**Look below for video highlights of Friday night's game**By Dan Sousa
LoudounPrepSports.com Content Editor
Leesburg (Sept. 6, 2008) - The Handley High School football team was one-dimensional Friday night at Loudoun County, attempting just three pases on the night for a miniscule three yards, but that one dimension that the Judges did have was dynamite as junior Jeremiah Wilson sliced through the Raider defense for six tochdowns and 281 yards rushing in a 49-21 Handley non-district win.
For Raider coach Todd Hill it was the second straight defeat to his former school where he was the varsity coach and then Athletic Director before taking over a winless LC program after the 2006 season. The Raiders had high expectations after opening the season with a 20-2 win at Musselman WV a week ago but the LC offense sputtered with six turnovers, including five interceptions and the Raider defense could not contain Wilson, especially in the fouth quarter when he scored on runs of 63, 51 and 36 yards to blow open a 28-21 game.
While the Raiders threw for 281 yards with Joe Bushrod going 15 of 21 for 211 yards and tight end Chase Williams adding a 56-yard touchdown toss to Mike Ayoub (10 receptions for 189 yards) on a trick play with 15 seconds left in the first half, LC could manage just 35 total yards on ther ground, thanks in part to seven sacks allowed to the Judges swarming defensive front.
Great field position helped set up Handley's first score of the night as a third down sack on the Raiders first possession of the evening followed by a short punt left the Judges just 37 yards from the end zone. Handley needed five rushing plays, four by Wilson, to push the ball across with 8:20 left in the first quarter. Graham Sharples, who had a TD-saving tackle on a kickoff in the game, connected on the first of seven extra points to make it 7-0.
Raider junior Adam Yesuf broke lose on a sweep around the left side on LC's first play of the next drive for 34 yards. LC moved inside the 20 on a Bushrod-to-Ayoub pass but the ball was jarred loose and Sam Osborn recovered for the Judges at their own 14.
Both teams had trouble settling down offensviely in the first quarter with Handley going 3-and-out and give LC good field position at the Judges 48, but three plays later as Bushrod was scrambling out of the pocket, his pass back across the middle was picked off by Tyre White and he returned it all the way to the Raider 23. Two plays later, Raider senior Tim McLister came up with a big play as he intercepted David Carter.
LC then went on its best drive of the night, a 10-play, 68-yard march that included a mix of runs and passes. Bushrod found Williams for 19 and 16 yards and then Ayoub took a slant for 13 yards to the 2. After Bushrod was denied on a sneak on first-and-goal, Yesuf went in over right tackle and Ayoub connected with the first of his three extra points to make it 7-7 with 8:07 to go in the first half.
The Judges, however, had an answer all evening for any LC big plays and Vance Washington took the kickoff and went 67 yards to the Raider 22. Two plays later, Wilson went in almost untouched from 13 yards to make it 14-7 with 7:13 to go in the half.
McLister tried for his own big kickoff return, going 23 yards before getting tripped up. LC could not pick up a first down and Bushrod pinned the Judges back on their 14 with a 50-yard punt. Handley went the 86 yards in just seven plays with Wilson scoring from 46 on a 2nd-and-4 call with 1:30 to go in the half.
It appeared that the Judges would be up by 14 at the half, especially after Bushrod was sacked on 2-and-10 with less than a minute to go but Hill called a trickl play, a double pass, that either bounced by design or bad luck, but Williams near the Judges sidelines, fielded the backwards pass from Bushrod and then heaved a throw all the way across the field to a wide open Ayoub to make it 21-14 with 15 seconds left in the half.
Both defenses held firm in the third quarter but LC's offense provided a boost to Handley when Bushrod went out with an injury and his replacement was picked off by Robert Galloway on the 22 and the Judges linebacker waltez into the end zone to make it 28-14 with 5:06 to play in the third quarter. Bushrod would be able to return but he was just one of several Raiders, including Yesuf, suffering from nagging injuries during the contest.
The Raiders came to life in the fourth quarter with Bushrod connecting on six straight passes, all to Ayoub and Williams to move the ball from the Raiders 22 to the end zone. Williams did the honors fielding a short pass on 1st -and-goal from the 9 and he fought his way to the goal line, landing just on it, losing the ball but the officials ruled he broke the plane and the score was 28-21 with 8:45 left in the contest.
One play. That was all Wilson needed as he appeared to have fresh legs against a tiring defense. Wilson sprinted 63 yards to make it 35-21. And it wasn't done. Afrer an interception by Washington-- who returned the pick 75 yards for a would-be score but a flag on the return put the ball back at the Handley 49 -- Wilson went 51 yards on the next handoff to make it 42-21.
Another interception by Washington gave Handley the ball again and Wilson after a "minor" gain of eight yards, went 36 yards for his sixth touchdown of the night to make it 49-21 with 2:15 left. In all, Wilson touched the ball four times in the fourth quarter, gaining 158 yards with three touchdowns.
Loudoun County travels to James Wood next week before a bye week leading into AA Dulles District play.
| Handley 49, Loudoun County 21 |
| |
| (game played 9.05.08 @ Leesburg, VA) |
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Final |
| Handley (2-0) |
7 |
14 |
7 |
21 |
49 |
| Loudoun County (1-1) |
0 |
14 |
0 |
7 |
21 |
| 1 H - Wilson 1 run (Sharples kick) 8:20 |
| 2 LC - Yesuf 2 run (Ayoub kick) 8:07 |
| 2 H - Wilson 13 run (Sharples kick) 7:13 |
| 2 H - Wilson 46 run (Sharples kick) 1:30 |
| 2 LC - Ayoub 56 pass from Williams (Ayoub kick ) 0:15 |
| 3 H - Galloway 22 interception return (Sharples kick) 5:06 |
| 4 H - Wilson 63 run (Sharples kick) 8:24 |
| 4 H - Wilson 51 run (Sharples kick) 6:02 |
| 4 H - Wilson 36 run (Sharples kick) 2:15 |
|
Handley |
|
LC |
|
8 |
First Downs |
12 |
|
349 |
Total Offense (Yards) |
316 |
|
35-346 |
Rushing - Yards |
28-35 |
|
3 |
Passing - Yards |
281 |
|
3 - 1 |
Passes - Completions |
26 - 18 |
|
1 |
Passes Intercepted |
5 |
|
0 |
Fumbles Lost |
1 |
|
4 - 25 |
Penalties - Yards |
7 - 42 |
Rushing
Handley: Wilson 20-281, McFarlane 11-58, Osbourn 1-5, Carter 2-2, Grant 1-0.
LC: Yesuf 12-52, Walczak 2-6, Howard 2-4, Bushrod 12-(-27).
PassingHandley: Carter 1-3-1, 3 yards.
LC: Bushrod 15-21-3, 211 yards; Williams 1-1-0, 56 yards; Campbell 2-4-2, 14 yards.
ReceivingHandley: Sloane 1-3.
LC: Ayoub 10-189, Williams 7-86, Veratudela 1-6.