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If there were questions about Dinwiddie’s versatility, the Generals answered them yesterday, pulling away to defeat visiting Hanover 34-17 in the Central Region Division 5 championship.

The Generals proved they could run the ball to balance their outstanding passing attack. And the defense proved it could keep a game in hand while that running attack found its feet.

Versatile sophomore Chris Hall ran in a 13-yard touchdown with 1:39 remaining before the half to put the Generals up 13-10. Hall is a 6-4, 215-pound backup quarterback, sometime receiver, now filling in at running back for injured starter Mark Beville. He supplemented the ground game, carrying 10 times for 65 yards, and senior quarterback Adam Morgan rushed for 107 yards on 14 carries.

“I should have stuck with it more,” Dinwiddie coach Billy Mills said. “But the second half my O-line coach came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you know we can run all day, you just need to pull the trigger and call it.’ So I trusted him and went with it. We picked our passes where we needed to.”

The Generals held the 2007 regional champions to 10 points until the final 11 seconds of play.

“We just, we know when we come out if we hold them for one, two quarters, the offense is going to catch fire,” sophomore defensive tackle Corey Marshall said. “And the next thing you know, we’ll be up and we’ll be doing our job.”

For a second straight game, Dinwiddie (11-1) started out with a turnover as Hall fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Hanover quarterback Josh Wells and running back Deane Cheatham went 60 yards on the ensuing possession, but Dinwiddie stopped the drive at the 4-yard line.

The Hawks settled for a Rachel Moore field goal—and the lead—with 7 minutes, 14 seconds to play in the first quarter.

Marshall helped lead the defense with nine tackles and four pass deflections. Sophomore linebacker Andre Thweatt had 11 tackles, including a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.

Morgan tossed the apparent go-ahead touchdown pass to Quintaze Jackson from 13 yards out with 6:55 left before the half. The ball slipped through Jackson’s hands in the end zone, but teammate Terron Adams recovered to give the Generals their first lead.

Hanover turned a Morgan interception by senior defensive lineman Trey Hutcheson into a 25-yard touchdown drive, but Hall scored on the next Dinwiddie possession, and the Generals never trailed again.

“That’s Moose,” Morgan said. “That’s what we call him. . . . He just runs hard, you know, rumbling, bumbling. Just puts his head down and goes for it.”

Behind 13-10 on the first possession of the second half, the Hawks failed to convert on fourth down from the Dinwiddie 33-yard line. The Generals went 71-yards for a touchdown on their next possession.

Dinwiddie hosts Liberty-Bealeton (10-2), winner of the Northwest Region, Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Group AAA. Division 5 tournament.

“This means a lot,” Marshall said. “These seniors, guys that haven’t tasted this for three or four years are getting their first opportunity, and this is their last year, so to help these guys out and to come together as a group is really special.”

For Hanover coach Josh Just, this was his last game with the seniors that helped take the Hawks to the Group AAA tournament last year.

“They gave great effort out here the entire night,” Just said. “The worst part of this whole thing is knowing that we can’t coach them anymore.”

Contact Andee Sears at (804) 649-6210 or .

Hanover 3 7 0 7—17
Dinwiddie 0 13 7 14—34

H—FG R. Moore 21

D—Adams fumble recovery in end zone (kick failed)

H—Cheatham 7 pass from Wells (R. Moore kick)

D—Hall 13 run (C. Jones kick)

D—Jackson 4 pass from Morgan (C. Jones kick)

D—B. Johnson 2 run (C. Jones kick)

D—Morgan 1 run (C. Jones kick)

H—Scarborough 11 pass from Wells (R. Moore kick)

RUSHING

Han: Lee 16-84, Wells 12-41, Cheatham 5-12, Fryman 2-4. Din: Morgan 14-107, Hall 10-65, Jackson 2-11, B. Johnson 3-10, 1-(-2).
PASSING

Han: Wells 15-33-125-1. Din: Morgan 16-24-2-186.
RECEIVING

Han: Cheatham 7-48, Davis 3-40, Scarborough 3-7, Yorke 1-6, team 1-4. Din: White 7-67, Jackson 5-37, Adams 3-75, Hall 1-7.