Fans at William Fleming Stadium Friday night were greeted by a number of malfunctions.
Most obviously, the scoreboard and clock were dark throughout the entire game, leaving the Fleming announcer on the spot for updates on downs, yardage and scoring while the time remaining was basically up for guesswork, except to the officials on the field.
On the playing field, Fleming overcame malfunctions of their own, committing 13 penalties and coughing up 3 fumbles before finally holding off a gritty William Byrd team for the 20-7 Blue Ridge District win.
This one was hardly a masterpiece, and Byrd saw a number of opportunities slip away.
After the Terriers took the opening kickoff and went three-and-out, Fleming wasted it first opportunity when a long run to the Byrd 20 was negated by a penalty.
Byrd started its second possession from its own 20 and marched deep into Colonel territory before a third-down lob by quarterback Will Culicerto into the right corner of the end zone was intercepted by Fleming’s Jerome Hill, leaving things tied at zero.
Fleming got on the scoreboard first on a 3-yard inside slant pass from Colonel QB Tyrell Adams to Nijay Wade in the second quarter. Moore Doule’s point-after made it 7-0.
Hill gave Fleming some breathing room late in the first half when he punched it in from 1-yard out for the second Colonel touchdown. The missed PAT sent the teams to the locker room with Fleming on top 13-0.
Byrd started its comeback after the break when a long Byrd drive culminated with a 12-yard scamper by freshman Larry Basham that cut the Terrier deficit to 13-7.
The Terriers were in business again deep in Fleming territory after a Colonel fumble, but facing a fourth-and-one from just outside the Fleming 10, Basham was stopped short.
Fleming got what would be the game-clincher late in the third. After a Warren Craft 21-yard reception kept a Colonel drive alive, Hill followed with a backbreaking 67-yard run for a touchdown that made it 20-7.
Neither team scratched in the final frame.
Hill was the workhorse for the Colonels, picking up 254 yards on 32 carries. Basham paced the Terrier ground attack with 115 yards on 23 totes.
The win moved Fleming to 4-0 on the season, while the Terriers suffered their fifth straight loss.
– Bill Turner
