and remaining undefeated on the year.

"This was a huge hurdle," Cougars head coach Will Fields said. "I said in the beginning that if you want to win the Three Rivers you have to beat the Radfords and Glenvars. We haven't ever had much success, but tonight we got them, so I'm very proud of the kids, proud of the coaches."

Last year was the inaugural season for the Alleghany Cougars, a combined team that sprouted from the merger of Alleghany and Covington High Schools. The squad went 9-2 and earned a first-round home playoff game in a higher class.

They've built on that initial success, beating teams by an average of 31 points. They topped Glenvar last year by 17 points, and this year by 27.

It's the first time an Alleghany team has ever started 7-0, and the first time for a Covington team since 1991.

"A lot of people doubted us, combining two rival teams, but we all came together as a team," quarterback Des Jordan said. "We all knew what we wanted and we all just made it happen."

The contest was billed as a quarterback duel between Jordan and Glenvar's Brody Dawyot, two of the highest touted signal-callers in the state. Jordan won that duel, throwing two touchdowns, completing a 71-yard strike to Hunter Knighton in the first half and a 15-yard toss to Xzavier Hayslett in the fourth quarter, and running in another two from short distance.

He finished 17-of-20 for 252 yards without an interception, and added 30 rushing yards on seven carries. Hayden Knighton ended with six catches for 62 yards and Hayslett tallied five receptions for 92 yards. Carter Nicely collected 167 yards and a touchdown on the ground on a heavy load of 29 carries.

The Cougars outgained the Highlanders 473-160.

"We've been preparing for this since the beginning of the season," Jordan said. "We knew if we wanted to compete and win the district, we already knew who we had to plan for, and we showed out today."

Dawyot, meanwhile completed 6 of 22 passes for 67 yards, connecting with Jace Forster on a 22-yard strike with under three minutes to play for Glenvar's first points of the evening and the game well decided. Dawyot added 41 rushing yards on five carries, contributing to the Highlanders' 93 yards on the ground.

Glenvar suffered its first defeat since starting the season 6-0 for the first time since 2018.

"It's not tough. This happens. The wheels came off," Highlanders head coach Kevin Clifford said. "They outplayed us, they out-coached us. That's on me. They did a great job and we didn't respond, and we lost our composure. We just didn't play well."

The contest gave every hint it would be a blockbuster event after the first quarter went scoreless. But then the floodgates opened for Alleghany, which put together an 18-play, 82-yard drive that ended in the end zone on a 1-yard keeper from Jordan.

After the Cougars forced a punt on defense, Jordan hit Hunter Knighton over the middle for his long touchdown, and suddenly it was 14-0.

"I think the kids just got a feel for the game. I think both teams settled in," Fields said. "I think we were trying to feel each other out early. We didn't really do anything different, it just started clicking."

The Highlanders never moved the ball past the opposing 42-yard line in the first half, managing only 28 yards of offense, and were forced to punt on the opening drive of the second half, which the Cougars answered with an 11-play, 74-yard drive that Jordan capped off by punching in a fourth-and-3 with a 7-yard carry. Glenvar ended up punting on seven of its nine drives, going 4-for-11 on third down.

"I don't think that's indicative of the team we have, for sure. We'll bounce back," Clifford said. "This isn't my first rodeo. I've been doing this a long time. I feel like we'll respond. We'll be fine and my job is to get us to respond."

Alleghany of course has higher aspirations than just the Three Rivers District. It entered Friday night's bout ranked third in the Region 3C rankings and will gain some valuable points for its victory.

"This will definitely give us a boost and give us a great mindset to go into regions with a higher seed and hopefully finish out the season undefeated," Jordan said.

Alleghany heads to Stuart next week to take on Patrick County (3-5). Glenvar hosts Floyd County (5-2) in Salem.

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