An Old Rivalry

With the win over Cumberland two weeks ago, Williamsburg’s game with Lynn Camp last week was a tune-up to the 2006 playoffs.
Coach Jerry Herron’s team played well, beating the Wildcats 35-20 and finished the regular season with a 7-3 record.
“I felt like we did really well last week,” Herron said. “It was a rainy, muddy and wet ballgame. Neither team had any turnovers, the kids held on to the ball, it was a good solid ballgame.”
“We were still able to pass for 254 yards and rush for almost a 100,” said Herron. “It was a remarkable effort offensively. Defensively, I thought we played exceptionally well.”
“We were able to pretty much shut down their running game in the second half,” said Herron.
The Jackets were led again by senior quarterback Thomas Frazier. He hit on 14 of 27 passes for 254 yards and rushed the ball 16 times for another 61 yards.
In the first half, it looked like it might come down to the final play of the game as the teams played even.
Frazier scored the first TD from one yard out then added the PAT for a 7-0 game. However, the ‘Cats came right back and scored on a 39-yard run by sophomore Sidney Wagner. Lynn Camp added the two-point conversion for a slim one point lead.
Four minutes later the Jackets were back in the end zone as Frazier scored on a five yard run. His kick with 6:05 in the opening quarter pushed the host ahead 14-8.
Not to be outdone, the Wildcats answered before the quarter was over as junior Joe Roskopf broke loose for a 69 yard run into the end zone, tying the score at 14-14.
The field conditions helped slow the pace in the second period as only one runner crossed the end zone and that was Williamsburg’s Steven Jeffries. He was on the end of a five yard pass by Frazier with just seven seconds left in the half. The PAT made it 22-14 at the half.
Williamsburg extended its lead in the third quarter when Frazier hit classmate Chase Hamblin on a 68 yard play at the 4:09 mark. Frazier booted the extra point for a 29-14 lead.
Lynn Camp wasn’t about to quit and the Wildcats cut the lead to nine (29-20) early in the fourth quarter as Roskopf got his second touchdown of the night. The state’s rushing leader scored from 10 yards out.
Williamsburg senior Aaron Root put the final touches on the win with a one-yard run into the end zone with six minutes left in the game to put the Jackets up, 35-20.
“I was really proud of the kids,” said Herron. “They came into the game ready to play. They knew this was a big rivalry and they wanted to get these seniors a win in their last home game.”
In order to advance through the playoffs, the Jackets will have to play their first couple of games on the road. The road begins at Harlan Friday night against a team they lost to earlier in the season, 38-20.
“We have to catch the ball,” said Herron. “We only had seven catches the first time we played them. A lot of it was due to injuries and problems.”
“We just didn’t catch the ball last time,” said Herron.
It was the lowest scoring game of the season for the Jackets, who put 20 points on the scoreboard that night. The Jackets come into this week’s game as the number one passing offense in Class A football. They are sixth in scoring with a 38.4 average compared to Harlan’s 25.8
Herron feels like this is a winnable game for the Jackets. “No doubt about it. They are a great team, coach Donahue does a great job.”
“We’re going into this game full force,” said Herron. “Everyone is healthy. The last time we were hiding Chase and Will Moses had just hurt his ankle. This time everybody is back.”
Herron said his team needs a strong defensive effort to beat the Dragons. “Aaron Root is one of our top defensive players and Thomas Frazier is our second leading tackler,” said Herron. “He is really stepped up a lot for us.”
“Tyler Rollins, our defensive lineman is playing well,” added Herron. “One of our freshmen, Dusty Brown is our defensive back and Ryan Moses, our free safety made 10 tackles last week.”
“A.J. Jusino is a little banged up, but he is an explosive player and makes some good plays for us,” said Herron.
But, the bottom line will be the Jackets offensive showing against the Dragons. Williamsburg has plenty of weapons with Frazier, Root, Hamblin, Jeffries and Moses. Frazier alone has over 3,000 total yards this season. He has thrown the ball 272 times with 155 completions for 2,677 yards. He has run for 667 yards and is credited with 45 touchdowns.
And, he is not the only player to attain the 1,000 yard milestone. Hamblin has 58 catches for 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But, the surprise may be Root, who moved from a guard to the backfield this season. He has 70 carries for 442 yards and 334 yards on passes from Frazier.
“They are a good team and we have to play well,” Herron said of Friday’s game against the Dragons.
“We have really come together in the last three weeks and they have a goal,” said Herron. “They want to keep playing and just take them one game at a time. The want to play as a team. They stay fired up and they like revenge games.”
“They felt like we didn’t play well the last time and didn’t have a lot to go our way,” added Herron. “These kids are ready to play. They want this game.”

Lynn Camp 14 0 0 6- 20
Williamsburg 14 8 7 6- 35
First Quarter
W – Frazier, 1 run, (Frazier kick)
LC – Wagner, 39 run (Roskopf run)
W – Frazier, 5 run (Frazier kick)
LC – Roskopf, 69 run (Run failed)
Second Quarter
W – Jeffries, 5 pass from Frazier (Frazier run)
Third Quarter
W – Hamblin, 69 pass from Frazier (Frazier kick)
Fourth Quarter
LC – Roskopf, 10 run (Run failed)
W – Root, 1 run (kick failed)