The last time the Confederates and Rebels faced off, the year was 1987… At that time, the region was made up of three districts; Dominion, Central and Colonial. The Colonial was where Lee-Davis played at the time making the two district rivals. The two are no longer district rivals now and the Colonial District is not nearly as strong as it once was.
The Confederates might have been 8-2 compared to a 9-1 Freeman team and the 5th seed on the road at the 4th seed but the one thing the Confederates had that the Rebels did not was a battle tested team having played in an always competitive Capital District. The Confederates came out early and set the tone for what was to be a big night for Lee-Davis as they captured their first win in the playoffs since 1997 and ended Douglas Freeman’s season.
The tempo was set early when the Confederates on their opening drive held the ball for nearly five minutes. In that time the Confederates marched 70 yards down field giving Lee-Davis an early lead, 7-0. Lee-Davis held Freeman to 3 and out setting the tone on defense as well. For the first quarter it was all Lee-Davis as the Confederates scored on every possession including their third possession that went from the first to second quarters. The Rebels defense had no answers for the speed of the Confederates be it the quarterback play or that of Nathan Evans on the run.
The Rebels on the other hand went three and out on their only two possession of that first quarter but in the second quarter they had a little more success. After the Confederates had gone up 21-0 at the 9:55 mark of the second quarter, Freeman had the ball on their own 23 yard line and on second down Trey Laughlin busted off an 18-yard run for the Rebels first, first down of the night. The Rebels drive nearly ended after that due to a penalty against the Rebels for an ineligible man down field but Laughlin hit Williams for a 23-yard pickup and with a penalty against the Confederates, the Rebels were in business at the Lee-Davis 28 yard line. Miles Johnson came to the rescue of Lee-Davis when he broke up a pass in the endzone and it appeared that the drive would come to an end on fourth down but a pass to Jordan Smith to the far left of the field saw flags rain down on the field. The call was a late hit on Lee-Davis and it extended the drive. That allowed the Rebels to eventually get in the endzone at the 5:17 mark. The PAT was blocked but on that PAT Lee-Davis was hit with another penalty, defensive holding and the Rebels got another shot at the PAT and made good on it.
The first bright spot of the night for the Rebels trimmed the lead to 21-7, not insurmountable and with 5:11 left in the half, things were looking up for the Rebels. That is until Lee-Davis took the ball from their own 27 to the endzone in six plays with a heavy dose of Miles Johnson coming up with 60 yards of offense on the drive that included the 37-yard touchdown pass from Chase Mummau. That score was not what the Rebels wanted to see, not after they had just trimmed the lead. That said, Freeman went back to work but it didn’t last long as Lee-Davis would get the ball back when Miles Johnson who had just scored intercepted Laughlin’s pass on third down with 1:24 to go in the first half.
As the first half was coming to a close, Lee-Davis had the ball at the 21 and it appeared the Confederates had yet another touchdown but it was negated by a penalty and then the Confederates nearly coughed up the ball but Nathan Johnson was able to recover the loose ball. Lee-Davis was unable to recover and took a 28-7 lead into halftime.
The Rebels had the ball to start the second half but just as they started the first half, it was a quick three and out. Lee-Davis on the other hand picked up right where they had left off, scoring touchdowns. A 60-yard drive in a little over three minutes saw the big three of Lee-Davis’ offense on this night moving the Confederates down field with Mummau punching it in this go around from five yards out.
Last week when Freeman fell to Hermitage 28-0, there were many moments where the Rebels had a chance to do something but had missed opportunities. That would be the case this night as well. The Rebels moved from the Confederates 40 to the 8 yard line with big plays from Jordan Smith and Bodhie Long. From the 8-yard line it seemed a score was imminent but that would not be the case. Sure Laughlin punched it in but the touchdown was called back due to holding. Laughlin picked up three yards on one carry and then went to the passing game but Miles Johnson was not having it breaking up the pass which led to a fourth down play at the 3:53 mark of the third quarter… The Rebels wouldn’t get it, the ball turned over on downs.
