Sports

Patrick Henry upsets top-ranked Generals

By Zach Joachim Richmond Times-Dispatch

DINWIDDIE — “PH is a problem.”

That’s what Patrick Henry football coach Ken Wakefield told the victorious Patriots huddled around him Friday night under playoff lights at Dinwiddie, where his team commanded the Generals in a 35-20 win to advance to their second Region 4B championship in three seasons.

In particular, the problems for previously unbeaten and top-seeded Dinwiddie were Patrick Henry quarterback Jordan Allen, his offensive line and the Patriots’ hard-hitting defense.

Allen carried 31 times for 219 yards and four touchdowns, repeatedly maneuvering his way through a sea of blockers for chunk yardage.

“They were fantastic, you couldn’t ask for more,” Allen said of his O-line, led by senior Jordan Watson and junior Maddox Radcliffe.

“They dominated a team everybody thought we weren’t going to dominate. I’m proud of them,” he said.

Allen took a few hard hits but popped right back up every time, motioning for first downs and patting his blockers on their backs.

“He’s so tough,” Wakefield said of his do-it-all signal caller. “We ask him to do anything, and he just responds. It’s ‘Yes sir,’ and he just gets it done. What a performance. And what about those guys up front? They’ve done a great job of opening up holes for him all year. What a great team win.”

Allen completed 4 of 9 passing attempts for 31 yards and even played the role of enforcer on the other side of the ball as a safety, helping hold Dinwiddie’s typically potent attack to 200 yards and eight first downs.

Frost covered medical tables as clouds of breath mingled with lingering smoke from the Generals’ cannon on a chilly night at Dinwiddie that felt appropriate for playoff football. A few thousand members of Dinwiddie’s Navy Nation packed the stands and rang cowbells throughout the night. But the navy blue-clad supporters slowly gave way to their whiteand-red-clad counterparts on the far sideline, as Patrick Henry’s fans, students and band gained volume throughout the night as Allen and Co. made the long trip from Ashland well worth it.

The game’s first key play came with a little under 5 minutes to go in the first quarter. Dinwiddie attempted a fake punt in its territory, but PH snuffed it out, setting the Patriots up with prime field position. A pass interference call got them to the goal line, and Allen plunged in from 2 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

A Generals turnover on downs later, Allen put PH firmly in the driver’s seat — he eluded a scrum at midfield, bounced outside to the right sideline and scampered 56 yards untouched to the house to make it 14-0 with 20 seconds still to play in the first.

But Dinwiddie looked as if it would make a game of it for a moment. A huge return set up the Generals at the PH 8, and freshman Harry Dalton carried the ball into the end zone to make it 14-7 as the first period came to a close. Dinwiddie’s celebratory cannon let off a blast, and a horseman rode the length of the sideline, waving a Generals flag amid a cacophony of cowbells.

A 26-yard Richard Crabbe field goal for PH were the only points in the second period, and PH took a 17-7 lead into the half.

Coming out of the break,

Dave Lawrence/The Local

Left, Patrick Henry quarterback Jordan Allen (9) slips through a crack in the Dinwiddie line in the Patriots’ 35-20 victory over the host Generals in a Region 4B semifi nal Friday. Bottom left, Patrick Henry’s Jordan Allen (9) cuts down Dinwiddie quarterback Harry Dalton (6). Bottom right, Patrick Henry defensive back Gracyn Ross (11) intercepts a Dinwiddie pass late in the fi rst half.

see UPSETS, pg. 24

Cavaliers start slow, fi nish fast in region semi

By Dave Lawrence Sports Editor

King William’s football team got off to a slow start in its Region 2A semifinal against visiting Poquoson Friday night in Central Garage.

But the second-seeded Cavaliers did not take long to get in gear. With the help of key special teams play — including Kavontay Hayes’ 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that put King William ahead for good — opportunistic defense and standout offensive performances by running back Demond Claiborne and quarterback Jayveon Robinson, the Cavaliers ended up thrashing the sixth-seeded Islanders 64-30.

King William next travels to top-seeded Nottoway for the regional championship this Friday at 7 p.m.

