Poquoson had trouble with turnovers, but the Islanders’ defense put them in the region finals
757TEAMZ |
APR 09, 2021 AT 10:06 PM
No. 4 Poquoson moved a step closer to its first state playoff berth since 2017 with a 16-12 win at No. 1 Nottoway in the Class 2 Region A semifinals Friday in Crewe.
Sophomore quarterback Jaxson Weissman’s 1-yard touchdown run with 5:18 remaining in the fourth quarter was the difference. The Islanders (3-2) will play at No. 3 Amelia County (3-3) next week in the region final with a Class 2 state semifinal berth on the line.
Poquoson struck first, taking a 7-0 lead on Weissman’s 52-yard pass to Kai Baker with 6:50 to play in the first quarter. Nottoway pulled back to within 7-6 on Karon Price’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:58 left in the first quarter, but the 2-point conversion try failed.
The Islanders stopped the Cougars twice inside the red zone following a bad punt and bad punt snap.
“Our players faced some adversity in the first half with a couple of turnovers, but they continued to battle,” Poquoson coach Elliott Duty said. “The defense, led by Karon Smith, played great all night and we found a way to make a couple of big (offensive) plays in the second half.”
But the Cougars took advantage of a Poquoson fumble, scoring a 9-yard run by Willie Lawson III to take a 12-7 lead with 4:30 to play in the first half.
Smith returned the subsequent kickoff 65 yards to the Nottoway 10. The Cougars held but Ethan Sneddon kicked a 22-yard field goal to pull Poquoson to within 12-10 at halftime.
The Islanders remained dominant defensively in the second half and got a fumble recovery from Baker Green. Poquoson moved the ball well in the second half only on its winning 79-yard touchdown drive.
Weissman completed two fourth-down passes in the Islanders’ fourth-quarter touchdown drive, one for 20 yards to Gunnar Phillips and another for eight yards to Baker. Nate Wilhite had runs of 16 and eight yards on the drive.