By Richard Carrier
Contributing Writer

In a pre-game meeting designed to inform game-officials of unusual formations, Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Head Coach Mike Henderson assured them that there was no need to be concerned about the Knights doing any thing exotic. “We just basically run between the tackles,” he told the referee.

The armored attack vehicle disguised as John Moore and the smooth dancer named Deon Watts plowed over and maneuvered through the Fuqua School defenses as the Knights pummeled the Falcons 41-6 to defend their Virginia Independent Schools Division Four State Championship Friday night.

It was evident from the first play from scrimmage that the Knights would not be subject to the complacency bug that could have bitten following their 39-0 whitewash of the Falcons three weeks ago. Running left behind Mason Jolly, T J Dobrucky and Augie Conte, Moore ripped off 11 yards and Watts followed with 11 more. Going right, Watts, following Steven Barham and Ethan Sill, broke two tackles at the second level, made a razor’s edge cut to the left and sprinted 49 yards to the end-zone. Nathan Temple’s kick was good and with only one minute-fifty gone the Knights led 7-0
With 2000-yard rusher Charles Williams at quarterback, Fuqua started at their 20. Williams’  flat pass picked up four yards, before the Knights’ shut-down defense attacked. Larry Haskins tried to sweep, but Nathaniel Settle cut him down for an eight-yard loss. Williams retreated to pass then scrambled to escape Settles’ tackle. No matter, Defensive Player of the Year Watts cut down the 4:3-forty Williams for a ten-yard loss.

After the punt, BSH took over at the Falcon’s 48. The Moore-Watts tandem picked up a first down before Moore cut off center Josh Woodley’s block, made one cut and crossed the goal-line 36 unmolested-yards later. Kick good -and at the 6:33 mark the Falcons were reeling. Fuqua’s fate could have been sealed on their next possession when Moore smothered Williams’ fumble at their 11 yard-line. But the Falcons defense rose up to stuff Moore and saw Temple’s 22-yard field-goal attempt slide outside the left upright.

Encouraged by the goal-line stand, Fuqua struck. On first and ten at their 34, Williams set up in shot-gun, took the snap, jabbed-step like he was going up the middle then slid behind his left tackle. Bursting through the Knights’ bunched linebackers, he cut to the sideline. As he crossed his forty-five, from a press box level view, it was obvious no BSH defender wouldn’t get within ten yards of the fastest back in the conference. “ Number seven (Wilson) is a heck of a player,“ Coach Henderson said. “It was going to be a difficult task to shut him down twice in a row. “Following Williams’ 66-yard score the Falcon’s two-point attempt failed, but they were back in the game at 14-6.

Settle’s 56-yard kick-off-return immediately put the Falcons back in jeopardy. Moore bulled up the gut for ten, Watts went left for15 and then up the middle for nine. Moore advanced to the five then followed Woodley into the end-zone. With 34 seconds left in the first quarter, Temple banged-through the 21st point.

Still game, the Falcons survived sacks by Sill and Stephen Bendele, a penalty and converted a fourth-down during their eight-play possession. But Trevor Gilliam burst the Falcon’s confidence bubble with a leaping interception at the Knights’ 40 yard-line and returned to the Fuqua 38. After Conte recovered a first-down fumble, three Moore-Watts carries put BSH on the Falcon’s two-simple work for Moore. Temple was true and with 6:46 left in the half BSH led 28-6.

Blessed Sacrament stuffed the Falcon’s next drive, but Fuqua returned the favor, stopping Watts on a fourth and three. Watts cut down Haskins for a nine-yard loss to end the half.
Three-and-out for Fuqua put the Knights third quarterback, Gavin Paul, under center at the Falcon’s 42. The senior kept for a seven-yard gain and went left again on second down. Moore and Then Watts got him to the second level, where he cut behind Settle’s block and used Barham’s screen to motor 34 yards for the score. Kick good-BSH 35, Fuqua 6.

Fuqua went three and out, but Clarke’s interception immediately got it back for the Falcons at the Knights’ 43. Fuqua could not stand prosperity: A block-in-the-back, Conte’s sack, a bad snap for another Conte sack forced the punt. It took the Knights seven plays to cover 80 yards. Watts, Settle, Paul and Gilliam got the Knights to the Falcon’s 36. A fifteen-yard penalty didn’t bother Watts. Temple turned blocker and got the senior tail-back through the Falcon’s secondary. From there Watts needed no help. He cut right behind Temple’s block, powered through two defenders at the five and tumbled into the end-zone for the final points of the game.

With the title locked up, near the end of the third quarter Coach Henderson began to substitute to give his younger players a taste of State Championship football.