Bruton Takes Region Title In Stunner
SPORTSMANSHIP IS THE NAME OF THE BAY RIVERS GAME. After congratulating Bay Rivers District rival Poquoson (above), Bruton celebrated its first-ever Region I Division 3 title Saturday (below), defeating Poquoson 20-17. Photos by Jason Norman
Watching his jubilant team pile into the Bailey Field locker room on Saturday, Tracy Herrod took a moment to himself.
His team had just taken home the first Region I Division 3 title in school history. How they had won had made it that much more memorable. And what had happened just after the game... well, it was a lot for anyone to take in.
Walking along the endzone alone, the Bruton coach tried to convince himself that everything was real - at least, he certainly hoped so.
"They knew this was going to be a dogfight," said Herrod, whose team pulled out a 20-17 victory with a shocking touchdown in the final minute. "We told them that we had to weather some storms and stay focused. I thought our kids just kept fighting every play."
It became clear early on that Saturday's contest wouldn't be a replay of Bruton's 35-15 rout of the Islanders earlier this season. Lorenzo Taliaferro surprised the Poquoson defense by hauling around the right end and charging 72 yards for a touchdown with a minute left in the first quarter, but the Panthers didn't get another first down in the half.
After the Bruton defense stopped Cody Hutchison on a fourth-and-goal at the two, Taliaferro fumbled, and the Islanders got the ball back at the five. Moments later, Jay Diggs scored from a yard out, and Luke Hill scooped up a bad snap on the conversion and slipped into the endzone to put Poquoson on top, 8-7.
Taliaferro fumbled again near midfield, and William Haskins fell on the ball moments ahead of a group of Panthers to give possession to Poquoson at the Bruton 40. The drive stalled at the 11, but Micheal Lutz kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Islanders ahead 11-7 at the half.
Mark Adams gave Bruton back the lead with a two-yard plunge just under five minutes into the third period, and Lutz missed a 24-yard field goal. But Dylan Hill disrupted a Ben Arbino punt, which went straight up in the air and landed at the Bruton 29, the original line of scrimmage.
Hutchison charged to the 10, but three plays later, the Islanders still had a yard to go. After a timeout, Hill slammed his way over a tackler to the endzone for a 17-14 lead (Lutz's kick missed).
Evan Lemon picked off a Bruton pass at the 37, but Lutz missed another field goal, leaving the Islanders up by three with just under five minutes on the clock.
The Islanders appeared to have clinched the game when Andre Holiday recovered a Bruton fumble at the Poquoson 36 with 1:41 left. But the Panthers stopped Hill short of the first down, and used a pair of timeouts to stop the clock with 42 seconds left.
That's when the unbelievable became reality.
Randy Morgart lined up to punt for Poquoson, but the snap flew well over his head, rolling to the 10. Morgart rushed to it, but stumbled over the ball, inadvertently back-kicking it into the air. A charging Dearious Olivas snared it and roared into the endzone, leaving the Islanders to wonder what had just happened. Moments later, Jackson Neve picked off a Poquoson pass to end the Islanders' season.
"I was like, 'Just don't let him get it!'" said Olivas, whose touchdown with 14.4 seconds left against Tabb earlier this year gave his team a 31-28 win and tie for their first-ever Bay Rivers District title. "Then I just ran. My coaches told me to run for the ball and not ever stop!"
But before the Panthers celebrated, Rickey Dickerson led them to midfield for the trophy presentation.
"No trash talk!" shouted the Bruton senior to his squad. "They played their hearts out. They deserve respect." Then the teams spent a few minutes exchanging handshakes and hugs before the Panthers roared back to their endzone to celebrate their monumental moment.
"When you get out on this field, win or lose, everybody turns out to be brothers at the end of the day," Dickerson said. "We're going to try to come out here in states and represent the Bay Rivers District." That starts next weekend in Winchester, where the Panthers will visit unbeaten Handley.
But for now, it was a time to celebrate. Herrod hung back for a few minutes.
"The guys kept fighting until the end," he said. "They didn't get up. The defense got a stop when we needed a stop As long as there's a minute on the clock, you keep believing. As long as we believe, we can get it done."
