Record stands at 5-1
By Duncan Nixon, correspondent
The Fluco football team scored its third touchdown with seconds to go in the first half during its Friday night (Oct. 5) game against Charlottesville.
With 22 seconds left in the half, freshman quarterback Kobe Edmunds swept left from the 18, broke several tackles and took the ball into the end zone. The Flucos converted a two-point extra point to take a 23-15 lead into the locker room.
The Flucos then maintained the lead throughout the second half to win 37-29. In addition to Edmonds’ score, the Flucos had two touchdowns each from seniors Dametrez Christmas and Prophett Harris. The Black Knights worked hard in the second half to close the gap, but the Fluco offense was too powerful. “Sometimes a good offense is the best defense,” Coach Mike Morris said after the game.
The way this game started was a little concerning for Fluco fans. Fluvanna went three and out on its first possession and had to punt. Charlottesville started at its own 35-yard line. They marched the ball relentlessly with running play after running play, and scored with 5:59 left in the quarter. A successful two-point extra point put the Flucos down 0-8.
The Flucos started at their own 40 after a good kick return by Nathan Smith. Smith had a couple of strong runs up the middle and Harris broke off a long run for a touchdown. Colby Martin made a huge open field block to break Harris loose. Elijah Bullock kicked the PAT and the Flucos trailed 7-8 with 3:28 left in the quarter.
On their first possession of the second quarter the Black Knights faced a fourth down and 14 from just inside Fluco territory. Rather than punt, they went for a first down. It worked, as a rare pass completion took the ball all the way to the Fluco 10. Charlottesville ran it in from there and kicked the extra point for a 15-7 lead.
The Flucos seemed undeterred. They took the ball and marched right down the field with successful running play after successful running play. Christmas ran right from the 14 for a touchdown. Senior running back Daori Green took the ball into the zone for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 15-15 with 5:57 left in the half.
On another fourth down around midfield, Charlottesville elected to go for the first down. They had a receiver wide open, but the quarterback overthrew him. The Flucos took over on downs and marched down the field with Edmunds making his touchdown run just before time expired. A successful two-point conversion made the score 23-15.
On the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Charlottesville scored on a long run. The Black Knights went for a two-point conversion in order to tie the score, but the Flucos turned it away and led 23-21. The Flucos lost the ball on a fumble and Charlottesville took over with a chance to take the lead. However, the Flucos held the Black Knights. Fluco defensive end Eli Hartzog made the key play when he broke through and tackled the Black Knight running back for a five-yard loss. The Black Knights again went for a first down in their own territory. An incomplete pass gave the Flucos a short field, as they started at their own 39. The Flucos ran the ball downfield for a couple of first downs, achieving a first down from the four. Christmas scored on a slashing run to the right. A two-point attempt failed and the Flucos led 29-21.
The fourth quarter started with the Flucos at their own 35-yard line. On the third play of the quarter, Edmonds rolled right and passed to Harris at about the Charlottesville 30. Harris cut back to the middle of the field and was off to the races. He has great speed and no Black Knight defender had a chance to stop him. A successful two-point conversion put the Flucos up by 16 at 37-21 with 10:31 left in the game. Two touchdowns followed by two-point conversions by the Black Knights would have tied the game and they had demonstrated that they could move the ball, so the Flucos were not entirely safe.
Charlottesville was not dead. They took the ball and marched it down the field on the ground, but their drive took a lot of time off the clock. The Black Knights scored with 5:29 remaining, and successfully converted a two-point attempt to close the margin to eight points. The Flucos needed to make a few first downs to run out the clock. That is exactly what they did. Behind powerful blocking by the offensive line, the Flucos ran for three first downs, and time ran out on Charlottesville.
On Oct. 12 the Flucos will host the Powhatan Indians in a Homecoming contest. There was an impressive crowd in attendance for the Charlottesville game, so it is likely that there will be a huge turnout for Homecoming. Plan to arrive early.
After Powhatan, the Flucos end their regular season with away games Oct. 19 and Nov. 2 at Albemarle and Louisa, and with a senior night game Oct. 26 against Western Albemarle.
