Fluvanna drew first blood Friday night with a reverse option pass on the first play from scrimmage that went for a touchdown.
“[Our defense] knew coming in that they were going to have a trick up the sleeve,” said Monticello coach Rodney Redd. “They just caught us sleeping over there.”
But behind a big-time effort from running back T.J. Tillery, Monticello broke back and the defense forced three turnovers as Monticello snapped a two-game skid in Jefferson District play by spoiling Fluvanna’s first Homecoming Game at Phil Browning Field with a 48-13 win Friday night.
Fluvanna quarterback Dashon Tibbs took the second handoff of the reverse option pass and threw deep to Jalen Harrison, who was open behind the Monticello secondary, for a 75-yard touchdown that put Fluvanna up 6-0.
“That was the start we had to have,” said Fluvanna coach Jason Barnett. “We had to figure out a way to get the momentum on our side early, which we did.”
Monticello woke up quickly though, thanks in large part to a 66-yard kickoff return by senior Denzel Terry that setup the Mustang offense with 1st and Goal from the Fluco 10. On third down, senior quarterback Jhalil Mosley scored on a one-yard keeper. On Fluvanna’s next series, eight straight runs out of the option offense moved the ball into Mustang territory, but the drive ended when Brodie Phillips picked off Tibbs on 3rd and 10. Monticello then marched 57 yards on six runs, capped by a 2-yard Tillery touchdown.
“I was seeing a lot of O-linemen just blocking their tails off,” said Tillery. “It was great to see them block, and me just pop out and be in the endzone.”
After a quick Fluvanna three-and-out, a shanked punt of 0 yards set Monticello up again deep in Fluco territory to start the second quarter. The Mustangs moved backward, though, with back-to-back holding and intentional grounding penalties. The game then came to halt after Mosley eluded pressure on 2nd and 29, as Fluvanna junior lineman Jesse Snow suffered an apparent serious ankle injury.
“He was kind of a big key for us on defense and offense,” said Barnett. “That was a big loss for us, but I was very proud of our kids for not letting his injury stop the momentum that we had created. We continued to play well.”
On the first play after the long medical break, sophomore defensive back Alec Turley intercepted Mosley, who missed on his first five pass attempts. After forcing another Fluvanna punt, Monticello drove 53 yards in six plays, including a 13-yard completion from Mosley to Chase Phillips on 3rd and 9, and Tillery’s second touchdown from 13 yards out. Down 21-6, the Fluvanna offense found a way to keep things close heading into halftime. On 2nd and 5 from the Fluvanna 19, Tibbs took off for 56 yards. Devin Goode dashed in from 25 yards out on the next play to make it 21-13.
“We were with them up until halftime,” said Barnett. “Literally, this game came down to a five minute stretch. We had one drive where we didn’t stop them, and then we could never get the ball back.”
It would be hard to imagine how the first half of the third quarter could have gone better for Monticello. To start, Terry returned the second half kickoff 56 yards to the Fluco 26, and Tillery ran three times to score his third touchdown (an 8-yarder). Fluvanna’s ensuing drive stalled after just one first down. Tillery broke the game’s longest run on the third play of Monticello’s next possession as he sprinted 59 yards for a touchdown. At 35-13, Monticello had opened a comfortable lead; but the situation deteriorated rapidly for Fluvanna. The ensuing kickoff return was fumbled at the 37 yardline and recovered by Monticello. The very next play, Mosley hit Chase Phillips down the left sideline for a 37-yard touchdown. Then, Fluvanna fumbled again on the next kickoff, setting up Monticello at the 10. Three plays later, Mosley found James Banks for an 8-yard score with 5:17 left in the quarter. That wrapped up a 27-point third quarter for the Mustangs, and initiated a running clock for the rest of the game.
“We felt like we were going to be physical enough as the game went on that we’d essentially be able to impose our will on them,” said Redd. “Honestly, I think that had a lot to do with the turnovers. The fact that we were playing so physical on special teams and on defense really took a toll.”
Offensive statistics confirm the game’s ground-focused attack. Tillery carried 18 times for 176 yards and four touchdowns. Tibbs led Fluvanna with 107 yards on 11 carries, and completed 4 of 8 passes for 91 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Mosley finished 5 of 13 passing for 50 yards, with two touchdowns and a pick, and also rushed eight times for 40 yards. Monticello outgained the Flucos slightly in total offense (321 to 301), and took full advantage of long returns and fumble recoveries on special teams.
“That little rough stretch we had is behind us,” said Redd. “It actually helped make us a better team. [Senior lineman Austin] Mays’ injury after Louisa – we can trace a lot of our issues offensively back to that. He’s been a mainstay on that offensive line for the better part of three years now, and it really messed with our continuity. I think we’re starting to gel as a unit, and our offense continues to get better.”
Monticello (6-2, 2-2 Jefferson) hosts Powhatan (4-3, 1-2) for its own Homecoming Game next Friday. It’s a matchup with Region II playoff seeding implications for Division 3 and 4. The Mustangs are back in contention for a home quarterfinal game (top 4 seeds), currently sitting fifth in the Power Points standings after previous top contender Kettle Run lost for the second week in a row. Powhatan slipped from fourth to seventh in Division 4 after losing at Louisa.
“I’m looking forward to everything at the Powhatan game,” said Tillery. “They’re always a good team. They’re always very physical, and I’m just looking forward to having another hard, physical game to play.”
