Sunday, October 25, 2009
William Fleming feasts on Patrick Henry
Despite skipping lunch, quarterback Devin Dean leads the Colonels to a district win. | William Fleming 27, Patrick Henry 3
Photos by JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times
Patrick Henry defensive player Aaron Heath attempts to tackle William Fleming's Marcus Redd during the fourth period.
William Fleming players Devin Dean and Marcus Redd celebrate after a touchdown in the fourth period.
Patrick Henry High School player Aaron Heath tries to stop William Fleming's Marcus Redd during the fourth period. Redd caught two passes for 22 yards and one touchdown.
Photos by JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times
William Fleming cheerleaders yell for their football team during their game against Patrick Henry High School. William Fleming won 27-3.
Patrick Henry High School students and fans cheer and yell from the sidelines during their game against William Fleming.
William Fleming's Jonathan Hagins tries to stop Patrick Henry's Donald Carter during the third period.
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The parking lot at Patrick Henry High School was slowly filling up 45 minutes before Saturday's Noel C. Taylor Classic football game between PH and William Fleming.
A car wheeled into an open space. A figure carrying a back pack hopped out and hot-footed it toward the stadium.
Fleming senior quarterback Devin Dean was late.
But not too late.
Dean spent more than four hours taking an ACT exam Saturday morning, then he passed and ran Fleming in the second half to a 27-3 Western Valley District victory over the Patriots.
"The ACT was from 8 to 12," Dean said. "It felt like it was forever."
Dean didn't even have time to eat lunch before crossing town and hurriedly suiting up for the annual matchup against the Colonels' city rival.
"No, we only got a 10-minute break," Dean said. "They never said in the notice we could bring food. Everybody's out in the hallway eating food and I'm sitting there all hungry."
Fleming (5-2, 1-1) feasted on PH's defense in the second half for 201 yards rushing after the Patriots held the Colonels to just 40 in the first two quarters.
Dean's 14-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter put Fleming up 13-3. Then, he hit Marcus Redd over the middle for a 15-yard TD pass and a 20-3 lead with 5:16 to play.
Malcolm Hardy -- the game's leading rusher with 65 yards on seven carries -- added a 1-yard TD run with 2:50 to play.
Fleming scored 20 points in the fourth quarter after managing just seven in its previous two games, losses to Salem and Franklin County.
"It took us a while to get where we needed to go," said Dean, who played receiver in the first half before switching to QB late in the third quarter. "For the past three weeks we've been kind of rusty. It took us 10 quarters to get off the rust. It was OK. We got the 'W.' "
Patrick Henry (2-7, 0-3) took a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by Remington Henshaw on its first drive.
Fleming answered with a 3-yard TD run by fullback Rakeem Cofer that was set up when Marcus Redd picked off a pass by PH's Shon Chisom at the Patriots' 35.
PH managed just 29 yards total offense after its first possession. The Patriots used three quarterbacks in a span of four plays in the second quarter, fumbled numerous shotgun snaps from center and finished with just 22 yards rushing on 31 carries.
PH had a scoring opportunity late in the first half after back-to-back 15-yard penalties against Fleming, but Matt Wood failed to handle the snap on back-to-back plays.
The Patriots fumbled seven times, not including a Fleming punt that bounced off a blocker's helmet.
Patrick Henry has gone three straight games without scoring a touchdown.
"It's my job to make the offense move," first-year PH coach Brad Bradley said. "It's the head football coach's job to get first downs and touchdowns. Right now, we're just trying to find a way to do that.
"Defensively, I thought we played well."
Fleming coach Rob Senseney had a big week. Not only did the Colonels win on homecoming, Senseney's wife, Elizabeth, gave birth Wednesday to the couple's first two children, twin boys.
However, Senseney wants improvement on the field for the Colonels, who are solidly entrenched in the No. 6 Division 5 playoff spot in the Northwest Region.
"We're in a funk," Senseney said. "I don't know what it is. We practiced in a funk. We came out here with the funk still on us."
Dean knows Fleming is not on its 'A' game, maybe not even its 'B' game.
"We're not even on the alphabet right now," the Fleming senior said. "We could be a whole lot better. Come Monday in practice, we need to see a whole different attitude."
Patrick Henry 3 0 0 0--3
William Fleming 0 7 0 20--27
PH -- FG Henshaw 32
WF -- Cofer 3 run (Ane kick)
WF -- Dean 14 run (kick blocked)
WF -- Redd 15 pass from Dean (Ane kick)
WF -- Hardy 1 run (Ane kick)
PH WF
First downs 7 20
Yards rushing 31-22 51-241
Passes C-A-I 9-21-1 7-10-0
Yards passing 70 74
Penalties-yards 6-45 10-85
Fumbles-lost 7-0 4-1
Punts-average 6-42.8 5-27.8
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Patrick Henry, Wood 14-34, Cochran 9-2, Cooper 5-1, Walker 1-(-3), Church 1-(-5), Chisom 1-(-7). William Fleming, Hardy 7-65, Richardson 18-60, Dean 7-51, Cofer 7-28, Hagins 3-21, Glenn 4-17, Henderson 1-13, Waid 4-(-14).
PASSING -- Patrick Henry, Wood 7-13-0-65, Chisom 2-8-1-5. William Fleming, Dean 3-3-0-48, Waid 4-7-0-26.
RECEIVING -- Patrick Henry, Walker 3-39, Cochran 3-19, Fitzgerald 1-20, Green 1-7, Casey 1-(-1). William Fleming, Redd 2-22, Richardson 2-14, Beane 1-26, Barber 1-7, Dean 1-5.
