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2022 UPCOMINGEVENTS

Hanoverfootball v. Eastern View 7 p.m.

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2022 RandolphMaconfootball v. Hampden-Sydney 1 p.m.

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Arowdy Mechanicsville crowd ontheopposite side of the field, plus an abnormally warm November eveningat Patrick Henry High School, didn’t stopthe Patriots from rolling over the Mustangs 48-27athome to close outthe regular season.

The64theditionofthe Tomato Bowlwas wagedmostly onthe ground. PH, 6-4headinginto next week’s Region 4B playoffs, recorded 366 rushing yards,20 more than Mechanicsville had passing and rushing combined.

“I always like to run the ball, kind of see where we’re at,” Patrick Henry coach Ken Wakefieldsaid. “We know thatthey’ve gotsome guysthatgottaplay bothsidesofthe ball,so you kindofleanonthem a littlebit.”

Onseniornight,itwasappropriatelytheseniorsthatshonethe brightest:both Gracyn Rossand Shamar Williams recorded two touchdowns apiece.

Ross and junior quarterback Grayson Johnson were explosive early, both hitting the 100-yard rushingmark by theendofthefirst half— Rossat100and Johnson at103.

After a three-and-out from Mechanicsville to start the game, Patrick Henry got going immediately with a rushing touchdown from Johnson,whose76-yard rumbleput the Patriotsontheboard with8:28 to play intheopeningquarter.

Caeden Waltershit Aaron Maxie for a 65-yard Mechanicsvillescore, but the Patriots respondedless than a minute later with a 71-yard Ross touchdown run.

Both teamsputup 14inthe opening quarter, Mechanicsville eveningthings up with a 2-yard Colby Messe touchdown run.

PH took control inthesecond quarter on a pairoflongpass touchdowns,one a 47-yard bombfrom their other quarterback, Jayden Brown, to Cole Sylvia,andthe other from Johnson to Williams.

Eventhen,the Patriots’ groundand-pound offense ruled,and PH led28-14atthehalfwhilethepassing game putup just63 yards.

Oncethe secondhalf began, PH put together a series thatshaved nearly 5 minutesofftheclock,featuring a fourth-down conversion that eventuallyled to a Greg Foster Jr. touchdown.

Despite another meticulous Mechanicsvillescoringdrive that tickedoff more than 7 minutes

PatrickROBBY FLETCHER Henry rumblespastMechanicsvilleSports Editor inhigh-scoring64th Entering a week of practice and preparation for this year’s Big River Rivalry all-star football game, Hanover quarterback Cole TomatoBowl Elrod had a chip on his shoulder to prove what he could do when he By AdamCheek worked from the pocket. for Richmond Times-Dispatch Mostly known as a run-heavy option under center and even a target as a receiver, Elrod commanded the North team offense at Randolph-Macon’s Day Field, carving up the defense to the tune of 74 passing yards with a touchdown to go with 74 more yards on the ground as a runner. That performance earned him MVP honors and helped his team to a 33-21 win over the South in an exciting display from the best football players in Richmond.

“The only thing I wanted to show was that I could throw the ball around a little bit and be that pocket passer,” Elrod said.

Elrod said the MVP honor feels more like a team award, crediting the talent of his teammates for his success on the field.

“There’s a lot of studs out here and everybody makes everybody better,” Elrod said. “Honestly, this MVP trophy goes to everybody. My job was so easy today just to give them the ball and let them go to work.”

On the North side, Trinity’s Trai Ferguson took home MVP honors as well, finishing with 120 yards on six receptions along with one touchdown. The North team featured many familiar faces for fans in Hanover PatrickHenry playersmaketheirway tothelocker roomduring a highschoolfootball game on Sept.1. SHABAN ATHUMAN/TIMES-DISPATCH and Mechanicsville, with stars and a successfulonsidekick, Patrick like Patrick Henry’s Gracyn Ross Henry’s defenseheldfast to force and Maddox Ratcliffe, Elrod’s a punt. Hanover teammate Grady Fahed, After hisearlier visit to theend Mechanicsville’s Tyler Stevens zone, Rosswassitting at 19 touchand Trey Strattman and Atlee’s Scott Holmes and Zach Tschantre making an appearance in the allsenior game. One of the game’s biggest standdowns ontheseason. Johnson aired itout to Rossfor a passing touchdown andthe20-score milestone, making thelead 41-21.

outs was Ross, a running back/ wide receiver combo and special teams ace, who had arguably the play of the day in the third quarter when he astonishingly broke four tackles and found paydirt down the left sideline for a 61-yard punt return touchdown that led to his teammates clearing the benches to celebrate with the Patriots star. Voices across the sideline could be heard yelling “sign him” as uncommitted Ross celebrated with his teammates in the end zone.

