By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
GOOCHLAND – Ask any coach when the weather turns cold and damp what his team needs to improve on and he will quickly say defense and special teams. Well, Goochland’s defense and special teams were a dream come true on Friday night, as they carried the Bulldogs to an 8-6 win over previously unbeaten Amelia and into the postseason boasting a perfect record.
With the victory Goochland not only secured the James River District crown, but more importantly the top seed in the Group A, Division 2 Eastern Sectional.
While senior kicker Colby Cooke boosted the Bulldogs with a pair of field goals, the team’s opportunistic defense came up with the play of the day in dramatic fashion.
With the Raiders trailing by two and driving into Goochland territory late in the game, senior linebacker Jess McLaughlin recovered a fumble caused by Jake Martin near the goal line to thwart the visitors’ comeback.
The Bulldogs ran out the clock for the win, and a wild celebration ensued in the end zone.
“It’s what we always wanted when we came back to single A,” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said after the win. “We’ve been blessed here. This is our fifth 10-win season in the past seven years and one of our goals is to get into the double digits every year. And that means a lot to us. The most important thing to come out of tonight is not the district title or the undefeated season, it’s the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. We won’t have to break out the road jerseys the rest of the way, unless we have to wear them in the state title game. That’s a nice thing to know.”
Despite amassing just 82 yards of total offense in the game, Goochland made the most of its opportunities all night. The Bulldogs recovered a fumble on Amelia’s opening drive, which set up Cooke’s first field goal of the game – a 36-yarder – midway through the first quarter.
After forcing the Raiders to go three-and-out, Goochland capitalized on another miscue. As Amelia prepared to punt, the snap sailed over the punter’s head where it was recovered in the end zone for a safety. The Bulldogs, who donned black jerseys and black pants for the game, held a 5-0 lead at halftime.
Goochland was forced to punt on its first drive of the second half, but it didn’t take long to regain possession. Mason Engel intercepted A.J. Royal’s pass as it was tipped to him by the intended receiver, Quentin Hite.
The play set up another field goal from Cooke, who converted on the 27-yard attempt to give the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
“Knowing that I put six points on the board for our team to get that win means everything to me,” said Cooke, who will continue his football career at Vanderbilt.
Not to be outdone was Thomas Meadows, who got a workout with six punts on the night. The senior who is headed to Purdue battled with a strong wind much of the game, but was able to boot one for 46 yards.
Goochland followed score with a solid defensive series, capped by Scott Pearce’s sack of Royal.
The Goochland running backs – Mitchell Brice, Zakell Johnson, Patrick Clore and Jake Martin — fought for every yard they gained, and the longest run of the night was a nine-yard sprint by Clore.
“[Amelia] did such an amazing job with playing everything we wanted to do,” Fowler said. “We were blessed that our defense forced a couple of turnovers and our special teams allowed us to capitalize on those turnovers, because offensively we just didn’t get it done. They were physical up front, they pushed us around, and the ball bounced our way a couple of times.”
However, the ball bounced Amelia’s way in the fourth quarter, as the visitors were able to move the ball effectively down field thanks to Royal. The fleet-footed junior made his way in the end zone for the six-yard TD to cut the deficit to 8-6, but the two-point attempt failed. Royal completed three passes for 26 yards and rushed for 27 more on the 15-play drive. The quarterback finished with 102 passing yards in addition to a game-high 76 yards on the ground. On the conversion attempt, Johnson broke up Royal’s pass in the end zone and the Bulldogs got the ball back with 5:45 to play.
Goochland was unable to convert on fourth-and-one, giving the ball back to the Raiders with 2:27 remaining and setting the stage for the thrilling finish.
The Bulldogs defense, led by Nathan Adams (15 tackles), Johnson and Jordan Jefferson in the secondary clamped down before McLaughlin provided the late heroics.
Goochland, which last won a Group A championship in 2006, will host a first-round playoff game on Friday.
