Virginia AAA Patriot District
W.T. Woodson pulls away from Spartans in shootout
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For much of Friday night's Virginia AAA Patriot District showdown between W.T. Woodson and West Springfield, it looked as though whichever team last held the ball would win.
The two teams combined for 52 points, 520 yards and just one punt in the first half alone, and with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter it remained a four-point game, with neither team backing down.
But after stopping West Springfield one yard short on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Cavaliers (7-1, 4-1) put the game on the shoulders of senior running back James Johnson, and with his sixth carry on the seventh play of the drive, Johnson broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run that would all but seal W.T. Woodson's 44-31 victory.
"That was really old school," Johnson said of the critical drive. "We used to run that offense all the time a couple years ago and we switched to the spread but, yeah, it brought back some memories."
Johnson finished with 23 carries for 195 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night, and the outcome provided some redemption for a team that was outgunned last year by the Spartans in a 72-47 loss in the regional playoffs. As impressive as the back-and-forth offensive display was, it was the Cavaliers' defense that allowed the favorites to take back the momentum in a game that West Springfield (4-4, 3-2) threatened to control at one point early on.
Trailing 17-7, Johnson broke off a 65-yard run to pull W.T. Woodson back to within three points, and two plays later linebacker Josh Hogan stepped in front of a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to give the Cavaliers a 21-17 lead.
After West Springfield scored to take the lead again and forced a Woodson punt, senior Tim Herberg caused a Spartans fumble and Hogan recovered, setting up quarterback Connor Reilly's 16-yard touchdown pass to Colin Dempsey two plays later that gave W.T. Woodson a 28-24 lead.
But late in the game it was Johnson that took over, carrying the ball 18 times in the second half to lift the Cavaliers to a crucial district win.
"Whatever works, works," Reilly said. Johnson "was an animal tonight, can't describe it, he was running over kids, he was making good reads, quick feet. He played outstanding tonight."
