Millbrook vs. James Wood

[VerizonSportsFan]

Plenty at stake for Millbrook, James Wood

• By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI The Winchester Star

Millbrook quarterback Kaden Buza throws to Jordan Jackson against Liberty last week. The duo will try and lead the Pioneers to their fifth straight win against James Wood tonight at the Colonels' Kelican Stadium. The two teams are in a three-way tie for third in the Class 4 Northwestern District.

• Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star

James Wood's Sam Adkins (40) has rushed for 877 yards and 12 touchdowns heading into tonight's clash with Millbrook at Kelican Stadium.

• WALT MOODY/The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — It's possible the loser of today's 7 p.m. football game between Millbrook and James Wood won't see their playoff hopes come to an end this week.

The playoff scenarios are a heck of a lot simpler for the winner, though, so there's bound to be a lot of joy emanating from whichever team comes out on top in tonight's Class 4 Northwestern District matchup. The top four teams in the district standings will make the Region 4C playoffs, and Millbrook (5-3, 3-2 district) and James Wood (6-2, 3-2) are in a three-way tie for third place with two games left in the season.

James Wood clinched its first winning season since 2010 with last week's 21-18 win at Fauquier, and now the Colonels hope for another breakthrough. James Wood hasn't beaten Millbrook since 2014, which is also the last year that the Colonels made the playoffs. Millbrook has made the playoffs every year since 2015.


"Millbrook's played in big games, played in playoff games," James Wood coach Ryan Morgan said. "They've come out on top against opponents like Sherando. Millbrook's been there before and our kids are kind of learning what it takes to be successful at a winning pace."

Morgan said mental focus and limiting Millbrook's big plays are going to be key factors if James Wood is going to be successful tonight. The Pioneers and Colonels might not get the types of big plays they're accustomed to, though.

Both Millbrook and James Wood have leaned more on their passing games this year, but with rain falling Wednesday and Thursday in Winchester the muddy conditions could make throwing the ball more difficult.

The Pioneers are averaging 241.3 passing yards per game (360.8 total) behind quarterback Kaden Buza (111 of 200 for 1,930 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions). Led by quarterback Carson Hoberg (96 of 174 for 1,611 yards, 14 TDs and five interceptions), James Wood is averaging 204 passing yards per game (383.8 total).

"I think there's going to be a lot of slipping and sliding around," Millbrook coach Josh Haymore said. "It's just a matter of making sure we understand how to execute and do what we need to do to execute. We'll see. With the passing attack that both teams have, I think it's key that whoever doesn't slip as much is going to be a little more successful than the other one."

James Wood had no answer for Buza and Millbrook's passing attack last year. He threw for 361 yards and four TDs on 25-of-33 passing as the Pioneers won 60-32.

Millbrook is coming off a game in which it struggled to generate much of anything on offense after it scored touchdowns on its first two drives. The Pioneers recorded only 122 total yards for the game and were shut out in the second half of a 20-14 loss to Liberty. In the second half, the Pioneers were without the services of running back Gavin Evosirch (122 carries for 879 yards and 11 TDs and 24 catches for 281 yards and four TDs) because of an injury.

"We didn't play very good in certain aspects of the game, and we've just got to fix that," Haymore said. "We've got to make sure we have the effort, we've got to make sure we have the execution, and be better."

Defensively, James Wood is surrendering 382.9 yards per game (200.8 rushing). Safety Sam Adkins has 57 tackles and four interceptions. Linebacker Jackson Turner leads the team with 79 tackles.

"They do a good job of disguising coverages and making sure the offense doesn't know what's coming at them," Haymore said.

Millbrook's offense also is led by wide receivers Jordan Jackson (34 catches, 779 yards, 8 TDs), T.J. Spain (22 catches, 368 yards, 4 TDs) and Diante Ball (20 catches, 370 yards, 4 TDs. Ball moved to running back with Evosirch out for part of the second quarter and the entire second half and rushed for 44 yards and a TD on 13 carries.

"We've got to play probably our best game in pass coverage to keep them down," Morgan said. "We did a pretty good defending the pass last week against Fauquier until they hit a couple deep passes at the end. Our kids have made strides to improve the past couple weeks. Against Liberty [two weeks ago], we just had some problems with 50-50 balls."

In addition to Hoberg, James Wood's offense is led by running back Adkins (95 carries, 877 yards, 12 TDs), wide receiver Jaden Ashby (36 catches, 627 yards, 9 TDs) and wide receiver William Crowder (six TDs and 502 yards rushing and receiving).

