By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Kevin McCarthy broke 1,000 yards for the season en route to a momentous Senior Night tally of 257 yards, and his four touchdowns propelled Albemarle over Orange County 52-7 in both teams’ final game of the 2014 season.
“It feels great to come out and have stats like that, but I couldn’t do it without the great offensive line,” said McCarthy. “They did it for me, for each other, for Senior Night, for the team, so I can’t ask for anything better.”
McCarthy, who already had 97 yards on 16 carries at the break, got the call on every snap of the Patriots’ six-play, 55-yard drive to open third quarter. Coach Brandon Isaiah had a particular goal in mind as he dialed up 18 McCarthy runs in the third.
“He kind of got injured in the middle of the year, and I think he needed about 200 yards to get [to 1,000] tonight,” said Isaiah. “For the third quarter, I told him and the line, ‘we want to get him a thousand, the offensive line deserves it, Kevin deserves it for everything he’s been through in the program,’ and so we committed.”
On the coldest game night of the year, both teams struggled with fumbles. The Hornets lost four on the night, the first derailing a promising first quarter drive at the Patriots’ 11. After a 62-yard punt by senior Chandler Carrera flipped field position, Albemarle’s defense forced a three-and-out to setup the offense in the red zone after a punt into a gust of wind traveled only six yards. Senior quarterback DG Archer kept the ball for a 15-yard run before McCarthy opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run. A minute later, junior defensive back Dontae Woodfolk intercepted a third-and-10 pass and returned it 18 yards to the Hornets’ 2. Archer snuck in on the next play for a 14-0 lead.
Orange got on the board early in the second quarter with an unusual sequence. After second quarterback Brian Johnson’s deep third-and-10 pass was intercepted by Zach Hall, officials ruled he fumbled inside the five and intended receiver DeAngelo Hunt recovered to set up first and goal. Trevon Smith scored from three yards on the next play. The Hornets seemed to build momentum by turning halting Albemarle’s ensuing drive when Jalaun Lewis-Nixon intercepted Archer’s third down pass in the back corner of the endzone; however, the Patriots forced a quick three-and-out, and Archer made up for the pick with a deep throw to Cameron Green down the left sideline while falling back under pressure in the pocket. Green beat his one-on-one defender to grab the 27-yard completion to the 2 and, two plays later, Archer scored on his second keeper. Carrera added a 33-yard field goal on the second-to-last play of the half for a 24-7 lead.
After McCarthy led the Patriots’ next drive to make it 31-7, Orange’s turnover woes struck on all four of its third quarter possessions. After Hall made his second pick, Albemarle stalled on downs at the Orange 20; however, sophomore linebacker David Tomlin recovered a fumble on the Hornets’ next snap. Archer then hit junior wideout Ethan Blundin for a 26-yard score in the back-right corner of the endzone. After the next fumble near midfield, McCarthy led a quick three-play, 56-yard drive with a 38-yard touchdown dash.
“The offensive line opened a big hole and I just ran through it, simple as that,” McCarthy said.
Dayvon Greene completed a nine-yard pass to Keith Ellis to open Orange’s next series, but Patriot defenders stripped the ball free once more and recovered. McCarthy eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on his 12-yard carry to open the next drive, during which he carried on all nine plays. His last was a 1-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter, which capped the game’s scoring with a 52-7 margin for Albemarle.
With a running clock in the fourth quarter, senior defensive back Moses Boamah halted Orange’s only drive with an interception at the goal line. Blundin played quarterback on Albemarle’s last series.
“It was a fun thing to watch, for once for us to put a game together and have some things go our way,” said Isaiah. “Some kids made some plays at key moments to get us out of trouble. I think it was big for the program, big for our seniors and for underclassmen to try and design expectations for which way we want to go as a program.”
Archer finished 7-of-18 for 110 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also carried eight times for 41 yards. Green caught four passes for 56 yards. Smith led the Hornets with seven rushes for 63 yards. Johnson added 47 yards on six attempts, and as quarterback in the second and fourth quarters, finished 6-of-15 for 43 yards.
“[Johnson]’s a young guy, we’ve got a lot of young guys,” said Orange coach Keita Malloy, whose Hornets finished 1-9. “Two freshman corners out there played well. You’re trying to get guys out there and get them some experience. Day one of the offseason begins the next season.”
Albemarle (3-7), which needed bonus point help from Charlottesville, Fluvanna, and others, fell just short of making the 5A North playoff bracket.
