By David Wagner
The varsity Warrior football team opened the 2011 season at Albemarle High School with an electrifying, down-to-the-wire 22-21 overtime win August 26.
The Warriors received the opening kickoff of the game and came out throwing. On the first play from scrimmage sophomore quarterback Kent Henry connected with Tanner Knight on a 17-yard completion, but the Warriors could manage only one more first down before turning the ball over on downs to the Patriots.
Albemarle didn’t waste any time, gaining yards on the ground and moving the chains with passes. Starting at their own 33 yard line, the Patriots engineered a 67-yard touchdown drive, capped off with a 5-yard touchdown pass. After a penalty on the extra-point try, the second attempt was no good and Albemarle led 6-0.
After a couple of possessions where neither team could convert on fourth down plays, Albemarle took their 6-0 lead into the second quarter. But the Warriors seized the momentum on the next possession and controlled the game until halftime.
Following a failed fourth down attempt by the Patriots, Western took over on their own 20 yard line. After a first down play that gained the Warriors only one yard, AHS was penalized for pass interference and the Warriors had the ball at their 40 yard line. Western then got their offense going. On first-and-ten, Henry connected with Isaiah Cowen for a big 38-yard pass play, but the Warriors got a dead ball personal foul that backed them up 15 yards from the AHS 22 to the 37. Henry struck again, this time scampering for 20 yards down to the 17 yard line, setting the table for Tanner Knight. Knight carried the ball for seven yards to the 10 and followed that up with an excellent 10-yard TD run, weaving his way through Patriot defenders to tie the game. Pete Barber kicked the extra point and Western led 7-6.
Following a mishandled kickoff, the Warrior defense got aggressive. Tommy Mullins made a big hit to stop a three-yard run and on second down (after an AHS false start and a WAHS offsides), Dom Christmas and Daniel Kuzjak combined for a sack and an eight-yard loss. Looking at a third and 15, the Patriots gained nine yards and had to punt. Tanner Knight returned the punt 12 yards to the AHS 35 and the Warriors were in business again.
Knight kept the hot hand and on first down he carried the ball 16 yards, inside the AHS 20. Following an Austin Ellis nine-yard run, sandwiched between two Warrior 5-yard penalties, Western had a second and 11 at the 20 yard line. Henry again worked his magic. Playing like a senior, he ran for 10 yards to set up a third and one. This time the Patriot defense was ready for Knight and they stopped him for no gain. Facing a tough fourth down decision, WAHS Coach Ed Pierce decided to go for it. Faking a handoff, Henry took the ball right through the teeth of the Patriot defense, making it look easy, and scored from 10 yards out. Barber connected on the point after and the Warriors led 14-6 at halftime.
The Patriots started the second half with another impressive drive. Using four different ball carriers and completing a 1-yard pass, Albemarle drove 80 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown. A two-point conversion tied the game.
For the next quarter and a half the game was a stalemate. Both defenses made big stops, play after play. Tommy Mullins, Austin Ellis and Daniel Kuzjak led the way for the Warriors on defense. It seemed at least one of these three was in on every tackle and the defensive line’s pressure on the quarterback caused the Patriots practically to abandon the passing game for the rest of the night.
With the score still tied 14-14, Western took over at their own 11 yard line with about six minutes to go in the game. Henry connected with Nikolas Drapannas for 14 yards on first down, next ran for 5 yards himself and then connected with Cowen again for 25 yards to reach the AHS 45 yard line. Henry then hit Kuzjak for 5 yards. Knight ran for 11, Henry for 6, and Knight again for 14 yards. WAHS had a first and goal at the 9. The Patriot defense then buckled down and the Warriors had to settle for a try at a game-winning field goal. Pete Barber’s 26-yard attempt for the win was good, but Western had a false start and had to kick again from 5 yards back. The AHS line got a great push up the middle and somebody got a hand on the ball, causing it to fall well short. With less than a minute to go in the game, the Patriots made a last ditch effort to score but had to settle for overtime.
Western won the toss but deferred possession, so Albemarle had a first and goal at the 10 yard line. After losing two yards on first down and gaining six on second, they had a third and goal at the six. On a well-designed pass route, Albemarle quarterback Lee Carneal found receiver Kevin Gaines open and tossed a go-ahead TD pass. The point after was good and AHS led 21-14.
Western had to score a TD to stay in the game. Things didn’t start well when Austin Ellis and Henry got their feet tangled up in the backfield and Ellis stumbled for a 3-yard loss. On second down, Henry found Drapannas again for an 8-yard completion, setting up a third and goal at the five yard line. Henry looked for Kuzjak in the end zone but a Patriot defender got a hand on the ball, knocking away a pass that looked like it would score a touchdown. The pressure was now on the Warrior offense. On fourth and five, Henry looked as if he wanted to pass but, pressured by the Patriots, he made a dash for the pylon. Henry out-ran pursuing defenders and was hit as he dove for the goal line. But he got in for the touchdown. The Warriors lined up to kick for the point after when Coach Pierce called a timeout: he had decided to go for two and the win.
The Warriors lined up to get a look at the AHS defense and then called another timeout. When the offense went back on the field it was do or die. Get in the end zone, or lose. Henry took the snap in the shotgun formation, but it was low and he couldn’t handle it. Picking the ball off the turf, he looked for somewhere to run. He sidestepped a defender and plunged into the crowd at the goal line. He stretched out, reaching with the ball for the end zone. The nose of the ball crossed the goal line by inches and the Warriors won, 22-21.
It was a stunning victory for the Warriors. They came together as a team, battled through some adversity and got their first lesson in winning a close game. Henry finished with 117 yards rushing on 15 attempts and two touchdowns. He also was 9 of 19 passing for 135 yards. Knight ended up with 72 yards rushing on 15 attempts, with one touchdown and a reception for 17 yards. Cowen had three catches for 74 yards, including two receptions of 25 yards or more and Drapannas added three receptions for 25 yards.
The Warriors will play their home opener against Liberty High School-Bealeton [Fauquier County] September 9 at 7:30 p.m.