"We've got to come to play as a defense," said Haymore, whose team is giving up 24.9 points per game and 346.8 yards per game (212.6 rushing). "We've got to make sure we play hard and we play fast in every aspect of defense. Make sure we're keying on the run with everybody up front and make sure the pass is set with our DBs. We've got to play assignment football and make sure everybody is in the right spot."

Morgan said the Colonels didn't do a good job of picking up stunts and blitzes against Fauquier and added that will have to improve against a Millbrook defense that features safety Aidan Haines (75 tackles, five interceptions), linebacker Aidan Long (59 tackles) and defensive lineman Tyler Duckstein (47 tackles).

"[Duckstein] is tough for any offensive tackles to handle," Morgan said. "They have athletic defensive backs and they're tough up front."

A victory by James Wood tonight will put an end to The Winchester Star's Barr-Lindon Crimson Apple competition. The only scenario in which Sherando will not retain ownership of the trophy awarded to the team that fares best in Winchester-Frederick County games is if Millbrook beats James Wood tonight and the Colonels beat Handley next week.

 

[Shruikan]

Wow, so Crowder didn't even play and Millbrook needed a late stop deep in their own territory to hold on. Sounds like it was a great game. 40-37 final.

 

[VerizonSportsFan]

Millbrook outlasts James Wood, 40-37

• By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI The Winchester Star
  

Millbrook's Diante Ball rushes for first quarter yardage Friday night at James Wood's Kelican Stadium. Ball rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries as the Pioneers won 40-37.

• Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star

James Wood running back Sam Adkins hurdles Millbrook defender Jack Winans for a seven-yard gain in the first quarter Friday at Kelican Stadium. Adkins rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries.

• Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Only three of the four Winchester-Frederick County schools are going to make the Region 4C playoffs, and the Millbrook and James Wood football teams gave everything they had to be part of that experience on Friday night at the Colonels' Kelican Stadium.

Millbrook won a wild 40-37 game that wasn't decided until the final 90 seconds to put itself in a three-way tie for second in the Class 4 Northwestern District, where the top four teams in the eight-team district will make the playoffs. The Pioneers (6-3, 4-2 district) share second place with Handley and Sherando, and James Wood (6-3, 3-3) is now on the outside looking in in fifth place, one game back, and will hope that a win over Handley next week will get it in.

On Friday, the Colonels were just hoping to beat their Frederick County rival for the first time since 2014. James Wood only led once (7-6 with 4:34 left in the first quarter) and was outgained 591-370, but it took an interception by Pioneer sophomore defensive back Braden George with 1:36 left at the Millbrook 33-yard and a 10-yard completion three plays later on third-and-9 to Jordan Jackson (four catches for 93 yards, including a 58-yard TD) to finally decide things.


"[This win] is huge," said George (three catches, 72 yards, who was one of four Pioneers to record more than 70 receiving yards). "It gives us a lot of confidence. That was a really good game, and we're just happy that we pulled it out."

Millbrook had lost its previous two games to Handley and Liberty. James Wood — which played without injured wide receiver/defensive back Williams Crowder because of an injury suffered last week against Fauquier — threatened to make it three straight despite trailing 28-14 at the half.

But Millbrook showed plenty of fight to hold the Colonels off, and Millbrook coach Josh Haymore could not have been more impressed.

Diante Ball was one of many players who stepped up to the challenge, rushing for 239 yards and three TDs with starting running back Gavin Evosirch out with an injury.

"We believed we could win and we won," Haymore said. "The coaches believed in these kids, they believed in themselves, and they did it. They fought to win. I was proud of every single one of our kids. It was very impressive."

Millbrook had to dig particularly deep when Kaden Buza (14 of 28 for 336 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) threw a deep pass incomplete thanks to tight coverage from Levaughan Freeman on fourth-and-11 from the James Wood 27 with 4:55 left.

The Colonels turned to Sam Adkins (33 carries for 159 yards and three TDs) on four straight running plays to set up first and 10 at the Millbrook 43, but with the clock approaching two minutes James Wood took to the air to continue the drive.

The first down pass from Carson Hoberg (16 of 27 for 162 yards and two TDs, six carries for 41 yards and one TD) didn't pick up any yardage, and his second- and third-down passes were incomplete.

