Rams, Warriors come home as runners-up

Strasburg's effort not quite enough

By Eric Snyder
(Daily Staff Reporter)

COVINGTON -- They were doing what needed to be done. They were doing all they were being asked. They ran hard, they tackled well. The offensive line hit its blocks, the defensive line's thrusts were aggressive and explosive.

But it wasn't enough.

Strasburg played hard and played well in pursuit of its first state championship. But so did Bath County, and in the end it was the Chargers, not the Rams, who had reason to celebrate their Group A Division 1 state title with a 30-20 win Sunday on a bitterly cold and windy day at Alleghany High School.

Strasburg (10-3) got a monster game from its star, Frankie Shoemaker. In his final game in the purple and white, Shoemaker ran for 241 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as he tried to single-handedly give coach Glenn Proctor his first state final win after three defeats.

But the rest of the Strasburg offense could manage only 30 yards, as the Chargers (11-2) did a good job of shutting down Bradley Cook (seven carries, 11 yards) and Chuck Haines (six carries, 18 yards).

Shoemaker had two long touchdown runs in the first half, one on his first carry, one on his last. On the Rams' second lay from scrimmage, Shoemaker took the handoff from Caleb Hart, shed one tackler and sprinted untouched up the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the Rams became the first team this year to score in the first quarter against Bath.

From there, the first half was a battle for field position, and Bath dominated. Of the 29 plays in the second quarter, 28 of them started in Strasburg territory.

"The wind was such a factor and field position," Proctor said.

Bath took its first possession of the second quarter all the way down to the Strasburg 9 for a first-and-goal. A motion penalty by Bath moved the Chargers back, and on third-and-goal from the 8, David Hamrick and Scott Bowers stuffed Ivan Franklin for a five-yard loss. Chuck Haines batted down Stewart Alexander's fourth-down pass to end the threat.

But Strasburg could not move the ball against an aggressive Bath County defense. The Rams did gain one first down, but Hart fumbled and lost three yards on the next play, and two plays later it was fourth-and 12 from the 23.

Punter Jason Dean fielded a low punt and rushed his kick, hitting it off the side of his foot into a stiff wind. The ball bounced out of bounds only five yards up field at the 28. The Chargers were in business.

It took seven plays, but the Chargers got in the end zone. The workhorse on the team, Franklin had four carries for nine yards, and Anthony Pusey hit a big hole on the right side for the 11-yard touchdown. Franklin's two-point conversion put Bath ahead 8-6 with 1:46 to go before halftime.

Strasburg appeared content to run out the clock with the ball at its 17. Shoemaker gained a first down, but the Rams were in no apparent rush. As the clock ticked down under 10 seconds, Hart took the last snap of the half. He handed it off to Shoemaker, who started inside, then cut back outside. As the entire Strasburg rooting section stood up, Shoemaker was gone down the left side for an improbable 73-yard run. The last lay of the half gave the Rams a 12-8 lead.

"In the first half, we were fortunate to be ahead," Proctor said. "We just had a couple of big plays."

Shoemaker had nine carries for 174 yards in the first two quarters. His teammates combined for one yard on eight carries.

Strasburg should have had the momentum because of the big plays, but it was Bath that came out of the wind at its back and the appearance of the more-determined team.

"Our guys were angry with each other and the way things turned out," Bath coach Steve Isaacs said. "We didn't do a whole lot (of changing) at halftime."

The Chargers easily stopped Strasburg on its first possession, and again the Rams' punting game caused problems.

Dean received another low snap that went through his legs. He retrieved the ball, but with little time to get off a kick, Dean passed the ball to Shoemaker who was immediately tackled for a four-yard loss. Again, the Chargers had excellent starting position at the 17.

Strasburg's defense had a strong stand, yielding only one yard on three plays. Bath went for it on fourth down, and a reverse to Brandon Woodward picked up 14 crucial yards before Cook tackled the sophomore at the 2. Two plays later, Franklin went over the top for the touchdown. Jamie Carroll's run gave Bath a 16-12 lead with 7:02 left in the third.

After two punts, Strasburg set up shop at its 20 and went to work. A Hart completion to Chad Pangle for seven yards got the drive started and Shoemaker did most of the rest, picking up 58 yards on six carries, including the 12-yard touchdown run. Hart to Pangle for two made the score Strasburg 20, Bath 16 heading into the fourth quarter.

Proctor has preached all year about the importance of the fourth quarter. He always demands his Rams be the better-conditioned team on the field at crunch time. The fourth quarter is supposed to be Strasburg's time to shine.

Not this time. Bath appeared just as fresh as the Rams in the frigid weather, if not fresher. The Chargers took the ensuing kickoff and quickly moved 61 yards in seven plays to retake the lead.

Pusey had runs of 12 and a 17 yards, and Woodard took an inside handoff 15 yards for the touchdown as the fifth and final lead change of the game produced a 22-20 Bath advantage.

Strasburg had three more possessions, but the Charger defense allowed only one Ram first down in the final 12 minutes.

Woodward put the game out of reach with a 49-yard dash down the left sideline on a third-and-nine play with 2:07 left. When Carroll took a lateral into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the 10-point lead, the Rams knew their season was over.

"It was a game for 45 minutes," Proctor said. "The two-point conversion they got was the nail in the coffin. Up until that point, it could have gone either way."

But for the fourth time in four tries, the final game did not go the way of Glenn Proctor.

"They did the things they needed to do to win the game," Proctor said. "I think they were the better team."

 

"It was a great football game and we had some great opportunities we didn't take advantage of. It's really sad to lose like this, but you've got to tip you hat to them (Jonesville). They came back from a lot of adversity early in the season to string four big wins together."

-- Coach Glenn Proctor