By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
On a cold, windy night in Stanardsville, Clarke County showed why it’s the class of the Bull Run District.
The Eagles rolled up eight touchdowns and 441 yards of total offense in a 57-15 romp over William Monroe, spoiling the Greene Dragons’ senior night and a record-setting night for Monroe senior running back Cody Perkins.
Seeking a perfect 10-0 regular season record, the Eagles took the opening kick and marched 80 yards in seven plays, capped by senior quarterback Sean McDonald’s 19-yard touchdown run. McDonald also went in from two yards out on Clarke’s next drive to make it 14-0 with three minutes left in the opening quarter.
Clarke looked primed to widen its margin after forcing a Monroe punt, but the Dragons defense came up big, forcing a fumble and recovering on the Eagles’ 19-yard line. Dustin Knight got Monroe on the board with a one-yard sneak on the first play of the second quarter, but McDonald answered with his third touchdown five minutes later for a 22-8 lead.
“I told my kids that it would be a dogfight,” Clarke coach Chris Parker said. “Monroe has athletes, they had a lot on the line. They had a chance to tie us for the district, so I’m proud of how we responded tonight.”
Perkins became Monroe’s all-time rushing yards leader with a one-yard carry early in the second quarter, breaking the previous mark of 3,577 yards set by Cordell Burley in 1992. The senior totaled 121 yards on 14 carries, including a 71-yard scamper to bring the Dragons within seven at 22-15 midway through the second quarter, a play that brought the crowd to its feet.
“Cody is just awesome,” Monroe coach Jon Rocha said. “He’ll do anything. He works his butt off. The line did a good job against a quality defense.”
But the Eagles took full control after that, beginning with a masterful drive that exhausted all but 12 seconds of what remained in the first half. Senior quarterback Sean McDonald led Clarke 70 yards in 13 plays, culminating in a two-yard dive by McDonald to make the score 29-15 at the break. Five different Eagles carried the ball on the drive, which was a microcosm of the rushing attack Monroe had to deal with all night.
The Dragons took the second-half kickoff and gambled right away as they faced fourth-and-two from their own 48-yard line, but Perkins was stopped for no gain and Clarke took possession. The Eagles promptly widened their lead to 36-15 on a touchdown pass from McDonald to fellow senior Justin Dulaney from 20 yards out with 8:25 to go in the third.
“We’ve had the theme all year that the season is like rungs of a ladder–this is the 10th rung,” Parker said. “To get to the top, you’ve got to go 15. Now it’s one and done. But our guys are hungry.”
The troubles continued for the Dragons on the ensuing drive, which began from their own 13. After a three-and-out in which Monroe lost seven yards, punter Phillip Dunn lost his handle on the snap in the end zone and the ball squirted past the end line, resulting in a safety for a 38-15 Clarke lead and the rout was on.
McDonald tossed a 56-yard touchdown to Matthew Dang three plays later to made it 44-15, and Hunter Rogers and James Martin added rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final margin, each set up by Monroe fumbles.
Despite the loss, the 6-4 Dragons will advance to the Region 3A East playoffs and will open on the road against an opponent that has yet to be determined but appears to be John Champe.
“I’ve taken my butt-kickings, and I’ve been to the pinnacle,” Rocha said. “It’s all how you respond the next week. This team’s gonna take it, and tomorrow morning they’re moving on. They’re gonna be okay with it.”
