There are just some games that when you hear the matchup you just know are going to be great. Some games live up to the hype, some do not; Friday’s matchup of Highland Springs and Hermitage definitely lived up to the hype. When you first arrived to the game, you could feel the intensity on the field from the players, coaches, media and fans. Surprisingly though the turnout was not what I expected at first but by halftime that had changed. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and they were lined up around the fence. Having attended many a Varina-Highland Springs game over the last twenty years, this one seemed just as big and as the game unfolded, it just got bigger and bigger.
Coach Kane and his Panthers were 4-0 against the Springers coming into tonight’s game and the Panthers were 14-0 in season openers, everything pointed to the Panthers yet many felt the Springers would take this one, myself included. This turned out to be an odd game filled with turnovers, a tremendous amount of flags and the Panthers always managing to be in the lead. One oddity in itself was the fact that for much of the first quarter the Panthers offense never saw the field. The Springers first possession took nearly four minutes off the clock but senior Kaelin Snead intercepted a Juwan Carter pass and returned it to the endzone for the first score of the game and touchdown for the Panthers 2015 season. The Springers then put together a long drive but a punt that sailed past the punter gave the Panthers great position deep in Springers territory but as the Panthers were running along the sidelines, the ball was fumbled giving the ball back to the Springers.
And so the two teams went back and forth all night long with turnovers and flags. I must have counted at least thirty instances when the flag was thrown and on several accounts both teams were penalized or they were offsetting. Hermitage took the brunt of the penalties, twenty in fact. You expect in the first game of the season to see some sloppy play but the flags tonight were a bit much. The turnovers on the other hand came in the first half with both teams turning over the ball twice but the Panthers were the only one to score on one.
The Springers were nearly shutout in the first half while the Panthers nursed a 14-0 lead but Highland Springs scored just before the half. With a little over four minutes to go in the third quarter the Springers second-year quarterback Juwan Carter capped a 72-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown. Momentum suddenly was in the favor of the Springers particularly with the Panthers pounded by flags on their next possession stifling any gains made by the offense. As much trouble however as Hermitage had with offense at times during the game, the defense stepped up when it needed to from the turnover to score the first touchdown of the game to the defensive hold with the Springers needed just two yards for a first down late in the game that would have kept a drive going and that gave the Panthers the ball back.
Hermitage made quick work with the time they had going down the field and positioning themselves for a game winning field goal. One thing Hermitage has become known for over the last fifteen years is their special teams, their kicking game that is. However on this night the Panthers kicking game would nearly cost them the game as the field goal attempt failed. It was kind of fitting however in a game that had been hard fought with hard hits, penalties, turnovers and two teams who had momentum go back and forth all night; that they would have to settle this thing in overtime.
The Springers had the ball first and in two plays the Springers had their third score of the night when DJ Anderson punched it in. The PAT however was fateful for the Springers as Kaimaire Hodge was able to block a low kicked PAT. The Panthers however had been shutout in the second half, even at the 10, could they overcome the Springers? The answer was a yes as Jordan Hall punched it from 6 yards out on third down and the Panthers were able to make their PAT and it was over!
The third ranked team in the area knocked off the second ranked team by one point… Ironically enough the Panthers beat Highland Springs 21-20 in 2007 at Highland Springs. The Panthers couldn’t have been more excited by the win, jumping in the air, high fiving, cart wheels, it was as if they had just won a playoff game. Not surprising given these two usually meet in the playoffs and could very well do so again this year. Even though it was the first game of the season however, it had the feel of a playoff game and the win gives Hermitage an early edge in seeding come playoff time. For the Springers, the defeat was agonizing after coming back from 14-0 down to take the lead in overtime and then have victory escape you that quick. This was one of those games you hated for anyone to lose but that’s what happens in football, one teams loses, one team wins.
Although the Springers begin the season 0-1, they are still a force to be reckoned with this season and one of the favorites to challenge LC Bird; as for Hermitage, it’s clear they are still a force themselves. Both teams will only grow from here and we should see two different teams in action next week.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter-
8:12- Kaelin Snead 75-yard interception return for a touchdown, PAT good; Hermitage 7-0.
2nd Quarter-
2:19- 14-Yard Touchdown Pass from Eli Odom to Kaelin Snead,PAT good; Hermitage 14-0.
1:11- 19-Yard Touchdown Pass from Juwan Carter to Arthur Radford, PAT good; Hermitage 14-7.
