By Ben Sheridan / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
On homecoming night for Fluvanna County, students and fans alike were hoping to cap off the night celebrating a victory over Western Albemarle. The Warriors however refused to let that happen though starting strong before closing the door on a Fluvanna comeback late to pick up a 35-21 victory over the Flucos.
“We’ve got to keep putting the pieces together, we’re a young team with young pieces, and tonight they played their hearts out and if they keep developing we’ll be really confident,” said Western Albemarle’s Carter Shifflett.
Shifflett spearheaded the Warriors’ attack, accounting for five total touchdowns in the win. He rushed 17 times for 121 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with going 4-for-9 for 81 yards in the air with a touchdown and an interception. It was a monster performance on a night where the Warriors desperately needed it after falling to 1-4 to start the season.
The night began with the Flucos receiving the opening kickoff, and both teams started slow, with the first three total possessions resulting in punts. Then the Warriors got the ball for the second time and marched 90 yards on 12 plays, with Carter Shifflett finishing the drive with a 9-yard carry for the score, and helping to give his team a 7-0 lead. A strong defensive effort from both teams kept the score there through the rest of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter , the Flucos bounced back in a big way, sparked by a 67-yard touchdown run from Keontae Hearns to help tie things at 7-7. After that though, the quarter was all Western.
The very next drive, the Warriors went 37 yards on six plays as Shifflett ran for another touchdown, helping to make things 13-7. The defense stopped the Fluvanna offense again, getting the ball back at their own 19. That ended once again with Shifflett, this time powering his way through the Fluvanna defense for a 31-yard touchdown run, and increasing the lead to 20-7. This being late in the quarter, the Fluco offense tried to answer but the first play resulted in an interception by Teanekuma Atuaia. Then as time expired, Shifflett found Breaker Mendenhall for a 35-yard connection for a score, pushing the Western lead to 27-7 at the half.
“We had to keep fighting and putting stuff together, staying loose and ready to go for the second half,” said Western Albemarle’s Carter Shifflett.
Then the second half began, and the Fluvanna surge came with it. The Flucos’ defense provided two straight scoreless possessions before the offense began to click as Kobe Edmonds notched a 10-yard touchdown run set up by a 65-yard run earlier in the drive to cut the deficit to 27-14. Edmonds had a huge night with 190 yards on 16 touches. Then between the third and fourth quarters, the Warriors had a three-and-out to give the Flucos the ball back with a significant amount of time still on the clock. Western refused to wilt though.
“We really came together as a team after that, and the defense made some big plays for us down the stretch,” said Shifflett.
Edmonds scored once more to push the Western lead to 27-21. The Warriors’ drive after that led to an interception from Fluvanna’s A. J. Wyche that gave his team the ball at their own 3-yard line with a chance to take the lead.
That’s when the Warriors’ defense came up with one last huge play, an interception by Garrett Livermon that seemed to seal the victory for his team.
“I knew I had to come up with that play for my teammates, and it was awesome to finish it out and get the win,” Livermon said.
To put the game on ice, Shifflett rushed in the endzone for another score, with Austin Shifflett getting the 2-point conversion to push the lead to 35-21.
Austin Shifflett had 25 carries for 120 yards, while Mendenhall had 3 receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. Atuaia and Livermon both had the key interceptions as well.
Western Albemarle will try and build on the momentum of a road win over the Flucos when the Warriors host Charlottesville Friday while the Flucos will try and bounce back when they travel to take on Albemarle the same night.
