Three years removed from a state semifinals appearance and a season after a dismal 3-7 record, the Cougars are poised to make a postseason run in Region 2B. Stuarts Draft hosted Staunton Friday night and left little to the imagination with an aggressive performance on both sides of the ball. The victory sets up a Shenandoah District showdown next week against Region 1B leader Riverheads.
The Cougars have scored at least 34 points in 7 of their 9 outings and are allowing just 10 points per game to their opponents. The young Storm squad contained their opponent for a bit but wasn’t able to keep Aaron Nice and company contained for long... 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…
Stuarts Draft 41, Staunton 7
How it Played Out
Early in the game, Staunton’s defense was able to force Stuarts Draft into a turnover on downs deep in scoring territory and it appeared the “bend but don’t break” mentality may be a core component to the recipe for a Storm victory.
It didn’t take long, however, for the Cougars to break through the defense and once they did, the team never looked back.
On third down near midfield, quarterback Henry Cooke dumped the ball to sophomore Aaron Nice and the Cougars running back dashed to the endzone for a 52 yard score to give his team the lead.
The next possession for Stuarts Draft had a different rhythm but a similar result. Instead of a quick hit, the Cougars drove the ball against the Storm defense, covering 60 yards after starting with great field position. Junior Blake Roach helped move the chains with a solid run and a 20 yard pass reception from Cooke.
At the 9:29 mark in the second quarter, Nice plunged into the endzone from two yards away to add to the Cougars lead.
Nice added his third score of the first half,minutes later on 15 yard dash to paydirt. The scoring run was setup on a 76 yard pass play when Freddie Watkins found Dustyn Fitzgerald down the field on a reverse pass.
Stuarts Draft added another score before the half when Kasey Branch returned a partially blocked punt from the 40 yard line and dashed through Staunton defenders on his way to find the endzone.
With a comfortable 27-0 lead at intermission, the scoring slowed in the second half but the Cougars defense did not. Branch, Nice, and Fitzgerald were constantly laying the lumber to the Storm offense.
The starting unit for the Cougars defense only allowed Staunton to sniff the endzone one time the entire game when Staunton’s special teams unit returned a punt to the Draft 46. The team moved the chains with a couple of short passes and took advantage of a penalty but only managed to get to the 21 yard line before they stalled.
Despite the score, the Storm battled the entire game and found offensive success late in the game when quarterback Will Dod found Jaquante Scott for an 85 yard touchdown pass to help the team avoid a shutout.
Nice added a 37 yard touchdown in the third quarter and finished the game with four total scores. He led all rushers with 130 yards on the ground in the game.
Audio from Stuarts Draft Head Coach Nathan Floyd
Audio from Stuarts Draft Running Back Aaron Nice
Scoring Summary
Stuanton—0 0 0 7—7
Stuarts Draft—7 20 7 7—41
First Quarter
SD—Aaron Nice 52 yard pass from Henry Cooke (Tyler Lingenfelter kick), 3:10
Second Quarter
SD—Aaron Nice 2 yard run (conversion failed), 9:29
SD—Aaron Nice 15 yard run (conversion failed), 5:24
SD—Kasey Branch 40 yard blocked punt return (Dustyn Fitzgerald run), 2:57
Third Quarter
SD—Aaron Nice 37 yard run (Tyler Lingenfelter kick), 6:23
Fourth Quarter
SD—Blake Roach 17 yard run (Tyler Lingenfelter kick), 8:08
S—Jaquante Scott 85 yard pass from Will Dod (kick good), 2:18
What’s Next?
Staunton will look to avoid going winless in district play as they host Wilson Memorial next week. The Storm started the season 2-2 including a big win over Turner Ashby. The victory against the nights was the Staunton's last as they have now dropped five consecutive games. The Green Hornets are also winless in district competition and enter the game with a 1-8 record. Wilson Memorial’s only victory was in game one in a shutout of Waynesboro. Staunton will have to slow an offensive attack that has caught fire the last two weeks in which the Green Hornets have posted 72 points in their last two outings despite losing both games.
Stuarts Draft will host Riverheads Friday night in a battle of 9-0 teams. The winner will not only end the regular season with an unblemished record but will hold the district crown for 2019. Both teams have relied on executing their style of play on both sides of the ball to find themselves in their current position. The Cougars defense will be facing its’ toughest task to date against the Gladiators. The lowest point total for Riverheads is 28 which occurred three weeks ago in a shutout victory. In the two games since, the Gladiators have posted totals of 56 and 49.
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