3rd Quarter-
4:27- 8-Yard Quarterback Keeper Touchdown Run from Juwan Carter, PAT good; 14-14 Tie.
4th Quarter-
No score.
Overtime-
HS- 4-Yard Touchdown Run from DJ Anderson, PAT Blocked; 20-14 Highland Springs.
Herm- 6-Yard Touchdown Run from Jordan Hall, PAT good; Hermitage 21-20.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Where to even begin? Through the course of a game you can pick piece by piece moments that culminated in a team’s success for failure. In the case of Hermitage while there were many moments, there are only a few that really standout for me and anyone who was at the game on this night. It obviously begins with the Kaelin Snead interception return that put an end to a Springers drive and of course gave Herm an early lead. The Calvin Whitehead Jr. fumble recovery when the Springers were 1st & goal in the second half was a biggie as well as the late defensive stop in the fourth quarter for the Panthers. Of course no one will be able to talk about this game without mentioning the Kaimire Hodge blocked PAT that essentially sealed the victory for the Panthers. The offense obviously had to score points in for the Panthers to win 21-20 but the defense came up so much bigger and showed why they are going to be one of the top defenses in the area this season.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
A case could be made for Kaelin Snead being the Hermitage player of the game, after all he did have two touchdowns for the Panthers. One obviously on defense, the first score of the night for the Panthers and then on offense in the second quarter. That said, as good as he was on this night, it’s hard to ignore what Kaimire Hodge did when it counted for the Panthers. If not for that blocked PAT we might have had a second, third or even fourth overtime… No matter how many overtimes we might have been faced with, the uncertainty is that without that blocked PAT, the Springers would have still had a chance to win but Hodge took that away. He made the big play when it mattered and that’s all you can hope for as a coach and fan.
On the Springers side, it’s hard to ignore what Juwan Carter did at quarterback tonight. In the air Carter was 11 of 20 for 138 yards and threw one touchdown pass. On the ground, he was 13 for 41 with a touchdown. As you would hope your quarterback and one of the leaders on the team would, he helped bring the Springers back from a 14-0 deficit to tie the game and force overtime. He was all over the field tonight looking for receivers down field, looking for holes he could expose with his own legs and just trying to make something happen whenever he had the ball in his hands.
EXTRA POINTS
Hermitage is now 15-0 under Coach Kane in season openers.
4 out of the last 5 meetings between these two have been decided by a touchdown or less.
Coach Kane and his Panthers were 4-0 against the Springers coming into tonight’s game and the Panthers were 14-0 in season openers, everything pointed to the Panthers yet many felt the Springers would take this one, myself included. This turned out to be an odd game filled with turnovers, a tremendous amount of flags and the Panthers always managing to be in the lead. One oddity in itself was the fact that for much of the first quarter the Panthers offense never saw the field. The Springers first possession took nearly four minutes off the clock but senior Kaelin Snead intercepted a Juwan Carter pass and returned it to the endzone for the first score of the game and touchdown for the Panthers 2015 season. The Springers then put together a long drive but a punt that sailed past the punter gave the Panthers great position deep in Springers territory but as the Panthers were running along the sidelines, the ball was fumbled giving the ball back to the Springers.
And so the two teams went back and forth all night long with turnovers and flags. I must have counted at least thirty instances when the flag was thrown and on several accounts both teams were penalized or they were offsetting. Hermitage took the brunt of the penalties, twenty in fact. You expect in the first game of the season to see some sloppy play but the flags tonight were a bit much. The turnovers on the other hand came in the first half with both teams turning over the ball twice but the Panthers were the only one to score on one.
The Springers were nearly shutout in the first half while the Panthers nursed a 14-0 lead but Highland Springs scored just before the half. With a little over four minutes to go in the third quarter the Springers second-year quarterback Juwan Carter capped a 72-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown. Momentum suddenly was in the favor of the Springers particularly with the Panthers pounded by flags on their next possession stifling any gains made by the offense. As much trouble however as Hermitage had with offense at times during the game, the defense stepped up when it needed to from the turnover to score the first touchdown of the game to the defensive hold with the Springers needed just two yards for a first down late in the game that would have kept a drive going and that gave the Panthers the ball back.
