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2021 Prep football Patrick Henry at Monacan 7:00 p.m.
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Patriots complete sweep of county teams
By Dave Lawrence Sports Editor
MECHANICSVILLE – The rivalry may date back to 1959, and its latest installment may have been postponed a few months because of the COVID19 pandemic, but when Patrick Henry visited the recently renamed Mechanicsville High School Friday night for the latest installment of the Tomato Bowl, the intensity was just as intense as ever.
For a while after the opening kickoff, the undefeated Patriots looked as though they were going to have a hard time wrangling the winless Mustangs. But, in time, Patrick Henry, led by James Epps and Jordan Allen and helped by three Mechanicsville turnovers, rolled to a 37-15 victory and the Tomato Bowl trophy.
The victory ensured Patrick Henry’s berth in the Region 4B semifinals. The fourth-seeded Patriots will travel to No. 1 Monacan Friday at 7 p.m.
Patrick Henry (6-0) was the team to beat all season and Patriot head coach Ken Wakefield said the pressure from such a status helped motivate his team.
“The pressure was definitely on us, but it’s a good thing,” he said. “That’s what you want. You want the target to be on your back a little bit. Our kids have been able to respond to some of the adversity they hit. To beat a team twice in one season – it’s not easy to do that in the same year and we had to do that three times. It was tough. It was defi-
Joel Klein for The Local
Patrick Henry running back Jayden Mines (2) disposes of Mechanicsville defensive back Cole Varner in the Patriots’ 37-15 victory.
nitely tough.”
Friday night’s game certainly started out tough. Patrick Henry’s defense struggled to stop Mechanicsville’s offense early on, with Mustang running back Eric Drozdowicz doing an especially good job of pounding his way through the Patriot defensive line. Drozdowicz picked up most of his 55 rushing yards in the first quarter.
The Patriots, whose first drive ended in an interception, scored on their second. After a Mechanicsville drive stalled after two holding penalties and a sack, a short punt gave Patrick Henry possession on its 47.
From here, Patriot running back James Epps started pounding his way through the Mechanicsville line. With the help of a 22-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Allen to Jackson Thurston, Patrick Henry took seven plays to reach the Mustang 2, and Epps closed the rest of the distance for the first touchdown of the game. Allen added the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0.
Mechanicsville wasn’t fazed, however, and responded with a drive that reached the Patriot 14 before Patrick Henry’s Dylan Schloss picked off a Jordan Callahan pass to end the threat.
In the final five minutes of the half, the two teams traded touchdowns, but Patrick Henry parlayed a 2-for-1 deal into a 24-7 halftime lead. Allen ran in from 1 yard out, then completed a pass to Jonathan Derricott for a 2-point conversion to put the Patriots up ahead 16-0. The Mustangs followed that with a 50-yard scoring toss form Callahan to Dallas Hairfield with 46.2 seconds left to make it 16-7.
Patrick Henry made expert use of the remaining seconds
see PATRIOTS, pg. 23
Macon men make history
By Dave Lawrence Sports Editor
Randolph-Macon’s men’s basketball team is only three years old, but the toddler program among the college’s varsity sports reached an important milestone by reaching the postseason for the first time.
The Yellow Jacket men, which compete in the Continental Volleyball Conference rather than the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, earned a berth in the CVC quarterfinals after closing their regular season with a hard-fought loss at Southern Virginia.
They traveled to Rutgers-Newark Saturday, giving the Scarlet Raiders quite a fight in the first two sets 25-22, 25-23 before fading in the third in a 25-15 loss.
Despite the sweep, the playoff experience have been good for the team.
“It’s good memories,” said Randolph-Macon head coach Jared Horrigan. We made program history this year with making playoffs. So that was a big win in our book.”
R-MC knocks off Wasps for ODAC title
By Rob Witham For the Mechanicsville Local
ASHLAND – The 2020 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football season, delayed, but not denied, reached its pinnacle in historic fashion Saturday as Day Field hosted the first-ever ODAC championship game, a game which pitted RandolphMacon against Emory & Henry, the two remaining unbeaten teams in the conference.
Fittingly for a classic contest which needed overtime, a game whose outcome hung in the balance all afternoon, ended on a play where the football itself – for a fleeting moment – also hung in the balance.
The Wasps went first and kicked a field goal in their extra possession. On the third play for Randolph-Macon, quarterback Presley Egbers, on a read option, tried to snatch the football away from wide receiver David Wallis, a routine maneuver.