Cavalier head coach Scott Moore praised the all-encompassing team (and, at times, family) effort.

“Special teams and defense put some points up for us Friday night,” Moore said. “But Demond Claiborne did have 295 yards rushing and Jayveon Robinson . . . he was 7-of-13 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown — and he threw that one to his brother, Trey.”

The defense’s touchdown came in a 26-point King William second quarter on a fumble recovery by Chase Rosso.

Claiborne, a Wake Forest commit, had three huge touchdown runs: the first for 65 yards in the first quarter, the second for 47 yards in the third quarter, and the last for 49 yards for the last score of the game in the fourth quarter. His other two scores were of 4 yards (in the third quarter) and 9 yards (in the fourth).

Jayveon Robinson’s scoring toss to his brother Trey was another big play: 65 yards. The quarterback also had a 2-yard touchdown run.

The Cavaliers (10-1) have a tough job ahead of them in Nottoway.

“They’ve got good size and they’re physical. I’m really impressed with them,” Moore said. “I think they’re kind of an old-school football team. I think they’re going to beat you with toughness and they’re going to, they’re going to pound the ball and they’re going to run at you.

“And they have Tyler Banks who is a great athlete and he has — I was looking at the scholarship offers that he has — he has a list that rivals Demond’s list of scholarship offers. So they’ve got some talent, too.”

Dave Lawrence can be reached at dlawrence@mechlocal.com.

Joel Klein for The Local

Above, King William running back Demond Claiborne sprints past Poquoson defender Mason Deas in the Cavaliers’ 64-30 victory over the Islanders in a Region 2B semifi nal Friday night. Claiborne carried the ball 18 times for 295 yards and fi ve touchdowns. Left, King William’s Kavontay Hayes runs through, over and around the Poquoson kickoff coverage team, returning a second quarter kickoff 93 yards to give the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish. Top right, King William quarterback Jayveon Robinson breaks a tackle attempt as he fi nds the end zone from 2 yards out. Poquoson 3 14 0 13 — 30 King William 8 26 14 16 — 64

POQ — Snedden FG 26 KW — Claiborne 65 run (two-point conversion good) POQ — Hayes 12 run (Snedden kick) KW — J. Robinson 2 run (two-point conversion failed) POQ — Foskett 60 pass from Hayes (Snedden kick) KW — Hayes 93 kickoff return (twopoint conversion good) KW — T. Robinson 65 pass from J. Robinson (two-point conversion failed) KW — Rosso fumble recovery (twopoint conversion failed) KW — Claiborne 47 run (kick failed) KW — Claiborne 4 run (two-point conversion good) POQ — Markley 21 run (Snedden kick) KW — Claiborne 9 run (two-point conversion good) POQ — Markley 74 pass from Barber (two-point conversion failed) KW — Claiborne 49 run (two-point conversion good)

Yellow Jackets fall to CNU

Joel Klein for The Local

Randolph-Macon guard Becca Anthony drives past Christopher Newport guard Gabbi San Diego in the Yellow Jackets’ 95-60 loss to the Captains, ranked No. 20 nationally, in the championship game of the R-MC Tip-Off Tournament Championship Saturday afternoon.

Dave Lawrence/ The Local

Patrick Henry quarterback Jordan Allen (9) outruns a pursuer, Dinwiddie defensive back Howard Spencer, in the Patriots’ 35-20 victory over the host Generals in a Region 4B semifi nal Friday.

UPSETS

Continued from pg. 22

Generals star quarterback Brenton Hilton paced his sideline with purpose, jumping up and down, eager to make up the deficit with an offense accustomed to scoring points in bunches.

But PH began the second half with a hammer blow. On the first play from scrimmage, Allen faked to slotback Jayden Mines as he motioned across the formation. That action pulled a couple would-be tacklers to the outside just enough, so Allen kept and slipped right up the gut, seemingly shot out of PH’s own cannon for a 61-yard sprint to the end zone.

That score took the air out of the stadium, and PH controlled the game in methodical fashion the rest of the way.

Dinwiddie, the region’s top seed, finishes 9-1, and had won every game by at least two scores before Friday’s loss.

