Wolverines Win 14-9, Snap Phoebus Streak
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style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Woodside Snaps Phoebus' Streak:
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"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It finally happened.
The streak is over. For the first
time since 2007, the three-time defending Division 5 State Champion Phoebus
Phantoms lost a football game. Snapping
the 52-game winning streak that was the nation's longest and a VHSL record was
the Woodside Wolverines, who forced a couple of turnovers and capitalized on
one early in the fourth quarter to score the go-ahead touchdowns in a 14-9 win
at Darling Stadium on Friday night.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Now at 8-0 overall on the season, the Wolverines are
off to their best start in school history and only two wins away from capturing
their first Peninsula District title.
While it was technically just another victory, there was something special
and different about this one for Woodside that made it a signature type of moment
for the program and Coach Danny Dodson.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"They're all good.
Any win's good, but this is good," Dodson said.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I hate to lose.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I know our kids prepared well this week, we
were very, very focused and we believed in ourselves."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>A season ago, the Phantoms waxed the Wolverines
50-10. Many of Woodside's players
remembered that defeat and the pain they felt after the loss, using it as
motivation in gearing up for this huge PD showdown.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Phoebus is a good team and everybody knows that, but
this year we've got a different mindset," said Woodside senior QB/DB
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Donnell Lewis, who once again came
through for the Wolverines in the clutch with his passing, running and
playmaking on defense.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "From day one, we expect to win every
play and every week. When you make
enough big plays, it can go in your favor."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Down 3-0 at half-time, the Wolverines didn't
panic. Just like in their comeback win
over the Hampton Crabbers, converting third downs was enormous and on a third
down play on their first series of the second half, Lewis connected on a pass
to a streaking D.J. Miller that went
60 yards for a touchdown. Phoebus would
answer on the next possession as their QB, Eric
Enderson, would hook up with
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Romond Deloatch for a 50-yard touchdown to give
the Phantoms a 9-7 advantage.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Wolverines struck back and re-gained momentum when
Lewis picked off a pass at the Phantoms' 42-yard line on the final play of the
third quarter. Three plays later, Lewis
moved the chains on third down by making something happen with his feet, and
class=SpellE>Jalil
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Moore would then cap off the drive
with a nine-yard touchdown run.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Of Woodside's eight wins, five have now come by a touchdown
or less. They know how to operate in
close situations, which is something that ought to benefit them in the
postseason. The experience of pulling
out tight games against district foes Heritage and Kecoughtan
in the closing seconds served them well in this tilt as well.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"That really helped us out tonight because it takes
four quarters to win a game," Lewis stated.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Four quarters that went the way of a Woodside team that,
for this Friday at least, turned in the story of the night, maybe the season,
in High School Football in Virginia.
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line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";background:yellow;
mso-highlight:yellow'>Pinning them Deep:
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"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In what was a defensive struggle early, the punting of
both Chris Moller for Woodside and
class=SpellE>Enderson for Phoebus controlled the game until about midway
through the second quarter, and down the stretch it turned out to be pivotal
yet again.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Moller's first three boomers of 58 yards, 43 yards and
43 yards gave Phoebus starting position no better than their own 20-yard
line. In fact, on one of those
occasions, they started from their own goal-line.
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"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Facing a fourth-and-2 scenario from the Phoebus 48-yard
line with just under three minuets left in regulation, Woodside lined up like
they were going for it, and Lewis quickly booted it to the three-yard line,
meaning the Phantoms would have to drive 97 yards in 2:35 to keep the streak
alive. Phoebus had no one ready to
receive the punt, and the move turned out to be a stroke of genius by Dodson,
or he and his staff.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We practice that and my defensive coordinator
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Jerome Rhodes actually suggested it
several weeks ago. He's the one that
thought of, I'm not that smart, and he was right," Dodson said.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Lewis was pleased his punt proved to be a successful
one.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I didn't really think I was going to kick it that far,"
he admitted. "It turned out to be good,
and I credit it to the coaches and everybody."
