Thacker field goal, runs by Barnes and Morris lift New Kent to first football win

New Kent defenders Lamont Brandon and C.J. Reeder (on ground) haul down Bruton runner Daniel Jones after a short first quarter gain. Later, Reeder would make a game-ending interception on Bruton's last-ditch effort to pull out the win.

Alan Chamberlain photos

Julian Thacker utilized an unorthodox method to audition for the role of place-kicker on New Kent’s football team. He sent a video to the coaching staff.

Apparently, the footage impressed the coaches. Thacker landed the job, and Friday night, the junior kicker verified the coaches’ decision.

With six seconds left on the clock, Thacker booted a 19-yard field goal to break a 13-13 deadlock and hand New Kent a 16-13 victory over Bruton’s host Panthers. Not only was the outcome the Trojans’ first win in four tries this season, it was also New Kent’s first road triumph over a Bay Rivers foe since the 2008 season.

“This feels really good,” said head coach Clark Harrell, who got his first win at the Trojans’ helm.

“We played real hard,” he said. “I’m real proud of our defense. We don’t start one senior on defense, but these young players have gotten better and better every game. Our defense has improved tremendously, but our offense just stopped themselves too much.”

New Kent’s offense, however, had few opportunities against a Bruton team determined to control the ball and occupy the clock. The Panthers took the opening kickoff, driving 80 yards in 10 plays to take a 6-0 lead on Daniel Jones’ 12-yard scamper around the right side.

New Kent ran just 14 plays from scrimmage, losing a fumble on one, in the first half. But the Trojans totaled 187 yards with running back Davion Barnes running for 181 of those yards on 10 carries. His 72-yard burst up the middle tied the game at 6-6 with only 10 seconds remaining in the first half.

Matters, however, appeared to head south for the Trojans after intermission. Two lost fumbles pushed the offense off the field, with the second turnover setting up Bruton’s go-ahead score. The Panthers owned a 13-6 lead with 7:23 left in the third quarter.

But the Trojans shook off the turnovers as well as a Bruton defensive stop inside the Panther five yard line on their next series. Credit Trojan return man R.J. Morris after the Trojan defense forced the hosts to punt out of their own end zone. Morris gathered in Jones’ punt just beyond midfield and found running room in the middle of the field.

“It was a big hole,” Morris said, crediting special teams work during practice with setting up blockers. “It was just wide open, and I almost made it to the end zone.”

Morris sprinted untouched past defenders until he approached the 10 yard line where he spun out of would-be tacklers’ grasp before being hauled down at the one.

Bruton’s defense stuffed Barnes on two straight running plays. But with the defense keying on Barnes, the Trojans resorted to Morris. Flanked wide left as a receiver, Morris came back in motion to the right, taking a handoff from quarterback Mike Burt before outracing defenders to the end zone. Thacker’s extra point placement sailed low and barely inside the right upright to create a 13-13 tie with 11:18 left in regulation.

Bruton embarked on an 11-play march, reaching the Trojan 17 yard line approaching four minutes to go. There the drive stalled, and on fourth down and eight, Trojan defenders Richard Flournoy and Jason Godbey sacked quarterback Gregory Dockery for a four-yard loss.

The Trojans then put the ball back in Barnes’ hands. The senior runner weaved his way past defenders on a 65-yard burst to the Panther 14 yard line. After gaining first and goal on the one, the Trojans failed to crack the end zone on three tries. They took their final time out with six ticks left.

Enter Thacker. His placement looped high over the Bruton rush, splitting the uprights despite a slight problem he learned about afterward.

“My holder [Hunter Pitts] told me the ball was not on the block,” he said, meaning the flat tee on which the holder normally places the ball before the kicker’s foot makes contact. No matter.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Thacker added.

Barnes, meanwhile, ran 24 times for 287 yards, giving him 874 in four games this season. That’s an astounding average of almost 219 per game.

“This is just the beginning,” Barnes said afterward, pointing to the initial victory as a morale booster. “This is just one. We’ve got six more games left and we want all six to be W’s.”

New Kent place kicker Julian Thacker and holder Hunter Pitts (1) celebrate after Thacker’s game-winning field goal.

New Kent’s Julian Thacker (37) and R.J. Morris celebrate after Thacker’s winning placement.

New Kent running back Davion Barnes takes a handoff from quarterback Mike Burt on the way to some of his 287 yards.