Shawn Steen’s first interception with just over four minutes to play was a head scratcher. He jumped the route and somehow stayed inbounds to give his team a chance to milk the clock.
That wasn’t enough though for Blue Ridge. It required another two turnovers to preserve their lead and with under two minutes to play, a slim margin and a scrappy Covenant squad refusing to give in. it wasn’t until Steen’s second interception on his team’s own 30-yard line with the Eagles threatening and his 70-yard touchdown return until the Barons could breathe easy and enjoy a 23-10 win at home Thursday.
“It’s ugly but we got it done,”said Blue Ridge coach Orlando Patterson. “I’m proud of the guys, we’re starting to pick up defensively and offensively, we’ve just got to grind out with the numbers we’ve got.”
From start to finish it was all about defense and before Steen and the Blue Ridge secondary stole the show with five interceptions in the final six minutes, it was really Covenant’s John Meade that made this such a close game.
“(I was) sent on a lot of stunts and getting there and they couldn’t pick me up,” Meade said. “I got lucky happening to be in the right place at the right time.”
After Blue Ridge converted a Rod Williams interception into six points thanks to a Mayn Francisco touchdown run early in the first, Meade came up with a pick-6 interception on a screen pass to equalize the game four minutes later. Then when his team turned the ball over in the red zone on a fumble, Meade forced and recovered one of his own.
After an uneventful second quarter, Blue Ridge took the lead to start the third on its best drive of the night thanks to Williams and Francisco on the ground with Francisco capping it with a 4-yard go ahead score. On the ensuing Eagles drive, Blue Ridge’s special teams struck when Kinge Ndanga blocked a punt in the endzone and forced Covenant to make a smart play and kick the ball out of bounds for a safety.
Late in the third railing 16-7, Covenant drove down the field thanks to a big 23-yard Dominque Tally run which allowed for a 34-yard field goal from Michael Estep to make it a one score came. The Eagles followed up with a successful onsides kick but a turnover marred the opportunity. While Covenant’s defense was absolutely stout in forcing 3-outs from Blue Ridge from that point forward, there were five turnovers to follow in the fourth to keep Covenant from completing a comeback.
“Effort wise, it was there, this team is getting better,” said Covenant coach Dave Rocco. “Whether you lose a game or not, people can see it. I’m just really excited for the future of this program. I think the (the momentum from last week’s win) is going to continue to carry over. I told out players that people are saying “good effort” but good efforts not good enough. We’re not the team that played Hargrave. We’re a new team so it’s a new season.”
With just over six minutes to play, Brandon Rose came up with the first Barons interception of the fourth quarter. The next drive it was Steen’s first pick to halt the following Covenant drive. Then it was a Jarod Williams interception with Covenant threatening to bail out Blue Ridge again. Finally Steen was able to put the nail in the coffin with his second pick and the scoring return to make it a two-possesion game.
“On the first one, I didn’t bite on the first move and all that was going through my head was that I had to get my team to bounce back and win some games,” Steen said. “On the second, getting into the endzone was the bonus. My team’s been working hard and we’ve been struggling and its tough. We’re overcoming adversity and we’re doing what we have to do. Getting that into the endzone, I’m just happy I could do that for my boys.”
In the final seconds, Leon Strauss hauled in the fifth fourth quarter interception to officially seal the deal.
For Blue Ridge offensively, Francisco had 83 yards on 14 touches and a score. Rod Williams had 11 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown. The Barrons were at a significant offensive disadvantage thought with 135 yards in penalties.
Meade finished the game with a remarkable 4-sack, interception, forced fumble and recovery performance for the Eagles.
