Eagles fall short against Nottoway
Published 3:27 am Saturday, September 10, 2016
The Prince Edward County High School varsity football team had its opportunities on Friday night against host Nottoway High School, but the Eagles, ultimately, could not execute well enough on offense to get the win.
The Cougars won 40-29, achieving their first victory of the season.
“We got outplayed up front,” Prince Edward Head Coach James Ford said. “We just didn’t get it done up front, offensively, defensively, and we’re capable.”
The contest was significantly more competitive than last year’s meeting between the two teams, when Nottoway emerged with a 58-26 victory.
This time, the Eagles were a threat to win until the Cougars scored on a 31-yard touchdown run up the middle with 4.5 seconds left in the game.
Both teams weathered a penalty-filled game that lasted a little over three hours.
Prince Edward took an early 7-0 lead after junior Aneal Walker ran for a 19-yard touchdown, and senior Brennan Deitrich hit the extra point midway through the first quarter.
The Eagles kept the momentum when senior Rajai Walton grabbed an interception near the end of the quarter, but they were not able to capitalize on it on offense.
Instead, Nottoway got the ball back and tied the game following a one-yard touchdown run with 8:32 to go in the second quarter.
The teams traded possessions via fumbles, but the Cougars turned Prince Edward’s turnover into points when their 30-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright and went in with 2:43 left in the half. Nottoway held its 10-7 lead at halftime.
To open the second half, the Cougars were limited by strong defense from senior Markeem Trent and a holding penalty. Their punt, ultimately, went nowhere, and the Eagles got the ball on the Nottoway 36-yard line.
During the Prince Edward drive, a 29-yard pass from senior Joel Thomas to senior Bryan Moses helped set up a four-yard touchdown run by Walker. Deitrich’s extra point gave the Eagles a 14-10 lead with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter. It was the last lead they would have in the game.
Nottoway retook the lead, 16-14, on a one-yard touchdown run midway through the third.
Prince Edward turned the ball over on downs, and during the Cougars’ next drive, the Eagles lost Trent for the game after a helmet collided with his knee.
“Our leader went out on defense, and no one really stepped up for us, and that hurt us a little bit,” Ford said.
When play resumed, Nottoway went on to score on a three-yard touchdown pass, giving it a 22-14 lead with 1:39 left in the third.
But Prince Edward senior Brandon Scott took the ensuing kickoff approximately 85 yards for a touchdown, helping make it 22-21.
Later, a big run and an Eagles personal foul helped put Nottoway on the Prince Edward seven-yard line, from which the Cougars scored on a run. A successful two-point conversion run pushed their lead to 30-21 with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Walker put together some strong runs, but Eagles penalties helped undo their drive and lead to a turnover on downs.
Nottoway concluded its next drive with a 25-yard field goal, and with 6:32 left in the game, it led 33-21.
Nineteen seconds later, Prince Edward responded when Thomas hit Scott in stride for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Walker ran in the two-point conversion, and suddenly the score was 33-29 with 6:13 remaining.
The Eagles forced Nottoway to punt and began a drive with 3:51 to go, but it ended in an interception.
Prince Edward held out hope for a chance to get the ball back with some time left on the clock and an opportunity for a big pass play. However, the Cougars were able to drain the clock down to 11.8 seconds, and then on fourth down, they scored on a 31-yard run up the middle to seal the win.
Ford was unsure of the severity of Trent’s injury, hopeful that he will be back next week but confident someone can step up in his place if he is not.
“We’ve got enough leaders on this team that I’m sure that somebody’s going to come in and get the job done,” Ford said.
The Eagles (1-2) host Central Lunenburg High School (2-1) next Friday night at 7 p.m.