Sports

11 26

2022 Randolph-Macon v. Delaware Valley football 12 noon

11 27

2022 Randolph-Macon v. Randolph basketball 2:00 p.m.

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Hawks see season end in region semifi nals

By Billy Felin For Th e Local

Four years ago when the current Hanover Hawk seniors were freshmen, they endured a 2-8 campaign with only 39 players in uniform– a season that could have set the tone for their high school careers.

However, Hawks coach Sam Rogers said that those players became the keystone for what kind of program Hanover has evolved into in 2022.

“I’m so proud of them,” Rogers said. “We ramped up in the offseason with practices and hard work. Because of that, they’ve reaped the rewards and were able to get here. We wish we could have kept playing together. It’s been cool to see Hanover get back to where they should be and hopefully we can keep pushing it further.”

Those seniors led the Hawks to a memorable campaign that came to an end on Nov. 19 in a 49-12 loss to Dinwiddie in the Region 4B semifinals.

The final score didn’t reflect the close, defensive struggle that the first half was. Hanover’s defense forced a fumble on Dinwiddie’s opening drive which led to a 45-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Elrod to Austin Howze for a quick 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.

Both defenses dug in on the next two drives, forcing consecutive punts before Dinwiddie’s Harry Dalton burst out of the backfield for a 49-yard run to set up his first of six touchdowns on the day, this one from 1 yard out for a 7-6 lead.

The scoring ceased there for a while, with both offenses bogging down during their respective drives.

Hanover’s defense had a big stand against the Generals, repelling them on four straight plays within the 5-yard-line to keep Dinwiddie at bay.

Rogers said that the defense’s play was stellar in the first half, which traces back to defensive coordinator Tyler Snow who, along with coach Dave Butler, Rogers credits with being key coaches who have stuck out the rough times with the program to get them to where they are today.

“The defense plays with (Snow’s) attitude,” Rogers said. “(That attitude) goes into the leaders on that defense in Grady Fahed, Carlito Kinney and those guys.”

Dalton scored from 30 yards out just before the end of the first half for a 13-6 lead at the break.

Unfortunately for the Hawks defense, they couldn’t contain Dalton and the Generals offense in the second half.

After a long Hanover drive to begin the second half, the Hawks were forced to punt and a penalty backed the Generals up to their own 8-yard-line. It took Dalton just one play to outrun the Hawks en route to a 92-yard score and a 21-6 lead.

The quick strike scoring occurred again on Dinwiddie’s next drive as he scored from 23 yards.

Dalton added scores of 11 yards and 40 yards with Raphael Tucker adding one from 1 yard out.

Elrod did find Beau Sahnow for a 23-yard touchdown pass for the final Hawks touchdown of the season.

Sahnow was under constant pressure from the Generals defense throughout the game and was struck with some hard hits several times. He left the game at one point, but returned to the field for the Hawks.

Billy Felin for The Local

Hanover’s defense held Raphael Tucker (5) and the Generals offense largely in check in the fi rst half, but Dinwiddie was able to engineer quick-strike scores in the second half for a 49-12 win in the Region 4B semifi nals.

“(He’s) tough, gutsy, athletic and a playmaker,” Rogers said of his quarterback. “He never quits and is a great leader. He’s one of the best players and people I’ve been around. I’m gonna miss coaching Beau.”

The season ends for the Hawks with a 9-3 record and qualifying for the region semifinal. However, the team will lose 15 seniors, including players and leaders like Sahnow, Elrod, Howze, Fahed and Kinney.

“I hope it builds some momentum,” Rogers said of his program. “We’re losing some good guys. We’re going to take a breather for a month and get back after it in January.”

Randolph-Macon’s grit carries Jackets to NCAA tournament victory

By Rob Witham Special Correspondent

“The team, the team, the team.”

Randolph-Macon football coach Pedro Arruza echoed the late Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler in lauding his Yellow Jackets’ effort to shut down a SUNYCortland team that scored 28 points in the first half, holding them off the scoreboard for a 35-28 win in the first round of the NCAA Division III football championship Saturday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense, which seemed helpless in stopping the Red Dragons’ highpowered passing game before intermission, used pressure on the quarterback and a pair of key interceptions to erase a 28-21 halftime deficit to earn the second NCAA playoff victory in program history.

The offense kept RandolphMacon (11-0) in the game when SUNY-Cortland (9-2) scored on four consecutive possessions in the first half, the last a 75-yard drive that took 56 seconds, resulting in a 7-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Zac Boyes to C.J. Messina with 11 seconds left for the 28-21 advantage.

Both Boyes and Yellow Jackets quarterback Drew Campanale threw three touchdown passes, Campanale finding David Wallis for a 71-yard score to open the scoring, then hitting Zach Bowman from 44 yards and Joey Hunt from 25 yards to keep pace with the Red Dragons.

After both teams punted on their first possession of the second half, a Campanale run for 12 yards and a late hit on Cortland put RandolphMacon at its 47. Seven plays later, Nick Hale crashed through the line for a 7-yard score to tie the game at 28 midway through the third period.

As SUNY-Cortland approached midfield, a Boyes pass was deflected by freshman cornerback Max Richardson and intercepted by Jackson Deaver. With a short field, and thanks to two costly Red Dragon penalties, Andrew Ihle finished a drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter for the eventual winning score.

Now the Yellow Jackets defense took center stage. Sacks by KU Htoo and Jacob Hutchinson on consecutive plays forced a punt. The Red Dragons went for it on fourthand-2 near midfield on their next drive, entering the game leading the country in fourthdown efficiency at 83.3%. Ricky Thompson’s open-field tackle of Rashad Tucker left the Red Dragons a yard short.

The SUNY-Cortland defense held, handing possession back to Boyes with 3:02 left. But on second down, Boyes’ pass downfield was intercepted by freshman Alex Biddle, who turned and made a diving catch over the intended receiver. The Yellow Jackets earned a first down with 1:55 left to seal the win.

“Just really proud of the effort we gave today. Things didn’t go our way for a good part of the first half, but the kids kept fighting,” Arruza said. “I just thought we played better. Richardson did a really good job. I told our guys all week, if we want to win these games, we have to make plays.” Indeed, a game filled with big plays was, as usual, won on the line of scrimmage. The defense registered six quarterback sacks while the veteran offensive line finally wore down the Red Dragons as the second half progressed, earning 84 of Randolph-Macon’s

Rachel Witham for The Local

Nick Hale scores a third-quarter touchdown in Randolph-Macon’s NCAA Division III football tournament opener against SUNY-Cortland in Ashland.

112 rushing yards in that span.

“By the time we got the interception, their hands were on their hips, and I thought we had them,” senior offensive tackle Will Jackson said of the SUNY-Cortland defensive front.

The Yellow Jackets advance to face Delaware Valley next Saturday at noon. It will be the second time in five seasons that Randolph-Macon will play for a spot in the national quarterfinals.