It looked like cross-county rivals were headed for overtime for the second time in five days. But two 15-yard penalties over the course of three plays flipped and re-flipped the script, and Albemarle came up with a defensive stand, a backbreaking touchdown run, and a pick-six to ice the cake of a 32-15 win at Monticello.
“After not playing for like 15 months, and half a school year, it’s crazy,” said Albemarle junior running back Eb McCarthy. “We came together as a team at the very end and fought very hard. It feels amazing.”
Monticello’s Chase Hummel sent the would-be game-tying field goal through the uprights from 34 yards out with 4:36 on the fourth quarter clock; however, a roughing-the-kicker flag offered first-and-goal, and so the Mustangs took the points off the board. On second down, three Patriots defenders flushed senior quarterback Malachi Fields out to his left. He pumped once but then set his sights on the pylon. As a linebacker dropped coverage and closed in, Fields took to the air to clear him and reach the endzone for a go-ahead score; however, what might be a highlight-reel play at UVa next season is a personal foul in Virginia High School League football due to a restriction on attempting to hurdle other players. Monticello thus faced second-and-goal back at the 18. After a sack, incompletion, and illegal substitution, the Mustangs were out of field goal range at the 28. The possession ended with another incompletion and no points on the board.
Two plays later, McCarthy broke a 65-yard touchdown run to open a two-score lead with 2:14 remaining.
“I was just looking back at the O-line, thanking them the whole time,” said McCarthy, who finished with 164 yards on 22 carries. “They really fought throughout the whole game and had to step up in the second half.”
Junior linebacker Adam Schantz capped the scoring with a 49-yard pick-six. Albemarle picked up its third-straight win in the series and, in a game that was momentarily-tied with four and a half minutes to play, enshrined a 17-point margin in the record book. After Monticello rolled their fourth-quarter and overtime momentum from Monday night into a strong opening quarter and a half, the Patriots scored the game’s last 25 points and pitched a shutout in the second half.
“I think you can see, in how they play, that our defensive staff has been doing a great job,” said Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah. “Hunter Fillingame and James St. Hill, they’re young but they’ve been running with the opportunity [to coach the defense]. These kids love them.”
Albemarle opened the game, and its season, by receiving the kickoff and driving 72 yards in 10 plays, including a pair of third-down conversions. Junior quarterback Jake King connected with sophomore Christian Humes for a 34-yard touchdown.
“Christian hasn’t been here too long, but I trust him enough to know that if I throw it downfield, he’ll make the play,” said King, who finished 15-of-24 for 162 yards.
Monticello answered with an 11-play, 61-yard drive, sustained by an offsides penalty on third-and-2 and a 20-yard completion from FIelds to senior Kai Gaines on fourth-and-9. Fields rolled right and hit junior tight end Miles Frazier for an 11-yard touchdown. After encroachment on the PAT, Monticello tried for two and Shawn Jones powered in for an 8-7 lead.
The teams traded three-and-outs until Monticello flipped field position with a punt return by Fields down to the Albemarle 16. Three plays later, Fields called his own number and scored on a 9-yard draw. The Mustangs led 15-7 with 7:27 left in the first half.
Albemarle’s next possession ended on downs at the MHS 40. Monticello quickly marched to the redzone in three plays, but then a gadget play resulted in Gaines attempting a pass down the middle which junior defensive back Malik Washington intercepted at the 3. Taking over with 2:03 on the clock, McCarthy picked up 18 yards on back-to-back carries. Now operating the two-minute drill, King completed passes to Will Townsend and Patrick Schmidt to reach the redzone with 16 seconds left. A 7-yard scramble and defensive pass interference put the ball at the 3 with just :06 on the clock.
“We got in a situation where we were able to get in a formation and try to set something up for us,” Isaiah said. “I was hoping that I didn’t cost us an opportunity at points, but you believe in these kids and they started making plays.”
King came through with his second touchdown pass to Humes, who fell across the goal line as the horn sounded.
“[Jake]’s been able to throw the ball on the run, to scramble — he can do it all,” said Humes, who also took the handoff on the two-point conversion and converted to tie the game 15-15 at halftime.
Humes finished with five catches for 47 yards and two touchdowns. His teammate, Townsend, grabbed a game-high eight receptions for 78 yards.
“Christian is what I call a utility player; you can play him anywhere on the field,” said Isaiah. “Will (Townsend) made a lot of great plays. Jake’s a leader, he’s out there throwing the ball around to everybody. Just watching them be able to go out and make plays, it’s an exciting thing to see.”
Albemarle took the lead for good on a 39-yard field goal by Bennett Schantz with 3:35 left in the third quarter. Monticello drove inside the Patriots’ 30 early in the fourth, but the possession ended as the defense converged to stop Fields inches shy of the line to gain on fourth-and-2.
Monticello’s challenge moving forward will be consistent execution by more players on offense. Of the Mustangs’ 222 total yards, Fields had a hand in 196. While he completed passes to four different receivers for 122 yards, he connected on only nine of 26 attempts. He also led the team in both rush attempts (15) and yards (74).
“I think we had a lot of positive things that we can look at and say we’re heading in the right direction,” said Monticello coach Matt Hicks, “I think we definitely had some potential for big plays, but it just comes down to small little timing pieces that make all the difference in a close game.”
Monticello (1-1) heads to the Jungle next Friday at 6:30 to take on Louisa County (1-0), while Albemarle (1-0) hosts Goochland (1-0) in a rare non-district matchup for its home opener.
