By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Mountain View took advantage of well-timed big plays to post 27 unanswered points going into halftime en route to a 37-13 victory over Albemarle in a Commonwealth District showdown Friday night.
The Patriots weren’t able to keep all of the Wildcats’ playmakers under wraps. While highly-recruited wide receiver prospect DaeSean Hamilton attracted double coverage, he still tallied three plays of 17 or more yards and a redzone touchdown run on a reverse. His teammates took advantage of the extra attention the Patriots paid to Hamilton as Mountain View totaled 464 yards of offense, including 285 on the ground.
“We had [Hamilton] double teamed, short and long, and he still made big catches,” said Albemarle coach Mike Alley. “If we could have taken a couple plays away, I think the score looks a little different.”
In contrast, Albemarle’s offense posted just 58 yards rushing as the Wildcats successfully contained Niko Troche and forced the Patriots’ quarterbacks into difficult passing situations.
“[Troche] concerned us. I really liked him when we saw him on film being explosive,” said Mountain View coach Lou Sorrentino. “They did a nice job moving the ball, but he didn’t break down and hurt us much. It’s about getting guys running to the ball, and our guys did a nice job with that.”
Playing in wet conditions for the first time this season, both offenses put the ball on the ground with frequency. Albemarle’s game-opening possession ended with a sack-fumble recovered by Wildcats’ senior linebacker Brian Schmied; however, Mountain View could not capitalize as a 31-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. Albemarle’s offense then got in gear on a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive that featured seven runs. Sophomore quarterback D.G. Archer, starting his second straight game, hit Matt Crist for a 31-yard touchdown.
Mountain View answered with its own 80-yard drive consisting of six rushes. After Gregory Hoffman broke loose for 52 yards, the Wildcats’ sophomore quarterback Elijah Burress capped it with a 7-yard keeper. Fumbled snaps and bad passes foiled the next several possessions for both teams as rain fell heavily starting late in the first quarter. As part of their run of 27 straight points, the Wildcats regained their rhythm when Burress found junior wideout Quinton Gray, who starts opposite Hamilton, open for a 56-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
“Overall, we all as a team did pretty [well],” said Hamilton, who already has offers from Virginia and Virginia Tech. “Long business trip down here, that’s what we called it. We came and played and got the job done.”
Albemarle failed to respond as Mountain View focused on Troche, and Archer suffered a string of six straight incompletions. The Wildcats next took advantage of a good punt return by Hamilton in the half’s closing minutes. Burress again hit a long pass to Gray for 37 yards, setting up junior running back Gordon Collins’ 3-yard touchdown run. Then, a botched fielding of Mountain View’s subsequent squib kickoff likely sealed the Patriots’ fate. Burress connected with Hamilton for the first time for 36 yards and, three plays later, Hamilton took a reverse handoff and easily ran in from 9 yards for a touchdown, and 27-7 halftime advantage.
“I think that was a big one, momentum-wise,” said Sorrentino. “It was a 7-7 game there for awhile, and then to go up 27-7, that touchdown was big.”
Albemarle fought back in the third quarter after senior linebacker Eli MacKay forced a Mountain View sack-fumble. On the Patriots’ ensuing series, Archer suffered a sprained ankle on a sack. Facing 4th and 16, Peyton Alley found Aaron Willy for 23 yards. Troche then scored from 3 yards out to pull the Patriots within two touchdowns; however, they would get no closer.
Mountain View outscored Albemarle 10-0 in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Dalton Fraser and a 34-yard fumble recovery-and-return for touchdown by Schmied. On that play, Albemarle sophomore center Andrew Mayo suffered an apparent serious injury, and play was stopped for over half an hour while trainers and medical personnel tended to the player.
“We’re not sure what happened, but he got hit right below his hip pad,” said Alley. “We’re just hoping that he’s okay, but I know he was in a lot of pain. He’ll be out for a little bit.”
Hamilton finished with two catches for 73 yards, as well as 48 yards and a touchdown on five rushes. His teammate Gray had four receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Collins led all rushers with 94 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Hoffman tallied 82 yards on eight rushes. Meanwhile, Niko Troche carried a game-high 20 times for just 51 yards and one touchdown. Both Albemarle quarterbacks finished 4 of 11, while Crist had a solid night with four catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.
“I try to tell our team that we’re a very good football team,” said Alley. “We come out here and we score more points in the first quarter—I was just looking at our stats—and we do very [well], and then all of a sudden we kind of give up a big play or two and make a mistake. We’ve got to get out of that.”
Albemarle (1-4, 1-2) will look for its second Commonwealth District win next Friday when it hosts Stafford (2-4, 2-2).
