By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
PALMYRA – Playing in its season opener and its inaugural game at its new stadium, Fluvanna County’s football team wanted to make a statement.
The Flucos did just that, riding an opportunistic defense and solid run game to roll past Prince Edward 43-14 at Phil Browning Field on Friday night.
Fluvanna scored off of four turnovers – including a 47-yard interception return – and got a boost from senior running back Jovan Burton in the victory.
“This was a big night for Fluvanna,” Fluvanna coach Jason Barnett said. “We really talked about making this what we want it to be. That was a school on [Route] 15 with a lot of tradition, a lot of great players and a lot of history. And this is something we can help create; we can make our own new traditions.”
The Flucos wasted little time making their mark, as Devon Goode recovered a fumble after a bad snap by the Eagles. It took one play for Fluvanna to score, as Dashon Tibbs found Jalen Harrison in the left corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. Cristian Franco converted on the point-after attempt and the home team took the 7-0 lead.
After forcing the visitors to punt, Fluvanna marched down the field on a 15-play drive that was capped by a 4-yard TD run by Burton. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder added two more scores on runs of five and eight yards, respectively, to give the Flucos a sizeable lead. Franco’s 29-yard field goal in the final seconds of the quarter made it 30-0 at halftime.
“He was a huge gap in what we needed last year and having him tonight is just great,” Barnett said of Burton. “He has a lot of catching up to do with the time that he lost [from an injury last season], and I think he tried to get it all back tonight.”
Fluvanna scored again on its opening drive of the second half, as RyQuane Washington made his way in the end zone from eight yards out. The Flucos amassed 211 rushing yards on the night. Burton paved the way with 75 yards on 13 carries, while Goode toted the ball 10 times for 60 yards. Fluvanna had a balanced attack as Tibbs, a transfer from Albemarle, finished the night 8-for-14 passing for 134 yards and had 36 yards rushing.
The defense provided another highlight a few minutes later, as Jesse Lokits intercepted Davon Adams’ pass and returned it 47 yards for the score.
Fluvanna maintained a shutout until the waning minutes of the game when Prince Edward scored on back-to-back drives.
The Flucos will visit rival Goochland on Friday in another non-district contest.
“I want to see us compete against Goochland,” Barnett said. “It’s been a few years since we have gotten after Goochland and made it a four-quarter game. If we make it a four-quarter game, I like our chances.”