Freeman had turned the ball over on downs but it was Lee-Davis turning the ball over at the 1:27 mark when Mummau would be picked off by Luke Murphy, Murphy would take it to the house for a score and just like that Freeman had a shred of hope. Mummau’s turnover wouldn’t be the only turnover as suddenly the trendy thing to do was turn the ball over. Koby Corker would become the second Rebel to intercept Mummau, with 15 seconds to go in the quarter but Freeman would be unable to capitalize on this turnover, instead the Rebels would give it right back as Laughlin would be intercepted by Billy Kemp as the turnover exchange continued… When the dust settled from the turnovers, there was 11:45 left in the game and the Confederates had the ball.
Lee-Davis and Freeman exchanged possessions, neither able to score so Lee-Davis got the ball back with 8:01 to go at the 50. Evans carried the ball a bit to start but soon Hayden Walsh was getting a bulk of the carries that ultimately would culminate in a 9-yard touchdown run with 2:04 to go… That’s right, nearly six minutes went by on this one possession alone as the Confederates stuck to the ground game and grinded it out taking time off the clock and putting to rest any thoughts of a Rebels comeback.
Freeman would have the ball one last time but the game was at hand and with time ticking away Lee-Davis’ fans were cheering while the Rebels stands were clearing out. For the first time since 1997 the Confederates had a win in the playoffs and a date with 10-1 Highland Springs who they lost to just a few short weeks ago. Douglas Freeman on the other hand is out after the first round for the second straight season.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter-
7:22- Nathan Evans 9-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 7-0.
3:19- Nathan Evans 11-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 14-0.
2nd Quarter-
9:55- Nathan Evans 3-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 21-0.
5:17- Ned Mize 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 21-7.
2:52- Chase Mummau 37-yard touchdown pass to Miles Johnson, PAT good; Lee-Davis 28-7.
3rd Quarter-
7:09- Chase Mummau 5-yard touchdown run, PAT no good; Lee-Davis 34-7.
1:27- Luke Murphy 75-yard interception return for touchdown, PAT good; Lee-Davis 34-14.
4th Quarter-
2:04- Hayden Walsh 9-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 41-7.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Lee-Davis run game plain and simple. Without the run, the Confederates might still win but it wouldn’t be as dominating a win as it was. The first three touchdowns of the night came on the ground and not only that but five of the six Confederate touchdowns came on the ground. Between four different players the Confederates were able to chew up 270 yards on the ground and control the tempo of the game.
As good as the run game and offense was for Lee-Davis, the defense was equally good. The Confederates kept the Rebels to just 120 yards of offense. Of the eight Freeman possessions, only three were able to be extended, the other five were three and outs and you also must account for the two turnovers that Lee-Davis got off of Freeman. The Rebels offense was unable to ever get into any rhythm on this night.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Miles Johnson has been overshadowed this season by teammates such as Chase Mummau, Nathan Evans and even Nick Reisenweaver… Tonight he made his presence felt in more ways than one and is a big reason why the Skyhawks were victorious. He might not have made it into the endzone but he did have 119 yards roughly;53 yards on the ground and 59 yards receiving… That said, his impact was perhaps just as great on the defensive side of the ball where I show him with roughly 8 tackles in addition to a couple of broken passes and a big interception shortly before halftime. Johnson was a force on this night, no doubt about it.
The problem in any loss where offense is lacking and the defense allows 41 points is where do you go for the best player on that night for that team? The strength of Douglas Freeman this season has been on defense and even allowing 41 points the defense played well. Luke Murphy on defense was one of many players making plays all night long and on defense he made several tackles but no play was bigger than the interception in the third quarter that he took to the house for the score, Freeman’s second touchdown of the night. The Rebels season might be over but Luke, a junior will be back next season to stir up trouble on defense once more.
EXTRA POINTS
I have never attended a Freeman game where the Rebels won…
This marked my first trip to Douglas Freeman in all the years I’ve been going to games within the region.
