Blog LIVE Blog - Region 4C Quarterfinals: Sherando (7-3) at Tuscarora (9-1)

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Greetings on this 15th day of November for 2019. The VHSL Football Playoffs are underway and we've got an intriguing matchup on deck in Leesburg in the Region 4C Quarterfinals with the Sherando Warriors (7-3) visiting the Tuscarora Huskies (9-1).

While much of the state is dealing with rain and wind, it's a 43-degree evening at Fortune Field without much precipitation or weather issues.

It's the first ever meeting between these two programs known for going far in the playoffs. Brandon Wheelbarger's Huskies have rebounded from a 28-26 loss to unbeaten Broad Run in the season opener with nine straight victories. All of them except one - a victory of last year's Class 4 State Champ Woodgrove by a count of 13-12 - have come by double-digits. This Huskies team is putting up 34.4 points per game and averaging over 418 yards while giving up just 9.2 points and 174.3 total yards per game. The backfield tandem of QB Ethan Gick and RB Bryce Duke make Tuscarora go along with stud defensive lineman Matei Fitz.

As for Sherando, the Warriors under Head Coach Bill Hall have responded from a 3-3 start. The big win was a 34-31 overtime triumph over Handley in Winchester. They've rattled off four victories to close out the regular season, the latest a 21-7 win over Kettle Run. Darius Lane at running back and Jabril Hayes - a standout at receiver and in the secondary - are two players to watch out for along with linebacker Payne Bauer, a tackling machine. Like Tuscarora, we're looking at a team averaging over 34 points per game and the key will be the defense, which gives up 18.9 points and 175.6 pass yards a contest.

Almost set for kick off, so we'll have more shortly. Stay tuned for updates here and on my Twitter feed @hatfieldsports

 

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Tuscarora will be kicking off to get us underway..

Shernado returns the opening kickoff to their own 39. A false start will back them up 5 yards to their own 34. On 1st & 15, QB Chacai Campbell has a open receiver, who drops what would've been a 66-yard touchdown. Amidst the fog, smoke, he might've lost it on the run.

The next play though, it's Campbell finding Jabril Hayes for a gain of 17 yards down to the Tuscarora 49. The drives stalls though as the running game is unable to produce a gain of more than 3 on any of their first three rushes. Credit Tuscarora LB Will Hatfield (great last name right?) for making some key stops.

Sherando punts it away on 4th & 3 from the Tusky 42.

 

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Tuscarora QB Ethan Gick shows off his skills with a couple of nifty runs, faking the jet sweep on one and scooting to the edge on another for a gain of 15 yards. The offensive line for the Huskies with Gabe Fl-Fiky and Noah Gick leading the way is one of the best in all of Northern Virginia and at the Class 4 level.

 

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That caps a very workmanlike 11-play, 80-yard drive for the host Huskies. PAT was booted through by Max Skirkanich.

 

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Sherando hits a big play with QB Chacai Campbell finding speedster Jabril Hayes for a 46-yard completion. Inside the 10 of Tuscarora though, the Warriors struggle to get much going with the ground attack between the tackles and a 5-yard penalty pushes them back to the 10 of the Huskies.

On 3rd & Goal, Campbell's pass is nearly picked by Huskies DB Ryan Upp. So they settle for a field goal.

 

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Tuscarora's second possession will begin at their own 35-yard line with under a minute to go in the opening period.

 

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McKinley Dean brings Bryce Duke down for a gain of 2 as the opening quarter comes to a close.

 

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Quarterback Ethan Gick of Tuscarora is doing a very nice job of operating the offense, faking the hand-off and keeping it as he gets outside to either his left or right with moderate success. His first eight runs have racked up 43 yards and he's getting to the second level of the defense.

Following a false start penalty, Tuscarora goes to the air on 3rd & 8 from the Sherando 37 and Gick's pass deep to Jevonn Gilyard in the end zone is incomplete with solid coverage from Damien Gustaitis on the back end. Gustaitus breaks up a pass intended for Gilyard in the end zone two plays later, but sandwiched in between that was a 4th & 8 clutch conversion with Gick hitting Ryan Upp on a crossing pattern.

With the focus on Gilyard tonight in the passing game, Upp can definitely be the x-factor.

 

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On 2nd & 10 from the Sherando 21, it's Ethan Gick running the option beautifully as he gets the Sherando defense to bite on the fake and he gains 7 yards. Then on 3rd & 3, he gets great running room thanks to Bryce Duke sealing the edge and he finds paydirt.

 

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Two excellent drives for Tuscarora. Sherando knows they can't settle for 3 and will need a long touchdown drive to get back in this one as the Huskies are quite content with a high-scoring affair tonight judging from the way their offense has come out of the gate.

