Strong start for Hornets

ORANGE — Quintin Hunter couldn’t do it. Neither could Bradley Starks. For eight years and 15 games, no Orange County quarterback could lead the Hornets to a win against Monticello.

With Cameron Hughes under center for Orange Friday night, the Mustangs finally gave way — and that’s putting it lightly. Orange turned over Monticello six times and picked up 362 yards of offense en route to the Hornets’ 35-14 trouncing of the Mustangs. With the win, Orange defeated Monticello for the first time since the 2001 season.

“You try to sell to your kids, ‘It’s our year,’ but every time you get beat, it’s just in the back of their mind,” Orange coach John Kayajanian said. “So it was good for them to snap it. I’m happy for the kids.”

“It feels good to know that we beat them; our team beat them,” receiver Tyler Seal said.

For Monticello, it was also the first loss in the Jefferson District since Oct. 20, 2006.

Turnovers plagued Monticello (1-3, 0-1 JD) throughout the evening. The Mustangs fumbled four times to the Hornets, and Monticello quarterback Tyler Moneymaker threw two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.

“That really turned the game,” Kayajanian said. “It was great for our defense, making plays. Our defense is coming along.”

The Mustangs’ turnover spree started on the opening drive. On Monticello’s fourth play from scrimmage less than a minute into the game, running back C.J. Page was hit in the backfield and had the ball jarred loose, and the Mustangs recovered at the 34-yard line.

On Orange’s second play off the turnover, Hughes hit wideout Evan Walters for a 33-yard touchdown pass on his first passing attempt of the game, giving Orange (2-2, 1-0) a quick 7-0 lead.

Less than four minutes of game time later, Moneymaker’s pass twas picked off by Eddie Ellington, who sprinted 38 yards for a touchdown.

“The momentum was huge, turning the ball over like that,” Monticello coach Brud Bicknell said. “When you’re down, it kind of affects the whole mental aspect of the game.”

But, Orange wasn’t quite on its way to a rout just yet. With the Mustangs’ Garrett Mullaney under center working out of the wildcat formation, he hit Moneymaker, who lined up at wide receiver on the play, downfield. Moneymaker made one Hornet miss en route to a 68-yard run down the sideline.

Amir Waller, however, quickly put Orange back in a comfortable lead, in his season-debut after missing the first three games of the season with a broken hand. On his first rush of the game — and the season — midway through the second quarter, Waller broke a 66-yard run for a touchdown, putting Orange on top 21-7.

“He’s a great athlete,” Kayajanian said. “We missed him earlier in the season.”

Monticello had a chance to get back within striking distance before the half, converting a dangerous 4th-and-5 in their own territory before crossing onto Orange’s half of the field. On a subsequent 4th-and-4, though, Orange’s Tyler Seal stuffed an Ayers run at the line of scrimmage.

That was it for Monticello, as Orange started and ended the third quarter with two big plays to break the game open. On the Hornets’ opening drive of the second half, Hughes completed to Seal downfield, and Seale made two nifty moves to evade Mustang tacklers for a 45-yard touchdown down the sideline.

Then, at the end of the third, Moneymaker threw a pass that was tipped by his intended target, and the ball landed in the hands of defensive back Jonathan Moon. Moon darted across the field and down the sideline for a 90-yard touchdown return.

Monticello would add a late touchdown courtesy of C.J. Page.

In each of Monticello’s three losses this season, the defending Region II, Division 3 champion Mustangs have had some type of streak or record broken. A week ago, Monticello gave up a school-record 56 points in a loss to Powhatan. The week before that, the Mustangs fell to Huguenot, breaking a 21-game winning streak on their home turf.

A game riddled with turnovers and another streak snapped certainly did not help the Mustangs’ confidence.

“Right now, our team needs to start strong and get some confidence for us to have some success,” Bicknell said.

Hughes finished 12 for 21 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while Waller led all rushers with 108 yards on a remarkable four carries. The Monticello ground game was not unproductive, as Page ran for 124 yards to lead all rushers. Moneymaker, though, completed just three of 16 passes for 32 yards.

Monticello returns home to play Fluvanna County, while Orange looks to surge over .500 at home against Goochland.