The war whoops on the Lee-Davis buses said all that needed to be said about the outcome of their game with Atlee on Friday night.

  The Confederates, who had seen plenty of adversity early in the season, had turned their fortunes around and ended the regular season on a high note as one of the hottest teams in the Central Region, holding off host, No. 10 ranked Atlee, 29-27 and earning a share of second place in the Capital District.

  Nevertheless, both teams’ seasons are over. Varina’s 20-12 victory over Highland Springs keeps the Confederates (4-2 Capital, 5-4) out of the Division 6 playoffs. Atlee’s loss, coupled with Petersburg’s 22-21 win over Meadowbrook, ensured the end of the Raiders’ 2010 campaign.

  Despite the end of the Lee-Davis season, Coach Zac Hayden was happy with what his team had accomplished.

  “The kids played really, really, really hard,” Hayden said. “They care for each other. They’re a team, they just played together, and they kept getting better every week.”

  The Confederates’ defense came up big, denying the Raiders (2-4, 6-4) despite a 229-yard, two touchdown performance by Atlee quarterback Drew Ferguson. Ferguson completed 19-of 31 passes, but also threw two interceptions.

  “We knew we had to come up with some stops on defense,” Hayden said. “We came up with stops. We bent, we didn’t break.”

  Lee-Davis was led by its two running backs, Emmit Atkins and Caleb Wyatt. Atkins ran 22 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Wyatt ran 16 times – also for 131 yards – and one touchdown. The pair combined for two touchdowns in the first half that showed they weren’t intimidated by Atlee’s 14 point-lead in the first quarter.

  “This was potentially my last game, so there was nothing to hold back,” Atkins said. “I left everything I had out there.”

  The Confederates proved they could make big plays. A minute after Atlee took a 14-0 lead, Atkins broke into the Raider defensive backfield for a 57-yard scoring run. He added a 2-point conversion to make it 14-8.

  After an Atlee fumble at the end of the first quarter, Lee-Davis opened the second quarter with a 46-yard touchdown run by Wyatt. Again, Atkins added two points to give the Confederates a 16-14 lead with 11:50 in the first half.

  “It just happened. I was just moving,” Wyatt said of his run. “I was ready to score!”

  The Confederates’ next touchdown – toward the end of the half – came from old-fashioned pounding away at the line-of scrimmage. Starting at their 44, they reached Atlee’s 9-yard line with the help of back-to-back runs of 26- and 11 yards by Wyatt and Atkins, respectively. Wyatt plunged to the 3-yard line, and Akins finished the drive off with a 3-yard run. This time, the run on the conversion attempt failed, but Lee-Davis took a 22-14 lead into the half.

  Atlee crept back into contention with a 63-yard scoring drive on the Raiders’ first possession of the second half. Ferguson accounted for almost all of the offense, with a 10-yard pass to Will McCombs and consecutive runs of 49, four and two yards – the latter one for a touchdown. Joseph Pulisic’s PAT made it 22-21.

  For most of the game, however, Ferguson struggled against the Confederates’ defense. He was sacked twice, but rushing pressure forced him to throw the ball away on several occasions – and helped force interceptions in the second and third quarters.

  The Raiders closed to within two points, 29-27, in the fourth quarter on a 67-yard interception return by Cody Farrar. A 2-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game failed.

  It was gut-check time for Lee-Davis.

  “I just knew after that that we had to pound them again and do what we do,” Wyatt said.

  Lee-Davis did just that. Atlee began its final drive on its 27-yard line, driving steadily onward until the Lee-Davis defense stopped them on a fourth-and-five from the Confederates’ 20. Pulisic attempted a 27-yard field goal that would have won the game. It sailed wide left.

  “It happens,” Atlee coach Roscoe Johnson said of the missed field goal. “He’s a 16-, 17-year-old kid, and the moment got to him. Honestly, we shouldn’t have gotten to that point. We should have been taking care of business and we didn’t.”

Lee-Davis ................ 8 14 7 0—29
Atlee….......................  14 0 7 6—27

A – Price 60 pass from Ferguson (Pulisic kick)
A – Williams 7 pass from Ferguson (Pulisic kick)
L-D – Atkins 57 run run (Atkins kick)
L-D – Wyatt 46 run (Atkins kick)
L-D – Atkins 3 run (run failed)
A – Ferguson 2 run (Pulisic kick)
L-D – Atkins 3 run (Castelvecchi kick)
A – Farrar 67 interception return (pass failed)
RUSHING : Lee-Davis – Atkins 22 carries 131 yards, Vaughan 9-54, Wyatt16-131, Eaton 1-0. Atlee – Elie 11-41, Ferguson 10-68, Hall 1-0, Doggett 4-10.
PASSING: Lee-Davis – Vaughan 0 completions 5 attempts 0 yards, 1 interceptions. Atlee – Ferguson 19-31-229-2.
RECEIVING: Atlee – Price 3-88, McCombs 4-37, Williams 4-62, Underwood 3-34, Morales 1-0, Elie 3-0, Doggett 1-8.