It was Homecoming 2014 and the last three week had not been kind to the Hawks. After beginning the season 3-0, they lost three straight and were facing an Armstrong team that rolled off five straight wins and spoiled Varina's Homecoming before losing to Highland Springs by five points. Given the direction of the teams seasons, one would have surely thought Armstrong would win this one if not keep it close but on this night, something clicked for the Hawks.
The Hanover offense has been about the run this season make no mistake about it and without Zack Winston, that run game would be the focal point now more than ever. Aiding in the run game was the return of quarterback Clayton Cheatham who had missed the last two weeks after an injury towards the end of their game against Highland Springs. Cheatham could not have made his presence known any more than the Hawks first possession. On his first carry in weeks, he picked up 45 yards and on his next two carries he ran 15 yards including his 6-yard touchdown. The Hawks then went for two-points with a pass from Marcus Bazala to Ryan Mallory. The Hawks were up 8-0 early.
The Hawks would go on to literally dominate the first half of play. On Hanover's first four possession of the game, they would score touchdowns. In fact, if not for halftime, it could have been five for all we know. The Hawks avoided an early disaster when Anthony Freeman appeared to intercept a Cheatham pass but luckily for the Hawks it was ruled out of bounds. Things just seemed to go right for the Hawks in the first half. After the Wildcats first possession they Hawks got the ball back and 14 plays and 86 yards later the Hawks with in the endzone again with a Ryan Mallory touchdown. The Hawks then went for an onside kick and recovered the ball and in ten plays they were again scoring a touchdown, Cheatham's second of the night. The Hawks defense came through when Alex Dillard punched the ball loose from DeShaun Waller and Cole Bordonie recovered the loose ball. The Hawks then scored seven plays later with another Cheatham touchdown and it was 28-0 Hanover. At halftime.
In that first half the Wildcats had three possessions for a total of 33 yards compared to that of Hanover who had five possessions and 260 yards of offense. Had the Wildcats Freeman intercepted that Cheatham pass in bounds the complexion of the game might have been different or perhaps if the Wildcats had been able to cover the onside kick or if Waller doesn't fumble The Wildcats went into the half with a lot of what ifs.
Armstrong came into the second half down twenty-eight and a lot of what ifs. They began to put the what ifs to rest with their first possession. After an Andre Mack 4-yard run, Waller put it in the air and hit Marquez Baker with a pass and Baker was able to work his way down field and cash it in for a huge 79-yard touchdown. The Wildcats went for two but slipped and failed to convert but the shutout was over and the Wildcats had something to cheer about. The cheers got louder when the Hawks were unable to score on their first possession of the night and the Wildcats got the ball back. The Wildcats dodged a bullet when Mack recovered an Armstrong fumble. Despite the loss of seven yards, the Wildcats put together two more plays for a first down and from their own 36, Waller dodged defenders, scrambled here and there and found his way 64 yards down the field for the Wildcats second touchdown of the night and another two-point conversion failed.
The two opening possessions would be the highlight for the Wildcats. The Wildcats longest drive the rest of the game would be a 10-yard play as time was expiring. The Hawks would score their first touchdown of the second half with a Clayton Cheatham touchdown and the Wildcats would fumble the ball on their very next play and TJ Allen recovered it for the Hawks. On the very next play the Hawks punched it from five yards out. The Hawks would continue to run the ball and Brooks Coombs would find the endzone twice and the final touchdown of the night came from Marcus Bazala who was in with the second string offense.
With the win, the Hawks brought an end to their three-game losing streak and handed the Wildcats their second. The Hawks now face rival Lee-Davis next week before closing out the season with Varina and Glen Allen. The Wildcats face another stiff competitor in Atlee next week before Lee-Davis and Henrico to close out their season. Both teams appear destined for the playoffs but another win or two in the next three weeks will go a long way in their playoff chases.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st QTR-
10:14- Clayton Cheatham 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion good; 8-0 Hanover.
1:17- Ryan Mallory 7-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion fails; 14-0 Hanover.
2nd QTR-
8:17- Clayton Cheatham 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 21-0 Hanover.
4:19- Clayton Cheatham 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 28-0 Hanover.
3rd QTR-
11:08- DeShaun Waller 79-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Baker, 2-point conversion fails; 28-6 Hanover.
6:32- DeShaun Waller 64-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion fails; 28-12 Hanover.
:55- Clayton Cheatham 12-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 35-12 Hanover.
:20- Brooks Coombs 5-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 42-12 Hanover.
4th QTR-
7:20- Brooks Coombs 3-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 49-12 Hanover.
:52- Marcus Bazala 20-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 56-12 Hanover.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Hawks 56 points was the most it has scored all season and first 50+ game since 2012 against Glen Allen.
12 points is the fewest points the Wildcats have scored all season.
The Hawks have lost three straight but they are not as bad as the three losses might indicate. Close loss to Atlee and loss at the very end last week to Henrico. In fact, the last three games they lost came against teams a combined 19-2.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Hanover Offense- QB, Clayton Cheatham; roughly 265 yards of offense. 58 yards passing and 207 yards on the ground on 25 carries plus four touchdowns.
Hanover Defense- LB, TJ Allen, 4 if not more tackles plus a fumble recovery.
Henrico Offense- QB, DeShaun Waller; 170 yards of offense, mostly in the second half. Was 4 of 5 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown and 1 touchdown on the ground with a total of 33 yards on six carries.
Henrico Defense- DL, Nigel Chavis & Kyle Jacobs; a combined 18 tackles.
EXTRA POINTS
Hawks three remaining opponents all have losing records; combined 6-15 record and the Hawks should be favored in each although the Varina game could be iffy.
