Blog LIVE Blog of Class 3 State Championship: Heritage-Lynchburg 24, Phoebus 20 - FINAL

[matthew328826]

That missed extra point is a big deal because now the Phantoms cannot send this to overtime with a field goal and instead would need a touchdown to win. Daniels has hung tough today and shown what he can do from the QB spot with three touchdowns through the air.

That caps a 7-play, 49-yard drive in 2:44. The Heritage defense didn't do a great job on the back end in coverage there.

With 3 time-outs and 4:17 to play, it's too early in my opinion to try an onside kick here.

 

[matthew328826]

Wiseley, Phoebus kicks it deep and Heritage was sleep-walking on the return. They end up beginning at their own 14-yard line. To tick under 4 minutes to go, the Pioneers keep the ball in the hands of their dual-threat QB Jabari Blake and he runs for 9 yards to get his team in position to move the chains and burn clock.

K.J. Vaughn gets no gain, so as we tick under 2 minutes to go, an enormous 3rd & 1 awaits the Pioneers.

 

[matthew328826]

Latrelle Smith fields the punt at midfield and scoots out of bounds at about the 42-yard line of Heritage with 2:32 to go in this ballgame, shaping up to have an instant classic type of finish.

 

[matthew328826]

Here we go - Phoebus has the football, trailing Heritage 24-20 with 2:32 to go and the Phantoms are at the 42-yard line of the Pioneers. Chris Daniels avoids disaster and then finds freshman Kymari Gray for an unbelievable catch to the 32 worth 10 yards.

 

[matthew328826]

A quick 3-yard pass over the middle to Latrelle Smith for Phoebus. One corner for Heritage - Chris Megginson - is playing extremely close to the line of scrimmage, while the otehr is giving his receiver about 10 yards of room.

Chris Daniels throws a dangerous backwards pass that Jaylen White is able to retrieve, but instead of it being a big loss, the Heritage defense sorta plays at half speed on the play and White turn it into a 4-yard gain.

On 3rd & 3 on the 25 of Heritage, Daniels heaves it in the end zone and it's incomplete, intended for the 9th grader (yes, 9th grader) Gray. Here we go - 4th & 3 and dare I say the game coming ...

 

[matthew328826]

The Liberty commit is the hero it does appear on his future college home field as Heritage halts the Phoebus comeback. The Pioneers should be able to take a knee and run the clock out, given that Phoebus only has 1 time-out left.

 

[matthew328826]

Coach Bradley also won state titles at William Campbell in 2002 and 2005.

That is the first loss for Phoebus in the State Championship round as they are now 7-1.

A lot of people probably didn't envision this Pioneers squad winning a state title when they lost to Northside 61-26 back on August 31st. They were able to respond with 13 consecutive victories.

We now have the trophy presentation and celebration on the field. More to come, including postgame reaction and final numbers. Stay tuned ...

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Great call Matt. As was Mike's and Danny's. It's not quite as good as being there, but a heck of a lot warmer.

Thank you for the great job guys. I'm looking forward to the next three games.

 

[matthew328826]

FINAL IN VHSL CLASS 3 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP:

HERITAGE-LYNCHBURG 24, PHOEBUS 20


Final Stats:

Heritage-Lynchburg 24: (Pioneers 14-1 Overall)
Jabari Blake - 4-8 for 47Yds. 0-1TD/Int. ratio; 28Car. 177Yds. 3TD's
K.J. Vaughn - 17Car. 100Yds.
Hasani Rivera - 2Rec. 14Yds; 3KR for 34Yds.
Brian Trent - 1Rec. 18Yds.
Chris Megginson - 1Rec. 15Yds; 3 Solo Tackles, INT
Vonte Pannell - 7 Tackles (5 Solo), Sack,TFL
Spencer Goolsby - 6 Tackles (3 Solo)
Kristian Rivera - 6 Tackles (3 Solo)
Kaleb Adcock - 5 Tackles (2 Solo)

Pioneers - 56 plays for 312 total yards (48 rushes for 265 yards; 4-8 for 47 pass yards, 1 intercept); 1 turnover; 7 penalties for 63 yards; 8 of 15 on 3rd downs; 0-1 on 4th downs; 25:03 Time of Possession; 4 punts for average of 24.2 yards


Phoebus 20: (Phantoms 13-2 Overall)
Chris Daniels - 14-24 for 246Yds. 3-2TD/Int. ratio
Anthony Turner - 11Car. 47Yds.
Latrelle Smith - 4Rec. 69Yds. TD
Barry Hargraves - 3Rec. 106Yds. TD
Thailand Baldwin - 2Rec. 23Yds.
Kymari Gray - 2Rec. 22Yds. TD
Trevon Hayes - 9 Tackles (4 Solo), 0.5TFL
Corey Wilson - 7 Tackles (5 Solo), 2TFL
Domonic Edwards - 6 Tackles (4 Solo)

Phantoms - 48 plays for 302 total yards (24 rushes for 56 yards; 14-24 for 246 pass yards, 2 intercepts); 2 turnovers; 6 penalties for 59 yards; 3 of 11 on 3rd downs; 1 of 2 on 4th downs; 22:57 Time of Possession; 5 punts for average of 22.2 yards

 

[matthew328826]

Press Conference with the Heritage-Lynchburg Pioneers:



Heritage-Lynchburg Press Conference after their 24-20 win over Phoebus in the VHSL Class 3 State Football Championship on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Liberty University. The Pioneers finished 14-1 overall and captured their first state title since 2002.

Featured speakers from left to right - Vonte Pannell, Coach Brad Bradley, K.J. Vaughn, Chris Megginson, Jabari Blake and K.J. Burks.

 

[matthew328826]

Press Conference with the Phoebus Phantoms:



Phoebus Press Conference after their 24-20 loss to Heritage-Lynchburg in VHSL Class 3 State Football Championship held at Liberty University on Saturday, December 8, 2018. The Phantoms finished 13-2 overall.

Featured speakers from left to right - Chris Daniels (#10), Barry Hargraves (#4) and Coach Jeremy Blunt.