Buckingham County High School’s varsity football team lost 21-8 Friday night on the road to elite and undefeated Goochland High School, but Knights Head Coach Seth Wilkerson found reason to be encouraged.

“I thought we played pretty well,” he said, adding that it was just a couple of plays that made the difference, as opposed to sustained poor play.

He noted that after a Buckingham fumble, the Bulldogs reached the end zone on a scoop and score.

On another play in which Goochland scored, the Knights misaligned, the coach said.

“We had a punt blocked, and they had a short field for the third score,” he continued.

In his summary of the game, Wilkerson praised his team’s offense.

“We kept the ball longer, trying to keep the (Bulldogs’) offense off the field,” he said, indicating that the Knights experienced “just a couple bad breaks here and there.”

Buckingham’s lone touchdown came courtesy of senior Deshawn Bartee, who returned a kickoff approximately 80 yards for the score.

Bartee has established himself as a major threat on special teams, raising his profile as one who could become more involved on offense, something Wilkerson is aiming for.

“He’s a good kid,” the coach said. “… He’s somebody that you want to try to get the ball in his hands if you can.”

The Knights (2-4) have a bye this week, but Wilkerson said he plans for his team to “just keep working on fundamentals in all phases — offense, defense, special teams.”