High School football playoff action in Virginia kicked off Friday night and the contest between Central-Woodstock and Buckingham County set the tone for an exciting 2024 postseason. After falling behind by two scores in the opening quarter, the Falcons defense held the Knights scoreless the rest of the way and found themselves in the redzone with less than two minutes in regulation with the opportunity to seize a victory and host a playoff game next week.

Instead, Buckingham County’s defense stiffened after allowing Central-Woodstock to move the ball successfully for most of the second half. It stopped a Falcons runner just short of the first down marker on a fourth down rushing play with 50 seconds remaining to seal a 12-7 victory and remain unbeaten on the season.

The Knights’ defense hasn’t allowed an opponent to score double-digit points since the first week of September and came into the contest with five shutouts excluding a win by forfeit to finish the regular season. Adjustments at halftime by the Falcons allowed Central-Woodstock to find the scoreboard in the third quarter when quarterback Noah Moss found Josiah Bailey in the corner of the endzone on fourth down to cap a 19-play drive that took more than ten minutes.

Buckingham’s offense stalled on the ensuing possession, and the teams traded possession before Central-Woodstock got one final opportunity with the game clock winding down. Running back Jacob Williams-Warner helped Central move the ball quickly into Knights territory. The Falcons managed to move the ball to the Knights' 20-yard line but were unable to move any closer to the goal as their opponents' defense locked down.

The Falcons attempted to find the edge where they had been successful for most of the second half but Emerson Edwards cut Williams-Warner off at the pass for a one-yard loss. A pass by the Central offense was unsuccessful and after a gain that set up 4th down and four to go, the final scene was set. A handoff to Williams-Warner led to a run up the middle where a host of Buckingham defenders including senior linebacker William Motley stopped the rusher before crossing the line to gain and forcing a turnover on downs.

The Knights' offense took a knee to run out the clock and celebrated their victory.

Early on, it looked as if the Buckingham offense was going to run away. Coming into the contest, the unit was averaging over 36 points per game, and on the second play from scrimmage, Jayden Maxey raced off the edge and sprinted into the endzone on a 79-yard rush.

On their second possession, the Knights missed a field goal attempt but returned to the endzone when the next time they got the ball on a 53-yard drive. The Knights' offense stayed on the ground behind Maxey, Motley, and Trevion Mitchell. With just under two minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Motley reached the endzone with a ten-yard score to make the game 12-0.

That’s how the score remained from that point until the Falcons found the endzone at the end of the third quarter.

SCORING SUMMARY

Central-Woodstock-- 0 0 7 0—7

Buckingham County-- 12 0 0 0—12

FIRST QUARTER

BC—Jayden Maxey 79 run (kick failed), 11:12

BC—William Motley 10 run (conversion failed), 1:40

THIRD QUARTER

C—Josiah Bailey 17 pass from Noah Moss, (Robbie Holcombe kick), 1:39

STANDOUT PLAYER

William Motley, Buckingham County…The senior’s physical style of play represented his team’s approach on both sides of the football. Motley’s score in the final two minutes of the opening quarter went on to be the game-winning score. The 6-foot-0, 210-pounder’s biggest contribution may have been on the teams’ defensive stop on Central-Woodstock’s final play on offense to force a turnover on downs, ending the Falcons' season and solidifying the Knight's victory.

TAKEAWAY

Defense is the Key

The old mantra in football is that “defense wins championships”. While Buckingham County still has several obstacles before they can compete for a championship, there’s no argument that the team’s defense has been phenomenal all season long. The unit came into the game with five shutout victories and was allowing an average of four points per game to opponents.

Against Central, the Knights' defense gave up just one score and displayed their strength at the most opportune time of the evening. The teams’ offense uncharacteristically struggled most of the game which meant that if the Falcons found a way to reach the endzone on their final drive, it was likely the end of the season for Buckingham County. Instead, the unit rose to the occasion slamming the door shut on four straight plays by Central-Woodstock once they reached the endzone to allow their team to regain possession, ultimately running the clock out and advancing.

WHAT’S NEXT

Buckingham County will host Madison County after the eighth seeded Mountaineers shut out Clarke County 21-0 on the road. Bull Run district offensive player of the year Jeremiah Brown rushed for two touchdowns and the Madison County defense recorded its’ first shutout since September of 2022. The two teams met in non-district play earlier this season with Buckingham recording a 29-15 victory. The Mountaineers led that contest at halftime 15-14.

The 2024 season for Central-Woodstock comes to a close after a roller-coaster season in which the Falcons. The team overcame a VHSL violation in which they were forced to forfeit their first four games of the season, including three victories. Winning three of their final four contests on the gridiron along with an appeal of the violation thrusted the Falconts back into the postseason picture and ended Central-Woodstock’s regular season at 7-3. With 22 seniors on the roster Friday night, the Falcons will be seeking to fill several voids but return quarterback Noah Moss and running back Chris Brown among others. Both Moss and Brown played key roles in the teams’ 2024 success.

Robert Edmonds has been contributing to Virginiapreps.com, part of the Rivals.com network, since 2013. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) @bigrob2523 and subscribe to his YouTube channel for sports-related content. You can read his work in the Daily Progress and occasionally in other journalism publications. He began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state with a focus in the Central Virginia area. He currently lives in Keswick with his wife and has seven children and two grandchildren. To contact Robert, please email him at bigrob2523@gmail.com.