Eagles running attack soars over Panthers

Charles City's Kyle Jones (1) punches the ball away from Eagle running back Dexter Thompson as teammate Troy Crawley (7) finishes off the tackle. The Panthers would recover the fumble.

Andre' Jones photo

When the 1A East Regional playoff brackets were released, Charles City’s Panthers drew a favorable matchup as a 14-seed against a struggling 3-seed Washington & Lee Eagles. Unfortunately for the Panthers, a lack of tackling combined with a first-half offense sputtering led to a quick exit

The hosts Eagles scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions en route to a 69-34 thumping of the visiting Panthers, ending Charles City’s season at 4-7.

After the Panthers went three and out on the opening drive, a Panther punt rolled down the sideline. With no member of the visiting team near the ball to down it, Eagle return man Jarret Sumiel scooped the ball up and returned it 32 yards for a score.

That punt return began an offensive onslaught for the Eagles. Operating out a double-wing offense, Charles City could not secure tackles despite being in the right location. Rushing scores by Jaquan Ball and Treshaun Brown gave the hosts a 21-0 lead to end the opening frame. Four more touchdowns in the second quarter by Washington & Lee only made a Panther comeback unlikely, as the guests headed into halftime trailing 49-0.

Charles City emerged from halftime with a little more energy. A fumble by Eagles running back Kidanny Jesus allowed Panther linebacker Jaquane Wyatt to scoop the ball up and return it to the visitor’s 12-yard line. Wyatt would punch in a touchdown from six yards out to put the hosts on the board.

After two additional rushing scores by the hosts, Charles City became more successful finding the end zone. Mason Jefferson returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Troy Crawley added a 20-yard scamper at the 9:18 mark to cut the lead to 63-20. Charles Vaden’s 35-yard scoop and score brought a little more joy to Charles City fans who braved the frigid temperatures. The Panthers last score came courtesy of Jefferson’s 21-yard run to allow the scoreboard to show a respectable 69-34 defeat.

After the contest, head coach Steward Greene commented about the team’s ability to make tackles on the night.

“We watched film all week on them and we had players in the right position,” he said. “Unfortunately, we were trying to tackle with our arms and not put a shoulder pad on them.

“We also didn’t start out well and didn’t become the aggressor on offense,” Greene continued. “It was one of those games where we didn’t take advantage of a team that had been reeling.”

Charles City will graduate 12 seniors, including Wyatt who led the team in rushing. Fortunately, the Panthers return a good group of skill players, including Jefferson and Crawley.

“We are in the same position that this team was in a few years ago,” Greene said, commenting on how a youthful team bonded that became a playoff caliber team. “We’re losing some good seniors, especially on our offensive line but I believe this team has the talent to do a lot of good things in the years to come.”

Charles City 0 0 6 28 34
Washington & Lee 21 28 7 13 69

1st Quarter
WL (9:52) Sumiel 32 yard punt return (Daiger kick) 7-0
WL (5:49) Ball 7 yard run (Daiger kick) 14-0
WL (3:08) Brown 1 yard run (Daiger kick) 21-0
2nd Quarter
WL (9:36) Pollard 30 yard pass from Brown (Daiger kick) 28-0
WL (8:57) Thompson 8 yard run (Daiger kick) 35-0
WL (4:47) Thompson 21 yard run (Daiger kick) 42-0
WL (2:07) DeJesus 15 yard run (Thompson kick) 49-0
3rd Quarter
CC (10:50) Wyatt 6 yard run (run fail) 49-6
WL (6:31) Bell 2 yard run (Daiger kick) 56-6
4th Quarter
WL (11:01) Goode 11 yard run (Daiger kick) 63-6
CC (10:45) Jefferson 95 yard kickoff return (Crawley run) 63-14
CC (9:18) Crawley 20 yard run (run fail) 63-20
CC (3:06) Vaden 35 yard fumble return (kick fail) 63-26
WL (1:05) DeJesus 45 yard run (kick fail) 69-26
CC (0:07) Jefferson 21 yard run (Gordon pass from Jefferson) 69-34

Rushing (attempts/yards)
CC- Jefferson 10/39, Wyatt 13/36, Tyler 6/31, Crawley 9/17l
W&L- Thompson 9/99, DeJesus 6/93, Ball 10/77, Goode 10/34, Bunns 8/31, Pollard 4/28, Newman 1/3, Bell 2/1, Brown 2/-2.

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
CC- Crawley 3/10/11, 1 int; Wyatt 0/1/0, Jefferson 0/2/0.
W&L- Brown 1/3/29, 1 TD; Bell 0/1/0.

Receiving (receptions/yards)
CC- Jefferson 1/5, Hicks 1/4, Tyler 1/2.
W&L- Pollard 1/29.