“I was holding it for David, and at the last second, I decided to pull it,” Egbers said. “His hands are so good, they get a little grabby sometimes. He tried to grab at it, the ball popped out and, you know, the rest is history.”
That history consists of Egbers catching the ball in midair as he began a scamper to both the end zone and Yellow Jacket immortality, a 13-yard touchdown run that sealed the 13-10 victory and, with it, Randolph-Macon’s conferenceleading twelfth football title.
“Our kids battled their tails off,” said Yellow Jacket head coach Pedro Arruza. “Our defense did a great job and made some unbelievable stops.”
It would take over 50 minutes of football for someone to finally get on the scoreboard, not surprising in that the game pitted the Wasps’ No. 2 ranked defense in Division III against the Yellow Jackets’ seventhranked unit. Every yard was earned, every hit, block and tackle magnified as the heavyweight stalemate unfolded.
The first defensive denial from Randolph-Macon came in the first period. On fourthand-1 at the Yellow Jacket 19, Grayson Overstreet was stonewalled by Jace DePriest and Aaron Cox. The Yellow Jackets moved into Emory & Henry territory but were forced to punt.
On Randolph-Macon’s next possession, Egbers hit Wallis on a 43-yard pass to get the Yellow Jackets in field goal range. But Chris Vidal’s 41-yard attempt sailed wide left. The rest of the period was dominated by defense, and it was scoreless at the half.
Emory & Henry quarterback Hunter Taylor, who passed for 299 yards, enjoyed a relatively clean pocket in the first half. The second half was quite different.
Taylor absorbed hit after hit as the Yellow Jacket defensive front, led by DePriest, Cox, Tyler DeBerry and Jacob Hutchinson, wore down the Wasps. But the gutsy signal caller forged on, and, early in the fourth quarter, put Emory & Henry in scoring position.
With a fourth down and 3 at the Randolph-Macon 18, Wasp head coach Curt Newsome first sent out the field goal unit, then called timeout. After conferring, Taylor and offense reappeared. But Taylor’s pass found the arms of Randolph-Macon’s Cade Jones, who intercepted it at the 15 and returned it to the 37.
Another Egbers-to-Wallis connection, this time of 32
Joel Klein for The Local
Randolph-Macon head football coach Pedro Arruza gets dunked after his Yellow Jackets win the ODAC championship Saturday.
Continued from pg. 22
yards, put Randolph-Macon deep in Emory & Henry territory. Two plays later, Ivan Phillips knocked the ball out of Egbers’ hands, and Dalton Wilson recovered for the Wasps at the Randolph-Macon 22.
Yet again, the defense dominated. A quick three and out, and a 7-yard punt off the side of Ethan Muncy’s foot, gave the Yellow Jackets a first down at the Wasp 29. On the fourth play of the drive, Egbers rolled to the left as he had done several times before but turned and threw to tight end Tim Hanratty on the right side, who spun into the end zone just inside the front pylon for the game’s first points. After 50 minutes and 23 seconds of a scoreless, titanic struggle, it was 7-0 RandolphMacon.
Despite the raging pass rush, Taylor drove his offense 76 yards in 12 plays in response, finding T.J. Tester wide open for a 5-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at seven with 4:21 left.
This game could have ended very differently, were it not for one more defensive stand from the Yellow Jackets. An Egbers pass intended for Wallis, slightly underthrown, was tipped and intercepted by Ryan Gibson, who returned the ball to the Yellow Jacket 37. It was up to Hutchinson and the defense to preserve the tie.
“We had certain plays that they couldn’t stop, and weren’t able to pick up,” Hutchinson explained. “I think, at the end of the day, we just wanted it more.” Four Taylor passes yielded just one completion, and the Wasps turned the ball over on downs with 2:40 left. Their defense answered in kind. Then, defense ended regulation, as Cox sacked Taylor, and Emory & Henry took a knee.
The Wasps started overtime quickly, Taylor completing an 18-yard pass to Kashawn Cosey at the 7-yard line. They stalled at the 5, and this time, on fourth down, Zach Baber came and stayed on the field, kicking a 22-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.
Randolph-Macon’s possession started with a 9-yard Egbers run, then Wallis for 3 yards and a first down at the 13, setting up the stunning finish. The fans saw a snap, then a ball pop high into the air and into the waiting arms of Egbers. An Ivan Phillips tackle try from the left side was inches short, and Egbers scampered untouched into the end zone.
