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Blog LIVE Blog - #5 John Champe (6-4) at #4 Tuscarora (7-3)

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Time for some playoff football action as the #5 seed John Champe Knights at 6-4 overall visit the #4 seed Tuscarora Huskies (7-3), the reigning Region 5C Champions.

Tuscarora, which handed Stone Bridge its first loss of the season, beat John Champe a year ago 34-29 on a 78-yard touchdown pass from QB Justin Allen to Adam Thorne on the final play of the game. Allen was 19 of 25 for 316 yards and 4TD's in that game. But in the regular season matchup between these two teams, Champe won 28-27 in overtime as the Huskies missed a PAT in the extra session.

This one figures to be another tight battle and it's another Friday night in Virginia. Waiting for the team that advances will be Broad Run, which eliminated #8 seed Thomas Edison 57-24 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night.

Follow updates here and via Twitter @ hatfieldsports
 
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Opening drive for John Champe ends up stalling with an incomplete pass by QB Christian Jackson on 3rd & 5 from the Tuscarora 42-yard line. Tyler Savage comes on to punt and it's a 21-yard boot that is downed.

So Tuscarora's first series of the night will start at their own 21-yard line with QB Justin Allen at the controls for first-year Head Coach Brandon Wheelbarger.
 
Bare with us tonight fans as I am battling a flu bug and watching this game from the comfort (well, somewhat) of my Virginia Beach home courtesy of friend Andy Hayes and the Gameday Magazine. The Internet connectivity, along with Mother Nature intervening I'm sure, has been a bit spotty, so we won't have play-by-play and accurate stats as my video has been cutting in and out. Hopefully it gets rectified as the night moves along and some of the showers / storms move on out.
 
Our connection is back thankfully. Justin Allen has Tuscarora on the move and a penalty after a completion on John Champe moves the Huskies half the distance to the goal.

Inside the 15, Allen hands it off to Leron West - who ran for over 200 yards in the previous meeting between these two teams - and he side-steps a defender and then hurdles his way near the 10-yard line before being brought down.

Allen moves the chains inside the 5 on a QB draw. Tuscarora's o-line, led by Sam Galletta and Christophe Atkinson (Ohio U commit), is really having its way early.
 


The ninth grader is in there to spell West and he caps the 79-yard drive, where the Huskies flexed their muscles a good deal in the trenches and showed balance with the passing game and ground attack.

Champe had a decent first drive that fizzed. We'll see if they can sustain things better on their second possession.
 
Tuscarora has the football back (wish I could tell you if it was a turnover or quick 3 & out, but my video feed online cut out again) and they begin their second series at the Champe 40-yard line. Good news for the Huskies is that Leron West has returned after checking out with what appeared to be a minor injury. But Tuscarora backs themselves up 5 yards right away with a delay of game penalty.
 
Tuscarora goes to the bubble screen and Mikey Ortega sets them up with a manageable third down situation on 3rd & 8. Coach Jason Dawson of Champe has to like what he sees though as it's Brandon Hurst, his senior defensive end, making a sack of Justin Allen on third down.
 
With the ball in Champe territory, the Huskies keep the offense on the field on 4th down and why not? They have a gunslinger of a QB in Justin Allen and he finds Mikey Ortega, who makes the catch in the middle of the field, stiff-arms a couple defenders on his way to setting the Huskies up inside the 15 of Champe.

A penalty will back Tuscarora back up outside the red zone. Allen rolls left, throws it backside on a screen pass that gets them back near the red zone. We could be looking at a field goal try here shortly.
 
Justin Allen is doing a fine job of avoiding the rush from Champe in the pocket and he's building a rapport with junior wideout Jevonn Gilyard, whose latest catch converts a third down reception.

The pocket collapses and Allen loses about 10 yards as Nathan Williams of the Champe defense makes a sack. A tipped pass brings up 3rd & long.
 
The Champe defense comes up with a stop with just under 9 minutes to go before half-time. The Knights trail 14-0 and will take over at their own 14. They're looking to get talented 6'3" junior wideout Tyler Savage involved in the passing game.
 
A big sack by Tuscarora junior linebacker Will Hatfield - who undoubtedly has the best last name on the field - puts Champe at their own 5, facing 3rd & long. A short completion from QB Zachary Jackson brings up 4th down and Tyler Savage will be punting in his own end zone.
 
