By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
The second half of the regular season has started with quite the speed bump for Charlottesville, who entered October on a four-game winning streak. After Albemarle rallied to win last week, Powhatan rolled into Theodose Stadium and spoiled the Black Knights’ homecoming game with a 28-14 victory. The Indians bounced back from their first loss thanks to the ground attack, led by a relentless Justin DeLeon, while bottling up Charlottesville’s trio of running threats.
“That’s the type of team we are: we like to keep pounding it,” DeLeon said. “Everybody [blocking] was hitting their assignments perfectly. We had a great week of practice. Week after week, we focus on the game for that week; we’re mad about [Louisa], but we’ve got to move on now and keep pounding each and every game.”
After Charlottesville pulled within one score at the 9:04 mark of the fourth quarter, Powhatan’s offense responded with a game-icing touchdown drive. Starting at their own 29, the Indians drained 6:02 off the clock with nine running plays. Senior Ross Lewis spelled DeLeon on the final snap and cross the goal line from 10 yards out.
“That’s a wonderful feeling when you see your team get the ball with nine minutes to go and drive it all the way down and score,” said Powhatan coach Jim Woodson. “That says something about the will of the guys.”
The Knights’ inability to come up with stops on a pair of third downs on the drive capped a frustrating night for the defense, which saw DeLeon average more than six yards per carry as he piled up 196 yards on 31 rushes.
“He’s building his stamina and working hard both ways, and it’s harder and harder for me to get him out of the game,” Woodson said. “He’s stronger than he looks, and he’s coming with a good pad level. So he’s got those moves, but he keeps the ball going forward and get the extra 2-3 every time. When you run it 30 times, that really adds up.”
Powhatan opened the night’s scoring on its second offensive series. DeLeon carried on all six plays of the 41-yard drive following a partially-blocked punt, the last going 14 yards. Charlottesville’s ensuing possession stretched into the second quarter; on the eleventh play, junior quarterback Sam Neale rolled around the right side and straight into the end zone. He also opted for a keeper on the conversion, and won the race to the goal line to give the Knights an 8-7 lead.
Powhatan responded with a drive that was a precursor to the four quarter clincher, spanning 63 yards over more than seven minutes. DeLeon carried 10 times, converting two third downs and a fourth down. When sophomore quarterback Jacob Moss dropped back to pass on the fifteenth play, he found DeLeon all alone in the left flat, who turned and easily outraced the secondary to the pylon.
“Everybody’s realizing that our starting quarterback is out, and they’re just ganging up on us,” Woodson said. “Even though it’s tough, it’s making us stronger up front. We knew they were playing man, and that means I have a matchup with my running back on their linebacker, and we’ll take that all day long.”
After a quick CHS three-and-out, Powhatan’s offense returned. With DeLeon out of the mix this time, the Indians still picked up chunks. Lewis broke a 33-yard run on the first play; three snaps later, Moss found senior Jonathan Arnold behind the secondary for a 41-yard touchdown, and a 21-8 halftime lead.
“That hurts going into halftime,” said Charlottesville coach Eric Sherry, as Powhatan turned the Knights’ one-point second quarter lead into a two-touchdown deficit. “My kids had a little bit of a moment where they needed to regroup and get their minds right. I was proud of their resiliency in the second half.”
The Knights opened the third quarter with a nice drive. Sophomore power back Sabias Folley seemed to get something going with 10 yards on the first three carries, and Rahkeem Davis and Lorenzo Louderback mixed in from there as CHS advanced to the Powhatan 25. However, the Indians’ defense sacked Neale on third down, and his fourth down pass slipped through a receiver’s hands at the goal line.
Charlottesville finished its next drive, though it took 10 plays to cover 77 yards and stretched three minutes into the fourth quarter. Folley rumbled for 15 yards to convert a third-and-two, and Neale hit senior Travis Houchens for a gain of 26 into the redzone. Neale finally scored with a 4-yard keeper on fourth and goal. The Knights were back within 21-14 on the scoreboard, but Powhatan’s offense reclaimed control from there.
After DeLeon, Lewis added 40 yards on 10 rushes for the Indians. Moss’s only two pass completions on the night both went for touchdowns. Folley led the Knights with 47 yards on 14 carries. Davis added 36 yards on nine rushes. Neale accounted for 57 total yards (31 rushing, 26 passing).
“We spent 70 percent of our practice this week strictly on defense,” Woodson said. “Last week we practiced against the single wing for Louisa, and then we flop it around here for the flex-bone and our guys’ heads were swimming. We slowed it down, practiced without the football, and everybody had their assignments. We didn’t try to do too many adjustments [tonight], and it paid off.”
Next week, Charlottesville (4-3, 2-2) heads to Orange County (4-3, 2-2). While the Hornets hold an identical record, they enter having won back-to-back games, scoring 63 and 56 in the process. Powhatan (6-1, 3-1) hosts Albemarle (5-2, 3-1).
