Charles City season ends as West Point intercepts win

Panther safety Mason Jefferson (4) dives to bring down Pointer quarterback Mikey Anerton as teammates Garrett Smith (51) and Kyle Jones (6) closes in pursuit.

Andre' Jones photo

Throughout the season, Charles City has been plagued by the turnover bug. And on Nov. 7, those turnovers ended a miserable season for the Panthers.

West Point Pointers intercepted five passes, resulting in multiple touchdowns as the visitors rolled to a 47-0 victory, spoiling senior night for the hosts Panthers.

After exchanging drives early in the opening frame, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs near midfield. Pointer senior signal caller Mikey Anerton quickly made the hosts pay, hooking up with Chase Stewart and a 7-0 lead. Another stalled drive would see Anerton throw a 38-yard strike to Edgar Allen. Hector Ruiz’s placement doubled up the score 14-0 midway in the opening frame. A poor punt by the hosts resulted in Anerton marching the Pointers down the field, resulting in the senior calling his own number from six yards out and a 21-0 as the play clock expired to end the first quarter.

Charles City quarterback Troy Crawley’s first pass attempt in the second quarter would be the first of three interceptions by West Point senior defensive back Neil Washington. Washington’s first snag resulted in a pick-six, pushing the margin to 28 for the visitors.

With Crawley out at quarterback, senior Khairi Wyatt took the helm, only to see his first pass attempt intercepted by 6’6” defensive lineman Evan Boze. Anerton connected with Jeffery Guerrant on the next play for a score. An additional Anerton to Stewart 35-yard connection coupled with a safety led to a 44-0 lead at the half for the guests. Ruiz’s 23-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter added the final points on the board and ended the Panthers’ campaign with a lowly 1-9 record.

Panthers head coach Alan Jones spoke after the game about the turnovers and the impact they had on the game.

“Mistakes have hurt us all year,” said Jones. “We have worked on protecting the ball but we just didn’t do it tonight.”

Jones reflected back on the season, mentioning the departure of seven seniors. Jones said the youthful team had trouble embracing the changes from last year.

“I thought they would pick up on this new system quicker than what they did,” said the head coach. “I believed they would grasp the concept.

“Now looking forward to next year, we’re basically replacing seven players on offense and seven on defense,” added Jones. “Hopefully those who come back will learn from this experience and hit the weight room during the offseason. We have to get stronger and faster.”

West Point——— 21 23 0 3 —-47
Charles City—— 0 0 0 0 —-0
1st Quarter
WP (7:50)- Stewart 9 yard pass from Anerton (Ruiz kick) 7-0
WP (4:01)- Allen 38 yard pass from Anerton (Ruiz kick) 14-0
WP (0:00)- Anerton 6 yard run (Ruiz kick) 21-0
2nd Quarter
WP (9:53)- Washington 48 yard interception return (Ruiz kick) 28-0
WP (9:39)- Guerrant 15 yard pass from Anerton (Ruiz kick) 35-0
WP (6:38)- Stewart 35 yard pass from Anerton (Ruiz kick) 42-0
WP (4:04)- Safety on bad punt snap 44-0
4th Quarter
WP (3:00)- Ruiz 23 yard field goal 47-0

Rushing (attempts/yards)
WP- Washington 16/114, Adkins 3/22, Ellis 1/4, Anerton 6/0
CC- Greene 6/40, J. Wyatt 10/31, Tyler 3/6, K. Wyatt 3/0, Adkins 1/-1, Jones 1/-4, Crawley 1/-6
Passing (comp/att/yards)
WP- Anerton 11/19/177, 4 TD.
CC- K. Wyatt 9/23/91, 4 int., Crawley 1/7/6, 1 int.
Receiving (catches/yards)
WP- Allen 3/65, Stewart 4/54, Ellis 2/35, Guerrant 2/23
CC- Vaden 5/51, Greene 3/24, Tyler 1/15, Adkins 1/7]