John Champe is clamping down on the running game of Tuscarora with Leron West. On 3rd & 5 from the 50, Justin Allen rolls right and it's incomplete.

Up two scores with 5:29 to go in the half, the Huskies leave the offense on the field. This could still be a pooch punt from Allen. It is, but his punt is blocked and he's taken out around the 42-yard line of Champe. So that time the indecision of whether to go for it or punt it away cost the Huskies a bit.

Let's see if Champe can take advantage, set up at the 43-yard line of the Huskies.
 
Champe's drive starts with a run to the right with David Harris, who only gains a yard. Several Tuscarora defenders were there to meet him, including senior LB Renny Adjei. Zachary Jackson hits his open target Dalton Young over the middle on second down.

On 3rd & 4, Jackson drops back to pass and his quick in route is caught by Luke Peshoff, the senior, to move the chains. Champe has it at the 27 of Tuscarora and Jackson hands it off to Harris, who goes straight head to the 23-yard line of Tuscarora for a pick up of about 4.

A score here before the half would be huge momentum for the visiting Knights.
 


A great play-call there as Champe runs the play-action roll-out and Jackson put it on the money to Young for the score.

Given that Tuscarora will get the ball first to begin the second half, they may be content to go in with a touchdown at the break because if they try to force something it could be a turnover.
 
Mikey Marquez with a 35-yard kickoff return following the touchdown by Champe gives the Huskies the ball at the 37-yard line of the Knights with 38 seconds left in the second period.

Justin Allen stares down his receiver and it is nearly picked off by Champe senior free safety Josiah Garmon. With two time-outs and being across the 50, the Huskies will take a couple more shots here.

A completion to Mikey Ortega, fumble, and then the Young brothers of Champe are right there to potentially hop on the loose pigskin, but Tuscarora is able to recover. Nonetheless, a penalty will back the Huskies up and Coach Wheelbarger may now be changing his mind about attacking and taking a knee to go to the half up 14-7. In fact, the penalty pushes them back to their own 45. Brutal.
 


John Champe had some opportunistic plays on defense to draw closer before the half. Tuscarora has moved the ball exceedingly well, but a couple of sloppy moments have kept them from growing their lead. It figures to be another exciting finish between these two as it has been in recent meetings.
 
Tuscarora has the football to begin the 2nd half.

On first down from their own 20, the Huskies look to get things started with the running game behind a well-built, large offensive line. Operating out of the Pistol formation on 2nd & 8, QB Justin Allen hands it off to Leron West again, this time for a minimal gain as Tyler Hutchison comes up with a crisp tackle.

West moves the chains on 3rd down, up their own 34. Running the read option, Allen keeps it and doesn't hand it off to West and the Champe defense reads it almost perfectly, not over pursuing at all.
 
A really solid drive working now and Tuscarora's Leron West busts a long run down to the John Champe 26-yard line. That was maybe the most explosive run he's had the entire night.

The offense has been very patient and workmanlike for the Huskies, much to the delight I'm sure of Head Coach Brandon Wheelbarger to put a dent in the confidence of this John Champe defense and team in general.
 


Time after time, the Tuscarora defense comes up with timely stops. It's a major, under appreciated reason why they were able to make it all the way to the Class 5 State Finals last year against Highland Springs, and it could once again be a big factor to them making a playoff run out of a tough Region 5C that also includes the likes of top-seeded Broad Run and perennial power Stone Bridge.
 
A long run from QB Justin Allen to the John Champe 35-yard line move the chains and adds to the momentum for Tuscarora.

On second down, it's Allen hitting Mikey Oretga for a gain of 5. Approaching 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Huskies continue to methodically gain chunks of yards on this opportunistic, gritty Champe defense.
 
On 3rd & 9, Tuscarora's Leron West gets the ball out of the shotgun snap and he's about a yard shy of the first down.

That'll conclude the 3rd period with Tuscarora facing a decision - to kick the field goal or go for it and a potential knock-out punch on Champe when the 4th quarter starts.
 
Tyler Savage gets the ball in space and is loose, to Champe's own 34-yard line.

