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Western holds on to beat Albemarle, vaults to top of region

Photo by Ashley Thornton

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Western Albemarle keeps finding different ways to win.

 

Lean on the offense. Lean on the defense.

 

Win with starting quarterback Sam Hearn, win without starting quarterback Sam Hearn.

 

“We’re gamers, we come out and we just play,” said Western Albemarle senior Stephen Kuzjak. “We find a way to win no matter what.”

 

Add one more method to the list.

 

Build a 22-point lead, relinquish most of it and then hold on tight with a stop on a two-point conversion with 11 seconds to play against a cross-county rival to pull out a 29-27 victory.

 

The Warriors edged out Albemarle Friday night that way in the latest installment of a rivalry matchup that is almost always close.

 

“It seems to be doesn’t it?,” said Western coach Ed Redmond. “They’re a quality team, credit to them, they came in with a lot of energy and played well. It’s just what we thought, I saw them on film all week and I said ‘these guys are good’.”

 

Albemarle’s Jamal Thompson powered in with 11 seconds on the clock to pull the Patriots within two as AHS tried to complete a furious rally and force overtime. Earlier in the regular season, the Patriots converted a number of two-point conversions, and they did it largely with a rollout by J’Quan Anderson that gave him a couple of passing options when he got to the edge.

 

The Patriots needed one more Friday night as they tried to complete a furious rally and tie Western Albemarle to force overtime with a strong second half.  

 

“To watch them come out as a group and respond and stick together, I think we grew up a little bit tonight,” said Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah. “Obviously I’m sick to my stomach because we didn’t pull it out in that situation.”

 

Converting a two-point try when Western Albemarle’s Osiris Crutchfield is bearing down on you is a tall task, and there was Crutchfield and another Warrior were as Anderson rolled out. The Warriors’ pressure forced an incompletion and allowed Western to wrap up an unbeaten run through the Jefferson District a secure the No. 1 seed in the Region 3A West bracket.

 

“We were excited getting some of those stops,” said Western Albemarle linebacker Stephen Kuzjak, who finished with 11 total tackles, nine of them solo. “That last one was the most important, we had to keep going there because guys were getting a little tired but we’re good, we can keep going.”

 

Hearn’s return to the lineup seemed to bode well for the offense early as the Warriors built the 22-0 lead. But the Albemarle defense stiffened after that and the Warriors’ lone points in the second half came on a pick six for a touchdown by Darren Klein late in the third.

 

“He’s not a sophomore anymore, he’s an experienced kid,” Redmond said. “I thought Klein just had a great read on the slant ball and he just made a great play.”

 

Despite the Warriors not getting into a real rhythm, Hearn went 15 of 19 for 147 yards a touchdown, a 34-yard first half toss to Michael Vale. Hearn found Derek Domecq four times for 84 yards and Vale five times for 55 yards. He also rushed for 43 yards and a score on just eight touchdowns. Oliver Herndon also had another strong outing with 145 yards and a touchdown on 19 touches.

 

A pair of plays by Tyquan Rose kept the Patriots in it as the junior burner scored on a well-executed 66-yard hook and ladder with Charles Hooper on the initial catch just before the half. Rose then opened the second half with a kickoff return for a touchdown, pulling Albemarle within a score at 22-14 just seconds into the third quarter.

 

As Albemarle’s defense kept coming up with stops, the Patriots’ offense finally got going in the fourth quarter. With 8:33 left, Anderson dove in for a touchdown to make the game 29-21. The Patriots then forced a punt but went three and out, punting the ball back with 4:36 left. Western couldn’t get the ball moving and punted away with 2:19 left, though that was far from simple as Domecq had to punt from his own endzone. He punched it out though, getting the ball to near midfield and forcing Albemarle to work for the coming yards.

 

A few plays later, Jamal Thompson scored with 11 seconds left and gave Albemarle a chance. Then the 2-point attempt fell short.

 

“Winning and losing is good, but for me it’s all about substance,” Isaiah said. “I challenged them at the half and little because we still had a little drag coming in from last week. I just challenged them to play hard because regardless of what happened tonight, we’re going to have a game next Friday.”

 

The Patriots, who appear to have earned the No. 11 spot in Region 5A North with a 6-4 record will head to take on No. 6 North Stafford (7-3) on the road. Western on the other hand appears to have moved up to the No. 1 spot in Region 3A West where the 9-1 Warriors will host either Spotswood or Hidden Valley, both 3-7.    

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