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Clamping
Down:
It's not often that you see Phoebus held to nine points for an entire
football game.
line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> But it happened on Friday night at Darling
Stadium.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I didn't even think about that," Dodson replied in
honesty when mentioned to him. "Nine
points, that's a good deal."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>It marked the first time Phoebus was held to
single-digits in a game since 2005 when they lost to Tyrod
Taylor-led Hampton 29-7 in the Eastern Region Division 5 Final.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> To allow only one touchdown and one field
qualifies as an outstanding job by a Woodside defense that got stops on three
straight trips to end the game to enable them to take a knee.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Wolverines got it done with a collective effort as
seven different players made five tackles or more, led by Justin McFadden's seven stops.
They contained a tough Phoebus rushing attack anchored by
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Tony Pittman and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Dezmond Belfield to 131 yards, their second lowest total of the
season. More importantly, they made
Phoebus throw it a season-high 18 times, and they felt if they could do that,
it would increase their opportunities to get a takeaway or two.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We felt like if we stopped the run, we had a better
chance to win," Dodson stated.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
mso-highlight:yellow'>Unsung Heroes:
Whether it was Moller in the Heritage game when he kicked one of his
eight field goals on the year as time expired to get a victory, McFadden
hauling in the game-winning touchdown pass versus Warwick or someone else,
Woodside has found a number of different contributors to step up in critical
junctures of this season.
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>That's
kind of been our philosophy as long as I've been here," said Dodson.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "We usually don't have a one go-to guy.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> We have a lot of different guys that are able
to make plays. I don't think this year
is any different because we have guys that can do certain things well."
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>As Lewis dazzled with 91 yards passing, 87 yards on the
ground and several key plays on defense, he got some help from supporting cast
players such as defensive end Tyler
Hargrove and Moore, doing work both in the defensive front and running the
ball. In this matchup, they were the
unsung heroes, and in some ways, the difference in the ballgame.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Jalil's one of those
guys. He's going to bring you the tough
yards down there at the goal-line," Dodson noted.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Moore had a touchdown run to give them the lead and
also chipped in six tackles on defense, helping as Phoebus broke off a run
longer than eight yards just once on their 36 attempts on the ground.
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"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Meanwhile, Hargrove used his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame
with long wingspan and arms to bat down three passes, two in a row after he
stopped Pittman for no gain on a run play.
One of those came on a fourth down with the Phantoms driving deep into
Woodside territory trying to take the lead.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
mso-highlight:yellow'>Simple Stat Brings Winning Results:
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Dodson's Wolverines teams have been very
simple over the years, nothing flashy, and often a workmanlike, lunch-pail type
of squad with some quality athletes mixed into the equation.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It was somewhat fitting that his group
snapped the incredible Phoebus streak by doing something that every Coach talks
about in order to win and that is protect the football.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Woodside played a relatively clean game after what
appeared to be a sloppy start. They committed
only seven penalties for 50 yards with two of those infractions coming after
half-time. Perhaps best of all, the
Wolverines didn't commit a single turnover on the night, going to show the
importance of ball security versus a Phoebus defense that was as nasty as any
in the region coming in, allowing 6.9 points per game.
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Woodside Coach Danny Dodson
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Stats:
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Woodside
14:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Donnell Lewis - - 4-5
for 87Yds. TD; 28Car. 91Yds; 5 Tackles, INT, PBU
JayQuan Lassiter - - 9Car. 38Yds.
Jalil Moore - - 2Car. 11Yds. TD; 6 Tackles
D.J. Miller - - 2Rec. 81Yds. TD; 4 Tackles
Justin McFadden - - 2Rec. 6Yds; 7 Tackles, TFL
Tremaine Clark - - 6 Tackles
Tyler Hargrove - - 5 Tackles, 3PBU
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Phoebus
9:
10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Eric
class=SpellE>Enderson - - 8-18 for 149Yds. 1-2TD/Int. ratio
Dezmond Belfield - - 19Car. 58Yds.
Tony Pittman - - 14Car. 61Yds.
Romond Deloatch - - 5Rec.
114Yds. TD
Justin 'Boombox' Lyles - - 3Car. 12Yds; 9 Tackles,
2TFL
DeShaun Summers - - 10 Tackles, 2TFL
Mark Wilson - - 7 Tackles, Sack
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
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has covered Eastern Region Football & Basketball since 2004 for
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