Dominique Booker is all smiles after Hermitage claimed its first region football title since 1984.
by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
It was a long time coming.
For Hermitage, 23 years. For
JuJu Clayton, at least four years.
Clayton threw four touchdowns to lead Hermitage to its first Central Region football title since 1984, as the Panthers toppled Meadowbrook 33-14 Friday night in the Division 6 final.
Hermitage moves on to the VHSL state Group AAA Division 6 final against the Woodbridge-Gar-Field winner. The Northwest Region duo tangle Saturday afternoon.
"A lot of us seniors, we've been thinking about this since ninth grade," Clayton said. "On JV our 10th grade year, we went 10-0. So we had the team to get it done. We worked hard all summer, all year to get ready for where we're at right now."
Hermitage (11-1) wouldn't have sniffed the state semifinals without the right arm of Clayton. He went 16 for 21 for 201 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception.
Clayton also rushed for 72 yards to keep Meadowbrook pass rushers honest.
"My receivers, they played big," said Clayton, who hit six different receivers, including
Duan Perez-Means for two TDs. "I've got big targets. Meadowbrook keeps a lot of men in the box, so we knew we could beat them deep."
After going down 7-0, Clayton led Hermitage on a 7-play, 70-yard drive capped by his 37-yard strike to
Dominique Booker on a corner route as the Panthers were down one, 7-6.
Hermitage coach
Patrick Kane must have found something, as on Hermitage's next drive, Clayton found Means on a similar route to the same spot of the end zone for a 15-yard score and a 12-7 lead.
Then Hermitage's
Willie Smith blocked
Jamie Ornelas' punt.
Michael Johnson scooped the ball and returned it 12 yards for a TD as Hermitage took a 19-7 lead after
Corey Maiden's extra-point was good.
Before the 19-point outburst in a five-minute period, Meadowbrook (9-3) had several great scoring chances, mostly because of great kick and punt returns by the electrifying
Torrean Crowell.
The Monarchs were set up at the 16-, 9- and 35-yard line of Hermitage, but only scored once as
Kyle Mitchell blasted in from three yards out on the possession that began at the 9.
"We didn't take care of those opportunities," Meadowbrook coach
Bill Bowles said. "We only got seven points out of three possessions when we should've had good points out of it. They did a good job defensively and they pretty much whipped us up front all night long."
The game MVP could have gone to Clayton, but the Hermitage defense could have easily won it.
They halted a Meadowbrook drive on downs that reached their 15-yard line before the first half ended.
The Panthers put relentless pressure on Meadowbrook QB
Desmond Coble every time he dropped back, and kept Crowell and his backfield mates bottled up on a myriad of run plays the Monarchs used.
The only goof was when Hermitage was called for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties - 22 yards worth - that kept a Meadowbrook drive alive. The Monarchs finished it for a 5-point deficit, at 19-14.
But Meadowbrook wouldn't get too many more sniffs at the end zone, ending a wonderful season that looked doomed after an upset loss to Thomas Dale earlier in the season.
Meadowbrook didn't fold its tent, riding its magical carpet until it ran out of gas against a Hermitage team that was better Friday night.
"They played very hard," Bowles said of his group. "They had a lot of pressure on them. They had to keep winning after they dropped that game to Dale. I love 'em and they did a great job for us."
Hermitage went ahead 26-14 as Clayton hit
Theron Norman on a 3-yard TD. Norman beat double coverage on the fade route. Then late in the contest, Clayton found Perez-Means again, for a 9-yard TD, again in the corner of the end zone to set off a long-awaited celebration.
Meadowbrook 7 0 7 0 - 14
Hermitage 0 19 7 7 - 33M - Mitchell 3 run (Ornelas kick)
H - Booker 37 pass from Clayton (kick failed)
H - Perez-Means 15 pass from Clayton (pass failed)
H - Johnson 12 punt block return (Maiden kick)
M - Coble 1 run (Ornelas kick)
H - Norman 3 pass from Clayton (Maiden kick)
H - Perez-Means 9 pass from Clayton (Maiden kick)
RUSHING
Meadowbrook - Crowell 16 carries, 50 yards, Kyle Mitchell 8-38, Jermaine Spears 3-(minus 4), Coble 6-(minus 18);
Hermitage - Clayton 15-72, Justin White 17-61, Booker 2-1
PASSING
Meadowbrook - Coble 3 completions, 6 attempts, 0 interceptions, 20 yards;
Hermitage - Clayton 16-21-1-201
RECEIVING
Meadowbrook - Mike Williams 1 catch, 16 yards, Crowell 1-2, Mitchell 1-2;
Hermitage - Jamel Davis 1-55, Booker 4-50, Perez-Means 3-35, Norman 3-29, White 4-23, Matt Snead 1-8