Rams roll past Cavaliers, 43-6

Reidsville and Burlington Cummings have played some close, thrill-packed games over the years. Thursday night’s contest at Community Stadium wasn’t one of them.
The Rams scored early and often and sent the Cavs back to Burlington with a 43-6 loss on their record, one of the worst in Cummings’ recent history.
You have to go back to the early 70s to find a more lopsided score in the series that is now tied 13-13. Reidsville won 47-0 in 1970 (the first year Cummings opened) and followed two years later with a 43-0 romp. Most of the other games since then have been close.
Defending 2-AA state champ Reidsville, which won its opener 53-6 over Eden Morehead last week, has now won 18 straight games. The last loss came in the fourth round of the playoffs in 2006 to Burlington Cummings. The Cavs beat the Rams twice that year, the only losses on the RHS record since the 2005 state championship game loss to Shelby.
Senior quarterback Ray Ray Butchee took command of the game early and didn’t stop until he had scored four touchdowns on the ground. He finished with 15 carries for 52 yards and also took advantage of Cummings’ young secondary to complete 9 of 11 passes for 154 yards.
He didn’t throw a TD pass, but his little brother did. Sophomore Lavert Butchee, the Rams No. 2 signal caller, hooked up with junior Tyrell Houghton on a 76-yard pass with 5:32 left in the game. After A.J. Williams left-footed his fifth extra point of the night, the Rams were up 43-0.
Cummings scored with 5:32 left to prevent the shutout. Sophomore quarterback Bryson Leath, who was just 8 of 22 on the night for 90 yards, connected with Antonio Shoffner for an eight-yard scoring play against a Reidsville defense that featured mostly reserves.
The Cavs, who defeated Carrboro last week and picked up a forfeit win over Southern Alamance Wednesday (reversing a season-opening loss), found the going tough against the Ram defense that was without one of its main stars. Damien Lee played sparingly and tight end but was held out of the trench warfare due to a bruised knee. In his stead, Jazz Totten, Bryron Johnson, E.J. Foster, Mike Stacey, Omar Dickerson, Kenneth Covington and others turned in a solid effort.
Cav running star Audi Smith, who scored five TDs in the win over Carrboro, was bottled up except for a few plays. The Cavs finished with 124 yards on the ground.
The Rams began the scoring parade in the first quarter after taking advantage of a couple of Cavalier miscues.
Dickerson pounced on a loose ball that the Cummings punt return team botched, giving the Rams possession. A 26-yard completion from Butchee to Jarrett Barnett set up Butchee’s 25-yard burst to the end zone. Williams’ extra point produced a 7-0 lead with 5:52 left on the first quarter clock.
Four plays later, a fierce rush by Kenzell Doe forced Cav punter Steven Crisp to hurry his kick that lost two yards. The Rams needed only three plays to score. Butchee’s toss to Houghton took the ball inches from the goal and Butchee scored on the next play with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Reidsville then put together a 57-yard drive in 10 plays, overcoming three of penalties along the way. They key plays were a Butchee-to-Houghton pass for 14 yards, a Butchee-to-Aaron Easton screen pass for 12 yards and a 17-yard run by Dickerson. Easton got the final six yards for six points 5:06 before intermission and a 21-0 advantage.
Butchee added five- and one-yard TD runs in the third and fourth quarters to push the margin to 36-0 before the subs took over.
Eleven penalties for 97 yards and three lost fumbles were the only negatives on the night for the Rams.
Reidsville plays its first road game of the season next Friday, traveling to Wentworth to face Rockingham County (1-1).