William Monroe’s Matt McCracken flew downfield untouched through the Charlottesville return team and saw the ball squirt loose near the Black Knights’ returner’s feet.
“He just dropped it I guess,” McCracken said.
McCracken pounced on it, and, in turn, William Monroe started to roll. They didn’t stop for four quarters.
The Dragons piled up 478 yards of total offense in a 49-7 rout of Charlottesville High Friday night and moved back above .500 on the season.
“When a team has the ability to take it away and we know we’re going to get it back in the second half, that’s a huge psychological boost for a team,” said Monroe coach Mark Sanford. “That’s a huge momentum swing right at the beginning of the game.”
Senior quarterback Mitchell Morris’ work on play action passes was a big reason for Monroe’s productive night. Morris went 11 for 14 against the Black Knights for 212 yards. That helped balance a hard-nosed running game led by Logan Forloines and Doug Sizemore who combined for 199 yards.
Morris also carried out his fakes nearly perfectly when he did hand off, which forced Charlottesville defenders to give the quarterback a second look. That was all the time Forloines and Sizemore needed.
“They definitely help me out,” Morris said. “The run sets up, so I’m just coming off a good fake.”
Charlottesville struggled against a Monroe (3-2, 1-1 JD) defense that forced several three and outs and got a second quarter 40-yard interception return for a touchdown from Sizemore that put Monroe up 28-0. The Black Knights only found some rhythm when they employed their wildcat set that features Daniel Chmil. The senior rumbled 42 yards for a touchdown just four plays after Sizemore’s interception, but after that the Charlottesville offense went back to a sputtering attack submarined by fumbles, penalties or solid tackling by the Dragons. Chris Thurston shouldered the majority of the carries for the Black Knights with 35 yards on the night, but Charlottesville’s Hann Duverny also got a little something going with 53 yards on the ground.
The Black Knights’ passing attack was grounded though, managing just 15 total yards.
“It’s the same story — turnovers and just throwing the ball away for touchdowns,” said Charlottesville coach Chris Fraser. “We can’t keep riding Daniel Chmil — he’s a stud and does a great job but he also expends so much energy on defense we just can’t keep riding that.”
Monroe got a pair of scores each out of Forloines and Sizemore on the ground, while Morris hit Dakwan Morris for an 11-yard touchdown. The points piled up fast, with Forloines scoring after McCracken’s recovery from two yards out. Monroe then forced a three and out and Mitchell Morris connected with Zach Duprey for a 28-yard gain to setup Sizemore’s 6-yard touchdown. The next Monroe offensive drive, the Dragons managed to grind it out, driving 85 yards on 13 plays before Forloines finished things off with a 10-yard scoring run. A big run from Sizemore (25 yards) and a Forloines catch from Morris (29 yards) powered the march.
“We’ve just got depth all over the field, we’re making plays at every spot on the field,” Sizemore said.
Monroe gets a chance to jump to 2-1 in the district when they host Fluvanna County while Charlottesville will try and regroup next week on the road against Western Albemarle.
