VHSL Group A, Division 2 title game, Goochland (10-2) vs. Essex (14-0) at Salem City Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
The basics: The mission is simple for Goochland. Time to take care of business. Time to make good on last year’s stumble. Time to bring a trophy back home from Salem.
Standing in the way? Unbeaten Essex and the Trojans’ high-octane offense led by quarterback Domenik Broaddus, the new state record holder for most passing touchdowns in a season. These two teams paths and styles couldn’t be much different, but they’ve both found their way to Salem out of the East Section, with Essex as the East’s No. 1 seed while Goochland held the No.2 slot. With the cross bracketing that goes on in Group A currently, Essex hosted John Battle (who made a six-hour trip) and Goochland traveled to Wilson Memorial. Both East squads rolled to victories, with Goochland shutting out the Hornets 35-0 while Essex rolled 40-9 over John Battle.
Essex comes in with precious little close-game experience, with just a single game being decided by less than 10 points, a second round playoff clash with East Rockingham. Other than that it’s largely been blowouts, including an eye-popping 89-0 win over Northampton and a 41-26 win over King William. What’s perhaps more incredible is that this is an Essex program that barely made the playoffs in 2011, getting bounced by Goochland’s James River District foe Amelia in the opening round while finishing 4-7.
Goochland, on the other hand, is back in the state final for the second straight year, where an unbeaten 2011 season ended at the hands of Gretna. The Bulldogs have taken a different route early this year, working out some kinks in early season losses to Fork Union and Monticello before piecing together an unbeaten run in James River play.
The style differences are pretty obvious, with Essex running a spread system and moving the ball around quickly. Goochland’s staff and a handful of players can draw on some experience here as for two years in the Jefferson they battled the most efficient spread offense in Central Virginia, Western Albemarle’s electric system. The Bulldogs will try and ground it out if they can, with the added bonus of throwing over the top to Mitchell Brice or Nathan Adams as they did against Wilson.
Despite all that nuance, the mission is still clear for the Bulldogs. Win and rewrite last year’s title game loss. Make it a beginning — the start of something special — rather than an end.
Key matchup: Goochland’s secondary takes on Broaddus and the high-flying Trojans. Broaddus threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns last week in the semifinal victory over John Battle. But unlike most Group A teams who only see the occasional elite quarterback, Goochland has seen perhaps the nation’s best, Fork Union’s Christian Hackenberg, not to mention Monticello’s Jhalil Mosley and King William’s Freeman McPherson. Odds aren’t good they’ll be fazed by Broaddus. Still, Goochland has struggled at times to cover reliably in the passing game, so All-Region B defensive backs Jordan Jefferson and Mason Engel are going to have to play big-time football.
Look for Jefferson to lock down one of the Trojans’ lead receivers — Dontanious Jones had an incredible 258 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches last week. The real difference maker in this matchup though might be the nearly unblockable force at linebacker that is Goochland senior Nathan Adams.
If Adams and his teammates in the front seven like Akia Timberlake can terrorize Broaddus, that’s going to make life a lot easier for the Bulldogs’ secondary and may even lead to some game-changing turnovers like the pick six Connor Saunders unleashed against Wilson Memorial last week. Few teams across the state have a linebacker like Adams and he could change the way the Essex offense does business, either by absorbing double teams or creating pressure up the middle.
Who to watch: Goochland running back David Dyer. Look, the carries are going to be split up between Dyer, Mitchell Brice and a host of other running backs. That’s just how the Bulldogs’ offense works. But Dyer, a bruising back who runs with authority could be a game-changer for one simple reason. If he can chew up yards and in turn clock, he’ll keep Broaddus and the Essex offense on the sideline. While the Bulldogs’ defense is up to the task of clamping down on the Trojans. The less chances Essex has to get the job done though, the better, and Dyer’s style may be the best bet.
The line: Goochland by one. The Bulldogs’ defense and title game experience should be the difference maker here.