“I’m very proud of them. We had an incredible year, did some great stuff. Fought through a lot of adversity to get to this point,” said Generals coach Billy Mills.

No. 3 Varina beat No. 2 King George 28-10 on the other side of the bracket, setting up a rematch for the Region 4B title of an Oct. 29 meeting between the Blue Devils and Patriots that PH won 22-21. That game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at Varina.

Zach Joachim can be reached at zjoachim@timesdispatch.com.

Patrick Henry 14 3 12 6 — 35 Dinwiddie 7 0 0 13 — 20

PH — Allen 2 run (Crabbe kick) PH — Allen 56 run (Crabbe kick) DIN — Dalton 8 run (Bell kick) PH — FG Crabbe 26 PH — Allen 61 run (kick failed) PH — Allen 2 run (pass failed) PH — Foster 35 fumble return (kick failed) DIN — Hilton 4 run (Bell kick) DIN — Campbell 8 pass from Hilton (time expired)

RUSHING

PH: Allen 31-219, Ross 6-24, Mines 3-11, Shaffier 1-1; DIN: Dalton 12-71, Hilton 9-60, Veney 4-13, Smith 1-1.

PASSING

PH: Allen 4-9-31-0-0, Byrd 1-20-0-0; DIN: Hilton 7-16-74-1-0.

RECEIVING

PH: Berry 2-25, Mines 1-6, Ross 1-0; DIN: Campbell 3-38, Dalton 1-23, Hazelwood 1-14, Drumgoole 1-1.

STATES

Continued from pg. 21

were falling in the right place.”

Patrick Henry clicked from the opening serve Thursday, as Luck registered back-to-back kills, followed by a power move from Flanagan for an early 5-1 Set 1 advantage. By the time Luck threw down his fourth kill of the set, it was 19-5.

Afterwards, Luck looked back on the first practice with Townsend back at the helm, much more thankful for it now than he was then.

“We didn’t give a lot of effort (in practice), but when Coach Townsend entered the building, it changed, from zero to 100,” Luck recalled. “I was gassed after that first practice. He had us running, and I wasn’t expecting that, but clearly it helped.”

There was no sign of exhaustion on the court at Siegel, as Patrick Henry (22-3), after a closer beginning to the second set, went on a 6-1 run to turn a 10-8 lead into a 16-9 lead before finishing with the eight-point victory.

Tied at 10 apiece in the third and final set, the Dragons began to wilt under pressure. Three errors in a four-point stretch allowed the Patriots to assume a 14-10 lead, and they never relinquished the lead. Two combination blocks by the Patrick Henry defense put the advantage at 18-11 and, from there, it was a countdown to a championship tradition which began on the Siegel Center floor in 2016.

Townsend, at that time, wasn’t sure how to react had Patrick Henry reached, and won, championship point. His decision? To dive head-first onto the court, to be surrounded by his players. Last spring, when he wasn’t coaching, the Patriots mobbed each other on their home floor when the 2020 title match was held in Ashland last April as the season was truncated because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s one flashy part of the traditions of Patrick Henry volleyball, but it was the others that allowed the Patriots to give such a command performance on Thursday. Sophomore Jason Matthews, who dished out 30 assists, gave his perspective on how one fits into the Patriot machine.

“I was there in seventh grade, practicing with the team. I looked up to the setters above me,” Matthews said. “Hill Sewell, watching him all (last) season, the years before watching him play, it’s not just a team, it’s a full program. I get to watch those before me win, and it’s the thing we have to do now. It’s our job.”

And the reason behind the explosive postseason play? Matthews was quick to answer.

“It’s confidence. I think it comes from coaching,” Matthews said. “Everything just got better, whether it was reps in practice, our mentality in practice. Passes got better, hits got better, sets got better, and that’s just something I’ve never felt before.”

Patrick Henry is now one title behind James River, who has seven VHSL boys volleyball state championships total. Will Townsend, now the father of two young children, commit to returning come August for another shot at the summit?

“No comment,” he answered, with a smile.

Rob Witham can be reached at sports@mechlocal.com.