On Friday night, Albemarle hosted region champion William Fleming in Charlottesville in the second game of the season for both teams. The Patriots jumped ahead on the scoreboard early with a dominant and physical offensive attack. By intermission, Albemarle held a 23-7 advantage. The Colonels responded by shutting out Albemarle in the second half and used their speedy weapons on offense to force overtime.

With each series starting in a goa-to-go situation, the Patriots surged into the endzone on their first offensive possession when sophomore Amaje Parker scored from two yards away. Then, the Albemarle defense came through by fending off the Colonels in their four attempts to secure the win and begin the season 2-0. Here we’ll take a closer look the action from yesterday and later we will take a look at analysis and top performers from the area slate on VirginiaPreps.com. STAY TUNED…

KEYS TO VICTORY

CONTROL THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

From the onset, Albemarle was able to set the tone on both the offensive and defensive line. The Patriots began the game on offense after William Fleming won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.

On the opening drive, Albemarle marched down the field on 15 plays, ultimately ending the drive with a field goal. The Patriots ran the ball 13 times during the stint which was led by senior running back Ebenezer McCarthy Jr. and sophomore quarterback Amaje Parker. The drive covered just 54 yards but took 7:27 off the clock.

That pace established the methodical offensive attack that the Patriots wanted to expected and set the tone for the night. On the ensuing offensive possession, Albemarle scored on their second snap with a 62 yard run by McCarthy, a play that was setup by sound blocking from his offensive line. Once McCarthy got through the line of scrimmage, he displayed his athleticism and speed by outrunning defenders en route to the endzone.

Defensively, the Patriots were able to provide a similar presence on the front line, holding the Colonels to a 3-and-out on their first series. Fleming managed to find the endzone on their second possession but it would be the only first half offensive possession that recorded a first down or took more than four plays.

OFFENSIVE SURGE

The Patriots defensive success over the past few seasons has been well known by those in and around the program over the last few years. Their achilles heel has been the inability to establish a consistent offensive attack.

In their first two games of the year, the Patriots have put up a total of 51 points. The average of just over 25 points per contest thus far exceeds their previous two seasons by 11 points per game and is at a pace that the Albemarle program hasn’t seen since 2016, head coach Brandon Isaiah’s 3rd season with the program.

On Friday, it was apparent that the Patriots offense has established an identity and intends to show opponents they are not messing around. As a by product, the offensive success has had a positive effect on the teams’ defense. The long drives keep the defensive unit off the field giving them much needed rest as well as confidence when their team finds themselves in a difficult situations as they did with the Colonels.

William Fleming found its’ groove late in the third quarter and managed to comeback and knot the score at 23 with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Colonels offense would have two more possessions in regulation but only managed to accumulate 12 total yards on the two drives as the Patriots defense buckled down.

FINISH STRONG

When the chips are down, the best team comes out on top by performing in crunch time. That’s exactly what Albemarle was able to do late in this contest. William Fleming stormed back and tied the game on two scores sparked by quarterback Dashawn Lewis. First Lewis scored on a five yard run late in the third quarter and then he found Louis English on a short pass that English (6-foot-2, 170 lbs) took 55 yards to paydirt helping the team tie the score.

At that point, a team could have felt sorry for itself or gotten caught up in the momentum of the game and lost their footing. The Patriots however, responded fiercely. After a drive that ended in a turnover on downs by the Patriots offense, Albemarle gave up a 15 yard run to Lewis on first down but then forced a punt on the next series, allowing a net of -2 yards.

Again the defense was put on the spot when Colonels lineman Jayden Bulow intercepted a dump pass by Parker to give Fleming an opportunity to finish the comeback in regulation. The Patriots defense held strong once again as Maleyke Hicks and company pressured Lewis routinely and limited his ability to make a big play through the air or on the ground.

When overtime began, the Patriots appeared to be in their element as the offense scored following three consecutive run plays capped by Parker bursting through the middle of the offensive line for the score. Next, it was time for the defense to step up and they did just that pushing Tequan Martin back for a three yard loss on second down. An incomplete pass on third down was followed by a Lewis fumble on fourth down that ended with the Patriots taking the senior down in the backfield and polishing off the teams’ victory.

SCORING SUMMARY

William Fleming—0 7 8 8 0—23

Albemarle-- 10 13 0 0 7—30

First Quarter

A—Bennett Schantz 29 yard field goal, 4:27

A—Ebenezer McCarthy Jr. 62 yard run (Schantz kick), 2:30

Second Quarter

WF—Devin Johnson 9 yard pass from Dashawn Lewis (Jaky Tucker kick), 11:56

A—McCarthy Jr. 2 yard run (kick blocked), 8:02

A—Kaleb Burtrram 16 yard pass from Amaje Parker (Schantz kick), 5:39

Third Quarter

WF—Lewis 5 yard run (Louis English pass from Lewis), 4:54

Fourth Quarter

WF—English 55 yard pass from Lewis (Nahshon Bonds run), 8:55

Overtime

A—Parker 2 yard run (Schantz kick)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Amaje Parker, Albemarle…In two starts as the full-time quarterback for the Patriots in his sophomore season, Parker is now 2-0. The signal caller had a solid performance with a passing touchdown late in the second quarter and then the game winning rushing touchdown in overtime. As the young talent continues to mature under center, the ceiling is high for Parker as well as the Albemarle offense.

Ebenezer McCarthy Jr, Albemarle…The senior running back accumulated 126 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. It was the second straight week that McCarthy piled up over 100 yards in the first two quarters of the game. While he doesn’t hold any offers at the moment, McCarthy is seeing interest from in-state schools such as Old Dominion and Virginia Military Institute. McCarthy will be in attendance at VMI on Saturday for the Keydets home game with Davidson.

Robert lives in Gordonsville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He also provides freelance contributions to the Daily Progress. Robert began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state of Virginia.

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