A sea of black and yellow burst onto the field, its destination its quarterback and leader. But the sophomore from Clifton, Virginia, gave credit where it was due.
“It was an exhausting game. The defense played lights out,” Egbers said. “We can’t give enough credit to this defense. They’ve had our backs all year long.”
It was appropriate that the first ODAC title to be decided with an actual game for that purpose featured the two teams with the most conference championships. Each had 11 entering the afternoon.
With Emory & Henry leaving the ODAC in 2022 to move up to Division II and join the South Atlantic Conference, it was their final attempt for title No. 12. No doubt that the Wasps, scheduled to come to Ashland in the fall, will want to spoil the Yellow Jackets’ hopes of a 13th title, since they’ll be ineligible to win the 2021 championship as they leave the conference.
For Arruza, the game’s crazy ending allowed him a celebration, and a bath in electrolytes, but minutes later you could see his mind moving forward to the next task ahead.
“We’ve got a lot to improve upon. We’ll give them the week off, then we’ve got to get stronger. We’ve got to get some size on these guys,” Arruza said.
Hutchinson, reflecting on the sacrifices the team made during the COVID-19 pandemic to even have a chance to play football this academic year, recalled cold autumn mornings in the reimagined “weight room”, which was located on the old tennis courts across the railroad tracks from Day Field to allow for social distancing.
“I hope we do it again next year,” Hutchinson said with a smile as wide as the field. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Rob Witham can be reached at sports@mechlocal.com.
Joel Klein for The Local
Above, Randolph-Macon tight end Tim Hanratty dives across the goal line on a 6-yard touchdown reception to break a a scoreless tie with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter of the Yellow Jackets’ 13-10 victory over visiting Emory & Henry in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game at Day Field Saturday. Left, Randolph Macon quarterback Presley Egbers (15) begins to celebrate after tossing the football to an offi cial following his score of the the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
PATRIOTS
Continued from pg. 21
before intermission. After an incomplete pass, Allen attempted to connect with receiver Shamar Williams. Williams, well covered, could not quite handle the ball and tipped it back up in the air. His teammate Christian Berry came down with it for a 22-yard gain that would have put the ball at the Mechanicsville 39.
But a pair of costly deadball penalties on the Mustangs left the Patriots with a firstand-goal at the Mechanicsville 9, and, with 11.7 seconds left, Allen connected with Gracyn Ross for the first half’s final score. Allen and Derricott again combined for the 2-point conversion to give Patrick Henry a 24-7 lead.
The Mustangs bookended their second half with fumbles to end their first possession after intermission and another – on a punt return – to keep their final drive from getting started.
Patrick Henry, however, struck quickly for a pair of touchdowns – the first on a 4-yard run by Allen, the second on an 8-yard run by Epps – to take a commanding lead.
Epps finished with 18 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns for Patrick Henry. Allen completed 8-of-18 passes for 110 yards and a passing touchdown and had seven carries for 49 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Allen said he was happy just to be playing this season given the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked on school and student activities this past year.
“It feels great just being able to be play six games this season,” he said. “This time last year, we did not know this would be the case. We’re grateful for that.”
Allen said the short regular season featuring only competition with county teams has increased the intensity of the games.
“It has been a lot more intense,” Allen said. “Normally out of 10 games, we play three county games. Now it’s six of six, so every week you’re playing somebody that pretty much hates you.”
The Patriots will need that intensity to carry them through the postseason. The countyonly schedule hurt Patrick Henry in terms of the Virginia High School League rating system. All four Region 4B play-
Hawks gut out last-minute win over Atlee
By Rob Witham For the Mechanicsville Local
MECHANICSVILLE – At Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, the rallying cry for its athletic program is “The Hawk Will Never Die.”
The slogan was borrowed, in spirit and in result, on a chilly Friday night at Hanover High School as another group of Hawks, stymied in a scoreless first half, trailing by 16 points with 10 minutes left, found its offensive groove, scoring the final 20 points of the game for a 26-22 over archrival Atlee.
The victory assured Hanover (4-2) its first winning season since 2015, while the Raiders ended their campaign a disappointing 2-4.
The loss was a bitter one for Atlee, which lost its two contests to Hanover by a combined 6 points. Dejectedly leaving the field, the Raiders knew they let victory slip away.
