Frigid night at Arrowhead Stadium. Sherando came away with the win in a battle between district champions. Rematch next week against Millbrook.
FINAL: #4 Sherando (9-2) 27, #5 Dominion (7-4) 10
- Thread starter Shruikan
- Start date
I think both teams were covered in a light coating of ice by the time the game was over.
Defense fuels Sherando's win in 4C football quarterfinals
STEPHENS CITY — On a cold night and slick field, the Sherando football team couldn’t do as many things as it wanted to on offense.
But regardless of the weather or the opponent, Sherando has been able to count on takeaways and explosive plays all season, and that was the case again on Friday night.
Fourth-seeded Sherando twice prevented No. 5 Dominion from cutting its deficit to three points by forcing turnovers inside the Warrior 30-yard line.
T.J. Washington (28 carries, 171 yards, 68 yards on seven catches) had touchdowns of 61 yards on the ground and 40 yards through the air as part of a three-touchdown night. Hunter Entsminger broke the school record for touchdown passes in a season on a seven-yard pass to Washington in the first quarter.
All that helped pave the way for a 27-10 Sherando win in the Region 4C quarterfinals at Arrowhead Stadium.
The victory sets up another game at No. 1 Millbrook (9-1) in a semifinal match next week (Sherando activities coordinator Jason Barbe believes the game will likely be at 7 p.m. next Friday). The Warriors (9-2) defeated the Pioneers at Millbrook 35-22 in the regular-season finale to win the Class 4 Northwestern District championship. Millbrook had a bye this week.
Sherando will head into that game after a gritty win in which the Warriors outgained Dulles District champion Dominion (7-4) 407-221. With the passing attack stifled a bit because of the conditions, Sherando gained 269 rushing yards on 47 carries.
Alex Wertz (20 carries for 113 yards) gained 32 yards to the Sherando 27 on the Titans’ first play of the game, but nothing came easy for Dominion the rest of the night.
The Titans settled for a 27-yard Ramon Blas field goal for a 3-0 lead 1:59 into the game, but they were down 20-3 in the third quarter before they scored again.
“We were definitely physical up front,” said Sherando safety Aaron Banks, who snuffed out one of the deep Dominion drives into Warrior territory with the first of his two interceptions of quarterback Trey Hayes (5 for 14 for 94 yards). “Our linemen were definitely forcing the quarterback to make bad throws, and even when they ran it, we were filling the gaps correctly. We just played fundamental and executed tonight.”
And when the Warriors execute at a high level, they force turnovers. Sherando had three takeaways on Friday to bring their season total to 30.
The first one came in the second quarter on the possession after Michael Perry’s one-yard touchdown run put Sherando up 13-3 with 9:48 left before the half.
On second-and-5 from the Sherando 11, Wertz surged through the line. As he neared the goal line he was knocked toward the ground, the ball popped out, and Malachi Doleman recovered the ball at the 1-yard line with 4:48 to go in the second quarter.
Seven plays later at the Warrior 39, Washington took a handoff and burst through a hole on the right side. After leaping over a defender who went low at the Dominion 48, he wouldn’t be touched again until after he got into the end zone to give the Warriors a 20-3 lead with 2:09 left in the half. That touchdown gave Sherando at least one TD of 50 yards or more in all 11 games this season.
“The offense took a little while to get going, but the defense really did a good job, making big plays when we needed them,” said Entsminger, who was 10 of 17 for 138 yards, two TDs and one interception.
The Titans crawled back into the game at 20-10 on a Hayes’ one-yard TD run with 7:04 to go in the third quarter. After a three-and-out and an 11-yard Sherando punt on the next possession gave Dominion the ball at the Warrior 30, the Titans really had a chance to make things interesting.
On third-and-10 from the 30, Hayes scrambled to his right, then threw off-balance across his body to try and hit a receiver over the middle. Banks read the play perfectly and stepped up to make the interception at the 19. After that, Dominion did not come close to scoring again.
“Defense was huge,” said Sherando coach Bill Hall, whose team had to play without starting defensive end Austin Covert in the second half because of an injury. “I’m proud of the guys’ effort. Sloppy conditions like that, you have to adjust to the conditions as they go.”
On offense, the Warriors’ relied on their ground game to pick up some big chunks of yards, and some tough yards. JoJo Doleman (seven carries, 83 yards) helped set up the Warriors’ first touchdown with a 42-yard run to the Dominion 12 after Entsminger faked a pitch to Washington.
“I thought our line did a good job,” Hall said. “Against a big front like that, the fact that we could establish the line of scrimmage and get some big runs I think was huge.
“[Tonight] wasn’t the gameplan in terms of it being as open as we would have liked it to be. But I think it was just adjusting to the situation. The fact that our front could do a good job [and] we did get some creases in there, I think was big.”
Entsminger now has 26 TD passes, breaking the record of 24 he shared with Ross Metheny (2007) and Pat Minteer (2014), currently a Warriors assistant coach.
“It’s a great honor,” Entsminger said. “They’re two great quarterbacks. It’s all my line and my receivers. I’ve got the easy job. I’ve just got to throw the ball. It’s up to my line making good blocks, receivers running good routes.”
