Friday night kicked off high school football in the Central Virginia area which was anticipated even more than the average season due to the postponements and modified spring season because of the coronavirus. Western Albemarle hosted Charlottesville in the Jefferson District season opener and bounced back following a slow start to take home a 40-14 victory after moving into Class 4 over the break.

The Black Knights jumped ahead early with a pair of scores in the opening frame that included a 38 yard fumble recovery and score by junior Semaj Dennis in the opening minute of the contest. As time ran out in the first quarter, Caldwell Boyles delivered a 28 yard scoring strike to Polo Hill and Charlottesville was out to a 14-0 lead entering the second.

Momentum shifted quickly when the second began, when an interception return by a Black Knights defensive lineman was fumbled and the Warriors offense recovered to regain possession for Western Albemarle. The play seemed to be a catalyst for what was to come next as the Warriors scored 21 points before halftime and finished the night with 40 unanswered in the win.

KEYS TO VICTORY

STICK WITH IT

Falling behind by 14 points with the circumstances that put them in that situation can be deflating. There was certainly some displeasure on the Western Albemarle sidelines at that point but the team regrouped quickly and took advantage of the fumble by the Black Knights to swing momentum in their favor.

Senior running back Kaden Morrow rushed for 59 yards on the drive that followed the swing play and Nathan Simon found Carson Tujague for a 16 yard passing strike in the same span allowing Western to cut their deficit to 14-7.

The Warriors defense took some blows from the Charlottesville offense that featured Dennis, Boyles and Hill but kept the Black Knights from establishing a long-term presence. An example of this was displayed on the ensuing drive that resulted in a turnover on downs by Charlottesville after being stopped on a fourth down and two yards to go situation.

Three minutes after regaining possession, the Western Albemarle offense tied the score when Bubba Shifflett found the endzone for his first of two rushing touchdowns on the evening. With the score even, momentum had clearly shifted and Western would consistently rely on their physical defense and offensive attack throughout the night.

LET THE LIGHT SHINE

Coming out of the offseason, the biggest question mark for the Warriors externally was how would the team replace the absence of running back Austin Shifflett who graduated in the spring.

The team showed that while Shifflett was a large portion of the teams' offense in previous seasons, this group has several players that can make plays and the offensive line is prepared to provide its' team opportunities on the ground and through the air.

Morrow had nearly 100 yards rushing on the night and the team got consistent and controlled play by quarterback Nathan Simon. Although the sophomore didn't light up the stat line, he managed the group on the field extremely well and completed several key passes.

Western had four different players reach the endzone with one of the scores coming from the special teams unit. A 65 yard yard return by senior Joe Burch at the start of the final quarter helped the team find breathing room on the scoreboard and pull away for the victory.

Finally, the Warriors defense which was expected to be the heart of the team after a superior spring only gave up one touchdown to their opponent which came in the opening quarter. The Black Knights managed to cross midfield only once after that and were held scoreless for the final 36 minutes of the game.

ENDURANCE

In the early part of the season, teams not only face the need to prepare their team to execute strategy on the field but they also must prepare for other factors such as the heat of late August.

The game was played with the outside temperature in the low 90's that combined with a high humidity level making it feel much warmer. The Black Knights squad was thin to begin the game, listing just 24 players on their varsity roster.

Add into the equation that several players on the Charlottesville squad went down to the turf regularly with cramping likely due to dehydration and things didn't bode well for the visitors.

Western had its' fair share of effects from the game conditions as well but appeared to be slightly more prepared for the situation at hand and fielded a much deeper depth chart than their opponent.

With temperatures not expected to subside anytime soon, the factors of preparation for such game conditions or the inability to prepare can and will affect contests for a few more weeks in the commonwealth.

SCORING SUMMARY

Charlottesville 14 0 0 0 --14

Western Albemarle 0 21 0 19 --40

First Quarter

C--Semaj Dennis 38 yard fumble return (Rai kick), 11:02

C--Polo Hill 28 yard pass from Caldwell Boyles (Rai kick), 0:00

Second Quarter

W--Kaden Morrow 18 yard run (Pulich kick), 8:17

W--Bubba Shifflett 7 yard run (Pulich kick), 2:48

W--Joe Burch 13 yard pass from Nathan Simon (Pulich kick), 0:41

Fourth Quarter

W--Joe Burch 65 yard punt return (conversion failed) 11:43

W--Bubba Shifflett 2 yard run (Pulich kick), 7:27

W--Kyle Keyton 32 yard run (kick blocked), 1:20

Robert lives in Gordonsville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. 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. His goal is to help teams and players achieve deserved recognition for their hard works and efforts that at-times can be overlooked.

If you have suggestions or comments, please let us know. Information can be emailed to bigrob2523@gmail.com and find him on twitter @bigrob2523.