For the third staight week Bishop Ireton faced a bigger, arguably more athletic opponent. This time the Cardinals (2-1) moxy wasn’t enough in a 43-14 setback to Woodberry Forest (1-0) at Fannon Field. “I watched film of Ireton for two weeks” said Tiger skipper, Clint Alexander. “I like how their linebackers get to the ball and they are a team that never quits.” Indeed, for three quarters, Ireton gave the favored visitors all they could handle as the contest moved to the final period with Woodberry Forest clinging to a 21-14 lead.
“At halftime, I told our kids, ‘if you think these guys are going to come out and lay down for us, you’re wrong.’ Well, when we gathered at the start of the 4th quarter and the game at 21-14, I could sense my guys finally understood.” commented Alexander. In the Ireton locker room, Cardinal mentor Tony Verducci, pedalled a calm message. “I tried to convey the sense that the hardest steel is forged in the hottest fires, that we needed to go out in second half and just keep pounding that anvil in that fire.”
While a beautiful fall day for a good crowd of spectators, the Astroplay 2000 was heating up as the afternoon wore on and would take its physical toll on the home team. Woodberry Forest kept fresh legs in the game, while the Cardinals gamely played every series like it was the last one.
Woodberry took the game’s opening kickoff and moved smartly down the field to score the contest’s first touchdown on an 8-yard dive up the middle by fullback Hatcher Williams to take 7-0 lead. The teams traded defensive stands, though the Tigers tried to catch Ireton napping on their next possession, running an usuccessful fake punt near midfield. Ultimately, the trickery backfired. While the Cardinals drive into Tiger territory would stall, a pooch punt by senior Kevin Galloway was downed on the WFS one-yard line. When the cautious visitors were forced to punt from their own end zone, dangerous Doug Vines had the opportunity he needed as he fielded the Tiger punt near midfield. The speedy Vines bolted up the middle, cut to the north sideline and outran the white-shirted visitors into the end zone to knot the game at 7 in the first stanza.
After an exchange of punts with the Tigers pounding the Alexandrians’ defense with dives and passes, Woodberry culminated a second quarter drive with a nifty grab by senior David Dossett of Cleveland, MS, over the outstretched Cardinal hands for a 14-7 advantage. It would be a Cardinal turnover late in the period, after the Cardinals snared a Tiger fumble, that Woodberry would allow the visitors to up their lead to 21-7 just before the half.
The third quarter saw Ireton come out with renewed determination. The Cards took the half’s opening kickoff and engineered their best drive of the game to pull within 21-14 when Mike Larrabee scampered into the endzone. Though few realized it at the time, but the “good guys” had little left in their tank.
Perhaps startled that a game that started so easily for the orange and black now found them back on their heels, Woodberry Forest came back with a fourth quarter drive that was vintage power football, running up the middle and off tackle on the Cardinals with fullbacks Williams and Ade Oyalowo then breaking outside on the speedy runs of Ed Reynolds, the final carry an 8-yard touchdown. When the Cardinals’ next drive stalled, punter Kevin Galloway was bowled over and his punt was ruled partially blocked. Regardless, the short punt was caught and returned for the fifth touchdown of the day and the rout was on. WFS would tack on a pair of field goals; the stubborn, never-say-die defense refused to quit, as Coach Alexander predicted, and a safety when an errant snap went over the head of Galloway. The alert Ireton punter kicked the ball out of the endzone to prevent a touchdown, yielding a 2-point score instead.
“There were way too many positives for our team in that game to hang our heads,” commented Verducci. “But we want to ‘flush’ that game now, and turn all our attention to St Stephens next Saturday. We are the guests at a homecoming game and we need to be at our best.” For the cross town Saints, hungry for a win over the Cardinals after losing two straight years, it won’t get easier for the Cambridge Road crew. Fans are advised to arrive early as the homecoming crowd will be standing room only by kickoff. St Stephens week begins Thursday when the 1-2 JV gridders host the Saints at 4pm on Fannon Field.
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