By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
GOOCHLAND – Goochland High’s football team showed off its versatile offense in its James River District win on Friday night against Cumberland.
The Bulldogs, playing on a wet field, put on an impressive display in the air and on the ground as it rolled past the Dukes 49-6 to stay unbeaten on the year.
Goochland’s defense didn’t disappoint either, as it came up with a pair of interceptions and limited the visitors to 125 yards of total offense.
“We’ve made a concerted effort [to throw the ball] and sometimes it works out,” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said. “Tonight Cody [Johnson] was throwing the ball real well, and they were packing the box trying to stop the run and they were giving us some stuff in the passing game. We tried to take advantage of it and then it loosened some stuff up in the run game and everything just fed off of itself.”
The Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0) used a 15-play, 84-yard drive to open the scoring as Patrick Clore rumbled in the end zone from 9 yards out. Clore was the workhorse on the night, finishing with a game-high 122 yards on 12 carries and three TDs.
A Jake Martin interception early in the second quarter led to another score by Clore (1-yard run) and Mitchell Brice had a nifty sideline sprint for a touchdown as the hosts extended their lead to 21-0.
Goochland was unrelenting, as it took to the air on its following possession. Johnson hooked up with Mason Engel for a 6-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive.
The Bulldogs recovered a fumble minutes later to set up another touchdown. Johnson found an open Brice from 14 yards out for the score.
“I was rolling to the right, and I was thinking about stopping, but I didn’t know who was behind me, so I tried to throw it across my body,” the senior quarterback said of the play. “Both [Nathan Adams and Brice] were wide open, so I knew the outcome was going to be good.”
On the point after attempt, Colby Cooke slipped while kicking, but still managed to get the ball over the upright. Cooke, who is headed to Vanderbilt, was a perfect 7 for 7 on PATs on the night.
Goochland continued to cruise, and took just three plays on its opening drive in the second half to score. Johnson completed passes of 16 and 7 yards before connecting with Martin on a 33-yard pass play.
“The whole game the safeties played down so that opened the field up,” Johnson said. “Our receivers are really fast and they’re able to get in the open spaces and they can do their thing. All of our wide receivers are pretty tall guys, so it’s easy to throw to them. And our running backs are blazing fast.”
Johnson finished 10-of-15 passing for 115 yards and connected with six different receivers in the win. Martin finished with 104 all-purpose yards and Brice added 71 yards rushing for the well-balanced Bulldogs.
The game was a tune-up for what’s to come, as Goochland prepares for Randolph-Henry next Friday, followed by games at Buckingham and against Amelia.
“Tonight we made a step forward,” added Johnson. “Which is good for the next couple of weeks since we’re going to be playing some pretty good teams.”