Ross says he set out to prove that he could compete with the best Richmond has to offer, something he’s been consistently proving over the course of his Patrick Henry career.

“I just wanted to show that my size wouldn’t hold me back from performing, and that I belong here,” Ross said.

After a performance like the one he had at Day Field along with a senior season that saw him record over 1,700 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns, Ross seems to have made his point loud and clear.

Ross’ punt return score was the second one of the day for the North, with the first coming from Highland Springs star Caron Ferguson, who opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a 49-yard

North wins 33-21 in Big River Rivalry PHOTO BY ROBBY FLETCHER Hanover quarterback cole elrod was named the big river rivalry north team mVP after throwing a touchdown and for 74 yards in the team’s 3321 win over the south team at day Field on dec. 17. return with 3:35 left in the opening period. The South responded quickly to tie the game up when Powhatan quarterback Dylan Trevillian fired a deep ball to an open Trai Ferguson that went 83 yards for a touchdown. Entering halftime tied up 7-7, the North came out firing on all cylinders in a dominant third quarter that opened with Ross’ score and was followed by an Elrod strike over the top to Aziz FosterPowell for a 51-yard score to make it 21-7. Then, Kenari Eberhardt scored his first of two second half touchdowns to open the scoring up even more to 27-7, though the South did score one touchdown just before the end of the quarter on a 60-yard touchdown catch from Jashaun Amin. After Eberhardt added one more North score on the ground and the South responded with a few minutes left, the North was able to run down the clock and pick up an impressive win. In the Big River Rivalry’s eight-year history, it’s the fifth time the North team came away with the victory. It’s hard to think of a better send-off event for these senior football stars, who now close out a thrilling chapter in their football careers.

ROBBY FLETCHER

Sports Editor

In a packed gym for two days of non-stop wrestling from the best teams in the area, the 2022 Mechanicsville Holiday Classic was again a huge success, with the Mustangs finishing in third place in the 21-team tournament held from Dec. 16 to 17.

In front of the hosting Mustangs were the top-placed Spotsylvania Knights with 203.5 points and the Atlee Raiders with 186 points. Mechanicsville finished just behind Atlee with 181 points. The tournament also saw Patrick Henry finish as the holder of fifth place with 159 points and Hanover in seventh with 146.5 points.

The Raiders placed second thanks to an impressive team performance headlined by Alex Donaldson’s first place finish in the 126-pound bracket, second place finishes from 113-pound Eric Ludwig and 157-pound Tristan Tores and third place finishes from 165-pound Benji Collawn and 138-pound Brayton Crews.

Donaldson pinned his first two opponents within the first period to set up a showdown with Hanover’s Jadyn Avila in the semifinals, who he beat with a 17-1 tech fall. In the final, he earned the title when he won by tech fall yet again, this time against Mechanicsville’s Mason Santini, 16-0.

The Mustangs had two first place winners in their home gym with Drew Kozubal winning the 157-pound class and Joe Elaal winning the 215-pound class. The 126-pound Santini also placed second and 175-pound Jacob Koenig and 150-pound Kevin Bagby finished in third place in their respective brackets.

