Fork Union slips past Woodberry

FORK UNION — Anytime you have a scoreless game heading into overtime, you can bet it was sloppy.

Turnovers, penalties, rain and mud. This year’s installment of Woodberry Forest against Fork Union was a shining example of old-time football.

FUMA can thank its front seven for the 6-0 victory on Saturday afternoon, as the defense put up one goal-line stand after another.

“Our kids just played out of their heads,” said Fork Union coach Micky Sullivan. “They just rose up to the occasion. It was an unbelievable game to coach. It’s one of those games that one of these days, when my nerves calm down, I’ll sit down and watch it.”

Down 6-0 in the first overtime, Woodberry had three cracks to find the end zone at the 1-yard line, but the FUMA defense would not give.

“It was a team effort,” said Blue Devils linebacker Jamal Hunter. “Defense wins ball games. Everyone just dominated. We broke it down and everyone just executed all game.”

In the first half, the Tigers opened up camp in the Blue Devils red zone, but couldn’t find their way into the end zone. The Tigers had two turnovers at the five-yard line, a fumble and an interception, and also failed to convert on fourth and two.

“It seemed like it was just one series after another was goal line, goal line, goal line,” Sullivan said. “Once they did it a couple of times they knew they could do this. I didn’t see, in the overtime, anything in anyone’s face that said, ‘Coach, I can’t do this.’”

The two times the Woodberry did cross the goal line, flags were thrown for a block in the back and holding.

The FUMA defense just had the Tigers’ number.

“We scored 90-some points in the first two games,” said Woodberry coach Clint Alexander. “Those 300-pound defensive lineman did a lot to slow us down. We’re just not big enough. This was a perfect scenario for these guys and they got it.”

Woodberry thought it had the game won when they lined up for a 33-yard field goal attempt with under a minute to play, but the kick sailed wide right.

Offensively, the Blue Devils were unable to get anything going. They had just one first down in the first half, and never reached the red zone in the second half. FUMA also turned the ball over three times.

But when the game was on the line, running back Ethan Taylor picked up the only 10 yards his team needed. His first carry of overtime went for nine yards. On third-and-1, he finished the drive.

“I got the football right in the belly, spun, hit the hole and everything opened up,” Taylor said. “We worked so hard in practice. This was our game. We wanted it more.”

To say that the conditions on the field favored the defense is on overstatement. Few players were able to find their footing in the swamp like conditions, and when any offensive player did turn a corner, a defender was there to meet them.

“We needed to be able to throw the ball in this game,” Alexander said. “But you’re talking about a one play game. I don’t think we played bad. The kids did as much as they could do. [FUMA] had one more play than we did.”

Woodberry tailback K.G. Gaskins put in the only favorable offensive numbers, carrying the ball 19 times for 102 yards.