Stories

Healthy Rivalry: Albemarle squeaks past Charlottesville for third-straight win

Photo by Bart Isley

 

By now, you know the cliche — throw out the records in rivalry games.

 

Albemarle traveled across town to Charlottesville and found itself in a dogfight with the winless Black Knights on Charlottesville’s homecoming.

 

But this time, Albemarle had the most productive player on the field.

 

The Patriots got 226 yards on the ground from Makhi Washington, including 62-yard dash with 9:47 remaining to push Albemarle ahead for the final time and the defense made it stand up, allowing the Pats to escape with a 27-26 victory.

 

Washington’s score, his second of the game, came barely a minute after Sabias Folley had put Charlottesville on top with a 46-yard touchdown off a screen on fourth down. Folley had three scores on the night, two through the air, as he opened the scoring on Charlottesville’s opening drive of the game and also caught a pass on fourth down and took it in, this one from 15 yards out, to put Charlottesville up 6-0 four minutes in. Albemarle, however, blocked the extra point.

 

“This game was not a surprise to me,” Albemarle head coach Brandon Isaiah said. “I have tremendous respect for Coach [Eric] Sherry and Charlottesville. A lot of these kids I taught when they went to elementary school in the city, and they’re tough and they fight, so we knew it didn’t matter that they were 0-7.”

 

Washington picked up his first touchdown for Albemarle just before the end of the first quarter following an unsuccessful fake punt by the Black Knights. DaQuandre Taylor then found Myles Ward, who made a leaping catch in the back left corner of the end zone to put Albemarle up 14-6 with 3:43 to play before halftime.

 

Albemarle’s defense forced a three-and-out and then the Patriots drove all the way inside the Charlottesville 15, setting up a field goal attempt at the end of the half. However, the Black Knights’ Folley got a hand on it and Latarius Jackson scooped it up and took it 87 yards to paydirt, igniting the crowd and tying the game at the half with Folley’s two-pointer.

 

“Sometimes the adults are in a worse mood than the kids after that,” Isaiah said. “It seemed like we did everything right to move into field goal range, and then the game changes like that. But we just talked up the guys in the locker room and got ready to go back out.”

 

Taylor struck with his legs as Albemarle put together an impressive drive, capping a 10-play drive to start the second half with a four-yard run to make it 21-14 with 8:09 to play. But Charlottesville punched right back, eating up over five minutes of clock culminating in a one-yard dive from Folley with 2:35 to go in the third.

 

The Black Knights, playing with a backup long snapper and without the services of starting placekicker Joe Von Storch, gambled again and went for two, missing again, and Albemarle remained in the lead.

 

The teams traded turnovers early in the fourth, with CHS losing a fumble late in the third. Jackson, however, came up big again, picking off Taylor in the end zone two plays later, giving CHS the ball back just as quickly as they had lost it. A few plays later, Folley was dancing in the end zone after his third touchdown, albeit with another unsuccessful two-pointer, as his team led 26-21.

 

Washington carried twice, including for 13 yards to open the ensuing drive, before breaking free and dashing down the far sideline, sending the large AHS contingent that had made the short trip into a frenzy.

 

“To be honest, I was a little tired and upset in the huddle,” Washington said. “They had been running me all drive — but they gave it to me again and I took it to the house — I wanted to get off the field.”

 

After the teams exchanged punts, Charlottesville ended up driving down to the Patriot 45-yard line with under a minute to play, facing a fourth down, which had been successful twice with the help of Folley. But Albemarle corner Jake Rombach stormed in untouched and sacked Charlottesville quarterback Daimon Washington from the blindside, keeping Isaiah undefeated against the Black Knights.

 

“We’d been going for it all night,” Charlottesville coach Eric Sherry said. “That was one that just didn’t break our way. But as far as effort, nothing but praise for my team.”

 

Charlottesville has a bye before playing against Louisa in two weeks. Albemarle will host Fluvanna next Friday.

Comments

comments