By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
SALEM – The Goochland High School football team, at the climax of its 2006 season, reached the mountain top and came away with a Group A championship.
Once again this season the Bulldogs scaled the mountain top, but found out how difficult it is to repeat the feat.
The Bulldogs’ dream season came to an end at the hands of Gretna in the Group A, Division 2 championship on Saturday at Salem City Stadium. The Hawks’ combination of Dyon Rosser and Tony Miller gave the Bulldogs fits all afternoon, but more importantly Gretna stymied Goochland’s potent rushing attack and came away with the 21-16 win to claim its fifth Group A title in nine years.
The Bulldogs were left to reflect on a remarkable season for Goochland. The Bulldogs claimed the James River District and Eastern Region titles en route to the championship game in Salem.
“Hopefully they remember the 14 games we won, not the one we lost,” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said.
The Bulldogs’ run was truly special and will be remembered hand-in-hand with school’s lone state crown. But for the Hawks, who have traditionally soared to postseason greatness, this season has also been a unique one.
“For what these kids did and for them to win this year, it’s just incredible,” Gretna coach Kevin Saunders said. “They believe in the coaches they believe in our system, they really believe in themselves. They’re a very confident bunch, they’re not the flashiest, but these guys can grind it out.”
Goochland (14-1) overcame a pair of first-half turnovers and took a 10-6 lead midway through the third quarter on Cody Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run.
However, a Goochland fumble proved costly in the third quarter, as Cam Jefferson picked up the loose ball and returned it to the 1-yard line to set up a Miller touchdown three plays later.
The Hawks (13-2) continued to push forward, and added another score that would be done on Miller-time. The 6-1, 210-pound senior ran for four consecutive plays and went 34 yards, capped by a 3-yard TD run. Rosser took it in for the two-point conversion following a bobbled snap to give his team a 21-10 advantage with 9:25 to play. Miller finished with 42 yards rushing, while Rosser, a sophomore, accounted for 148 yards on the ground and 86 in the air.
“I thought our kids were really physical on the offensive and defensive line. And as the game goes on, we get better” Saunders said. “We’ve done that all year – the kids don’t ever panic, they just go with what’s going on, and it’s just a great thing.”
Goochland bounced back, as Cody Johnson (147 yards passing) connected with Mitchell Brice for a 70-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the ensuing drive. The quick-scoring play cut the deficit to 21-16 with 9:09 remaining.
After forcing the Hawks to punt on their following possession, Goochland appeared poised to march down the field again.
However, after the Bulldogs went 38 yards in 11 plays, the drive stalled on the Gretna 31-yard line.
At that point, the Hawks were able to run out the clock and began their jubilant celebration.
Throughout, Goochland was unable to find much room to move on the ground, and was limited to 95 yards rushing. Brice led the team with 43 yards on eight carries, while Patrick Clore toted the ball 14 times for 40 yards.
“Even when we were successful, it wasn’t consistent success, it was in bursts,” Fowler said. “They’re a great football team, and they beat us, and our hats go off to them.”
Colby Cooke, who is headed to Vanderbilt, provided a highlight for Goochland in the first half, as he nailed a 51-yard field goal to give his team a 3-0 lead. The kick set a new VHSL state playoff record, breaking former Virginia and Lafayette kicker Connor Hughes’ 48-yarder in 2001 against Pulaski.
Fowler, who has said coaching football is not about the Xs and Os, it is about the Jimmys and the Joes, will have to say goodbye to 27 senior members of the Goochland team. That group has raised the bar and leaves the football program in a better position because of their participation.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end,” Fowler said. “But like we told the kids at the end of the game, there are going to be a lot worse days in their lives than this and maybe this will help them a little bit when those days come about.”
