By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
GOOCHLAND – Goochland’s football team is running like a well-oiled machine. And the defending state champions couldn’t have picked a better time to play their best football of the season.
The No. 8 seeded Bulldogs excelled in all facets of the game – offense, defense and special teams – in a 52-13 rout of No. 9 East Rockingham in the 2A East first round playoffs on Friday night.
Goochland amassed 468 yards on offense – 409 of which came in the first half – en route to the lopsided victory. The team, which has won five straight games, has scored at least 50 points in its last four.
The Bulldogs advance to play at No. 1 seed Wilson Memorial, a winner over Madison County, on Friday.
“We talk about we play the games on Friday night, but you win them Monday through Thursday in practice and you win them in the weight room in the summer and winter,” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said. “We had more focus this week than we’ve had all season long and it manifested itself on Friday.”
Goochland (9-2) broke to a quick start as Jaylen Allen burst down field for a 70-yard touchdown jaunt on the first play from scrimmage. The speedster added another score later in the first quarter on a 10-yard run and finished with 86 yards rushing on four carries. He also hauled in one pass for 22 yards.
The Bulldogs’ defense provided a spark after recovering a fumble on the Eagles’ opening drive. The home team took three plays to score after the miscue. Conner Saunders sprinted 17 yards before fumbling, but teammate Joe Cutchins picked up the loose ball and ran it another 25 yards and nearly reached the end zone. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson ran it in from 1 yard out to extend the early lead.
Jefferson, a multi-talented junior who has stepped back into the full-time quarterback after Reid Chenault suffered an injury a few games ago, had a stellar night on both sides of the ball. Jefferson finished 4 for 4 passing for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also had two interceptions.
“Jordan is a very quiet, unassuming man, but in the pregame today you could tell he was amped up and ready to play and wanted to come out here and make a statement,” Fowler said of Jefferson. He ran the offense like the veteran that he is and made three spectacular plays on defense, two interceptions and a great tackle on a pass.”
The Bulldogs’ front line paved the way on the ground as two players surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark. Saunders, who had a second-quarter touchdown, rushed for a game-high 129 yards on seven carries while David Dyer toted the ball 12 times for 103 yards. Dyer, a senior fullback, ran for one touchdown and caught another – a 42-yard pass from Jefferson — to help Goochland to a 49-0 halftime lead.
Goochland took advantage of five turnovers by the Eagles, including four interceptions.
The Bulldogs’ kicking game was also impressive, as Raleigh Marria was a perfect 7 for 7 on PATs before connecting on a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter.
East Rockingham (7-4) scored on a pair of late touchdown runs by Joseph Marshburn.
“It’s a big confidence-booster blowing this kind of team out,” Jefferson said of the win. “We’ve already looked at film on [Wilson Memorial]. They’re big, but we just have to come out like we did this week with the energy and confidence and practice hard again.”
The Bulldogs have earned postseason wins against Wilson Memorial the past two seasons.