The third time was the charm, third Confederates game I saw this season, previous two they lost, this time they won.
Lee-Davis won their first playoff game since 1997.
The Confederates might have been 8-2 compared to a 9-1 Freeman team and the 5th seed on the road at the 4th seed but the one thing the Confederates had that the Rebels did not was a battle tested team having played in an always competitive Capital District. The Confederates came out early and set the tone for what was to be a big night for Lee-Davis as they captured their first win in the playoffs since 1997 and ended Douglas Freeman’s season.
The tempo was set early when the Confederates on their opening drive held the ball for nearly five minutes. In that time the Confederates marched 70 yards down field giving Lee-Davis an early lead, 7-0. Lee-Davis held Freeman to 3 and out setting the tone on defense as well. For the first quarter it was all Lee-Davis as the Confederates scored on every possession including their third possession that went from the first to second quarters. The Rebels defense had no answers for the speed of the Confederates be it the quarterback play or that of Nathan Evans on the run.
The Rebels on the other hand went three and out on their only two possession of that first quarter but in the second quarter they had a little more success. After the Confederates had gone up 21-0 at the 9:55 mark of the second quarter, Freeman had the ball on their own 23 yard line and on second down Trey Laughlin busted off an 18-yard run for the Rebels first, first down of the night. The Rebels drive nearly ended after that due to a penalty against the Rebels for an ineligible man down field but Laughlin hit Williams for a 23-yard pickup and with a penalty against the Confederates, the Rebels were in business at the Lee-Davis 28 yard line. Miles Johnson came to the rescue of Lee-Davis when he broke up a pass in the endzone and it appeared that the drive would come to an end on fourth down but a pass to Jordan Smith to the far left of the field saw flags rain down on the field. The call was a late hit on Lee-Davis and it extended the drive. That allowed the Rebels to eventually get in the endzone at the 5:17 mark. The PAT was blocked but on that PAT Lee-Davis was hit with another penalty, defensive holding and the Rebels got another shot at the PAT and made good on it.
The first bright spot of the night for the Rebels trimmed the lead to 21-7, not insurmountable and with 5:11 left in the half, things were looking up for the Rebels. That is until Lee-Davis took the ball from their own 27 to the endzone in six plays with a heavy dose of Miles Johnson coming up with 60 yards of offense on the drive that included the 37-yard touchdown pass from Chase Mummau. That score was not what the Rebels wanted to see, not after they had just trimmed the lead. That said, Freeman went back to work but it didn’t last long as Lee-Davis would get the ball back when Miles Johnson who had just scored intercepted Laughlin’s pass on third down with 1:24 to go in the first half.
As the first half was coming to a close, Lee-Davis had the ball at the 21 and it appeared the Confederates had yet another touchdown but it was negated by a penalty and then the Confederates nearly coughed up the ball but Nathan Johnson was able to recover the loose ball. Lee-Davis was unable to recover and took a 28-7 lead into halftime.
The Rebels had the ball to start the second half but just as they started the first half, it was a quick three and out. Lee-Davis on the other hand picked up right where they had left off, scoring touchdowns. A 60-yard drive in a little over three minutes saw the big three of Lee-Davis’ offense on this night moving the Confederates down field with Mummau punching it in this go around from five yards out.
Last week when Freeman fell to Hermitage 28-0, there were many moments where the Rebels had a chance to do something but had missed opportunities. That would be the case this night as well. The Rebels moved from the Confederates 40 to the 8 yard line with big plays from Jordan Smith and Bodhie Long. From the 8-yard line it seemed a score was imminent but that would not be the case. Sure Laughlin punched it in but the touchdown was called back due to holding. Laughlin picked up three yards on one carry and then went to the passing game but Miles Johnson was not having it breaking up the pass which led to a fourth down play at the 3:53 mark of the third quarter… The Rebels wouldn’t get it, the ball turned over on downs.