 

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With 7:48 to go in the second period, Sherando begins at their own 20 following a penalty on the ensuing kickoff. Quarterback Chacai Campbell pump fakes and uses his speed to get to the outside and move the chains with a 13-yard scramble. Both of these QB's can make things happen with their feet on the run.

A 10-yard run from Darius Lane and another slithery run of 5 for Campbell has the Warriors in Tuscarora territory... until a 5-yard penalty by Sherando puts them back at their own 48. Then it's Matei Fitz - the Dulles District Defensive Player of the Year who has more sacks than anyone else in Tuscarora history - bringing down Campbell for a loss of 6.

On 3rd & 16, Campbell scrambles for 9 and Tuscarora gets hit with a personal foul penalty. That puts the Warriors at the 31 of Tuscarora. With 3:42 till half-time, the clock has been flying by with long drives by the offenses thus far.

 

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A 6-yard run from Sherando's Darius Lane brings up 3rd & 1, where Head Coach Bill Hall will burn a time-out so his Warriors can think over what they want to do here on 3rd & 1 from the Tuscarora 25. We have 2:31 till half-time.

Out of the pistol formation, Lane pushes forward to move the chains. He's a very heady runner, but Fitz and El-Fiky are there to bring him down for a loss on first down. An incomplete pass brings up 3rd & 12 from the 25 of Tuscarora. Another receiver besides Jabril Hayes - much like we saw the last series with Ryan Upp to complement Jevonn Gilyard - needs to step forward here.

 

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Keli Lawson, a well-built 6-5, 185 pound junior, comes through for Sherando on 3rd & 12 as he makes a catch over the middle for 19 yards. Another time-out is called by Sherando with 40 seconds to go in the half, at the Tusky 6. Tusky leads this one 14-3.

Josiah Dentu with a wonderfully played pass breakup on 1st & Goal in the end zone. With 35 seconds to go in the half, Sherando goes back to the air, but sophomore safety Josh Bendix comes up with the coverage sack of Chacai Campbell. Tuscarora's coverage on that play was great. It's a loss of 4. Campbell should've probably thrown that one away instead of taking the sack.

 

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The 3rd & Goal pass by Sherando ricocheted off the intended receiver and that might've been good because if it was caught it would've resulted in time running out with no time-outs left for the Warriors.

A tough break for Sherando as their 27-yard field goal hits the left upright. The Warriors could've got it to 14-10 or at the very least 14-6. Instead, Tuscarora takes an 11-point lead into the locker room at intermission.

 

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Some unofficial numbers at the break....

HALF:

Tuscarora 14:
Ethan Gick - 4-7 for 58Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio; 11Car. 63Yds. TD
Bryce Duke - 5Car. 18Yds.
Jevonn Gilyard - 2Rec. 33Yds. TD
Ryan Upp - 1Rec. 16Yds.
Zach Drummond - 1Rec. 9Yds.
Matei Fitz - 6 Tackles (2 Solo), 1.5TFL, Sack

Huskies - 23 plays for 139 total yards (4-7 for 58 pass yards; 16 rushes for 81 yards); 0 turnovers; 3 penalties for 25 yards


Sherando 3:
Chacai Campbell - 3-8 for 82Yds; 12ar. 34Yds.
Darius Lane - 6Car. 24Yds.
Jabril Hayes - 2Rec. 63Yds; 3 Tackles (2 Solo)
Keli Lawson - 1Rec. 19Yds.
Skyler Taylor-Goode - 3 Tackles (2 Solo)

Warriors - 26 plays for 140 total yards (3-8 for 82 pass yards; 18 rushes for 58 yards); 0 turnovers; 5 penalties for 30 yards

 

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Tuscarora gets the ball to begin the 2nd half. They go to the ground attack with sophomore stud Bryce Duke, picking up chunks of 13 and 6 yards near midfield. But Duke fumbles - credit the force to Damien Gustaitis and the recovery to linebacker Payne Bauer, the stalwart of the Sherando defense.

The Warriors take over at midfield, just a couple minutes into the third period.

 

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Sherando is unable to capitalize on the game's first turnover. Their offense goes 3 & out. The pivotal play was Matei Fitz and Gabe El-Fiky combining for a sack. El-Fiky was shaken up on the play.

The punt - to make matters worse - was shanked essentially by the Warriors. So Tuscarora takes over at their own 49.

 

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That gives Gick by our count 99 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Before the score, Coach Brandon Wheelbarger and offensive coordinator Jared Toler went into the bag of tricks with a double pass. It was receiver Jevonn Gilyard completing a pass to Ryan Upp for 15 yards to set up the scoring QB keeper by Gick.

