Coming off a 21-0 loss to Brookville last Friday night to open the season, the Albemarle Patriots couldn’t have started their home opener in a better way against visiting Kettle Run.
Tyquan Rose took the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown and Albemarle put forth a strong defensive effort, never trailing in a 20-7 win over the Cougars to even its record at 1-1.
“I call Tyquan ‘The Comet,'” Albemarle head coach Brandon Isaiah said. “Every time he touches the ball, I believe there’s potential for a big play. He’s the kind of guy who can make a five-yard catch look like a highlight. I enjoy watching him play.”
Despite the early spark, Albemarle’s offense took quite a while to get in gear. The Patriots went three-and-out on their first three drives and didn’t register a first down until 4:28 remained in the second quarter. Fortunately, Kettle Run’s offense was just as stuck in the mud as Albemarle’s, and the Patriot defense made the 7-0 lead stand up going into the locker room.
“We have a lot of young guys, sophomores and juniors who played JV last year, so it takes time to get used to our system,” Isaiah said. “I know those kids have talent, but it’s going to take a little while to get in gear, so we struggled early.”
Albemarle held the Cougars (0-2) to a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half, then the offense took center stage and put together its most impressive drive of the young season. The Patriots went 67 yards in 10 plays, punctuated by Jamal Thompson’s one-yard plunge into the end zone to make it 14-0 midway through the third period. Thompson led the Albemarle ground attack with 17 carries for 92 yards.
That touchdown, however, woke up the Cougars, who cut the lead in half with a lightning-quick three-play drive covering 53 yards. Tailback Alex Smith scored on a seven-yard rush set up by Casen Chumley’s 42-yard pass to Mike Tapscott.
In the fourth quarter, the momentum appeared to swing in Kettle Run’s favor when the Patriots botched the snap on a seemingly routine 28-yard field goal with 8:56 left in the game, giving the Cougars the ball down just one possession. But the Patriot defense came up big when Sean Scott made a leaping interception on Kettle Run’s second play of the drive on the Albemarle 48-yard line.
“We expect our defense to be a good unit,” Isaiah said. “Last week we struggled on offense and our defense kept us in the game. This week they played outstanding. If they can continue to play like that, we’ll continue to make progress as a team.”
Albemarle put the game on ice when Brock Shorten raced 24 yards for a score on the ensuing drive. Albemarle botched the extra point, but did not allow another Kettle Run first down for the rest of the game, much to the delight of the home crowd which had waited out an hour-and-five-minute lightning delay at the beginning of the game.
Albemarle will enjoy a bye week next Friday before hosting Patrick Henry-Roanoke Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
