Charlottesville’s triple-option racked up yardage and time of possession, but Monticello turned three lost fumbles into 10 points and Kevin Jarrell generated game-breaking touchdowns with his arm and legs to propel the Mustangs past their cross-town rivals by a deceptively-wide 30-12 margin.
“We actually talked about the Clemson game [against Notre Dame], and what coach Swinney said to his kids,” said Monticello coach Jeff Lloyd, whose squad picked up the first Jefferson District win of his tenure. “I can’t coach guts and I can’t coach heart, and tonight’s the first time that we showed that as a team.”
The game seemed like it could swing either way early in the fourth quarter after senior Rashad Brock capped a long Black Knight drive by taking a pitch on fourth and goal and beating defenders to the left end zone corner. The touchdown pulled CHS within 16-12, and the students who made it out for Monday night football turned all the way up after Monticello mishandled the ensuing kickoff, pinning the offense at its own 5.
But Jarrell, a sophomore making just his ninth career start, led the offense on a 12-play drive over the next 5:47, including three third down conversions, to silence the crowd. The first time, Jarrell hit senior wideout Johnny Thomas on his knees a yard beyond the sticks. Three plays later, needing two, senior running back Darian Bates powered for 10; however, after his next carry, he required trainer assistance to leave the field for a second time, and would not return to the backfield the rest of the way. Jarrell dove ahead to convert a third and one, and then picked up a chunk with a pass to senior Seth Weaver, who shed a tackle to gain 19 along the home sideline. With the clock ticking under 5 minutes, Jarrell got the call again, and delivered the dagger.
“We ran it a couple plays before that, and I had tried to cut back in the middle and should’ve kept it straight up the gut,” Jarrell said of the quarterback draw call, which he took 35 yards untouched. “Curry made a great block, Danny had a great block; just great blocking up front and it opened up. I don’t know how I got in there so fast.”
Moments later, senior Daniel Hummel tacked on the insurance score from his defensive end position by picking an errant option pitch in the CHS backfield and taking it 23 yards for six.
“One thing we’re always preaching about is the mistakes and the turnovers, and we self-inflict a lot of stuff,” said Charlottesville coach Eric Sherry. “Tonight, we did it again. We were gaining some yards, but at critical points, we seem to have a lack of focus, or something happens and we’re not able to finish. That’s where we’ve got to grow, and once we do that, I think we’re going to be really tough.”
Charlottesville’s first turnover delivered points and momentum to Monticello at the end of the first half. After what had been a 6-6 tie at the 3:00-mark, Monticello took a touchdown lead on Jarrell’s 45-yard bomb to Syrael Breckenridge, his first completion of the night after starting 0-for-3 with a pick. The Knights started at the 49 after good kick return, but junior linebacker Eddie Turner ripped the ball away from sophomore quarterback Rahkeem Davis on first down.
“Eddie hurt his shoulder stripping the football, but it was huge because we were able to steal three points before halftime,” said Lloyd.
After a 20-yard screen to Bates and a 10-yard completion to Weaver, senior kicker Jeanluc Lapierre connected from 35 yards as the half ended to make it 16-6.
The Knights’ second lost fumble derailed their opening drive of the third quarter, which had stretched 12 plays when the ball popped free as freshman Sabias Folley carried to the MHS 20. The defense held for a three-and-out, but Charlottesville’s next drive of 11 plays took the rest of the third quarter and nearly two minutes of the fourth before Brock’s fourth-and-goal conversion.
“When [Brock]’s touching the ball, it’s usually going to be a good thing for Charlottesville,” Sherry said. “He’s coming back from an ankle injury, so we’re trying to bring him back a little bit slower, and he did well tonight.”
Both teams opened the contest with lengthy drives exclusively via the ground game. Bates carried seven times for 60 yards to give Monticello a 6-0 lead. Charlottesville’s opening possession last a remarkable 18 plays and spanned into the second quarter, but covered just 47 yards and ended with a turnover on downs at the 28. Jarrell attempted the game’s first pass near the 10:00 mark of the second. His third attempt was popped in the air by a sliding receiver and intercepted near midfield. The Knights got on the board three plays later on a 42-yard run off the left edge by Brock, who also shook multiple would-be tacklers.
“I really wanted us to commit to running the football after last week against Western,” Lloyd said. “The two real good football teams that we’ve played shut our rushing game down. To be a playoff-type football team, you’ve got to be able to run. We really worked on just being physical, and I was really proud of our kids on the offensive and defensive lines.”
Bates finished with a game-high 98 yards on 19 carries. Jarrell added 54 on seven rushes, and completed 6-of-10 passes for 108 yards.
Davis carried 26 times for Charlottesville, but finished with a net of 19 yards after several big losses on backfield fumbles. Brock had 52 yards on seven rushes, and Folley added 48 on eight. Davis was 2/4 through the air for 45 yards.
Charlottesville (3-2, 1-1) faces another county rival when it travels to AHS on Friday. Monticello (3-2, 1-1) hosts Fluvanna County for Homecoming.
