Beckett continues Bluefield Beavers' family tradition
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By BRIAN WOODSON- The Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Levi Beckett has a state championship ring, but he didn’t actually get to play in the 2007 title game for the Bluefield Beavers.
He certainly will on Friday night. The Bluefield junior quarterback will lead the Beavers (11-2) against Wayne (13-0) in the Class AA state championship game at Wheeling Island Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
“This is my first opportunity to get to play in the state championship game,” Beckett said. “I didn’t play my freshman year so this will be the first opportunity for me. I’m just loving every minute of this whole week and trying to enjoy it all.”
He’s enjoyed Bluefield football his whole life. Beckett’s father, Jeff, played for the Beavers from 1979-81, while three of his uncles, John (’65), Jim (’65, ‘67) and Joe (’75) have all been part of Bluefield state championship teams.
Levi would love to help the Beavers to the school’s 10th state title, and sixth in the Beckett family archives.
“I’m very thankful to be in the family that I am,” Beckett said. “There is a lot of history in my family, I have very good mentors to listen to, they give me advice and I make sure I listen to them because they have been through these situations.
“They have all played their own role in playing for Bluefield so I take in all the advice I can from them.”
Beckett took over the quarterback reigns this season after the graduation of Will Cole. After a solid start to the year that included 3-0 record for the Beavers, he suffered a broken collar bone in a loss to Charlotte Country Day.
“I was real scared at first because I didn’t know what had happened,” Beckett said. “When they told me it was broken, I was thinking, ‘Oh no, my season is over, am I going to get to play or am I not.’
“When they told me just a few weeks, probably a month or so, that really cheered me up and really gave me a lot of confidence about the rest of the season.”
After sitting out three games, Beckett returned for three series against Oak Hill, and has started the last four, including a trio of playoff wins that has sent Bluefield back to the state title game for the 15th time in school history, and sixth time in the last eight years.
Beckett is definitely having a (foot) ball as the week builds up to Friday’s title clash with the Pioneers.
“Oh gosh, the feeling is indescribable, not many people get the opportunity and the chance to play in such a big game like this,” said Beckett, whose Beavers have won eight straight games. “We’re just going to have to soak it all up and enjoy everything.”
Returning from an injury like a collar bone can be difficult since it’s not easily hidden or protected from contact. Beckett hasn’t let that bother him.
“There is really not a pad they can put over top of it or any kind of wrap they can put on it because it messes up my throwing motion,” Beckett said. “I just had to gain confidence and believe in myself that everything was going to be all right. They told me it was 100 percent, it was like a new bone so it wouldn’t break.”
Beckett didn’t just stand idle for three weeks while being out with the injury. While he played the role of encourager and cheerleader, he also watched and learned, and the Beavers have benefited from it.
Beckett has completed 66.9 percent (41-65) of his passes this season for 669 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also run for 338 yards on 45 attempts for six more scores.
“It has helped me a whole lot, I’ve learned things about coverages that I didn’t know before,” Beckett said. “I’ve learn tendencies, certain defensive patterns and what they do and I think I have become a lot more mature about learning what the defenses are trying to do.”
With Beckett out, Bluefield inserted all-everything Jake Lilly into that position, the first time he had played that position since middle school. Beckett felt like Lilly did just fine in an unfamiliar role.
“It had been a long time since he had played quarterback so I just tried to give him encouragement, and tell him as long as he does what the coaches tell him to do, he will be fine,” Beckett said. “I told him to just work every day to improve better on the passing game and the running game so they would continue to well on offense, which they did very well on offense.”
While Bluefield has averaged 41.6 points a contest during its current win streak, the Beavers found the going tough in last week’s 13-10 semifinal victory at Magnolia. Still, the Beavers found a way, and that’s why they’re still playing in week 14.
“Their defense was very good, they were fundamentally sound, every position on defense the person knew what they were doing,” Beckett said. “They had a great scheme on what they wanted to do against us and they did very well against us, they held us to very little offense for the whole game....
“Whatever it takes, no matter whether it’s a special teams return, a big play on defense, whatever it takes. The offenses don’t always have to score, but as long as we’re not getting points on the board, whatever it takes to win the game we’ll do it.”
It was a special teams play — an electrifying 57-yard third quarter punt return for a touchdown by Marcus Patterson — that gave Bluefield the lead in the third quarter. They added another score on a Patterson halfback pass and a hard-nosed 30-yard by Lilly in that period, and the defense held off the Blue Eagles to secure the win.
“That punt return really sparked us, it gave us a spark. The whole team, momentum-wise, it seemed like everybody got real anxious after that and were real excited to go out on the field,” Beckett said. “Before they were kind of iffy, but once they got on the field after that, everybody was excited to try and score and get another touchdown.
“That was another time where it showed a lot of heart. We all did our own part and our own role to get down the field and get into the end zone again.”
This will be the third straight week that Bluefield has faced an undefeated foe, having won at No. 3 Sherman 25-18, followed by a win over second-seeded Magnolia. Wayne is the top-ranked team.
“We’ve had to go to Sherman and we’ve had to go down to Magnolia and play on their fields, and play through tough situations,” Beckett said. “Both were close games and I love how our team has come together and had a lot of heart for these games.
“Especially in the fourth quarter they have really toughened it up and really came together in those games.”
Beckett was on the field last season when the Beavers dropped a 41-35 decision to Wayne in the state quarterfinals. Beckett, who played mostly at wide receiver last year, saw some action behind center in that game.
“I remember they were really concentrating on stopping the passing game and I just remember their whole team,” said Beckett, who is a backup defensive back for the Beavers’ defense. “They had a real tough defense and we had a hard time running our offense again on them just like last week, but hopefully we’ll be able to run our offense better than before. We’ll just have to see.”
Wayne hasn’t changed much. The Pioneers are going to want to run the football, and their defense has been stingy, allowing just 13 points a game.
“I’ve watched a little bit of film on them. Not a whole lot, I know they’re very hard-nosed, they’re very similar to us in a lot of ways,” Beckett said. “They hit and tackle well, they have pretty decent speed on defense and offense so it will be a very big challenge ahead.”
Beckett figures the butterflies will be flying at least early against Wayne, but he doesn’t expect that to last long.
“I think I will be a little anxious, it will be the first time I get to play in a state championship game so it is going to be real exciting because it is the first time I get a chance to play in such a big game like this on the biggest stage,” Beckett said. “I’m going to be anxious, but I am going to be ready to get on the field.
“I think after the first few plays I think I’ll be just fine, I think the whole team will be just fine.”
Bluefield is no stranger to state championship games. Neither is Wayne, which lost to the Beavers in the finals in 2004 before winning it all against Tolsia in 2006. In fact, these teams have combined to play in eight of the last 10 title games.
Beckett can’t wait. His family will be watching, and so will Beaver Nation.
“I’m just going to go out there and play my hardest,” Beckett said. “I’m going to do my part by watching all the film I can and learn all I can about them.
“I feel like if the team goes out and plays the best we can I think we’ll have a good opportunity in this game. We’ll just see how things roll out and see how everything turns out to be.”
