Albemarle’s Tyquan Rose is always lurking, just a step or an opponent’s miscue away from breaking a game open.
“With a kid like him, with his ability, it’s only a matter of time,” said Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah.
That time came with a little more than 20 seconds to play in the third quarter. That’s when an Orange County punt errantly drifted to the middle of the field rather than angling toward the sideline as called and Rose caught it a little more than 60 yards from the endzone. The senior picked his way through the Hornets’ early arrivals on the punt coverage team and then exploded down the Albemarle sideline en route to a punt return for a touchdown that helped the Patriots blow open a 35-13 victory over Orange County at home.
“As soon as he got that ball we already knew what time it was,” said Albemarle quarterback J’Quan Anderson. “Eric McDowell made that block for him, he hit that corner and he was gone.”
The Patriots took complete control from there, with the defense locking down Orange much as they had all night with four interceptions as a team while Jamal Thompson and Anderson got into an offensive groove.
Albemarle senior Connor Berner’s three interceptions and Kris Anderson’s own pick played a huge role in the win as the Patriots’ defensive back rose to the occasion against the Hornets. Berner’s picks were instrumental in holding Orange’s offense in check most of the night.
“Of all the kids tonight I’m really proud of him,” Isaiah said. “Last year he didn’t play at all, he’s a kid who has a big chip on his shoulder. He was even a little frustrated early this year and that comes from me as a coach just wanting the best out of him. Those picks really changed the game. I’m just extremely proud of that kid and how tough mentally he is.”
Berner has come on this year, making tackles and covering opposing wideouts well, but the performance Friday was explosive and as Isaiah said, game-changing.
“Three picks would be a confidence boost for anyone, but I can’t do it without my teammates,” Berner said. “They set up the plays, they put pressure on the quarterback. Without any of that, none of the picks would’ve been possible.”
The game was deadlocked at 7-7 at the break, with the early interceptions helping Albemarle prevent Orange from capitalizing on a couple of promising drives while setting up one of Anderson’s three total touchdowns, this one coming on the ground.
To start the third quarter, Albemarle struck right out of the gate, with Anderson capping the drive with a rushing touchdown. He and Rose set up that touchdown on the play before, with Anderson reversing field and rolling to his right. Rose noticed and quickly took off upfield, racing by his defender. Anderson hit him in stride for a 43-yard catch and run.
Orange County answered with a sustained drive, with Tre Smith pounding it in from six yards out to pull the Hornets within a point. Those solid moments were offset throughout the game though for the Hornets with mistakes and turnovers.
“I felt like we shot ourselves in the first half a little bit,” said Orange coach Jesse Lohr. “The second half was about them making plays.”
Smith finished with 100 yards on 19 touches while backfield mate DeAngelo Hunt had 119 yards on 20 carries. Kenyon Carter threw for 127 yards on the night for Orange.
Orange’s defense stepped up after Smith’s third quarter touchdown and forced an Albemarle punt, but the Patriots’ defensive unit returned the favor, stepping up in a key spot like they had all night with Teshawn Massie and Zykal Foster leading the way.
“Every time, Massie was in on the ball,” Berner said. “He’s a great football player, a hard hitter.”
That stop led to the punt that Rose returned for a score and put the Patriots up 21-13. Thompson, Anderson and the Patriots’ offensive leaned on Orange during the fourth quarter to make that lead stand up.
“I talked with my offensive line every single day of the week and I told them for us to be successful, we’ve got to be able to block, we’ve got to be able to run the ball,” said Thompson, who finished with 109 yards on 25 carries. “They stepped up to the challenge. They told me they would and they did.”
Anderson checked in with 109 yards through the air and three total touchdowns. He pointed to Thompson as a steadying influence on offense that helped Anderson stay locked in.
“Jamal keeps everybody together, he keeps everybody calm,” Anderson said. “When we’re down he just tells everybody to keep their head up and that’s what we do, keep functioning. When we’re functioning it’s hard to beat us.”
The fact that Albemarle bounced back from last week’s loss to Louisa made the performance against the Hornets that much more impressive.
“Last week you go out and play a tough team like Louisa and get smacked in the mouth and sometimes you may lose some of that confidence,” said Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah. “It was just great for me to watching the boys continue to get better.”
Albemarle will face Charlottesville next week while the Hornets will host Western Albemarle.