Brief stop in action with a time-out on the field.

Zachary Jackson hands it off to David Harris and there's not much doing there as Tuscarora's defensive line gets him down right away.
 
Huge conversion on 3rd down by Jack Frisoli on the pass from QB Zachary Jackson, into Tuscarora territory at the 47. Frisoli has a knack for making plays and getting his mits on the football, whether it's on offense or defense.

Champe goes to a different running back in Coby Oxendine to get a few yards on the ground before going back to the air. They hit Frisoli on the sideline, to the Tusky 30-yard line.
 
Matei Fitz, the game-changing up front for Tuscarora's defensive line, sacks Zachary Jackson. Blocking him is no easy task.

But the Knights give Jackson time to deliver a strike on the next play.
 


The snap was bobbled on the PAT try for Champe and they couldn't get the kick off for a chance to tie. Champe's kicker Jacob Morrill was injured on the play, so their backup Jackson Kennedy now steps in to send the ensuing kickoff to Tuscarora.

A terrific open field tackle by senior Cole Parnell on that return for Tuscarora as the Huskies begin at their own 20. The Huskies have to be careful not to force a pass into a tight window. The Champe defense has 3 takeaways tonight and they've been extra spirited and tough around the red zone.
 


Playing the run, Tuscarora got the Champe defense to bite down and hit their big-play receiver down the field on a vertical route.

A crucial 3rd down & 8 from the 20-yard line coming up and we've got a time-out on the field.
 
Justin Allen scrambles on 3rd & 8 to the edge, turns inside to stay in bounds and not stop the clock. They then give it to Leron West, to the 4-yard line of Champe, as the clock ticks down near 4 minutes to play in regulation.

West bounces off tackle for a TD from 4 yards out. He did a great job of letting that one develop and not trying to force it inside.

West is now up to 122 rushing yards on the evening after that score.
 
Tyler Savage takes the ensuing kickoff for Champe 10 yards to their own 43-yard line.

After just two yards on two plays, the Knights go to the air on 3rd & 8 and it is nearly picked off by Tuscarora defender Ethan Gick.

On 4th down, they go to Dalton Young and he picks up 19 yards on the reception from QB Zachary Jackson, to the Tuscarora 36-yard line with 3:10 remaining in the game.

Tuscarora is playing a two-deep zone, trying to take away Savage, but it's leaving Young open in the middle of the field.
 
The 1st & 10 pass for Champe from the Tusky 36-yard line is incomplete and nearly intercepted with two defenders from the Huskies converging. Before 2nd & 10, a false start backs the Knights up 5 yards.

A pass to Dalton Young in the flats is completed, and then after the play out of bounds, Tuscarora is called for a personal foul. That moves the chains and puts Champe inside the 25, to the 23 of the Huskies. Champe gets backed up 5 yards.

Some mental breakdowns on both sides here in crunch time would concern both staffs about the next round and the opponent that is awaiting, top-seeded Broad Run.

David Harris gains maybe a yard, to bring up 2nd & 14 from the 27-yard line. They throw the ball intended for Young and it's incomplete. Enormous 3rd down upcoming...
 
The pass is intercepted by Mikey Marquez of Tuscarora on defense on 3rd down. Big time INT by the Huskies defense with John Champe driving in for a potential score and game-tying 2-point conversion.

The Huskies now have a chance to run out the clock at their own 21 if they can pick up just one first down.
 
On 3rd & 7 from their own 24, Tuscarora QB Justin Allen keeps the ball and advances to the 28. A time-out will be called with 20 seconds remaining as Brandon Wheelbarger runs it all the way down before getting a delay of game.

Expect a pooch punt or punt out of bounds here with 20 seconds remaining on 4th & 3 from their own 28 for Tuscarora, which leads John Champe by a count of 21-13.
 
Champe called for a fair catch, and as Jack Frisoli was calling for it, he was interfered with by a Tuscarora player. That'll be a 15-yard penalty on the Huskies. It gives Champe a chance to possibly run a play or two.

The ball will be placed at the 33-yard line of Tuscarora with 10 seconds to go.

Zachary Jackson's pass in the end zone is incomplete, but nearly caught with a few white jerseys in the end zone.

1 second left and last shot for Champe. Season on the line.
 
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