By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco football team hosted the Bulldogs from Goochland County on Oct. 27. It was the final regular season home game for the Flucos, and it was Senior Night. Aside from two big plays, the game was a complete stalemate dominated by the respective defenses. With less than a minute left in the first half, and the ball at the Fluco 49, sophomore quarterback Will Lambert launched a long pass to senior wide receiver Logan Wade. Wade caught the pass at the Bulldog 30, broke away from the defender and sped into the end zone. The attempt for a two-point extra point was thwarted. No one anticipated that that would be the difference in the game. Halfway through the third quarter, Lambert threw short pass to his left. A Bulldog defensive lineman batted the ball into the air and it fell into the hands of one of his teammates, who ran the interception all the way back to the end zone. It was the Bulldogs’ only score of the game. The Bulldogs kicked the extra point for a 7-6 lead, which was the final score.
The game opened with the Flucos taking the kick-off at their 45-yard line. The Flucos gained eight yards on three runs and went for it on fourth down. Senior running back Marcus Dickerson blasted into the center of the Bulldogs line for a first down. Lambert then hit junior tight end Benny Denby over the middle to take the ball to the Bulldog 33. However, a sack set the Flucos back seven yards, and they ultimately turned the ball over on downs. The Bulldogs went three and out and punted. The Flucos ran the ball three times for a first down and the quarter ended 0-0.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth struggle. Dickerson made two big defensive stops to halt Bulldog drives, but the Bulldog punter pinned the Flucos inside the five twice. As the clock was running down the Flucos recovered a fumble at their own 49. After an incompletion, Lambert hit Wade for the touchdown. The Fluco led at the half 6-0. In the third quarter, the Flucos had a drive that started with two first downs, but a Lambert pass was batted in the air and the Bulldogs intercepted for a pick six.
In the fourth quarter, neither team could generate a drive as the defenses shut down the offenses. There was a scare late in the quarter when Lambert went down on the far sideline, apparently due to a personal foul. Lambert was motionless for a while and he was taken from the field by ambulance. After the game, Coach Mitchell Pace said that he thought that Lambert was okay and that the use of the ambulance was just a precaution. Logan Wade replaced Lambert and did a creditable job, but two long passes to Denby were too long and the Flucos turned the ball over on downs, allowing the Bulldog to run out the clock.
This defensive struggle was not expected. The Flucos came in 5-3 with an offense that had been putting points on the board. The Bulldogs came in 2-6 but they had won two of their last three by big scores.
The Flucos final game of the regular season will be Nov. 3 at Monticello High.
