Kenneth Johnson sits at over 2,000 yards rushing and averages roughly 10 yards every carry he gets. He has an astounding 39 rushing touchdowns in 13 games. Leon Ragland has more than 1,000 yards and averages just under a first down for every one of his rushing attempts and has 14 TDs. The senior running back and sophomore quarterback are gifted athletes, but try and talk to them after a game and see if they don’t first credit their offensive line.
The rushers have made all the headlines for Buckingham County over the last half decade, from Maurice Taylor now at Virginia Tech and Tarian Ayres now at Virginia State to this current backfield combination the Knights have in Johnson and Ragland. One of the big questions coming into this season for Buckingham was how this relatively young group on the offensive line would come together. While still relatively young, this line, from a metrics standpoint, had the Buckingham staff excited in training camp, as one assistant coach put it at the time — this group is mostly new, but they are big and they are mean.
“At the beginning of the year, you know we were a bit sloppy,” Connor Christian said. “But as a group, as a team, we came together. We started executing, calling out the gap calls and just doing the blocking.”
Christian is a junior and Demetrius Jones is a senior. They are two of the veterans leading this unit to what’s been nothing short of outstanding all season. The Knights come into every game knowing that they might air the ball out five or six times a game, and they’re opponents expect even fewer passing attempts. This offensive line sets the tone for a spread-option look with two wide receivers against a defense every week that packs at least eight in the box, and more often than not, nine. Nonetheless, Christian, Jones and company have found a way to clear the way for more than 4,000 yards on the ground despite changing very little from a week to week basis.
“I think we’re able to block any kind of defense right now because we’re adjusting well,” Jones said. “We’re practing well and so I think we can do just about anything.”
That little change, the wrinkle that comes in Buckingham’s offense every week is at the line and almost nowhere else. The Knights don’t change up their play calling or their philosophy as they’ve moved along, and that includes the playoffs. Against James River, Dan River and Gate City in the playoffs, the tweaks came in the form of blocking schemes tailored for whatever strengths and weaknesses the defensive fronts presented them. There’s no arguing with the results and a lot of comes down to the tenacity this group has. It’s mean but doesn’t get flagged often for holding or clipping.
“Toughness, I’ve seen a lot of tougness,” Jones said. “I mean, it’s basically we just get mean, line up and go out there. That’s what I’ve seen (these last few weeks).”
This offensive line is the engine that drives this team. When Ragland or Johnson get space or time, they are an amazing combination of quick and relentless. As one James River coach told the Buckingham staff after a 62-24 romp, the vistors knew that the Knights were fast, but they didn’t expect them to run with power when it came to contact. And that’s what makes this offensive line so special, it consistently gives Johnson and Ragland the opportunities to get a head of steam and then do their thing, which at the end of the day is simply keep their legs churning.
“The holes are everywhere with theses guys,” Johnson said. “We can go anywhere. We can go where the block is, we can cut back. They block well, they do they’re jobs really well and you never have to get on them about anything.”
Lineman, particularly on offense, are always credited as a group don’t get the individual recognition in the headlines that they should. Both Johnson and Ragland do their best to shy away from the spotlight and credit the blocks that created the big plays. They get it. The Buckingham staff tells its runners every year, that it all starts with the bigs up front. And with this group playing so well up front, Brunswick would be wise not to put Johnson or Ragland as the top targets this week, but rather the group in front of them. So far is seems like each Buckingham playoff opponent has underestimated the wear and tear this unit delivers. Now that the Knights are in the final four, there’s no looking past the numbers. Johnson and Ragland, they’ve got the jaw dropping numbers, and it’s not any secret as to why.
Division 2A semifinals, No. 6 (West) Buckingham County (10-3) vs. No. 3 (East) Brunswick (11-2), at Amory Field in Franklin
The basics: The Knights couldn’t have given their home crowd a better send off than what they did against Gate City between the defense forcing early turnovers and the offensive cashing in on every chance it got to the tune of a 47-17 win. On the other side, the Bulldogs came up with a goalline stand to beat Clarke County on the road 21-14. These two teams look a lot like each other. At this point of the year, that’s not too surprising. What is interesting is that only one top-seed, Giles County, survived to make this final four. The rest of the final four is made up of this sixth seeded Buckingham team, the third seeded Bulldogs and a fourth seeded Riverheads team. While you’d expect more than just one of the four one and two seeds to get further, this postseason in Division 2A is all about the underdog. Buckingham’s been there, done that — see Dan River two weeks ago.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s front seven versus Brunswick quarterback Darren Owens. He’s a runner first, a passer second. The Knights have really honed in up front against the run during this postseason run. They’ve dealt with just about every kind of rushing scheme you’d expect. If this group can keep Owens from breaking of drive extending runs, they’ll be in good shape, but that’s not easy. The Knights have given up next to nothing inside these last few weeks, and if that continues this week, it’ll be up to Owens to try and break something outside, whether deisgned or on misdirection.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Jesse Hickman and Harold Stanton. If ever there were a pair of wild cards, particularly on defense but also with Hickman on offense, it’s these two. Stanton seems to find himself in great position to create turnovers each game and lately, that’s been more wood in the furnace for this offense that’s already burning things up. Hickman’s big reception set the tone in the second half against Gate City. If Buckingham gets the kind of game changing plays it has from these two like it has in the last three weeks, it’s icing on the cake.
The line: Buckingham by 3. Not trying to be homers here but the home field advantage is out of the window with this game being played nowhere near either school. The Knights have adapted to everything on defense and forced their will on offense.