Kozubal had two pins to his name by the time he reached the

Mustangs place third in Holiday Classic semifinals against Mills E. Godwin’s Colin Mayhew, who he defeated with a 11-0 major decision. In his final against Tristan Tores, he won yet again by fall, taking home the top honor in 5:29. For Patrick Henry, who is fresh off a Patriot Revolution first place finish as a team, Ryan and Dillon O’Keefe were once again at the forefront of the team’s success. Ryan, competing in the 106-pound class, placed second after winning with pins in the first two rounds and by major decision in a 21-8 win over Deep Run’s Ajay Pai. Dillon, meanwhile, won the 132-pound class, cruising through the early rounds with three consecutive pins and ultimately taking the championship bout over Powhatan’s Talon Harness in a tight 7-4 decision. Seventh place Hanover had one first place winner in 138-pound Robert Owens, a second place finish from 215-pound Jacob Epperly and two third place results from 106-pound Emmons Tewalt and 126-pound Jadyn Avila. Owens took down Mechanicsville’s Noah Styles and Hermitage’s Jackson Daniels with first period pins before a 5-2 decision put him over Atlee’s Brayton Crews to send him to the semifinals. He ultimately won the semifinals matchup via forfeit, leading to his championship win over Powhatan’s Gavin Utley in a wild 4-2 sudden victory. Owens was down 2-0 entering the third period, where he recorded the first of two takedowns between then and the only overtime period that gave him a hard-fought first place medal. It was another eventful weekend of wrestling at Mechanicsville, whose Holiday Classic continues to be an exciting event that gives schools across Virginia the opportunity to showcase their best talent on the mats.

Atlee players spread Christmas cheer

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Players from Atlee’s football team brought smiles to the faces of some Mechanicsville Elementary students on Wednesday, Dec. 14 as they joined them in their Christmas activities.

The Raiders athletes played games, made crafts, helped with class work and enjoyed recess with the young students, who left school with even more Christmas sprit than when they entered.

It was yet another example of the Raiders doing their part to positively influence the community and the young students that look up to them.

Mustangs fall in overtime thriller

ROBBY FLETCHER

Sports Editor

In a game that featured excellent defense, an amped up crowd and a rare overtime period that gave the fans in attendance some free basketball, Mechanicsville’s riveting matchup on the road against Maggie Walker had a little bit of everything for fans of the game.

The Dec. 15 battle featured six ties and eight lead changes from the start of the fourth quarter into overtime, though it would be the Green Dragons who would come out on top in a 50-43 final. The loss is Mechanicsville’s third straight, and it moves to 1-4 on the season.

Junior Brady Barton led the Mustangs in scoring with 12 points on the night and also had a chance to end the game in regulation when he took a deep three just before time expired that would have been the go-ahead basket had it gone in. Behind him was an excellent performance from junior guard Joseph Evans, who directed the offense with flair and impressive passing vision while also chipping in nine points of his own.

It took some time for both teams to develop into a scoring rhythm at the start of the game, but Maggie Walker ultimately delivered the first punch in the first quarter, springing to an 8-0 run to take a 9-6 lead into the second quarter.

The Mustangs responded well in the second quarter with an 8-0 run of their own highlighted by a go-ahead steal and score from Evans that saw him intercept a pass at the top of the key and euro step his way into a layup for a 10-9 Mustangs lead.

Mechanicsville locked in defensively to end the half as well, with senior Jamil Mashore recording three steals in the second quarter while his teammates fed off that intensity with some tough on-ball defense.

Entering the third quarter up 19-15, the Mustangs and Dragons traded baskets in a high-octane third quarter that saw the teams enter the fourth quarter locked into a 25-25 tie. At the end of the quarter with the Green Dragons up by two, Evans once again delivered a dime of an assist to his teammate Joseph Foley, who he found open at the dunker’s spot with a no-look laser to the hands of Foley for an easy lay-in to end the period.

The fourth quarter again saw the two teams trading baskets, with the Mustangs scoring on their first three possessions to start the final stretch, but the Green Dragons used their size in the frontcourt to earn extra possessions on the glass and keep the game close.

Maggie Walker ultimately tied the game up with 14 seconds left after a trip to the free throw line resulted in one made basket and a 3939 score, which led to five extra minutes in overtime to determine a winner.

The Green Dragons, with an amped up home crowd, quickly took momentum in overtime, outscoring the Mustangs 11-4 and making the necessary defensive stops to come away with the win. Maggie Walker big man Wood Johnson led the way with four of the team’s 11 points in the additional minutes.

The Mustangs can respond to the close loss in their next game on Dec. 28 when they host King William in a holiday tournament. The game will start at 7:15 p.m.