Something about the timing must’ve struck Monticello’s Deno Robinson right, because he suggested the perfect call to coach Brud Bicknell — a reverse to Robinson that the Mustangs had only run once — unsuccessfully — before Friday.
“He thought that they were chasing really hard back side and he thought it would be a good play,” Bicknell said. “So it was a great call by him.”
Last week William Monroe blew up the reverse call with an all-out blitz that disrupted the timing of the play. Goochland wasn’t so lucky Friday, and Robinson raced 39 yards to give Monticello a 20-17 advantage that eventually held up for the victory and extended the Mustangs’ season.
“That was a great call — they caught us with our pants down so-to-speak,” Goochland coach Joe Fowler said. “It was a gutsy call and a heck of a call. But we still had ourselves in possession to win it.”
The Bulldogs bounced back from Robinson’s touchdown and only a fumble and a blocked field goal in the final three minutes prevented Goochland from grabbing control of the Region II quarterfinal.
The fumble that Monticello’s Austin Wood recovered on Monticello’s four-yardline initially appeared to be the backbreaker after Goochland marched 95 yards on 18 plays, grinding nine minutes and 38 seconds off the clock. David McKenna, who rushed for 90 yards on the night and piled up 1,296 on the season, lost control of the ball on what became his final carry, his 20th of the night.
“Right now it hurts like crazy for him,” Fowler said. “But in a week he’ll remember all the good times — he’ll forget about that one carry and remember all the good ones.”
McKenna turned around on defense at linebacker and helped force a three and out by the Mustangs that gave the Bulldogs hope. After Dustin Plummer was stuffed for a three-yard loss and Goochland spiked the ball with 48 seconds on the clock, Fowler decided to let Colby Cooke, a Group AA second team all-state kicker, try for the 45-yard field goal on third down with the chance to fall on the ball if the snap was bad. The snap was true, but Monticello sophomore Denzel Terry sprinted in off the edge and got just enough of the ball to block it and end Goochland’s hopes for a comeback.
Chad Cieslewicz had a huge night for the Mustangs, recovering a fumble and picking off a pass in the third quarter to set up Robinson’s two touchdowns. Cieslewicz’s fumble recovery came on the opening drive of the first half when the ball popped out near the sidelines. He was also in on the play where Goochland fumbled during the closing seconds.
“As a team we just always keep our motors going even when things are bad,” Cieslewicz said. “Someone forced it and I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Robinson helped capitalize on it when he snagged a 40-yard pass from Jhalil Mosley two plays later. Robinson had to come up with some big plays because Goochland managed to bottle up Jesse Ayres for the most part, limiting the senior running back to his lowest total of the year and his first game of the season without a touchdown. That locked-in focus seemed to open things up for Robinson and Tyler Moneymaker. Robinson had three catches for 52 yards while Moneymaker went for 49 yards on three catches of his own.
Still, the Mustangs’ defense had to come up with the stops after Robinson’s score, and the methodical march by the Bulldogs looked a lot like their game-winning drive against Western last week, only a little more dramatic. The Bulldogs went for it on fourth and one at their own 10-yardline and converted on a fourth and five when Dustin Plummer ripped off a 12-yard run. Plummer was a big part of the drive with 46 yards on six carries during the march and McKenna carried most of the rest of the load.
“The one thing when you have long drives is that it’s just one more opportunity to mess up — if you can make them snap it one more time you just never know what’s going to happen,” Bicknell said.
Bulldogs quarterback Ryan Crouch hit Cody Davis in the first half for a 13-yard, extremely rare Goochland passing touchdown.
Monticello will take on the winner of Handley High and Western Albemarle’s matchup Saturday afternoon.
