Monticello escapes Fluvanna with victory

PALMYRA - With the toughest part of the schedule already under their belt, Monticello is just looking to not get caught sleeping behind the wheel for the rest of the season.

Yet even with that in mind, it just about happened on Friday night on the road against Fluvanna County.  Things got dicey for the defending Group AA, Division 3 champions when Flying Flucos safety Keith Pillow recovered a Mustangs fumble with 2:36 remaining and his team trailing by eight points.

“I thought we were really in it at that time,” Pillow said.  “We recognized their formations really well.”

With their undefeated district record on the line, Monticello’s defense rose to the occasion to force a turnover on downs.  Mustangs coach Brud Bicknell then chose to make it a two-possession game with 56 seconds remaining and secure the difficult 28-13 victory.

“I think all the credit goes to Fluvanna because they had the right schemes and played really hard,” Bicknell said.  “Whatever we did this week didn’t work, so we’ll have to try something different next time.”

The Mustangs can thank their defense for the win, as the offense turned the ball over four times - an interception, a pair of fumbles and one turnover on downs.  Fluvanna also saw the red zone on three different occasions but could only muster one touchdown.

“I think we came out slow and took them a little too lightly,” said Monticello running back Hines Banks.  “But it’s always good to know that you can count on your defense.”

Banks led the way offensively for the Mustangs tallying up 86 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.  While Banks had a solid game, he was quick to admit that he and his teammates were caught off guard when Fluvanna came out scored the first points of the game on a 20-yard field goal by Ian Kurre.

After Fluvanna drew first blood, Monticello responded with a touchdown drive capped by a 9-yard Banks run.  The Mustangs struck again when quarterback Michael Graham found a wide-open Mark Brady for a 50-yard touchdown.

Fluvanna nearly cut the lead to four points when quarterback Ryan Foster led his team all the way down to the Monticello 3-yard line.  But the Flucos had to settle for another Kurre field goal after a false start and an illegal man downfield penalty.  Penalties put the Flucos in a tough spot on their last drive of the game as well, including a 15-yard celebration penalty after Pillow’s fumble recovery and a holding call a short time later.

“There’s no moral victory here,” said Fluvanna coach Joel Gray.  “We had our chance to win that game, and that’s something we’re going to focus on.”

Despite the loss, Gray is happy to see his team put up a fight against the top dog in the Jefferson District.

“These kids believed in themselves tonight,” Gray said.  “We had some guys that hadn’t seen a lot time yet this year that really stepped up and played really well.”