Warriors Advance To Title Game With 33-21 Win
(POWHATAN, VA)--The Sherando Warriors took a very familiar road trip Saturday afternoon as they traveled to face the Powhatan Indians. It was 2005 when these teams last met for the right to play for a state championship. In 2005 the Indians got the better of the Warriors, later falling in the championship game. Fast forward two seasons...the Warriors are older and wiser and the Indians are just as good as before. The game between these two high powered offenses took center stage as the 2007 version of the state semi finals.
The Sherando Warriors wanted to get revenge and give themselves an opportunity to play for the state title, and on this day they were able to make that dream come true. It was the Warriors coming out on top 33 - 21 in a tightly contested match-up at Powhatan High School. The two schools came into the game with very similar offensive statistics for the season, with Sherando averaging over 36 points per game and Powhatan averaging close to 40 points per game. The deciding factor for the game would be which defense could step up and make the big play. The answer to that question was neither squad in the 1st quarter as both schools traded scores on 3 of the first 4 possessions of the ballgame. Sherando was able to drive the distance of the field on their first drive of the ballgame and took an early 7-0 lean on a Ross Metheny to Derek Crosen touchdown pass from 11 yards out. The Indians then took their next possession and relied on sophomore quarterback Shawn Minor to get the scored even at 7 apiece as he took a bootleg run into the end zone from 5 yards away. After the Warriors were forced to punt the football on the following possession, Powhatan was able to capitalize and take a 14 - 7 lead when Shawn Minor hooked up with senior Eric Watts for a 20 yard touchdown pass with just over 8 minutes to play in the first half. Sherando never quit and after the teams traded possessions again in the 2nd quarter, it was an amazing "Houdini" like effort from Ross Metheny that would setup a Markeith Brisco touchdown and a halftime score of 14 - 14. Junior quarterback Ross Metheny was able to avoid a pass rush and the tackles of 2 Indians defenders, staying on his feet long enough to find wide receiver Doug Davis open at the Powhatan 2-yard line for a 41 yard completion. The next play was when Brisco found the goal line and the gun sounded for the halftime break.
The two teams would start the 2nd half the same way they started the ballgame; all tied. It was the Warriors who would prove to be the better team as the game wore on, pulling away from the Indians and outscoring them 19-7 in the half. A 29-yard field goal by Lukas Stump with 6:36 to go in the 3rd quarter gave Sherando a 17 - 14 lead. Powhatan's offense then took the field and went on a 4 minute drive that would give the Indians the lead for what would be the last time of the ball game. The drive was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by junior running back Shawn Henderson. After the Powhatan touchdown that put the score 21 - 17 (also the final score from 2005) in favor of the home team, Ross Metheny led another quick Sherando scoring drive. The fans at Powhatan High School had not even gotten a chance to celebrate the lead as the Warriors responded in only 47 seconds. After a good kick return and a 15 yard Markeith Brisco scamper on 1st down it was again Ross Metheny to Derek Crosen that would put points on the board for Sherando. Metheny dropped back to pass and found Crosen on a post route and the rest was history. The touchdown pass covered 43 yards and proved to be the winning score in the ball game.
The 4th quarter saw Sherando score two more times, once on a Markeith Brisco 3-yard touchdown plunge and then again on a Christian Loy sack in the end zone that gave the Warriors a safety on the scoreboard and the final score of 33 - 21. For the second straight week the Sherando Warriors claimed a victory while playing one of the best games of the season.
The Warriors will next travel to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA to take on the also undefeated Amherst Lancers. Amherst punched its ticket to the championship game by defeating Salem 48 - 35. That game can be heard on The Gameday Radio Network exclusively online at www.GamedayMagazine.com starting approximately 45 minutes prior to the 4:30pm scheduled kickoff for the AA Div.4 State Championship.