Now, Sherando gets another crack at Millbrook.
“We’re ready to play again and see what’s going to happen,” Washington said.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
- By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI THE WINCHESTER STAR | The Winchester Star
STEPHENS CITY — On a cold night and slick field, the Sherando football team couldn’t do as many things as it wanted to on offense.
But regardless of the weather or the opponent, Sherando has been able to count on takeaways and explosive plays all season, and that was the case again on Friday night.
Fourth-seeded Sherando twice prevented No. 5 Dominion from cutting its deficit to three points by forcing turnovers inside the Warrior 30-yard line.
T.J. Washington (28 carries, 171 yards, 68 yards on seven catches) had touchdowns of 61 yards on the ground and 40 yards through the air as part of a three-touchdown night. Hunter Entsminger broke the school record for touchdown passes in a season on a seven-yard pass to Washington in the first quarter.
All that helped pave the way for a 27-10 Sherando win in the Region 4C quarterfinals at Arrowhead Stadium.
The victory sets up another game at No. 1 Millbrook (9-1) in a semifinal match next week (Sherando activities coordinator Jason Barbe believes the game will likely be at 7 p.m. next Friday). The Warriors (9-2) defeated the Pioneers at Millbrook 35-22 in the regular-season finale to win the Class 4 Northwestern District championship. Millbrook had a bye this week.
Sherando will head into that game after a gritty win in which the Warriors outgained Dulles District champion Dominion (7-4) 407-221. With the passing attack stifled a bit because of the conditions, Sherando gained 269 rushing yards on 47 carries.
Alex Wertz (20 carries for 113 yards) gained 32 yards to the Sherando 27 on the Titans’ first play of the game, but nothing came easy for Dominion the rest of the night.
The Titans settled for a 27-yard Ramon Blas field goal for a 3-0 lead 1:59 into the game, but they were down 20-3 in the third quarter before they scored again.
“We were definitely physical up front,” said Sherando safety Aaron Banks, who snuffed out one of the deep Dominion drives into Warrior territory with the first of his two interceptions of quarterback Trey Hayes (5 for 14 for 94 yards). “Our linemen were definitely forcing the quarterback to make bad throws, and even when they ran it, we were filling the gaps correctly. We just played fundamental and executed tonight.”
And when the Warriors execute at a high level, they force turnovers. Sherando had three takeaways on Friday to bring their season total to 30.
The first one came in the second quarter on the possession after Michael Perry’s one-yard touchdown run put Sherando up 13-3 with 9:48 left before the half.
On second-and-5 from the Sherando 11, Wertz surged through the line. As he neared the goal line he was knocked toward the ground, the ball popped out, and Malachi Doleman recovered the ball at the 1-yard line with 4:48 to go in the second quarter.
Seven plays later at the Warrior 39, Washington took a handoff and burst through a hole on the right side. After leaping over a defender who went low at the Dominion 48, he wouldn’t be touched again until after he got into the end zone to give the Warriors a 20-3 lead with 2:09 left in the half. That touchdown gave Sherando at least one TD of 50 yards or more in all 11 games this season.
“The offense took a little while to get going, but the defense really did a good job, making big plays when we needed them,” said Entsminger, who was 10 of 17 for 138 yards, two TDs and one interception.
The Titans crawled back into the game at 20-10 on a Hayes’ one-yard TD run with 7:04 to go in the third quarter. After a three-and-out and an 11-yard Sherando punt on the next possession gave Dominion the ball at the Warrior 30, the Titans really had a chance to make things interesting.
On third-and-10 from the 30, Hayes scrambled to his right, then threw off-balance across his body to try and hit a receiver over the middle. Banks read the play perfectly and stepped up to make the interception at the 19. After that, Dominion did not come close to scoring again.
“Defense was huge,” said Sherando coach Bill Hall, whose team had to play without starting defensive end Austin Covert in the second half because of an injury. “I’m proud of the guys’ effort. Sloppy conditions like that, you have to adjust to the conditions as they go.”
On offense, the Warriors’ relied on their ground game to pick up some big chunks of yards, and some tough yards. JoJo Doleman (seven carries, 83 yards) helped set up the Warriors’ first touchdown with a 42-yard run to the Dominion 12 after Entsminger faked a pitch to Washington.
“I thought our line did a good job,” Hall said. “Against a big front like that, the fact that we could establish the line of scrimmage and get some big runs I think was huge.
“[Tonight] wasn’t the gameplan in terms of it being as open as we would have liked it to be. But I think it was just adjusting to the situation. The fact that our front could do a good job [and] we did get some creases in there, I think was big.”
Entsminger now has 26 TD passes, breaking the record of 24 he shared with Ross Metheny (2007) and Pat Minteer (2014), currently a Warriors assistant coach.
“It’s a great honor,” Entsminger said. “They’re two great quarterbacks. It’s all my line and my receivers. I’ve got the easy job. I’ve just got to throw the ball. It’s up to my line making good blocks, receivers running good routes.”
Now, Sherando gets another crack at Millbrook.
“We’re ready to play again and see what’s going to happen,” Washington said.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
