It took just 245 yards of offense to get the job done. Between a defense that forced five turnovers, a special teams touchdown from Denzel Terry and six total touchdowns between quarterback Jhalil Mosley and running back T.J. Tillery, that was enough for the Monticello to steamroll George Wythe in the first half. The Mustangs’ big advantage at the break gave them the chance to play the second half with second stringers and a running clock as they cruised to a 52-12 win in their home opener.
“We’re definitely happy with all phases of the game tonight,” said Monticello coach Rodney Redd. “For the most part we cut down on the mistakes and penalties. The defense played consistently but was still aggressive so I’m pleased with the effort.”
While the Mustangs looked solid in the first quarter, they exploded in the second thanks to their offensive line’s manhandling of the Bulldogs defensive front.
“The zone was working,” said senior center Sam Marshall. “They were a bit small up front, or smaller than us and we were able to dominate. That’s what we focused on. We came out looking to get the ‘w’ and get ready for next week against Goochland.”
James Banks’ 14-yard touchdown reception from Mosley opened up the scoring in the first quarter. Junior kicker Josh Malm made it 10-0 on the next drive thanks to a 33-yard field goal. Wythe’s first turnover of the game set up the Mustangs in prime territory and after two Mosley rushes Tillery punched through a 1-yard rushing score.
“I mean it was just great, every time the line opened it up just like it was the red sea,” Tillery said. “It was green grass wide open to run. Okay, it’s turf, but same difference.”
Up 16-0 going into the second quarter, things really took for Monticello starting with a tip-drill interception where Terry was able to deflect a pass to John Hensley who completed the play. It took just six plays for the Mustangs to march down field with Mosley starting the drive with a 41-yard sprint and finishing job on a 6-yard keeper. After forcing a three and out on the next Wythe drive, Terry ran the punt back for 52 yards to the house with Mosley laying the last block to seal the deal on the left sideline and make it 30-0.
The Bulldogs fumbled their next play from scrimmage which turned into Banks’ second TD reception of the day, with Mosley rolling out of the pocket and finding the senior wide out waiting in the corner of the end zone. A fumble on Wythe’s next punt gave Monticello another short field. Mosley quickly threw his third touchdown of the night, this time hitting Chase Phillips for 13 yards and inflating the score to 44-0. For good measure, the Mustangs added one more score after another fumbled punt, this time a Tillery 12-yard rushing touchdown.
“Defense had a great night, special teams too, we just all stayed together and got it done,” Tillery said.
With Monticello’s starters on the bench for the entire second half, the Bulldogs finally found the endzone midway through the third quarter, and did so again to start the fourth. But the Mustangs didn’t flinch and the substitutes finished the job with a rolling clock all the way through.
Monticello (2-0) faces Goochland on the road next week at 7:30 p.m. The last two regular season meetings have been decided in the last minutes of play with the road team winning on both occasions with the Bulldogs winning last year by five points and the Mustangs coming from behind in 2010 to win by one. In a great budding James River/Jefferson rivalry between two of those districts perennial best, nothing looks to be easy again this year.
“We always know it’s a tough game against (coach) Joe Fowler,” Redd said. “They’re always well coached and have excellent personnel so we’re going to have to button down the hatches and work hard to get a win against them, we know that.”
