Falcons hold off ’Stangs

Huguenot’s Quinton Watson intercepted Tyler Moneymaker’s fourth-down pass with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, dashing any hopes of a Monticello comeback in a hard-fought 26-20 victory for the visiting Falcons on Friday night.

Entering the game on the heels of a 38-7 thumping of Albemarle, the Mustangs were a little jittery coming out of the gate. In a first quarter riddled with turnovers, Hugenot’s ground game came alive with just over six minutes left. The Falcons’ Kanard Pryor dashed 56 yards to set up a short touchdown run, giving Hugenot an early 6-0 lead.

Devoe Peoples added to the lead in the second quarter, taking the ball in from 12 yards out and giving the Falcons a 12-0 advantage with just over nine minutes left in the first half.

“Well, we knew coming in that they were a big, physical team,” Mustangs head coach Brud Bicknell said. “We were able to fight back a number of times, but ultimately they were just too much in the end.”

Following a field goal that cut the lead to nine, the Monticello defense stiffened and forced a key three-and-out, putting the ball back in the offense’s hands. Moneymaker wasted no time in leading a crisp two-minute drive and capping it off with a 1-yard dive that reduced Huguenot’s lead to 12-10 just before halftime.

“We came back every time we were down,” said Moneymaker. “We were down [for most of the game], but we just kept giving it everything.”

Monticello was able to take their only lead of the game at 13-12 following Nick Kalinsky’s second field goal to the start the third quarter. Huguenot answered quickly and snatched the advantage for good on a 22-yard scamper by Watson, giving the Falcons a 20-13 lead in the third quarter.

“We had a lot of trouble with their big offensive line,” Bicknell said. “Anytime a quarterback gets good yards on a QB sneak, you know the O-line is winning the battle.”

After the MHS offense bogged down deep inside its own territory, Huguenot quarterback Trevor Williamson capitalized on the good field position, trucking in for a seven-yard touchdown and pushing the Falcons lead to 26-13 to start the fourth quarter.

Monticello was not done though, and after Moneymaker rumbled in for a 21-yard score, the Mustangs were within seven points with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Mustang defense held HHS to a big three-and-out and gave their offense a chance with six minutes remaining in the game. Watson ruined any chance of a comeback with his diving interception on the three-yard line and the Falcons running game ground out the rest of the clock. 

“They were tough,” Moneymaker said. “They had an answer for everything we gave them … every time we scored or had a chance to make a big play, they stepped up.”

This meeting was the first between the schools. Monticello (1-1) is at home again next Friday against Powhatan.