Hermitage made quick work with the time they had going down the field and positioning themselves for a game winning field goal. One thing Hermitage has become known for over the last fifteen years is their special teams, their kicking game that is. However on this night the Panthers kicking game would nearly cost them the game as the field goal attempt failed. It was kind of fitting however in a game that had been hard fought with hard hits, penalties, turnovers and two teams who had momentum go back and forth all night; that they would have to settle this thing in overtime.
The Springers had the ball first and in two plays the Springers had their third score of the night when DJ Anderson punched it in. The PAT however was fateful for the Springers as Kaimaire Hodge was able to block a low kicked PAT. The Panthers however had been shutout in the second half, even at the 10, could they overcome the Springers? The answer was a yes as Jordan Hall punched it from 6 yards out on third down and the Panthers were able to make their PAT and it was over!
The third ranked team in the area knocked off the second ranked team by one point… Ironically enough the Panthers beat Highland Springs 21-20 in 2007 at Highland Springs. The Panthers couldn’t have been more excited by the win, jumping in the air, high fiving, cart wheels, it was as if they had just won a playoff game. Not surprising given these two usually meet in the playoffs and could very well do so again this year. Even though it was the first game of the season however, it had the feel of a playoff game and the win gives Hermitage an early edge in seeding come playoff time. For the Springers, the defeat was agonizing after coming back from 14-0 down to take the lead in overtime and then have victory escape you that quick. This was one of those games you hated for anyone to lose but that’s what happens in football, one teams loses, one team wins.
Although the Springers begin the season 0-1, they are still a force to be reckoned with this season and one of the favorites to challenge LC Bird; as for Hermitage, it’s clear they are still a force themselves. Both teams will only grow from here and we should see two different teams in action next week.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter-
8:12- Kaelin Snead 75-yard interception return for a touchdown, PAT good; Hermitage 7-0.
2nd Quarter-
2:19- 14-Yard Touchdown Pass from Eli Odom to Kaelin Snead,PAT good; Hermitage 14-0.
1:11- 19-Yard Touchdown Pass from Juwan Carter to Arthur Radford, PAT good; Hermitage 14-7.
3rd Quarter-
4:27- 8-Yard Quarterback Keeper Touchdown Run from Juwan Carter, PAT good; 14-14 Tie.
4th Quarter-
No score.
Overtime-
HS- 4-Yard Touchdown Run from DJ Anderson, PAT Blocked; 20-14 Highland Springs.
Herm- 6-Yard Touchdown Run from Jordan Hall, PAT good; Hermitage 21-20.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Where to even begin? Through the course of a game you can pick piece by piece moments that culminated in a team’s success for failure. In the case of Hermitage while there were many moments, there are only a few that really standout for me and anyone who was at the game on this night. It obviously begins with the Kaelin Snead interception return that put an end to a Springers drive and of course gave Herm an early lead. The Calvin Whitehead Jr. fumble recovery when the Springers were 1st & goal in the second half was a biggie as well as the late defensive stop in the fourth quarter for the Panthers. Of course no one will be able to talk about this game without mentioning the Kaimire Hodge blocked PAT that essentially sealed the victory for the Panthers. The offense obviously had to score points in for the Panthers to win 21-20 but the defense came up so much bigger and showed why they are going to be one of the top defenses in the area this season.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
A case could be made for Kaelin Snead being the Hermitage player of the game, after all he did have two touchdowns for the Panthers. One obviously on defense, the first score of the night for the Panthers and then on offense in the second quarter. That said, as good as he was on this night, it’s hard to ignore what Kaimire Hodge did when it counted for the Panthers. If not for that blocked PAT we might have had a second, third or even fourth overtime… No matter how many overtimes we might have been faced with, the uncertainty is that without that blocked PAT, the Springers would have still had a chance to win but Hodge took that away. He made the big play when it mattered and that’s all you can hope for as a coach and fan.
On the Springers side, it’s hard to ignore what Juwan Carter did at quarterback tonight. In the air Carter was 11 of 20 for 138 yards and threw one touchdown pass. On the ground, he was 13 for 41 with a touchdown. As you would hope your quarterback and one of the leaders on the team would, he helped bring the Springers back from a 14-0 deficit to tie the game and force overtime. He was all over the field tonight looking for receivers down field, looking for holes he could expose with his own legs and just trying to make something happen whenever he had the ball in his hands.
EXTRA POINTS
Hermitage is now 15-0 under Coach Kane in season openers.
4 out of the last 5 meetings between these two have been decided by a touchdown or less.
