By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
One half made all the difference for Woodberry Forest in its Prep League game against Collegiate on Friday afternoon.
The Tigers overcame a slow start on offense and used an opportunistic defense to hold off the Cougars, 21-14, on a warm fall day at Johnson Stadium.
“[Collegiate] did some stuff in the first half that we didn’t see, so we had to go and make some changes on the fly and I love that we were able to,” Woodberry Forest coach Clint Alexander said. “Offensively we came out and really got the momentum going.”
The Cougars, the defending VISAA Division I champions, held a 7-0 halftime advantage, but Woodberry quickly erased the deficit on its opening drive of the second half.
A nice return by C.J. Prosise gave the Tigers good field position, and Heys McMath found a wide open Joe Miller for the 36-yard touchdown play.
On the visitors’ ensuing possession, Nate Ripper recovered a fumble, which set up Woodberry’s next score.
The Tigers needed just two plays to take the lead, as Hunter Faulconer burst through the line and sprinted down field for a 53-yard TD. The 5-foot-6, 142-pound junior provided a spark for Woodberry, as he rushed for a game-high 109 yards on 15 carries – all of which came in the second half.
“We had to get them a little tired,” Alexander said. “[Collegiate is] always really physical, but once we got them a little tired, I felt we had more success running the ball.”
Collegiate (3-2, 0-1 Prep League) was forced to punt on its next drive and the Tigers took advantage. Woodberry was able to move the ball effectively on the ground using Faulconer and Jeff Smith. However, the highlight of the day came as the Tigers capped the drive with a beautiful 25-yard pass from Jacob Rainey to Reid Swearingen, who made a dazzling one-handed grab in the end zone to put the home team up 21-7.
“I went to go up and catch it and as I was bringing it in, it kinda turned so I just wrapped around it and I said, ‘I’m not letting it go,’” Swearingen said.
Woodberry’s defense continued to shine, as it forced the Cougars to go three-and-out on their next three drives.
The Tigers (4-1, 2-0) were able to get pressure on quarterback Wilton Speight all afternoon, coming up with seven sacks, as well as a pair of interceptions. Woodberry also recovered two fumbles in the game.
The Cougars tried to claw back into it as Speight hooked up with Tyler Holly for a 62-yard TD strike with 5:49 remaining. Speight, who also ran for a first-quarter touchdown, finished 18 for 48 passing for 237 yards.
The sophomore quarterback connected with Rutherford Moore for a 24-yard completion to start the Cougars’ next drive, but Mark Petrone came up with his biggest sack of the day on the next play, hitting Speight for a loss of seven. Several plays later, Adam Silva intercepted Speight to seal the victory for the Tigers.
“We started out a little slow, but in the second half we made a few changes and they obviously paid off well for us,” said Petrone, who registered three sacks. “We knew they’d be a pretty small o-line, but they’re very athletic so we tried to play that to our strengths and get them beat off the line.”
Woodberry visits Landon School next Friday at 4 p.m.
