On the coldest night yet of the 2014 football season, Western Albemarle’s offensive line cleared the way for the ground attack to amass 319 yards and three touchdowns, propelling the Warriors past Lord Botetourt, 37-13. With two of the top four teams in the 3A West bracket falling to double-digit seeds on first-round Friday, the road to a Class 3A state semifinal berth now runs through Crozet.
“The line blocking was outstanding tonight,” said junior running back Oliver Herndon, who led the Warriors with 204 yards and two scores on 24 rushes. “We kept running that trump, and they were on it. We have definitely come together. We’re not the most athletic or the biggest, but we’re probably the closest team in the playoffs right now.”
Junior Bradley Lythgoe was the lone workhorse for Lord Botetourt’s ground attack, racking up a game-high 214 yards on his 24 attempts. His lone rushing touchdown came early in the first quarter on his second touch. After the Cavalier defense forced and fell on a fumble to halt Western’s game-opening drive at the 2, Lythgoe took a handoff right and raced 94 yards to give the visitors the lead.
“Number five (Lythgoe) ran very hard, tremendous conviction and passion,” said Western coach Ed Redmond. “Credit to Botetourt, they’re a good football team.”
After a failed onside kick, Western was able to respond by driving just 46 yards. Junior quarterback Sam Hearn converted third and seven with a 14-yard completion to sophomore receiver Henry Kreienbaum, then picked up 16 yards on a keeper to enter the redzone. Herndon scored from 13 yards to tie the game, 7-7. The Warriors’ defense contained Lythgoe on the next series with the aid of a holding penalty and forced a punt. Three plays later, Hearn and Kreienbaum connected deep down the right side for a 68-yard touchdown. Western added its third touchdown in five and a half minutes when freshman Derek Domecq stepped in front of Botetourt’s third down pass attempt and took it 32 yards for six.
“We had seen that route on film, and he just made a good break on the ball,” said Redmond. “Just an athlete making a play.”
Up 20-7, Western failed at its own onside kick attempt, setting the Cavaliers up at the 49. Ten rushes advanced the ball down to the 15, but after nearly six minutes of possession time, a fourth down pass sailed over the intended receiver in the endzone. Western took over and mounted a game-clinching 14-play, 92-yard drive. Hearn and Herndon picked up chunks on the ground and connected on a screen to convert third and nine. Herndon averted another near-fumble inside the 10 when he corralled a bobbled snap right off of Hearn’s hands and spun down to the 1. Hearn snuck in from there for a 27-7 lead at the break.
Lythgoe’s 23-yard run highlighted promising drive to start the third quarter for Botetourt, but junior lineman Osiris Crutchfield came up with a fumble for the Warriors near midfield. Herndon led Western’s ensuing drive by rushing for 48 of the 54 yards, the last four going for his second touchdown. The Cavaliers came back with a 67-yard drive effectively mixing pass and run for the first time, with Lythgoe picking up 27 on third and five, and then hauling in a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Fralin. Despite another failed onside kick, Botetourt built momentum as Tyler Cook
blocked Western’s punt after a quick three-and-out and Hunter Manning returned it down to the 25. However, the Warriors held for a four-and-out to maintain a 34-13 lead after three quarters.
“Obviously, we were down inside [Western territory] plenty of times to make this score even,” said Lord Botetourt coach Jamie Harless. “You can become concerned about a football team when it quits, and these kids didn’t quit. Whenever we lose a game, I always take all the blame. [Western] executed well, and I didn’t do the best job I think I could’ve done to get our guys ready.”
Both sides exchanged fumbles early in the fourth, as Lythgoe recovered one on a third-and-seven scramble by Hearn near midfield. Two plays later, Crutchfield executed a sack-strip on Fralin, recovered by junior linebacker Steven Kuzjak. Western then worked the clock with a 12-play, 55-yard drive. After draining 7:38, senior Holland Corbett capped the scoring with a 23-yard field goal.
Hearn finished 6-of-14 passing for 136 yards and one touchdown, and rushed 17 times for 65 yards and another touchdown. Kreienbaum caught two for 82 yards. Senior Josh Meeks added 35 yards on six fourth-quarter rushes. For Botetourt, Fralin completed eight of 18 passes for 93 yards, and added 17 yards on five rushes.
Western (9-2) hosts Christiansburg (6-5) in the second round next Friday at 7:00.
