By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
GOOCHLAND – Goochland, under the tutelage of coach Joe Fowler, has built a perennial power with an arsenal of weapons, but none more powerful than his running game.
This year things appear, for now at least, to be a little different. The offense appears to be evolving around the Bulldogs’ young gunslinger.
On Friday, Reid Chenault served notice of how the Goochland offense may look over the next three years. The sophomore quarterback threw for a school-record five first-half touchdowns as the Bulldogs broke to an early lead and never looked back, dispatching visiting Randolph-Henry 56-7.
The aerial display not only stunned the Statesmen but lit up the Goochland County skyline brighter than the harvest moon.
“I was excited about [our success in the air],” said Chenault, who finished 11 for 19 passing for 283 yards. “We’re usually mainly a run team, so to drop back and throw a couple of passes was nice.”
It took the Bulldogs five plays to reach the end zone on the opening drive, as Chenault completed his first pass of the night to Conner Saunders for a 48-yard touchdown.
Jordan Jefferson came up with an interception on the visitors’ first possession to give Goochland the ball back.
Chenault again found Saunders, this time for a 62-yard strike, and Raleigh Marria converted on the point after attempt to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead.
“They were trying to take away our run game early and they were giving us some passing stuff and we wanted to take advantage of that,” Fowler said. “Wednesday and Thursday were two of our better practices all year — things were just clicking for us. Reid was seeing the field so well and the receivers were getting into space and our offensive line was doing a great job blocking.”
The Statesmen (1-3) answered with a 6-play drive fueled by three consecutive first downs to get into the end zone as Tre Shuford connected with Joseph Reed on a 45-yard TD pass.
Goochland took to the air again on its next drive and Chenault completed three straight passes, highlighted by a 26-yard gain to Cephas Harden for his third touchdown of the quarter.
The Goochland defense capitalized on a bad snap, which flew over Randolph-Henry punter Thristian Pate’s head, as Jaylen Allen picked up the loose ball and ran 25 yards for the score.
The Bulldogs added another score with seconds remaining in the first quarter, as Chenault found another target – Daric Clarke – for a 16-yard TD pass. Saunders ran in for the two-point conversion and the rout was on.
Seven different players scored touchdowns for Goochland – including Jefferson (12-yard run) and David Dyer (1-yard run), who added scores before Chenault capped his thrilling performance with a 13-yard touchdown to Taivon Fox late in the first half.
“We’re very close to putting stripes on their helmets and getting them ready to roll,” Fowler added. “We didn’t think we’d executed well this yet season and tonight we felt like, especially offensively, we executed well. We feel good about where we’re at, getting those kids passes.”
Goochland (3-1) amassed 258 yards on the ground, as 12 different players toted the ball. The win came on a night where the team participated in Coach to Cure MD, and recognized Jack Ridolphi, who served as honorary captain for the game.
The Bulldogs travel to rival Buckingham on Friday night.
