Warriors dispatch Mustangs

Central Virginia had its own version of Monday Night Football in Crozet, and Western Albemarle used a late rally to hold off Monticello, 28-6, in a make-up of Friday’s washed-out affair.
“We’ve said it all year long, it’s not about opponents, records or scores- it’s about this team getting better and playing to their potential, and they’re playing well,“ Western coach Ed Pierce said after the win. “This team has great heart. Every single time they have to face adversity, they rise up and they get the job done, and I think that’s the sign of a really good team.“
Western (7-0, 4-0 JD) remained perfect with the win, and still holds a one-game lead for first place in the Jefferson District, thanks in large part to its defense, and the play of quarterback Stephen Schuler.
The senior signal caller admittedly didn’t have his best night, but still managed to throw for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Schuler also led the team in rushing, with 81 yards on 11 carries and a score.
The most special part of the evening for Schuler and the Warriors’ seniors was exorcising the demons against two-time defending JD champion and cross-town rival Monticello, a team over which no Warrior player had ever experienced a victory.
“It was a big win,” said Schuler. “None of us had ever beaten Monticello, so it took us four years to do that, but we finally got it done. It was something that we all talked about all week.”
Western took control late in the first quarter, as Schuler hooked up with classmate Dom Losco from 18 yards out to give the Warriors a 7-0 advantage. Monticello responded on a Nick Kalinsky 32-yard boot a few minutes later to put the Mustangs on the board.
Late in the half, Schuler — who witnessed several of his passes just miss their targets — found Tyler Ward on a big 32-yard completion to set up a 29-yard touchdown toss to senior Nick Kuzjak with 19 seconds left, and Western led 14-3.
After a Western penalty, the ensuing kickoff sailed out of bounds, and Monticello started its drive from the Warriors’ 46 yard-line. Kalinsky capitalized with a school-record, 44-yard field goal as the clock hit triple zeroes to keep the Mustangs in striking distance at the break.
With about 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Warriors were facing another third-and-long when Schuler hit Losco for 22 yards to move the chains to the Monticello 19. On the next play, Schuler escaped pressure and ran the ball down inside the five, and delivered a huge blow to a Mustang defender to pump up his team and the home crowd.
“After the hit, I think everybody was really pumped up, it was definitely a big part of the game,” said Schuler.
Pierce added: “You get credibility as a quarterback when you do something like that, that was impressive.“
Two plays later, Schuler found Cody Davis in the end zone, and Western led 21-6. After a Monticello three-and-out, Schuler put the game out of reach with a 37-yard touchdown scamper.
Pierce sang the praises of his defense, which did not allow a touchdown for the second time this season, and held running back C.J. Page to 47 yards.
“They’re tenacious, they’re so spirited, they’re disciplined, and they back down from nobody,“ said Pierce. “All year long, they’ve gone up against teams like this that are bigger and stronger, and they seem to revel in that kind of challenge.“
Monticello (2-5, 1-3) continues to struggle after enjoying so much success in the recent past, and coach Brud Bicknell admitted that his young group faced, as he called it, a “well-oiled machine.” Bicknell saw some positives in his team, and hopes to improve on Friday at Charlottesville.
“We’ve got to regroup,“ Bicknell admitted. “We played a physical football game tonight, the physical nature of [the game] was good, so we’ve got to come back with that. We’ve just got to hang together as a team and realize that it’s going to take a team effort to be successful.“
Western won’t have much time to prepare for its matchup with a 0-7 William Monroe bunch on Friday.
“That accelerates the whole schedule, but these guys will come out here tomorrow- they’re going to be sore after hitting a big team like that all night- but hopefully we’ll turn it around quickly,“ Pierce said.