Charles City’s miscues, penalties part of plague-filled loss to John Marshall

Charles City’s Damian Zuidema (8) wraps up John Marshall receiver KeVelle King (0) for a stop.

Andre' Jones photo

Friday night’s football contest for Charles City’s Panthers visiting the John Marshall Justices posed an opportunity for the Panthers to steer their program in the right direction. But unfortunately for Charles City, a combination of penalties, miscues, and an implosion turned what was once a chance to right a ship into a marred night of chaos.

Plagued by 15 penalties, three turnovers, and the inability to capitalize off field position, Charles City fell to John Marshall 30-0 at Hovey Field on the campus of Virginia Union University.

It didn’t take long for the Justices to find the scoreboard. After a Panther 15-yard penalty for a facemask, John Marshall’s Khalei Whittle took a handoff for 18 yards. On the next play, an inside counter to Lamont Wilson saw him scatter for 46 yards for a touchdown barely a minute into the contest. Whittle’s conversion gave the hosts an 8-0 run.

Charles City’s first offensive drive showed promise, as runs by James Harris IV and Damian Barnes Jr. saw the hosts push the ball inside John Marshall’s 20-yard line. But the Justices’ defense stepped up, stuff Harris on a fourth and three run and regaining possession.

Charles City’s errors began mounting at the end of the first quarter and at the beginning of the second penalty. Three penalties resulted in the Panthers being forced into a punting position. However, a snap over the head of punter Joseph Simms forced him to retreat to pick it up. Simms attempted to kick the ball out the back of the end zone but whiffed, leading to John Marshall’s Amari Dinkins scooping the pigskin and carrying it into the end zone from 18 yards out for a touchdown. A Jaylen Williams conversion run upped the home team’s advantage to 16-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, a botched kickoff saw a Charles City Panther touch the ball. With the ball becoming live, the Justices recovered for possession once again. John Marshall marched down the field but was unable to score after Panther cornerback Raizen Hilliard intercepted the ball in the end zone.

The Panthers went three and out on the next possession, leading to a punt that only went 12 yards. John Marshall capitalized as Williams connected with Wilson on two passes, the latter going for seven yards and a touchdown, creating a 24-0 gap.

The Panthers had another scoring attempt on their drive before the half. Another botched Justice kickoff saw Charles City start at the home team’s 42-yard line. A Barnes run for 13 yards set the Panthers up in prime scoring position. On fourth down, Barnes connected with Damian Zuidema on a 34-yard connection. As Zuidema pushed the defenders down to the end zone, John Marshall’s Wilson stripped him of the ball, taking possession of it and running it back into the field of play as time expired in the first half.

In the third quarter, Charles City had ample opportunities to add points. After failing to take advantage of their first offensive possession, a John Marshall fumble resulted in Panther lineman Trae Crawley recovering the ball at the Justices’ 18-yard line. But three plays later, a pass attempt by Barnes to Simms was intercepted in the end zone by John Marshall’s Tivon Sims, who returned it to midfield. A few plays later, Whittle would take a handoff down the Panther sideline for 19 yards, increasing John Marshall’s lead to 30-0 just before the fourth quarter.

But from that point, the game became marred with miscues and heated altercations. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff by the Panthers saw John Marshall recover the ball, A Panther penalty added on resulted in the Justices starting deep in Panther territory. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, a scramble by Williams saw him tackled out-of-bounds by the Panthers. An altercation between both teams took place on the John Marshall sideline, resulting in multiple penalties, ejections, and the referees calling the end of the game.

Charles City’s Barnes led the team in rushing (33 yards) and passing (40 yards), while Zuidema led the team in receiving with 34 yards.

The Panthers drop to 1-5 on the year.