Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Lee-Davis’ Will Connerley (3) busts loose for big gain in third quarter of the 50th Anniversary Tomato Bowl at Patrick Henry on Saturday. Connerley paced the Confederates, picking up 169 yards on 10 receptions.
Published: September 29, 2009
By Jim Ridolphi .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Entering last week’s Tomato Bowl at Patrick Henry, Lee-Davis needed one victory to even the series as the 51st edition of the traditional contest began.
“Some of the seniors on this team have never beaten Patrick Henry so this was a big game for us,” said senior wide receiver William Connerley following the Confederates 20-13 win over the Patriots. “This was a total team effort and it feels great.”
The Confederates left Ashland with their first Tomato Bowl win in four years in a game that featured all the hoopla associated with Patrick Henry’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Lee-Davis celebrated their 50th anniversary last year in a 14-13 loss at home and this victory evens the series record at 25-25-1.
The Patriots utilized big plays and Confederate turnovers to keep the game close, and Coach Ray Long’s team was down by only seven with minutes remaining in the contest. Yet, close was not enough to overcome a phenomenal effort by the Lee-Davis defense, which limited the Patriots to just 134 yards.
“They played their tails off tonight,” said C-Fed coach Jason Meade following the game. “We held a good team to 20 yards in the first half with the exception of that long run.”
Patrick Henry falls to 0-3 on the season and Patriot head coach Ray Long was again frustrated with the play of his team, especially in critical situations. “We couldn’t stop them on third and long and couldn’t get the ball back at the end to have a chance,” he said. “You’ve also got to be able to run the ball and when we start doing those things, we’ll be a better football team.”
The Patriots started fast with an opening drive that was sparked by a 60-yard scamper from Kenny Mock taking them deep into Confederate territory. However, that drive eventually stalled, and Hayden Dyer booted a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Lee-Davis’ first drive was halted when Patrick Henry defensive back J.C. Smith picked off a Phillip Gardner pass and returned it to the C-Fed 40-yard line, but the Patriots could not take advantage of the turnover.
With stout defense the Patriots forced the C-Feds into a third and long situation but Gardner found Connerley to convert the first of several third and fourth downs.
“I have confidence these guys can execute in those situations,” Meade said. He also admitted getting a win against PH is never easy. “Ray Long has been doing this a long time and their staff came out with a game plan that stressed us early defensively.”
Lee-Davis eventually scored on the drive late the first period when Tucker Walton carried in from the one. The two-point conversion failed and the Confederates had a 6-3 lead.
Lee-Davis pushed the margin to 13-3 when junior Emmit Atkins found pay dirt with five minutes remaining in the half on a one-yard plunge.
Following a Gardner interception by Clay Schools early in the second half, the Patriots capitalized on a Brian Houchens sweep from five yards out that got the Patriots within three at 13-10.
Lee-Davis began its next drive when they picked off a Patriot’s quarterback Jayrin Waller’s pass and set up shop on their own 35-yard line. Gardner then orchestrated a scoring drive capped by an Atkins 6-yard run with a combination of passes and runs that gave the C-Feds a 20-10 lead with a little over a minute remaining in the third quarter.
With five minutes remaining in the game, Patriots kicker Dyer added another field goal but that’s as close as Patrick Henry could get.
Gardner finished with the night going 19-of-29 for 225 yards. Connerley grabbed a huge chunk of that yardage with 10 catches for 169 yards.
Though excited about the win, Connerley said the real work begins now as district play begins. “It’s a big win but we know we have to keep working hard. Our record is 0-0 in the (Capital) district, so we’ll work hard this week getting ready for Varina.”
Riding a two-game win streak and sporting the best start in recent Lee-Davis history, Meade eyes are firmly fixed on the future. “We’re 0-0 in the district and we play Varina next week,” he said. “We want to win the district and the post season. That’s the goal.”
Patrick Henry hosts Thomas Jefferson this Friday at 7 p.m.
