Osiris Crutchfield burst on to the local scene as a sophomore last year, making a pair of big plays early on in a blowout victory over. On the first possession he had a sack, then he followed it with a stop in the backfield.
It was a fitting introduction, for the Warriors’ cat-quick defensive tackle, because since then he hasn’t stopped making big plays for Western.
“He can sort of hide for a few plays and then like you said when you need OC he just sort of is there,” said Western coach Ed Redmond. and he’s got a knack for the big play.”
Never has that been more evident than the Warriors’ last two playoff games, where two well-timed sacks have helped lift Western to wins. The first game against Christiansburg as part of an old-fashioned goal line stand by the Western defense. Then the second came against Waynesboro, when the Warriors were trailing 28-27 with a little more than four minutes to spare. The Little Giants appeared to call a double post play that went for at least two touchdowns on long passes in the first half, but Crutchfield buried Waynesboro quarterback Chris Baker for a big loss and gave Western the ball back near midfield.
“They were up and they were probably going to run out the clock (if they converted) so you just had to go out and do it,” Crutchfield said. “Just pin your ears back.”
Western drove down field, melted the clock and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 12 seconds to play to secure a berth in the state semifinals. It was another in a long litany of big plays Crutchfield has made this season during an explosive junior campaign. He has transformed from an aggressive, rangy defensive tackle who made big plays but often pursued too far up field as a sophomore into one of the area’s most significant forces in the trenches along with Michael Mullin and Matthew Wozneak. That unit’s chemistry is a big reason Western is on this historic run.
“We’ve been practicing since August and hanging out almost every day, and you just get that cohesion,” Crutchfield.
He leads the Warriors with 77 total tackles, 59 of them solo stops, and he’s made 12.5 tackles for a loss. Crutchfield has six sacks on the year to boot and he’s recovered two fumbles (one against Lord Botetourt in the Warriors’ opening round playoff game). Against Spotswood back in the Warriors’ season opener he blocked a punt and then he blocked a field goal against Charlottesville. Throw in a batted down pass on fourth down against Albemarle with 2:52 to play that helped seal a win over the Patriots.
That’s at least five different ways that Crutchfield has impacted a game while never playing offense, which simply isn’t an easy task. When the Warriors need someone to step up and make a big play on defense or on a kick block, Crutchfield has been there.
He’ll get another shot to be there for the Warriors this weekend when Western takes on unbeaten Lafayette at 2 p.m. in the Group 3A state semifinals.
Lucky for the Warriors, as Redmond framed it, when you need OC he’s there.
