By Drew Goodman / Scrimmageyplaycva.com contributor
At some point, no matter how well a defense is playing, if they are on the field for nearly the entire game, fatigue is eventually going to sit in.
That was the harsh reality that the William Monroe football program faced in Friday’s season opener against Turner Ashby.
The WMHS defense spent nearly 22 of 24 minutes on the field in the first two quarters, thanks to three straight three-and-outs by the offense. The Dragons performed admirably given the circumstances, yielding just one touchdown to TA’s offense.
But once the third quarter kicked off, it was clear that tired legs had taken their toll on the home team. Turner Ashby began the second half with a pair of clock-killing, run-heavy scoring drives, and left Stanardsville with a decisive 24-2 win.
“Our offense has to score points and keep our defense off the field,” William Monroe head coach Jon Rocha said. “If that doesn’t happen, you get the results here.”
TA stormed out of the gate in the second half, with a 10-play scoring drive, with all but one play coming on the ground. The lone passing play was a seven-yard touchdown grab by Jared Peake.
On their next series, the Knights again found the end zone as workhorse running back Grant Swinehart scored from three yards out. The Dragons had managed to keep the game close despite being vastly outgained in the massive disadvantage in the time of possession finally won the day in the third quarter for Turner Ashby.
“It was 11-0 halftime and like we said, when your [defense] stays out there for every single play… eventually, [Tuner Ashby] is going to start to take over,” Rocha said. “
After a trio of drives that went nowhere, the Dragons finally got something going towards the end of the first half. A seven-yard run from Dupree Rucker with 3:19 left in the second quarter gave the Dragons their first first down of the game.
Monroe marched all the way to the TA 29, before a costly chop-block penalty halted the momentum. After being pushed all the way back to midfield, defensive lineman Kyle Stephenson intercepted a pass to bring the drive to a close.
The turnover bug bit William Monroe once again in the fourth quarter as the Dragons were trying to crack the scoreboard for the first time. A 12-yard run from Rucker and a 17-yard grab by Shea Jeffers moved the ball all the way to the Knight’s three-yard line.
Unfortunately for the Dragons, they would soon put the ball on the turf for their third giveaway of the night. In an odd twist of fate, however, the Knights coughed up the ball deep in their own territory on the very next play. A heads up play by the Monroe defensive line led to a safety for the Dragons’ lone points of the night.
William Monroe will continue its out-of-district slate with a trip across the mountain to Spotswood next week. In Rocha’s mind, each of the games prior to the late-September bye provides his team with a chance to get better before district play opens up.
“We have until October 4th when we play Brentsville- that’s our first district game,” Rocha said. “As long as you improve and get ready to play Brentsville, and then you play Skyline, Warren, George Mason and those, and you win those five, you win your district… If you win the district, the rest will take care of itself. We have four more games, and then the bye week to make sure when we hit this field against Brenstsville, we’re playing at an optimum level.”
