Orange County was on the road to take on Jefferson District opponent Monticello on Friday night. The Fighting Hornets were coming off a victory against Charlottesville and looking to start a winning streak while the Mustangs hoped to end a two game losing skid following an overtime victory to begin the season.
In the first half of the contest, both teams put points on the scoreboard in droves, however, the second half was a sharp contrast dominated by turnovers and little scoring on either side of the ball. Five turnovers, a missed field goal followed by an eventual game winner and a defensive stop as the final horn sounded filled an intense final two quarters of action.
Chase Hummel’s 23 yard kick between the uprights with 1:15 remaining in the contest put the Mustangs ahead for good and an interception by Will Trent on a desperation heave by Hornets quarterback Paul Poirier completed the win and advanced Monticello to 2-2 on the season while Orange drops to 1-2.
Here we’ll take a closer look the action from yesterday and later we’ll provide analysis and look at top performances from the entire Central Piedmont slate here on VirginiaPreps.com. STAY TUNED…
KEYS TO VICTORY
Defensive Grit
Early in the contest, the Mustangs defense had trouble containing the passing combination of Orange quarterback Paul Poirier and receiver Douglas Newsome. The duo connected on touchdown strikes of 35 and 34 yards in the opening quarter. Monticello seemed somewhat staggered by the physical rushing attack of Poirier and Markell Johnson as Orange battered the Mustangs defense early.
Both Johnson, a senior, and Poirier, a junior, added rushing touchdowns in the second quarter and like clockwork the visiting team had amassed 28 points in the first half with little difficulty.
In the second half, however, Monticello’s defense appeared to be a different unit as the Hornets passing game was all but shutdown with the exception of a few mid range plays. Throughout the third and fourth quarters, the Orange offense had difficulty moving the ball on the ground or through the air.
The Mustangs unit forced two fumbles and recorded two interceptions in the second half as they shutout the Hornets during the frame. Jason Armstrong snagged a pass out of the air from Poirier to end the third quarter and Trent’s interception as time expired when Poirier heaved a toss down the right sideline sealed the victory for Monticello.
Will
For many teams coming off a two game losing streak and falling behind by two scores early, it would be easy to sulk or feel as if the games fate was determined. The entire Monticello squad, however, refused to believe they were done after Orange went ahead 20-7 minutes into the second quarter.
Instead, the Mustangs responded immediately when Trent took the ensuing kickoff from Orange the distance as he dashed down the left sideline and into the endzone to make the game a one possession contest.
Still, Monticello took another blow when Orange put together an 80 yard drive led by Poirier and Jackson that ended with Poirier rushing six yards for a score on the ground to extend the lead to 28-14. Under the leadership of UVA commit Malachi Fields, the Mustangs again responded. Fields extended an offensive drive on a critical third down play with a 21 yard scamper that took Monticello deep into Hornets territory. A few plays later, Fields scored on a quarterback keeper with eleven seconds to go in the first half, bringing the game back to within seven points.
While the Mustangs offense managed just two scores in the second half, it was the resiliency and determination of the group combined with the squads late game heroics that allowed them to pull out the win.
Clutch Performance
Following the interception by Armstrong to end third quarter, the Monticello offense looked to take control of the game and help the team pull ahead with the score knotted at 28. The Mustangs went to work on the ground as the offensive line paved running lanes for Fields, Trent, and sophomore Logan Clark.
Following a failed third down attempt, the Mustangs sent Hummel onto the field to end the deadlock as he attempted a 28 yard field goal. Hummel’s kick was wide, however, and the score remained tied with Orange County’s offense taking possession.
It appeared that the Hornets were going to have the opportunity for their own points when Poirier hit receiver Bryant Chiles in the middle of the field on a passing strike but the sophomore lost possession of the football when he encountered several Monticello defenders. The Mustangs recovered, giving the offense one more opportunity to score before a possible extra period.
Clark and Fields again ate up most of the yardage for the team on the ground as Monticello moved the ball into the redzone. Following a failed third down attempt by the offense, Hummel again trotted onto the field with an opportunity to redeem himself.
This time, his attempt from 23 yards away sailed true and Monticello found themselves on top, needing the defense to secure one more stop to preserve the game. The unit came through and the Mustangs moved back to .500 with the victory.
Audio from Monticello coach Matt Hicks
Audio from Monticello senior standout Will Trent
Audio from Orance County coach Jesse Lohr
SCORING SUMMARY
Orange County-- 12 16 0 0 -- 28
Monticello -- 7 14 7 3 -- 31
First Quarter
O-Newsome 35 pass from Poirier (conversion failed), 8:21
M-Fields 11 run (Hummel kick), 6:00
O-Newsome 34 pass from Poirier (conversion failed), 3:42
Second Quarter
O-Johnson 2 run (Johnson run), 10:34
M-Trent 70 kickoff return (Hummel kick), 10:19
O-Poirier 8 run (Chiles from Poirier), 1:48
M-Fields 6 run (Hummel run), 0:11
Third Quarter
M-Trent 2 run (Hummel kick), 7:12
Fourth Quarter
M-Hummel 23 field goal, 1:15
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Malachi Fields, Monticello: 22 rushes for 160 yards and two touchdowns; 126 yards passing
Paul Poirier, Orange County: `17-33 passing, 290 yards and two touchdowns. 146 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Douglas Newsome, Orange County: 9 receptions, 149 yards, two touchdowns
WHAT’S NEXT?
With the win, Monticello will be vying for a winning record as they travel to take on Charlottesville. The Black Knights fell to Western Albemarle Friday night 19-0 at home. Charlottesville has been outscored 121-20 this season and have been shutout twice. The Mustangs will present another difficult task with the team coming off a performance that saw offense, defense, and special teams contribute to a victory. Monticello blanked Charlottesville 35-0 a year ago but the Black Knights recorded victories in the three prior meetings.
Orange County faces another tall task when they go on the road to face Goochland next week. The Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start and have a contest Saturday with Liberty-Bealeton before facing the Hornets. Thus far, the Bulldogs defense hasn’t allowed an offensive score by their opponents, pitching back-to-back shutouts. Not only has the defense been in sync, but the team has managed to score 87 points in their two games which will force Orange go back to the drawing board this week and figure out where they broke down in the second half against Monticello so they can put themselves in a strong position before facing Goochland.
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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