Washington Stuns Cavaliers At Home
By: Ryan Kincaid
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The Frontier Athletic Conference may not be as locked down as previously thought.
Three teams now have a chance to take the FAC championship after Washington Court House travelled to Chillicothe to hand them their first loss in FAC history.
Rather than the expected shootout, both defenses stepped up to the challenge to keep the scoring to a minimum, with no points scored in the first quarter.
The warning signs were apparent as Chillicothe fumbled on their first offensive play to set Gio Thomas and the Blue Lions up with favorable field position, however a holding penalty prevented an early Washington touchdown.
On a blocked punt, the Cavaliers struck pay dirt first on the back of a pass from Adrian Beverly to Courtland Duncan three minutes into the second quarter; the extra point put Chillicothe up 7-0.
The Cavs would not score again.
A touchback forced the Blue Lions to attempt to drive eighty yards to pick up their first points, and a crucial fourth down conversion allowed Washington halfback Jameson McCane to punch his ticket into the end zone from three yards out; however Washington failed a two point conversion to trail by one point heading into halftime.
The third quarter was defined by turnovers on both sides, and one fumble almost proved catastrophic to Washington: Dillon Steward was helped off the field with what appeared to be leg cramps.
Steward came back to catch a pass in the end zone to give the Blue Lions the lead, this time the two point conversion was successful to put Washington up by seven.
Coach Chuck Williamson pulled off a trick play in the form of a successful onside kick, a couple of plays later Thomas kept the ball for himself to score another Blue Lions touchdown.
Chillicothe down 13, needed to convert on fourth down and failed, allowing Washington to run the clock out and escape with a massive victory over the Cavaliers.
The standout player for the Cavs was not J’Quan Harris, but rather Tyce Netter with a season best 115 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
Washington won this game on the ground, Jameson McCane earned 116 yards on 22 attempts while Gio Thomas scramble for 110 yards on 24 attempts.
With this result Jackson and Hillsboro are suddenly thrust back into championship contention as each share conference losses with Chillicothe, who’s seemingly locked playoff spot is now in jeopardy if results don’t go their way.
The Cavaliers (7-2, 3-1 FAC) finish their season at home against the Ironmen to potentially decide the conference champion for a second consecutive year, while Washington (6-3, 2-2 FAC) finishes against cross-town rivals Miami Trace.