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Courtland quarterback Ryan McBroom fights off an attempted sack by defensive end Chris Jones to complete
Chancellor defensive back Tony Russell intercepts a fourth-quarter pass intended for Courtland's Billy Bowen.
Chancellor quarterback Micah Cunningham struggles to regain his feet and gets a first down. Cunningham gained 77 yards last night. |
BY ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Sometimes tubas are bopping and cymbals are clashing when Chancellor's Tony Russell waits to return a kickoff.
Sometimes cheerleaders are yelling.
And sometimes, music is thump-thump-thumping from a stadium's sound system.
But most of the time, the din does not affect Russell. That's because most of the time, Russell doesn't hear a thing.
"I just zone out," he said last night. "It's almost like stuff's moving in slow motion."
But to the fans in the bleachers and to the Courtland players on the field on this frigid night, there was nothing slow about Russell's fourth-quarter burst.
After Courtland had tied the game and seized momentum, Russell gathered the ensuing kickoff and returned it 84 yards for
For the Chargers, it was the second consecutive victory against a team that had been undefeated in the district.
Chancellor (6-0, 7-2) toppled James Monroe, the defending Group AA, Division 3 champion, last week. The Chargers can complete their second consecutive perfect district season with a win against Culpeper next week.
"A lot of people were saying we were gonna rebuild this year," Chargers linebacker Joel Elliott said. "So it's sweet to come back and do this."
Chancellor did not dominate statistically, but it did not have to.
The Chargers' defense slowed Courtland for most of the game, and the offense was poised and relatively mistake-free.
Junior quarterback Micah Cunningham ran for 77 yards on 17 carries and Josh Ernest added a 1-yard touchdown run.
Kirk Wilson led Courtland with 91 yards on 12 carries.
Despite the loss, the Cougars (5-1, 6-3) could still reach the Region I, Division 4 playoffs. The Cougars face James Monroe next Friday.
"We've got to roll up our sleeves and go to work now," Courtland coach J.C. Hall said. "We either win next week, or we're done. That's the bottom line."
At the start of last night's game, Chancellor looked like it would have its way with Courtland.
The Chargers took the kickoff and had a calculated and precise 11-play drive that ended with a 1-yard plunge by Ernest.
But both teams tightened their belts after that.
Over the rest of the first half, there were six punts, two failed fourth-down conversions, and zero points.
After three more punts to start the second half, Courtland forced the game's first turnover, recovering a fumble at its 45-yard line.
The big play sparked the offense, which drove 55 yards and got a 5-yard touchdown run from Billy Bowen with 10 minutes, 33 seconds left in the game.
The Courtland fans buzzed and the Chancellor side went silent, and Russell took his spot near the 15-yard line, confident as ever.
"That's the buildup and the encouragement for me," he said. "If the other team does something good, I've got to do something better. I don't like to depend on other people."
Russell gathered the kickoff at the 16, and he said his eyes went wide when he saw the canyon-size hole before him.
He burst through the middle and then raced toward the right sideline. Two Courtland players had good angles to tackle Russell near the 20, but he slowed and switched direction and was unencumbered the rest of the way.
"My gosh, that was huge," Chancellor coach Bob Oliver said. "Tony doesn't have the size or the flat-out speed, but he's a winner and he has the will."
And he was not done.
Courtland pushed into Chancellor territory on its next possession.
On third down from the 45, Ryan McBroom fired a long pass down the right sideline toward Bowen, with Russell defending closely.
Both players jumped and got a hand on the ball as they fell to the ground.
There was a brief hush on both sidelines until Russell came up with the ball, allowing Chancellor to ultimately come up with the win.
"Now," Russell said, "we're on our way."
Courtland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -- | 7 |
Chancellor | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | -- | 14 |
First Quarter
Ch--J. Ernest 1-yard run (F. Kokoneshi kick).
Fourth Quarter
Ct--B. Bowen 5-yard run (B. Musante kick).
Ch--T. Russell 84-yard kick return (F. Kokoneshi kick).
TEAMSTATISTICS
Ct | Ch |
First downs12 | 9 |
Rushing yardage27-114 | 34-163 |
Passing yardage87 | 40 |
Passes8-19-1 | 5-11-0 |
Punts-Avg.5-30.2 | 4-38.5 |
Fumbles-lost0-0 | 1-1 |
Penalties-yards 4-47 | 6-45 |
INDIVIDUALSTATISTICS
Rushing: Chancellor--Micah Cunningham 17-77; Josh Ernest 6-39, TD; Jeff Sawyer 7-34; Aqiyl Randall 3-12; Austin Lawson 1-1. Courtland--Kirk Wilson 12-91; Billy Bowen 6-25, TD; Michael Bailey 4-13; Josh Dubose 2-2; Ryan McBroom 3-(-17).Passing: Chancellor--Micah Cunningham 5-11-0 40. Courtland--Ryan McBroom 8-19-1 87.
Receiving: Chancellor--Darian Talley 4-34; Drew Foley 1-6. Courtland--Kyle Norton 2-27; Brandon Mazell 2-27; Wahid Moore 1-19; Trent Pates 1-7; Kirk Wilson 1-6; Billy Bowen 1-1.
Adam Himmelsbach: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
