By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area
The Stallions let victory slip away Friday — twice.
Leading by three points with 1 minute, 11 seconds left, an errant punt snap was recovered in the end zone by Charger senior Seehoon Lee to put visiting Chantilly ahead by four.
A 32-yard leaping reception by South County senior Oyinemi Iyebote over a defender put the hosts in-range for a game-winning strike. But, seconds later, said game-winning strike from senior Aaron Andrews bounced off Iyebote’s chest and fell incomplete in the end zone on 3rd-and-10.
But on the next snap, the Chantilly secondary forgot about Dre.
The Stallions called the exact same play that got Iyebote open before the drop. This time, the cornerback covering senior Andre Simmons followed Iyebote on his crossing route.
Andrews found Simmons, lonely with :08 left, in the front corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown, lifting South County over Chantilly, 23-21.
“We just believe. We run that play quite a lot, it’s just double switches,” Stallion Coach Pete Bendorf said. “We hit it last year against Lee for a touchdown in the same situation. I told Aaron, ‘Just read the corner.’
“This time he ran with Oyinemi down the middle and that opened up Andre down the sideline.”
Added Andrews, 14-for-28 passing for 208 yards and two scores: “It’s a progression read. My coach taught us to make my read and things like that. That’s what I did: I stayed calm, I made my read and [the corner] ended up coming over.”
Just minutes before Simmons’ winning reception from Andrews, fate appeared to have decided the game for the Chargers.
Despite outgaining Chantilly 357-206, Lee’s fumble recovery in the end zone left South County trailing, 21-17, with possession at its own 31-yard line with 1:06 remaining.
Andrews took the field needing to lead the team 69 yards in 66 seconds with no timeouts.
“That’s what coach has been teaching us. When things go bad, never give up,” he said. “That’s our motto: Handle adversity. That’s what Coach Bendorf told me before we came out here for warm-ups. He told me, ‘Hey, handle adversity.’
“That’s what ended up happening.”
It also happened last week at South County’s final scrimmage when junior Ronnie VanDyke reaggravated a shoulder injury that will require season-ending surgery to repair.
VanDyke, already a recipient of five Division I scholarship offers, was expected to star at defensive back and wide receiver entering the season.
Simmons, VanDyke’s running mate in the secondary, himself has eight scholarships offers. In VanDyke’s absence, it was critical he double his playmaking efforts, especially in the season-opener Friday.
Simmons not only caught the game-winning touchdown, but also recovered a second-quarter fumble at the Chantilly 34. He then ran 64 yards on a fake punt that set up a go-ahead score in the second half.
“Andre played huge, a fake punt for a big gain and when we had to have a big play, he provided the spark,” Bendorf said. “He has senior leadership. That’s why a lot of schools are recruiting him. We just had to have him and we played him both ways on a hot night. My hat is off to him.”
Added Simmons, with 88 all-purpose on only two offensive touches: “Ronnie is a major contributor, he’s a major contributor. We’ve got some young guys now and I think I need to do more leadership.
“I’m not the most vocal guy — that’s [Andrews] right here — I try to lead by example. Tonight I knew I had to pick it up.”
Box Score 1 2 3 4 — F
Chantilly 0 7 0 14 — 21
South County 7 0 10 6 — 23
Scoring Plays
1Q — SC — Doublet 51 from Andrews (Curtade kick) — 8:06
2Q — CH — Romine 4 run (Hutzel kick) — 3:16
3Q — SC — Newell 3 from Jordan (Curtade kick) — 2:45
3Q — SC — Curtade 31 FG — 0:22
4Q — CH — Martin 32 from Voorhies (Hutzel kick) — 5:56
4Q — CH — Lee fumble recovery in end zone (Hutzel kick) — 1:11
4Q — SC — Simmons 24 from Andrews (kick blocked) — 0:08
Passing
CH – Romine – 8-for-15, 59 yards, 2 INT; Voorhies – 1-for-2, 32 yards, TD. SC – Andrews – 14-for-28, 208 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; Jordan – 1-for-1, 3 yards, TD.
Rushing
CH – Farris – 13 car, 60 yards; Hill – 5 car, 21 yards; Romine – 13 car, 14 yards, TD; Rudorfer – 6 car, 10 yards; Hicks – 2 car, 10 yards. SC – Simmons – 1 car, 64 yards; Winbush – 7 car, 36 yards; Jordan – 15 car, 31 yards; Andrews – 6 car, 15 yards; Josephs – 1 car, 0 yards.
Receiving
CH – Voorhies – 3 rec, 37 yards; Martin – 2 rec, 36 yards, TD; Huelskamp – 1 rec, 9 yards; Farris – 2 rec, 4 yards; Simms – 1 rec, 4 yards. SC – Iyebote – 3 rec, 65 yards; Vane – 5 rec, 55 yards; Doublet – 2 rec, 53 yards, TD; Simmons – 1 rec, 24 yards, TD; Jordan – 2 rec, 6 yards; Stein – 1 rec, 5 yards; Newell – 1 rec, 3 yards, TD.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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