Decker Delivers a Chantilly Shocker

Two things can happen when you give up a game-opening touchdown drive and, three plays later, watch your quarterback leave the field in an ambulance, bound for a waiting helicopter: You can strap your region championship dreams to the gurney with him, or you can rally around his capable replacement and try to win the game.

Chantilly (9-3) pulled off the latter yesterday in the Virginia AAA Northern Region Division 6 championship, shaking off a frightening injury to senior quarterback Nate Worek and riding the trusty arm, legs and decision making of junior Austin Decker.

Decker threw for a score and ran for two others -- including the game-winner with 14 seconds left -- to lead the Chargers to a 26-21 victory at No. 3 Westfield (11-1) in front of 7,000 for the program's first region title since 1996.

Worek lay face down on the field for more than 20 minutes midway through the first quarter before being taken away. Chantilly Coach Mike Lalli said later that Worek suffered a concussion and was released from Inova Fairfax Hospital.

"When I first got out there, he couldn't feel his fingers, he was tingling. . . . He couldn't squeeze the doctor's hand," Lalli said. "Once they got him to calm down and breathe easier he started getting more and more movement."

"It was awful," Decker said of watching Worek being taken away by ambulance. "Our coaches told us that it could either be a killer or hype us up for the rest of the game. We used it to excite us, to play for Nate, and get a win for him."

Decker, a starting wide receiver-safety who split time at quarterback with Worek last year, brings a similar set of skills to the Chargers' option attack but is more inclined to try to run over defenders than around them.

Regardless the style, Decker engineered every play the Chargers needed to make during a game-winning 61-yard touchdown drive capped by his own one-yard surge with 14 seconds left. That score gave Chantilly its first lead.

On that final possession, Decker completed passes for first downs on fourth and four (to Danny Simms), fourth and five (to Damont Jackson), third and 15 (to Simms again) and second and 17 (to Justin Carwile).

"As [Decker] got into the flow more and more, we just kind of kept giving him more and more stuff," said Lalli, whose team had lost, 34-28, to Westfield during the regular season. "He practices it every week, but it's different in a game. He's a confident kid."

"He made some plays down the stretch there that were unbelievable," Westfield Coach Tom Verbanic said. "You've got to congratulate a kid that steps off the bench and does that."

Chantilly senior Chris Kolta intercepted a pass around midfield in the final seconds to secure the win.

Chantilly 26, No. 3 Westfield 21 Bright Future: Westfield, unbeaten during the regular season for the third time in five years, will lose only seven of its 22 starters to graduation. "Our improvement level from the first game [to now] was astronomical," Coach Tom Verbanic said. Up Next: Chantilly, 0-10 two seasons ago, will be at home at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Division 6 state semifinal against Central Region champion Varina.