Hanover spent the first half of the game seemingly aimless on offense. Nothing seemed to work. Atlee, on the other hand, built a 19-0 halftime lead as Eric Rankin scored twice in the second period on runs of 63 yards and 1 yard.
A different Hawk offense took the field at the start of the second half, racing down the field on a 54-yard drive that took less than two minutes. Levi Huesman’s first touchdown pass of the night was from 18 yards. A bad snap on the point-after try made it 19-6.
Then the Hawks stalled again. So did the Raiders, as neither team scored during the rest of the quarter. Hanover moved into Atlee territory late in the frame, but a fourth down pass from Huesman to Cole Elrod fell incomplete.
Another big Rankin carry, this time of 20 yards, placed the Raiders back in Hanover territory to end the period. But the Hawks ended the drive on a big defensive stop on third down from Grady Fahed, and Atlee settled for a 35-yard field goal by Zach Tschantre for a 22-6 lead with 9:53 remaining.
Hanover’s hopes were fading as the next Hawk drive ended quickly. But Huesman and company got the ball back with 6:40 to go and the team that showed some offensive flash at the start of the third quarter returned with a vengeance.
Huesman found Elrod for a 26-yard pass to the Atlee 42. Next, a 27-yard pass to Chase Flora put the Hawks in the red zone. Two plays later, Huesman fired a slant pass to Elrod for the score. In 62 seconds, it was 22-12. A critical 2-point conversion to cut the lead to one possession failed. It was time to go for broke.
The Hawks tried an onside kick and caught Atlee’s special teams napping. Hanover easily fell on the live ball at the Raider 45. The biggest crowd allowed for football this season, thanks to the Governor’s loosening on coronavirus crowd restrictions, erupted.
It erupted again 23 seconds later when Huesman, scrambling for his life, caught a glimpse of Charlie Rohr, who snuck behind the Atlee defense and was wide open. Rohr scored on a 45-yard pass and Hanover trailed 22-19.
The Raiders made another critical mistake on the ensuing kickoff, committing a personal foul and beginning their drive at their own 15. Three plays later, Atlee had to punt. Huesman had 2:48 to go, beginning the biggest drive of the game at his own 35.
After missing Flora on a first-down pass, Huesman lasered the ball to Elrod – in a dead run in double coverage – over the middle. When the ball landed in Elrod’s hands, the two Atlee defenders missed him, and he raced to paydirt to give Hanover the lead.
“They were right there. Levi Huesman put a great ball on me,” Elrod said. “That’s all I can say. He put a great ball, I caught it and I ran.”
The Raiders had a final opportunity, and Hanover aided it with a pass interference penalty. But with 1:36 left, Andrew Stevens’ pass was intercepted by Gavin Quinn, ending the final threat.
For Hanover, under firstyear head coach Sam Rogers, it was a renaissance season, a glimpse of what could be. But with the Virginia High School League (VHSL) trimming the playoffs to four rounds instead of five, only the top four teams in Region 4B advanced to postseason play.
When the Hawks return in the fall, they’ll look to build on their spring success. They’ll find a familiar foe in their region, as Atlee moves from Region 5B to Region 4B, meaning that all four county schools, for the first time since the VHSL’s major reclassification of 2013, will compete in the same class and same region.
Elrod, however, acknowledged a special group before he left the field to celebrate.
“I’m super happy for these seniors, going out on a win like this,” Elrod said. “It’s huge, and it’s a great way to start our next year.”
Rob Witham can be reached at sports@mechlocal.com.
Kenny Moore for The Local
Hanover quarterback Levi Huesman (6) launches a pass early in the Hawks’ 22-16 victory over visiting Atlee Friday night.
PATRIOTS
Continued from pg. 23
off teams are undefeated, but the Patriots finished a third of a point behind King George and Louisa County, who are the region’s second third seeds, respectively.
But Wakefield is confident in his team.
“They just respond – they respond to adversity,” Wakefield said. “There’s going to be mistakes in a game. That’s always going to happen. You’re always going to hit adversity, but how you respond to it, we talk about it a lot. We were able to respond to that adversity. We’ve been able to so far.
“Next week’s going to be another challenge. I know that at some point next Friday night, we are going to hit adversity. . . . If we respond OK, we’re going to be there in the fourth quarter and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Dave Lawrence can be reached at dlawrence@mechlocal.com.
