JACKETS ADVANCE

A pedal-to-the-metal offensive assault propelled Williamsburg to an easy 54-20 dismantling of Nicholas County in the first round of the Class 1A high school football playoffs Friday, and ensured a second-round home match-up with Fairview (10-1) this week.

The Yellow Jackets piled up nearly 550 yards of offense in the rout that was only marginally in doubt for brief moments of the first half. Williamsburg amassed a 30-0 lead through a quarter and half, coupling stout defense with clever offensive plays.

Williamsburg scored on its first drive on a tricky option pitch out that allowed junior receiver Kevin Hoffman to race 15 yards for the score.

“It’s some little sweep we decided to run to get them to come up to the fullback. It’s just something we made up,” Williamsburg Head Coach Jerry Herron said of the unique scoring playing. “I’ve got a great staff that comes up with some great ideas and it worked for us.”

The Yellow Jackets scored again on a swift, three-play drive capped by an 18-yard hookup between sophomore quarterback Logan Hamblin and senior receiver Chris Lowrie for a TD. On the very next drive, Hoffman stripped the ball from Blue Jackets running back Jessie Smith and raced away for a 45-yard score.

Senior J.P. Payne grabbed the first of his two touchdown passes with ten minutes to go in the second quarter, on 11-yard toss from Hamblin to give the Yellow Jackets a 30-point spread.

But, despite three fumbles and an atrocious punt that hampered them for most of the first half, Nicholas County threatened behind two quick scores before retreating to the locker room.

Facing second-down-and-24, Williamsburg bailed out the Blue Jackets with 30 yards worth of penalties on the play to move the ball from just inside the Yellow Jacket 50 to the 19-yard-line. Nicholas capitalized when freshman quarterback Dalton Pope connected with senior receiver Matthew Kelly for the score. A two-point conversion made it 30-8.

Instead of running out the half, Williamsburg tried to answer, but stalled near midfield on fourth and 15.

Nicholas County burned Williamsburg for its greediness with a 52-yard pass play for a score as time expired in the half, narrowing the gap to 30-14.

“We just played a few things wrong there. We got beat on the deep coverage,” Herron said. “I was stubborn. Instead of wanting to run the clock out we went for the touchdown and made a few bad calls. We had two bad plays all night. What can you say?”

Little else went wrong for the Yellow Jackets the rest of the way.

Nicholas County was without star running back Caleb Pope for nearly all of the second half due to injury.

Miscues early on ruined any chance of a Nicholas County comeback.

The Blue Jackets fumbled on their first play of the second half setting Williamsburg up only 45 yards from the end zone. The Yellow Jackets decided to take a more balanced approach, mixing in more running plays, the lack of which Herron said caused the team to stall out late in the first half.

“We just decided at halftime we were going to just line up and run the ball at them … get back to playing Williamsburg Yellow Jacket football, fast and heavy,” Herron said.

Payne, who at 6-3, had a distinct advantage over smaller and slower Blue Jacket defenders all night, scored again on a 13-yard pass play where he stretched the ball across the goaline with 8:50 to go in the third quarter.

Up 38-14, Williamsburg never looked back.

Lowrie snatched an interception to end a promising Nicholas County drive midway through the third quarter, and Williamsburg scored again on a workmanlike, 41-yard drive. Travis Thomas reeled off a 14-yard run, then plunged in from a yard out to make the difference 46-14. Lowrie ran in from 12 yards out in the fourth quarter to seal the deal at 54-20.

The Yellow Jackets racked up 290 yards rushing and another 253 in the air. Lowrie led the team in rushing with 127 yards on 10 carries. Payne had 12 catches for 152 yards and two scores to lead all receivers.

Hamblin completed only 19 of his 40 pass attempts for 253 and three touchdowns, but was stingy with the ball, not allowing a single interception.

Williamsburg now has a second-round game with Region 1, District 5 runner-up Fairview. The game will be played at Finley-Legion Field Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Nicholas County 20, Williamsburg 54

Nicholas Co.            0            14            6            0            20

Williamsburg            22            8            16            8            54

First Quarter

W – Hoffman 15 run (Hamblin pass) 9:06

W – Lowrie 18 pass from Hamblin (Hamblin rush failed) 6:34

W – Hoffman 45 fumble return (Hamblin pass) 5:33

Second Quarter

W – Payne 11 pass from Hamblin (Thomas rush) 10:00

NC – Kelly 19 pass from D. Pope (D. Pope rush) 0.47

NC – C. Pope 48 pass from D. Pope (D. Pope rush fails) 0:00

Third Quarter

W – Payne 13 pass from Hamblin (Hamblin pass) 8:50

W – Thomas 1 run (Thomas rush) 4:28

Fourth Quarter

NC – Hopkins 1 run (D. Pope pass failed) 9:32

W – Lowrie 12 run (Hamblin pass) 3:51