Charles City edges Middlesex in overtime thriller, 34-32

Charles City linebacker Garrett Smith and lineman Jaelen Williams pursue Middlesex quarterback Kyle Lawson.

Andre Jones photo

When Charles City’s Panthers turned the ball over twice and fell behind by double digits early on, it was a familiar place they have been in all year. This time, however, the Panthers found a different spot at the conclusion of the game.

Rallying from 14 points down to the host Middlesex Chargers in the late stages of the third quarter, the Panthers received crucial touchdown runs from quarterback Jovan Howard and forced overtime where they emerged victorious 34-32. The Sept. 21 triumph is the first for the Panthers (1-3), while Middlesex falls to 2-2.

The Panthers’ turnover woes began early on in the game. In the opening frame, fullback Brandon Vaden fumbled the ball away. On the very next play, highly touted recruit Ryheem Lockley took the handoff on a misdirection run and scampered down the home sideline 49 yards for the score.

In the second quarter, a Jaquane Wyatt fumble led to another Lockley touchdown, upping the hosts’ lead to 12-0.

Charles City would cut the lead in half with a Howard pass to JeQuan Carroll, but Middlesex would answer four minutes later with running back J.D. Diggs’ 50 yard TD run. Thomas Fisher’s placement stretched the lead to 19-6.

The Panthers would respond again before the half, as two 17 yard runs by running back Tesean Greene led to a Howard quarterback sneak for a touchdown, making the score 19-12 heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, Middlesex forced the visitors to turn the ball over on downs which led to Shakim Paige’s four yard touchdown run. Charles City would answer as Howard would take it in from 16-yards out and cut the lead to 26-18 heading into the fourth.

With Middlesex threatening to score, the Panthers made their move. On the first play of the quarter, Charger quarterback Kyle Lawson looked to throw a screen pass to Lockley. The pass would be intercepted by defensive end Khairi Wyatt. As the Panthers threatened to convert the turnover into points, another crucial mistake occurred as Howard’s pass intended for Jaelan Cotman was intercepted by Lockley.

Unable to run out the clock, the Panthers pressured the Chargers’ Fisher into a bad punt. Starting in Chargers’ territory, the visitors made one last gasp. On the first play, Howard was able to bootleg out of the pocket and throw across his body and hit Cotman. Cotman would run across the field, receive blocks, and pick up 31 yards. A few moments later, Howard would take the ball in from two yards out, leaping over a defender and breaking the plane of the goal line to make the score 26-24. Howard would convert the ensuing conversion knotting the game at 26 apiece to force overtime.

In overtime, Middlesex would go on offense first. After three stops by the Panthers and on fourth and goal from the seven, the Chargers lined up in a stacked backfield formation as Lawson pitched the ball to Lockley. Lockley received several blocks and scored to up the lead to 32-26, but the ensuing two-point conversion was stopped by the Panthers’ Ricky Crewe who brought down J.D. Diggs in the backfield.

Charles City got the ball and on the first play, Howard would go down with an injury after being forced out of bounds. Backup quarterback Khairi Wyatt stepped in and on the next play, took a snap and lobbed the ball into the corner of the end zone. Panther receiver Avery Jones elevated over two defenders to snag the ball, tying the score at 32.

With no kicker on the roster, Charles City opted for a two-point conversion. Jones lined up at quarterback, faked a handoff to Greene, and found a crease where he dove into the end zone, clinching the victory.

Afterward, Charles City head coach Steward Greene talked about his team overcoming adversity throughout the game.

“So far in this early season we have been in this same type of situation,” he said. “We have turned the ball over, been down by double digits, but yet we have found a way to rally.

“We hadn’t been able to get into the win column, so I challenged my players ‘if not now, when?’” he continued. “Tonight, they answered the call and they were able to hold together in times of despair and we pulled it off.”

Charles City got a statistic surprise during the game, as they rushed for 244 yards, the most they have accumulated in a game since their last meeting with Middlesex. Howard accounted for 124 while Greene rushed for a career high 81 yards. The Panthers had 156 rushing yards at the half.

“We got the monkey off our back,” Green said, “but now we have to put this win aside and focus on our next game.”

Charles City—- 0 12 6 8 8 —— 34
Middlesex——- 6 13 7 0 6 —— 32

1st Quarter
Mid (8:14)- Lockley 49 yard run (run fail) 6-0
2nd Quarter
Mid (10:27)- Lockley 10 yard run (kick fail) 12-0
CC (7:03)- Carroll 4 yard pass from Howard (pass fail) 12-6
Mid (3:40)- Diggs 50 yard run (Fisher kick) 19-6
CC (:38)- Howard 2 yard run (pass fail) 19-12
3rd Quarter
Mid (5:34)- Paige 4 yard run (Fisher kick) 26-12
CC (3:22)- Howard 16 yard run (pass fail) 26-18
4th Quarter
CC (1:01)- Howard 2 yard run (Howard run) 26-26
Overtime
Mid- Lockley 9 yard run (run fail) 32-26
CC- Jones 10 yard pass from K. Wyatt (jones run) 34-32

Rushing (attempts/yards)
CC- Howard 23/124, Greene 14/82, J. Wyatt 7/19, Jones 3/17, Carroll 1/2, Vaden 1/0.
Middlesex- Diggs 18/125, Lockley 13/161, Paige 5/11, Lawson 3/2, Campbell 1/2.
Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
CC- Howard 7/12/81, 1 TD, 1 Int.; Jones 0/2/0; K. Wyatt 1/1/10, 1 TD.
Middlesex- Lawson 4/10/59, 1 Int.; Lockley 0/1/0.
Receiving (receptions/yards)
CC- Cotman 3/52, Carroll 2/20, Jones 1/10, J. Wyatt 1/9, Greene 1/0.
Middlesex- Campbell 2/51, Lockley 1/7, Diggs 1/1.