Wildcats three remaining opponents have a record of 14-7 with two; Henrico & Atlee having just one loss each.
The Hanover offense has been about the run this season make no mistake about it and without Zack Winston, that run game would be the focal point now more than ever. Aiding in the run game was the return of quarterback Clayton Cheatham who had missed the last two weeks after an injury towards the end of their game against Highland Springs. Cheatham could not have made his presence known any more than the Hawks first possession. On his first carry in weeks, he picked up 45 yards and on his next two carries he ran 15 yards including his 6-yard touchdown. The Hawks then went for two-points with a pass from Marcus Bazala to Ryan Mallory. The Hawks were up 8-0 early.
The Hawks would go on to literally dominate the first half of play. On Hanover's first four possession of the game, they would score touchdowns. In fact, if not for halftime, it could have been five for all we know. The Hawks avoided an early disaster when Anthony Freeman appeared to intercept a Cheatham pass but luckily for the Hawks it was ruled out of bounds. Things just seemed to go right for the Hawks in the first half. After the Wildcats first possession they Hawks got the ball back and 14 plays and 86 yards later the Hawks with in the endzone again with a Ryan Mallory touchdown. The Hawks then went for an onside kick and recovered the ball and in ten plays they were again scoring a touchdown, Cheatham's second of the night. The Hawks defense came through when Alex Dillard punched the ball loose from DeShaun Waller and Cole Bordonie recovered the loose ball. The Hawks then scored seven plays later with another Cheatham touchdown and it was 28-0 Hanover. At halftime.
In that first half the Wildcats had three possessions for a total of 33 yards compared to that of Hanover who had five possessions and 260 yards of offense. Had the Wildcats Freeman intercepted that Cheatham pass in bounds the complexion of the game might have been different or perhaps if the Wildcats had been able to cover the onside kick or if Waller doesn't fumble The Wildcats went into the half with a lot of what ifs.
Armstrong came into the second half down twenty-eight and a lot of what ifs. They began to put the what ifs to rest with their first possession. After an Andre Mack 4-yard run, Waller put it in the air and hit Marquez Baker with a pass and Baker was able to work his way down field and cash it in for a huge 79-yard touchdown. The Wildcats went for two but slipped and failed to convert but the shutout was over and the Wildcats had something to cheer about. The cheers got louder when the Hawks were unable to score on their first possession of the night and the Wildcats got the ball back. The Wildcats dodged a bullet when Mack recovered an Armstrong fumble. Despite the loss of seven yards, the Wildcats put together two more plays for a first down and from their own 36, Waller dodged defenders, scrambled here and there and found his way 64 yards down the field for the Wildcats second touchdown of the night and another two-point conversion failed.
The two opening possessions would be the highlight for the Wildcats. The Wildcats longest drive the rest of the game would be a 10-yard play as time was expiring. The Hawks would score their first touchdown of the second half with a Clayton Cheatham touchdown and the Wildcats would fumble the ball on their very next play and TJ Allen recovered it for the Hawks. On the very next play the Hawks punched it from five yards out. The Hawks would continue to run the ball and Brooks Coombs would find the endzone twice and the final touchdown of the night came from Marcus Bazala who was in with the second string offense.
With the win, the Hawks brought an end to their three-game losing streak and handed the Wildcats their second. The Hawks now face rival Lee-Davis next week before closing out the season with Varina and Glen Allen. The Wildcats face another stiff competitor in Atlee next week before Lee-Davis and Henrico to close out their season. Both teams appear destined for the playoffs but another win or two in the next three weeks will go a long way in their playoff chases.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st QTR-
10:14- Clayton Cheatham 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion good; 8-0 Hanover.
1:17- Ryan Mallory 7-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion fails; 14-0 Hanover.
2nd QTR-
8:17- Clayton Cheatham 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 21-0 Hanover.
4:19- Clayton Cheatham 1-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 28-0 Hanover.
3rd QTR-
11:08- DeShaun Waller 79-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Baker, 2-point conversion fails; 28-6 Hanover.
6:32- DeShaun Waller 64-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion fails; 28-12 Hanover.
:55- Clayton Cheatham 12-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 35-12 Hanover.
:20- Brooks Coombs 5-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 42-12 Hanover.
4th QTR-
7:20- Brooks Coombs 3-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 49-12 Hanover.
:52- Marcus Bazala 20-yard touchdown run, PAT good; 56-12 Hanover.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Hawks 56 points was the most it has scored all season and first 50+ game since 2012 against Glen Allen.
12 points is the fewest points the Wildcats have scored all season.
The Hawks have lost three straight but they are not as bad as the three losses might indicate. Close loss to Atlee and loss at the very end last week to Henrico. In fact, the last three games they lost came against teams a combined 19-2.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Hanover Offense- QB, Clayton Cheatham; roughly 265 yards of offense. 58 yards passing and 207 yards on the ground on 25 carries plus four touchdowns.
Hanover Defense- LB, TJ Allen, 4 if not more tackles plus a fumble recovery.
Henrico Offense- QB, DeShaun Waller; 170 yards of offense, mostly in the second half. Was 4 of 5 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown and 1 touchdown on the ground with a total of 33 yards on six carries.
Henrico Defense- DL, Nigel Chavis & Kyle Jacobs; a combined 18 tackles.
EXTRA POINTS
Hawks three remaining opponents all have losing records; combined 6-15 record and the Hawks should be favored in each although the Varina game could be iffy.
Wildcats three remaining opponents have a record of 14-7 with two; Henrico & Atlee having just one loss each.