Freeman had turned the ball over on downs but it was Lee-Davis turning the ball over at the 1:27 mark when Mummau would be picked off by Luke Murphy, Murphy would take it to the house for a score and just like that Freeman had a shred of hope. Mummau’s turnover wouldn’t be the only turnover as suddenly the trendy thing to do was turn the ball over. Koby Corker would become the second Rebel to intercept Mummau, with 15 seconds to go in the quarter but Freeman would be unable to capitalize on this turnover, instead the Rebels would give it right back as Laughlin would be intercepted by Billy Kemp as the turnover exchange continued… When the dust settled from the turnovers, there was 11:45 left in the game and the Confederates had the ball.
Lee-Davis and Freeman exchanged possessions, neither able to score so Lee-Davis got the ball back with 8:01 to go at the 50. Evans carried the ball a bit to start but soon Hayden Walsh was getting a bulk of the carries that ultimately would culminate in a 9-yard touchdown run with 2:04 to go… That’s right, nearly six minutes went by on this one possession alone as the Confederates stuck to the ground game and grinded it out taking time off the clock and putting to rest any thoughts of a Rebels comeback.
Freeman would have the ball one last time but the game was at hand and with time ticking away Lee-Davis’ fans were cheering while the Rebels stands were clearing out. For the first time since 1997 the Confederates had a win in the playoffs and a date with 10-1 Highland Springs who they lost to just a few short weeks ago. Douglas Freeman on the other hand is out after the first round for the second straight season.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter-
7:22- Nathan Evans 9-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 7-0.
3:19- Nathan Evans 11-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 14-0.
2nd Quarter-
9:55- Nathan Evans 3-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 21-0.
5:17- Ned Mize 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 21-7.
2:52- Chase Mummau 37-yard touchdown pass to Miles Johnson, PAT good; Lee-Davis 28-7.
3rd Quarter-
7:09- Chase Mummau 5-yard touchdown run, PAT no good; Lee-Davis 34-7.
1:27- Luke Murphy 75-yard interception return for touchdown, PAT good; Lee-Davis 34-14.
4th Quarter-
2:04- Hayden Walsh 9-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Lee-Davis 41-7.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Lee-Davis run game plain and simple. Without the run, the Confederates might still win but it wouldn’t be as dominating a win as it was. The first three touchdowns of the night came on the ground and not only that but five of the six Confederate touchdowns came on the ground. Between four different players the Confederates were able to chew up 270 yards on the ground and control the tempo of the game.
As good as the run game and offense was for Lee-Davis, the defense was equally good. The Confederates kept the Rebels to just 120 yards of offense. Of the eight Freeman possessions, only three were able to be extended, the other five were three and outs and you also must account for the two turnovers that Lee-Davis got off of Freeman. The Rebels offense was unable to ever get into any rhythm on this night.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Miles Johnson has been overshadowed this season by teammates such as Chase Mummau, Nathan Evans and even Nick Reisenweaver… Tonight he made his presence felt in more ways than one and is a big reason why the Skyhawks were victorious. He might not have made it into the endzone but he did have 119 yards roughly;53 yards on the ground and 59 yards receiving… That said, his impact was perhaps just as great on the defensive side of the ball where I show him with roughly 8 tackles in addition to a couple of broken passes and a big interception shortly before halftime. Johnson was a force on this night, no doubt about it.
The problem in any loss where offense is lacking and the defense allows 41 points is where do you go for the best player on that night for that team? The strength of Douglas Freeman this season has been on defense and even allowing 41 points the defense played well. Luke Murphy on defense was one of many players making plays all night long and on defense he made several tackles but no play was bigger than the interception in the third quarter that he took to the house for the score, Freeman’s second touchdown of the night. The Rebels season might be over but Luke, a junior will be back next season to stir up trouble on defense once more.
EXTRA POINTS
I have never attended a Freeman game where the Rebels won…
This marked my first trip to Douglas Freeman in all the years I’ve been going to games within the region.
The third time was the charm, third Confederates game I saw this season, previous two they lost, this time they won.
Lee-Davis won their first playoff game since 1997.
