By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Fluvanna’s offense was its own worst enemy in Friday night’s regular season opener in Palmyra.
In the first half, the Flucos mustered just 35 total yards and turned the ball over three times. That included consecutive one-play possessions in the second quarter that setup the Colonels with short fields. After the break, one more fumble as Fluvanna was driving for back-to-back touchdowns snuffed out hope of a comeback, and William Fleming (1-0; 4A North, Blue Ridge District) returned to Roanoke with a 32-13 victory.
“They played hard and got at the football,” said Fleming coach Bobby Martin. “‘Chase the football, chase the football,’ that was the word all week.”
Fleming opened the game with a 13-play drive that lasted over six minutes abd stalled with a turnover on downs at the Fluvanna 10. A fumble on Fluvanna’s second play gave the Colonels another crack in the redzone, but Vaughn Bodie intercepted a third down pass after battling the intended receiver to the ground along the home sideline. On their next possession, Fleming quarterback Tyrell Adams connected with playmaker Warren Craft for a 34-yard touchdown with two seconds left in the first quarter; an errant shotgun snap and scramble allowed Craft to slip behind the Flucos’ secondary.
“We have to understand our own abilities and we have to put ourselves in better positions so we can make plays,” said Fluvanna coach Jason Barnett.
The Colonels engineered another long drive on their next series, marching 79 yards in eight plays, including a pair of 30-plus yard receptions by Craft. Junior tailback J.J. Hill ran in from eight yards out. Fluvanna’s next two series ended with a first-play interception and fumble, respectively. Fleming took advantage of the short field, as Adams hit Craft for a 24-yard touchdown and a 19-0 halftime lead.
“That was our job to get it downfield to Craft,” said Martin. “We had a few we missed on, but we tried to stretch the defense.”
In the third quarter, Fleming delivered a dagger after Fluvanna’s first possession as Hill returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown.
“They came at a bad angle, so I had to step up and take it,” said Hill.
The Flucos finally got something going when senior defensive back Goddience Flannagan jumped an Adams pass at the Colonel 40 and returned it to the 13. Senior quarterback Austin Foster scored two plays later on a one-yard keeper to make it 25-7. Fluvanna recovered the ensuing squib quick to bring the home crowd to life; however, three plays later, the offense fumbled it away for the third time. On third and 15 from their own 15, the Adams-to-Craft connection struck again for an 85-yard catch and run touchdown.
“Tyrell [Adams] looked for me all game,” said Craft. “We had good pass protection on the line, so they helped me get my passes.”
Fluvanna wrapped up the scoring midway through the fourth quarter after a snap over the punter’s head set up the offense at the Colonels’ 5-yardline. Junior back Luke Norcross barreled in from one yard out on fourth and goal. Prior to the punt miscue, Fleming had suffered numerous errant shotgun snaps all night.
“Deiondre Key did a fantastic job. All those snaps that were going all over the place, that was him,” said Barnett. “He’s quite possibly the best lineman in our area, defensively. I’m afraid to know what they would have done offensively if he wasn’t causing problems with the exchanges.”
Beyond their four turnovers, the Fluco offense struggled to sustain drives. Junior Alec Turley led a rushing attack that netted minus-2 yards on the night with 19 yards on nine carries. Morris went 6 for 17 through the air for 62 yards.
“We have to do a better job of understanding our schemes and not trying to get it all at one time,” Barnett said. “We need eight, nine, ten-play drives.”
For Fleming, Hill was the workhorse, carrying 23 times for 74 yards as the offense dominated possession time. Adams completed 10 of 19 passes for 242 yards, the vast majority attributable to Craft, who caught seven passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns.
The Colonels host Martinsville next Friday. Fluvanna (0-1; 4A North, Jefferson District) hits the road to face Spotsylvania (0-1; 3A East, Battlefield District).