Sherando begins their second series of the half at their own 35 with just over 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period, trailing 21-3.

 

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Even though his team trails by 11, can't say enough good things about what I've seen from Jabril Hayes tonight. He came into the game with 5 INT's on defense for the season. Hayes also entered with 53 receptions for 651 yards and 9 TD's. Whether it's at receiver or in the secondary, he's one worthy of considering for All-State honors for sure.

 

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We're now seeing some special runs from Bryce Duke, the tenth grader of Tuscarora who is looking to redeem himself for the fumble early in the 3rd period. Runs of 7, 12 and 14 yards have Duke closing in on the 100-yard mark for the evening.

Duke really runs well against contact and has slipped out of more than a few tackles in this one.

 

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Tuscarora responds like many Championship teams do after their opponent scores. It's the old theory of "matching a score with a score," as Lake Taylor head man Hank Sawyer often tells me.

Hey, we may possibly get a matchup of a Lake Taylor and Tuscarora in the Class 4 State Finals. Both teams have a LOT of work to do before that, but it is possible.

Nonetheless, Sherando get the ball back and they go 3 & out. Rainer Halveland showed outstanding backside pursuit on a run play.

They punt it back with 3:34 to go in the 3rd quarter. Matei Fitz, the junior d-lineman for Tuscarora, has been everywhere tonight with 8 tackles and at least three stops behind the line of scrimmage. An absolute beast.

 

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It's that tenth grader - Bryce Duke - on the loose again. He busts off a 65-yard run and gets over 100 for the night on his scamper that almost resulted in a touchdown before the speedy Jabril Hayes knocks him out of bounds at the 5.

Luis Guillen will help pave the way for Duke to punch in a touchdown from 2 yards out just a couple plays later.

 

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The tandem of Gick and Duke with 254 yards rushing and 4 TD's between them.

You could go with either as Player of the Game. Then again, Matei Fitz has been great on defense, too.

 

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A great down-field block from receiver Ryan Upp to help spring Duke free at the end.

Things have gotten away from Sherando, which will be thinking about the missed opportunities for a while. The very first pass play was one. Not scoring on the takeaway was another. Get those things done, plus score before the half on a field goal or touchdown, and this game is much closer right now.

 

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Frightening just how dominant Tuscarora was in that 3rd period offensively and did so with a turnover committed as well. If they play like that next week, the Huskies have to like their chances to play for a regional title on Thanksgiving weekend.

 

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A fantastic job by the Tuscarora offensive line to pull from the right side and Duke pretty much walked in the end zone.

Ryan Upp's 41-yard punt return gave them excellent field position.

 

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Sherando converted a 4th & 1 from the 6 and also got a key 3rd & 4 from their own 47 converted thanks to the likes of Darius Lane and Chacai Campbell.

 

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Josiah Dentu returns the ensuing kickoff 52 yards to the 46-yard line of Sherando. Coach Brandon Wheelbarger will put the second unit / subs in and they will run the clock out here to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

 

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More to come ... stay tuned!

 

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Final Stats:

Tuscarora 47: (Huskies 10-1 Overall)
Ethan Gick - 5-9 for 66Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio; 14Car. 113Yds. 3TD's
Bryce Duke - 21Car. 217Yds. 3TD's, 1 lost fumble
Jevonn Gilyard - 2Rec. 33Yds. TD; 1-1 for 15Yds. passing
Ryan Upp - 3Rec. 39Yds.
Matei Fitz - 8 Tackles (3 Solo), 2TFL, 1.5 Sacks
Lro Orozco - 7 Tackles (3 Solo)
Will Hatfield - 6 Tackles (5 Solo), INT
Rainer Halveland - 6 Tackles (5 Solo)

Huskies - 47 plays for 415 total yards (6-10 for 81 pass yards; 37 rushes for 334 yards, 1 lost fumble); 1 turnover; 4 penalties for 30 yards


Sherando 17: (Warriors 7-4 Overall)
Chacai Campbell - 8-18 for 157Yds. 1-1 TD/Int. ratio; 20Car. 59Yds. TD
Darius Lane - 14Car. 49Yds.
Jabril Hayes - 6Rec. 138Yds. TD; 7 Tackles (6 Solo)
Keli Lawson - 1Rec. 19Yds.
Skyler Taylor-Goode - 8 Tackles (3 Solo)
Payne Bauer - 5 Tackles (3 Solo), Fumble Recovery
Damien Gustaitis - 4 Solo Tackles, PBU, Forced Fumble

Warriors - 51 plays for 265 total yards (8-17 for 157 pass yards, 1 intercept; 34 rushes for 108 yards); 1 turnover; 8 penalties for 43 yards