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Eagles fall short against Appomattox
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By Brian Eller -- beller@nvdaily.com
BERRYVILLE -- With his team trailing in the fourth quarter Saturday, Zach Shiley sat on the trainer's bench, watching as the offense took the field. The senior had been sidelined with an injury to his right leg and sat defeated with an ice pack draped over his shin.
The ice could offer some solace to the physical pain, but did little to help numb the emotional heartbreak as Shiley and the Eagles watched their hopes at a state championship fall with a 42-28 upset at the hands of Appomattox.
"I'm so proud of our guys," Appomattox coach Ben Martin said. "They talked all week about how Clarke was going to have a rematch against Gretna and I think our kids really took offense to that, because, not that they were overlooking us, but I think we're a contender and people have to look at us that way."
All season long, Eagles coach Chris Parker had wondered how his team would respond in the face of adversity. Clarke County had given up just 35 points all season, and had yet to trail in any of its 10 games.
On Saturday adversity got right in the faces of the Eagles, however, in the form of quarterback Kenny Scott. A threat with both his arms and his legs, Scott led the Raiders in passing and rushing, racking up five touchdowns on the ground and adding another through the air.
"When Kenny Scott wanted to throw the ball, he was gonna throw it. And when Kenny Scott wanted to run the ball, he was gonna run it," tailback Sam Shiley said. "He was just a really tough guy to stop. He's a heck of a football player."
After the opening minutes it appeared Clarke County was on its way to another blowout. The Eagles' defense forced a three-and-out on its first series, accentuated by linebacker Jeremy Rhoads, who nailed running back Joe Reed on the Raiders' first play in the backfield for a loss. Clarke County's offense then took its opening drive for a touchdown, as Sam Shiley punched it in from 1 yard out to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
On the Raiders' second offensive possession, however, Reed began to find some open space, taking an option pitch 59 yards down inside the Eagles' 5-yard line, where a sneak by Scott put Appomattox on the board. After a two-point conversion by Scott, the Raiders grabbed the one-point lead and never looked back.
From there Appomattox's first offensive possession looked like a distant memory, as the combination of Reed and Scott kept the Clarke County defense guessing on every snap. The Raiders routinely ran a middle option, and were able to disguise the handoff, leaving the Eagles off balance in their pursuit.
"They kept the ball in there until the last minute," Rhoads said. "There were times where we were tackling the fullback because he had the ball and the quarterback's hands were still in there so he'd pull it out. You'd think the play was dead and the quarterback had it and then he'd make a play."
Behind that disguise, the Raiders ran their lead to 28-7, before Sam Shiley helped cut the deficit with a 2-yard run with just three minutes to go in the first half. Appomattox responded right back, however, as Scott took the Raiders' next play from scrimmage 70 yards for a score. Despite the struggles on defense, Clarke County's offense looked to be regaining some of its swagger just before the half, driving down the field for another touchdown with just 30 seconds left on the clock. But on the two-point conversion Zach Shiley was hit hard trying to cross the goal line, and was helped off the field with an injury to his right leg. Both Parker and Zach Shiley suggested it may be a broken fibula, but wouldn't know for sure until later in the week.
In the second half both teams buckled down on defense, as the third quarter zoomed by without any extra points on the board. And midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles cut the Appomattox lead to just seven on a 2-yard run by Rhoads, giving the Clarke County fans something to cheer about, and restoring some hope on the Eagles' sideline.
But Saturday belonged to Scott. Facing a crucial third down from Clarke County's 37-yard line, Scott ran on a quarterback keeper, and appeared to be stopped after a small gain. But suddenly the arms around Scott's legs slid off, and Scott burst through the secondary to the end zone, putting his team back up by 14 with just less than three minutes to go in the game.
"When we had him in the backfield and then he just breaks free and scores," Sam Shiley said, "it's a killer. It sucks to have your season end that way, but you deal with it and move on."
With their starting quarterback on crutches, their jerseys ripped and dirtied, the Eagles tried to keep their heads held up for the final few minutes, as their chance at a state championship was just minutes from ending.
After the game as the Raiders celebrated on the field, the Eagles headed back to the locker room, where some players tried to hold back tears and others simply began to weep. Handshakes and hugs were offered as a consolation between the players, but the damage had already been done. After a 10-0 regular season, the Eagles were finished and the seniors were left with what might have been.
"I'm proud of our team," Parker said. "And that's an understatement. I'm proud of how we played the whole season. I'm disappointed for them and for our coaches to have it end in the first round, but I'm proud that we got here ... It was just the whole program I'm really proud of, from team dinners to our football moms to people in our community, which is a great community. I'd love to be playing December 12, but it didn't work out. My hats off to Appomattox, but I'm really proud of our team."
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