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A-Town Heartbreak: Brookville squeaks past Albemarle in overtime

Photo by Hannah Pajewski

Albemarle football suffered its fair share of heartbreak in some big Jefferson District games last season, falling by four points to Orange and two to Western Albemarle, but those losses have scarred over.

 

This year opened with a fresh wound courtesy of a non-district opponent, a narrow loss to visiting Brookville 28-21 in overtime Friday night.

 

Backup quarterback C.J. Garwood, spelling starter Tanner Bernard, went in from two yards out to give the Bees the decisive score to start the extra session. Then a roughing-the-kicker penalty on the ensuing extra point sent Albemarle back 15 yards for their overtime possession, and the Patriots went four-and-out to end the game.

 

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Patriots drawing first blood with a 14-yard touchdown run from quarterback J’Quan Anderson early in the second quarter after a scoreless first.

 

“We have some playmakers on this team,” AHS head coach Brandon Isaiah said. “We have some guys who came up from JV last year and guys who were role players last year, and now we’re asking them to step up.”

 

Albemarle’s defense took the sting out of Brookville’s attack in the first half, but the Bees used a 30-yard interception return and then an 85-yard punt return by Terrell Poe, both in the second quarter, to lead 14-7 at the break. The interception was one of six Albemarle turnovers on the night. Even worse for Albemarle, three of those turnovers came on special teams, robbing the Patriots of three chances to get the ball back.

 

“When you play a good team, give up a touchdown on special teams and turn the ball over six times, it’s a recipe for disaster,” Isaiah said. “We’ve got to get in the film room and clean some stuff up.”

 

Albemarle got two more rushing touchdowns in the second half, one from Anderson and the other from Jamal Thompson, who led the Patriots on the ground with 133 yards on 18 carries.  Thompson’s 17-yard dash early in the fourth gave AHS a 21-14 lead, but the Bees struck back one the first play of the ensuing possession on a 69-yard strike from Bernard to Brian Perry, tying he game right back up and handing Brookville the momentum.

 

“I saw a defender in there I hadn’t seen before on film and I figured he was filling in for someone cramping,” Brookville head coach John Meeks said. “He was lined up against maybe the best receiver I’ve ever coached, so I just thought it was the time to take a shot.”

 

Meeks’ troops were hit especially hard by 90-degree temperatures and high humidity. Throughout the course of the second half, several Brookville players, including playmaker Deion Jackson, had to be helped off the field due to cramps. A couple of Albemarle players fell victim to cramps as well.

 

The visitors from Lynchburg seemed poised to win in regulation, but Bernard had the ball punched out just before reaching the end zone with about four minutes left, and neither team could break the tie in the remaining time.

 

“I’m incredibly proud of our special teams and defense,” Meeks said. ” I thought we squandered several golden opportunities on offense. There will be games where the offense carries us, but tonight the other guys stepped up and got it done.”

 

The Patriots return to action next Friday night when they travel to Kettle Run.

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