Everyone has seen this movie before. A cold night with sloppy field conditions? It was a familiar script for a November playoff win at Goochland. In a battle of the Bulldogs, it was the top seed rolling past the eighth seed in the first round of the Region 2A playoffs to the tune of a 42-8 victory.
“We’re built for playing November football,” said Goochland coach Joe Fowler. “There are teams that are great for playing in 82 degrees and in the sun and then teams that are good in the mud and the cold and we’re better in the latter.”
Goochland came out hot and put this game away pretty early. After winning the coin toss, Goochland’s opening possession saw the Devin McCray connect with Dallas Holmes on a big pass to set up a 5-yard TD run for Jasper Carter.
On the next possession the Goochland defense came up with a fumble recover to set up a short field and Perry Snead-Johnson came away with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 1:06 left in the first. After a 3-and-out, Goochland then got a piece of a Brunswick punt to set up shop in the redzone and Quincy Snead cashed in a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0 with 9:54 left in the second. The momentum continued with another partially blocked punt on the next Brunswick drive and this time, McCray hit Snead for a 34-yard TD reception it was 28-0.
“Everyone has one job and we all just go out there to do our own job,” said Goochland senior offensive lineman Tyler Mays. “As long as we execute, it just happens.”
The last minute of play was a bit crazy on a tough night for officials. After Goochland’s defense saw what appeared to be a fumble recovery for a touchdown on fourth down called back after a player was ruled down, officials somehow awarded Brunswick a fifth down but one that was untimed as the clock expired during the fumble recovery but no time was put back on the clock and there were no flags on the play. After the confusion, both teams went into halftime.
That chaos at the end of the half leaked into the third quarter with Goochland throwing an interception on its first drive but Brunswick fumbling on its following possession. The game got interesting for a minute with Brunswick getting a 57-yard touchdown run from Ahdarius Jackson to make it 28-8 following a succesful 2-pt convert with 3:58 left in the third. But Goochland answered in kind with just two runs from Carter on its ensuing possesion, a 55-yard run followed by a 10-yard touchdown dash to make it 34-8 in just 39 seconds. And then it was Carter again with a 35-yard run to the endzone on the final play of the third quarter to make it 42-8 and set up an easy fourth quarter for the second team offense.
“Playing in theses conditions, it’s a mindset,” Carter said. “You’re either going embrace it and want to come out and do it or break down and not get it done. It’s that simple.”
On the night, Carter had 159 yards on 13 carries. Jordan Hughes, in clean up duty in the fourth, finished with six touches for 40 yards. McCray was 3-for-9 passing with 85 yards while adding 33 yards on the ground with just three carries. Holmes had two catches for 51 yards.
Goochland will play host to Amelia on Friday at 7 p.m. for the second time in three weeks. The Bulldogs took down the Raiders in the regular season finale 42-28.
“It’s another game and you have to come out and not think about it too much,” Carter said. “It’s another game and there might not be another, so you just have to come out and play the game like we know how.”
