Considering that Jordan Jefferson was in on the fourth quarter stops against Buckingham County and Amelia — two of the only times during the regular season that Goochland’s perfect record was threatened — that he sniffed out of the sweep play on fourth and goal with the season on the line against King William seemed consistent. He’d played in situations similar late in year. But he’s still just a freshman.
“He’s going to be special, man he’s going to be special,” said Goochland coach Joe Fowler after the game. The Bulldogs’ coach delivered that line with his eyes closed and head titled back almost as though he’s already seen what rests ahead for Jefferson. For now though, the game-saving tackle in the final minute of play on fourth and goal will have to do.
While Goochland was tested by Buckingham and Amelia, neither of those games carried the weight that the Eastern Section battle did against King William Friday. Backs literally against the wall, if the Bulldogs don’t stuff the Cavaliers on the 1-yard line, their football season is over. In the first two rounds of the playoffs against Nottoway and Central Woodstock, Goochland cruised as neither squad was able to slow down the offense, neither able to get anything rolling against this incredible defense. It was against the Cavaliers that this team, unless something equally insane happens in the Group A semifinals or championship, had its defining moment. There is no finer nor more dramatic play than the late fourth quarter goalline stand. It epitomizes heart, effort and determination. It’s a battle of the wills when the ball is that close to the end zone, and based on the play calling, King William showed that they didn’t want a lot to do with the interior of Goochland’s defense.
To see video of the stand, click here.
First and goal — The Cavaliers throw a fade to the back of endzone, it falls out of bounds incomplete.
Second and goal — The Cavaliers run seven yards up the middle with Davonne Johnson on a draw play.
Third and goal — The Cavaliers try and run off-tackle and fall to the 1-yardline.
“It’s that cliché deal where it’s a game of inches,” said Goochland defensive coordinator Dan Summitt. “I came out and told them it’s a game of 12 inches here.”
Originally concerned that monster quarterback Freeman McPhearson was going to run (he had 75 rushing yards on 13 carries), Summit and the Bulldogs recognized a slight change in formation down in the redzone.
“Once they put (Johnson) in, he’s their speedster and they lined him up a bit wide and a bit back,” Summitt said. “We knew that was probably the sweep coming and it looked like Jordan knew that too.”
Fourth and goal — Needing just a foot, the Cavaliers pitch the football to Johnson on the right side. Jefferson reads it perfectly and makes the tackle.
“That’s the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Jefferson said.
And so after running one play to kill out of the clock on offense, that’s how the Bulldogs come into their matchup with Wilson Memorial on Saturday. If the defensive stand was confidence-inspiring enough, Fowler poured gasoline on the fire throughout, opting not to call any timeouts as King William ran down the clock. Were the Cavaliers to score, the Bulldogs would not have anytime to try and mount a comeback. Clearly, that was a non-issue for Fowler. His team was going to win or lose the game on that defensive series.
“When you’re up against a no-huddle offense and the crowd’s going wild, it’s hard (on them),” Fowler said. “We felt like if we gave them a timeout, it gave them a chance to regroup. We didn’t want them to be able to do that. We wanted them to run their play however it was.”
That’s the mentality that Green Hornets face. From here on out, it’s a battle of the wills. And so far, even if it means that a freshman will have to step up and make a play, Goochland’s shown they thrive in that atmosphere.
Wilson Memorial (11-2) at Goochland (13-0) at 2 p.m., Saturday, Group A Division 2 semifinal
The basics: These two come into the final four with entirely different stories. Goochland’s given up an average of just over eight points in its three playoff wins so far. On the other side, Wilson’s surrendered an average of 33 points to its postseason opponents in Central (Kelly/Pound), Appomattox and Dan River. Of course, since the Green Hornets have won all three of those games, it should go without saying that their offense has a bit of a hot hand. The last time this team didn’t score more than 40 points was on October 21st against Buffalo Gap. So something has to give here. Both teams barely survived their Sectional finals. The Bulldogs defense came up with a storied goal line stand. The Green Hornets survived a comeback flurry from Dan River led by Virginia Tech commit Trey Edmunds. Goochland does get the bonus of playing one final home game (the Group A championship is in Salem) and the Bulldog fanatics gave their team an edge last week against King William.
Keymatch up: Wilson running back Malik Rucks versus Goochland’s linebacking corps. The Green Hornet junior came out on the winning end of the dueling banjo match he had with Edmunds last week. Carrying the ball 22 times, putting up 204 yards and scoring four touchdowns, Rucks has his work cut out for him as he’ll be trying to ways to steer clear of Bulldogs linebackers Nathan Adams, Jess McLaughlin and Dasheem Norris. That trio combined for 20 tackles against King William, just one shy of half of their team’s total. The Green Hornets aren’t fit to drop back and pass so Rucks and backfield-mate Connery Swift who went for 112 yards on 22 carries last week have to be successful in the red zone. And the Bulldogs have an edge defensively, as they run the single wing and get to practice against a nearly exclusive running team every week of the year.
Who to watch: Goochland quarterback Cody Johnson. The Bulldogs are going to stick with what the do best and that’s run at Wilson with its bevy of backs, whether its David Dyer and Jake Martin up the middle or Mitchell Brice on the edge. But when Johnson gets the change to drop back and pass, their will be one-on-one matchups to the receivers. If he can connect on the deep pass when the Goochland coaching staff dials it up, it could be the dagger blow in the this game.
The line: Goochland by 3. The Bulldogs get the edge because of their defense. They also aren’t turning the ball over on offense. And while Wilson’s run-exclusive offense might catch a lot of teams off guard, that’s unlikely to be the case here with Goochland. One thing fans on both sides can expect, the clock to melt away.
