By Dennis Atwood — Daily Sports Correspondent

STEPHENS CITY — The fans attending the Sherando Warriors' homecoming game against the Central Falcons on Saturday afternoon were treated to a rare football doubleheader. At least it seemed that way, given the distinctly different halves. Sherando broke open a close game at the half and pulled away with a 47-7 win over Central.

After the elaborate pre-game festivities, with Native American drumming and chanting on the PA system, and a costumed warrior riding in on horseback to chuck a spear into the ground at the 30-yard line, the Warriors team exhibited the expected enhanced motivation following the ending of their 28-game regular-season winning streak last week by Handley.

Sherando scored on its first two possessions. First, it mounted a nine-play drive featuring four first downs as junior running back Kadeem Blackwood contributed an 11-yard run, and U.Va.-bound, senior quarterback Ross Metheny ran a keeper for eight yards and executed 5-for-6 passing. He capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dalton Boyd for a 7-0 lead with 6:20 remaining.

The Warriors (4-1, 2-1 Northwestern) needed only five plays to score on their next possession. Metheny again finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Boyd, this time from 26 yards out, to give Sherando a 14-0 lead with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter.

Then, in spite of the bright, sunny weather and great beginning, Sherando's festive mood darkened.

The Falcons orchestrated a 13-play drive, which took 5:30 off the clock. Sophomore quarterback Matt Sherfey tossed 4-for-7, including 14- and-12-yard completions to split-end senior Thomas Cooper for first downs. The key play came on third-and-10 from the Sherando 44. Hoyle Laughlin launched a 21-yard halfback pass to senior tight end J.J. Armentrout for a first down on the Sherando 23. On a third-and-7 at the 14, Sherfey connected with Armentrout in the middle of the end zone, surrounded by three Warrior defenders, to cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:07 remaining in the half.

Sherfey went 12-for-19, with 140 yards and a touchdown.

"We had confidence in ourselves," said Sherfey. "Coach [Mike] Yew keeps impressing on us Oregon State's upset of USC. We had that kind of momentum and hung in there [in the first half]."

The Warriors' troubles continued on their next two possessions. After gaining a first down at the Central 46, a high snap got away from Metheny, and Central's Jon Foster got the sack for a four-yard loss. The Falcons did no better, as Sherando's Conor Recko sacked Sherfey for a nine-yard loss and recovered a fumble to end a Central drive.

On their last possession of the half, the Warriors had a 10-yard completion wiped out by a personal foul penalty. The drive fizzled when Metheny was intercepted in the end zone by Falcons' senior defensive back Tevin Montgomery.

With 1:04 remaining, Central (1-5, 0-3 Northwestern) again tried an aerial attack. Sherfey rolled out and hit Armentrout for a 39-yard gain to the Sherando 41, with a bonus 15-yard roughing the passer penalty moving the pigskin to the 26. Sherfey then connected with Cooper for a first down at the Sherando 14. After an incompletion to Armentrout in the end zone, Sherfey tried to roll out, but a lengthy scramble ended in a sack by Sherando's Cephus Williams at the 39. Junior defensive back Dimitri Luck intercepted Sherfey's next toss to close out the half.

"We did our homework and tried to find some places were we thought we could attack the flats with some passes," said Falcons coach Mike Yew. "They were forced to come play. We threw it up, and J.J. [Armentrout] made some big plays in traffic, using his height. Matt [Sherfey] rolled out of the pocket, showed composure, and threw the ball on a rope when he needed to."

The Warriors changed from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense in the second half, effectively shutting down the Falcons, and scored on five successive possessions — three rushes, a pass, and a special-team play.

"I was definitely concerned at the half," said Sherando coach Bill Hall. "We were just not playing as well as we're capable of. It's not just a matter of schematics. You have play with the right emotion and play smart. We got a false sense of security and stalled in the first half."

The Falcons' fortunes did an about-face as they went three-and-out on their first drive of the second half. Their second drive started with a Sherfey right-sideline toss, with no Falcon receiver in sight, enabling Luck's second interception. Luck returned the interception 31 yards through several broken tackles to the Central 14, resulting in a total momentum shift to the Warriors.

"Obviously, they made some adjustments at halftime," said Yew. "They went to a 3-4 defense and took away the flat from our passing game, and they used their edge in overall team speed."

Metheny went 16-for-21 for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Boyd caught 6 passes for 123 yards, including three touchdowns.

The Warriors play at Skyline next week in another big game in the district.

"The Northwestern District is very interesting now, with us facing Skyline next," said Hall. "It's never totally about the point totals. It's also about how you go about your business, emotionally, and everyone being on the same page."