On fourth down, Hoberg threw to Clayton Jones over the middle. Jones initially controlled the ball, but as he turned upfield he started to lose the handle on it. Any chance that Jones had of collecting the ball again was ruined by George, who snatched the ball into his arms just before it hit the ground at the 33 for an interception. Had Jones been able to hold on the ball, he might have had enough for a first down.

"The tight end came out straight and I saw the quarterback throw the ball," said the 5-foot-8, 170-pound George. "I knew I had to make a play on it, and I just came up and hit [Jones]. As I was falling down, I caught it. The ball was already starting to come out, but I was trying to hit him so he wouldn't get the first down."

The change of possession set off a roar from the Milllbrook crowd moments after the Colonels fans had been in screaming to urge their team on to complete the comeback. James Wood almost gave itself one more chance to get the ball back by using its timeouts and holding Millbrook to one yard on the next two plays, but Jackson was able to take a short pass and turn it into a 10-yard gain. Millbrook kneeled out the clock from there.

James Wood coach Ryan Morgan said it was just an unfortunate break that Jones wasn't able to secure the catch. The Colonels certainly wouldn't have been in a position to win if not for 6-foot-3 Jones, whose night included two huge red-zone tackles that forced a turnover on downs by Millbrook in the first half after the Pioneers had driven to the James Wood 4.

"Clayton's a really good athlete," Morgan said. "He's shown that all year long. He's one of the area leaders in sacks. He made some nice plays on defense tonight.

"We don't use a tight end much our offense, but we try and figure out ways to use him because of his talent. It's unfortunate that play turned out that way, but we chose to try and get him that ball because we think he can make plays like that. Not every play goes your way. [George] made a nice play there."

The fact that James Wood was in that position was a testament to its own fighting spirit because early on it looked like the Pioneers were going to roll to another comfortable win. Millbrook outgained the Colonels 401-124 in the first half.

Ball routinely ripped off big gains, highlighted by a 61-yard TD run in which he started up the middle and bounced left to make it 22-7 Pioneers with 11:16 left in the second quarter. Ball's run was followed by a two-point run by Buza — Millbrook went for two points every time after Pat Sigler's first extra point on the muddy field barely got off the ground.

"Filling in for Gavin is a big role to fill," said Ball, who had 178 yards and two TDs (he had a 3-yard run that made it 14-7) in the first half. "He's a great player. I just had to deliver for my team. All credit to the line, because they did their job every play. They busted their tails every play. All respect to them."

The Pioneers also got a 62-yard TD catch from T.J. Spain (four catches, 82 yards, 15-yard TD to open the scoring, one interception) that made it 28-14 with 3:49 left in the second quarter in which he stopped to catch the ball inside the 30 and let his defender fly past him before falling.

The Colonels were in the game at halftime though thanks to two red-zone stops (Jones had a 10-yard sack for a turnover on downs, Jackson Turner had an interception at the 5), and then Hoberg had a seven-yard TD run on the first drive of the second half to make it 28-21 and set the tone for a back-and-forth second half.

Hoberg scored that TD after faking a handoff to Adkins. Hoberg's ability to sell fakes, extend plays with his legs behind the line of scrimmage and take off for big gains when he had to played a big role in keeping the game close in the second half. Hoberg threw on the run to connect with Jayson Herndon for a six-yard TD with 6:39 left, then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 40-37.

"Carson has always been able to move," Morgan said. "He made some big plays tonight. I challenged him before the game to let loose and make plays. He knew this, but I told him it's playoff time. We're playing to extend the season. We've been trying to limit [his running] to keep him healthy, but tonight we told him to just go out and play football.

"[Assistant coach Brian Thomas] just told him he thought he thought it was the best game he played. The numbers might not have been there, but as far as making plays and showing determination, I agree with Coach Thomas."

Friday was James Wood's senior night, and Hoberg was part of the contingent that did its best to make it a memorable one.

"None of our seniors had our heads low tonight," senior Adkins said. "There was a lot of leadership. It wasn't just the captains. All of the seniors put all of their effort into it."

Millbrook simply made a couple of more plays.

"We kept out heads high," Ball said. "We haven't always done that this season [in tough situations]. We pulled together and did what we had to do."

Also on Friday, Millbrook's Aidan Haines had two catches for 73 yards, and James Wood's Luke Esparza had six catches for 81 yards and a 47-yard kickoff return. Chris Garcia connected on all three of his extra point attempts and caught a two-point pass from Hoberg.

Millbrook closes its regular season with Culpeper County (1-8, 0-6) next week.