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Healthy return: Back from injury, Wilson sparks Judges
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By Ben Brooks -- sports@nvdaily.com
WINCHESTER -- Jeremiah Wilson made his presence felt in a return to Handley's lineup, and the defense flexed its muscle in the fourth quarter to lead the unbeaten Judges to a 30-20 Region II, Division 3 semifinal victory over Goochland on Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately for both teams, Saturday's first-ever meeting between the two schools may be remembered as much for what happened after the game as what happened during it. At the tail end of the customary post-game handshakes, what appeared to be an altercation between a couple of players escalated to the point where dozens from each team joined in and had to be separated by coaches.
What could have become an even uglier incident eventually settled down. Nevertheless, additional Winchester police were called and responded to help beef up security.
"It takes away from a great game," said Handley coach Tony Rayburn, who said he talked to his players at halftime about keeping their composure when action on the field turned chippy late in the second quarter. "Emotions are so high in a game like this, and they can turn the wrong way quickly."
Goochland coach Joe Fowler didn't mince words about how he felt.
"I'm embarrassed," said Fowler, who spent 10 minutes lecturing his team in the end zone before heading to the visitor's locker room. "I just hope people around here don't get the impression that's how we act. We had a couple of people lose their composure. That won't happen again, not as long as I'm coach."
The top-seeded Judges had their hands full on the field. Twice, Handley (11-0) faced second-half deficits. Each time, however, the Judges answered.
"We're used to being in those situations," Handley senior linebacker/fullback Leonard Grant said. "We keep our heads up and stick together as a team."
Indeed, the Judges had some narrow escapes in their perfect regular season. But these are the playoffs, where the stakes are much higher. And the Judges, who host Park View in the region final on Saturday, couldn't have been happier to welcome back Wilson, their big-money player.
"It was just like old times," Grant said of having the play-making running back to block for. "We really haven't been together that long this year."
Wilson, playing for the first time since injuring his left knee six weeks ago, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 114 yards. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder, who has committed to the University of Maryland, ran five times for 34 yards in a 78-yard Handley drive that bridged the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. His 3-yard touchdown run gave Handley a 23-20 lead it never relinquished.
After Handley's defense forced Goochland to punt -- a troublesome chore all day for the Bulldogs -- Wilson capped a short seven-play drive with a 1-yard plunge to give the Judges their first two-possession lead of the game.
Handley's defense took care of the rest as Elijah Washington pounced on an errant Matthew Henley pitch on one possession, and Steve Amos picked off a deflected pass on another.
"I have to thank Derek [Dowrey] for getting his hands on that one," Amos said of the interception that came with 1:45 remaining and effectively ended the game. "I was just lucky to be the right man in the right place. We pride ourselves on our defense. We knew if we stayed together and played well that our offense would put some points on the board."
No one knew for sure how much Wilson would play or whether he would see time on both sides of the ball. He finished with 20 carries and also lined up in his customary cornerback position.
"We never talked about that," Wilson said when asked if he had a play limit going into the game. "I just told them I felt 100 percent and was ready to go."
What made Wilson's performance even more impressive was that only two of his runs went for more than 10 yards. Late in the game Wilson was visibly favoring his other leg (shin injury), but he gutted it out until the Judges were comfortably ahead.
"You get a few bumps and bruises," Wilson said. "You just got to play through it."
"He stuck it up in there a number of times," Rayburn said, referring to Wilson's tough inside running that complements his breakaway potential. "A lot of people don't see those 7-yard runs, where he probably should have been stopped at the line. But those are just as important, if not more so."
Had it not been for problems in the punting game, Goochland (10-2) may have kept the Judges scoreless in the first half. Instead, Handley held a 9-7 advantage, thanks in large part to a pair of low snaps in punt formation. The first resulted in a 12-yard kick that set the Judges up near midfield on their first possession of the game and eventually led to Delroy McDaniel's 6-yard scoring run.
The next came late in the second quarter. Five minutes after the Bulldogs tied the game on Dustin Plummer's 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal to cap a nine-minute, 80-yard drive, Handley received another special teams gift. Goochland punter Thomas Meadows couldn't scoop up a bouncing snap and was swarmed under by Handley's Ryan Butler and Amos for a safety.
Goochland took the early momentum in an action-filled second half when B.J. Clark took a reverse on a punt and raced 84 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 14-9 Bulldog lead.
Handley, however, came right back. Geremi Long's 34-yard strike to David Carter set the Judges up in Bulldog territory. Three plays later, Handley used a reverse of its own as Kenny Griffin took a pitch from Wilson and went the other way for an 18-yard score. The Judges' 16-14 lead was short-lived as Plummer (93 yards on 11 carries) capped a six-play, 60-yard drive with a 31-yard scoring run to put Goochland back on top 20-16.
Not to be outdone, Handley stormed right back. Long found a wide open Griffin for 37 yards, and Wilson later added a 2-yard touchdown run for a 23-20 lead.
"You've got to know how to answer like that when you're facing a championship-caliber team," Rayburn said. "You're playing against opponents that are more than capable of doing things against you."
Handley's ensuing defensive stand pushed the Bulldogs back deep in their own territory. Another poor punt set Handley up at the Goochland 32. Seven plays later, Wilson scored from 1 yard out for the clincher.
"Sometimes it just comes down to bigger, faster, stronger," Fowler said. "When we came back and scored after they did, I was hoping that maybe they'd wear down. But they kept plugging away. I can't say enough about the Wilson kid."
After being held to just 82 first-half total yards, the Judges finished with a respectable 193 on the ground and 97 through the air. Defensively, Handley finished plus three in the turnover ratio, with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
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