PREP FOOTBALL: Holston breaks bad playoff streak

BY JOSH FLOYD
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

DAMASCUS, Va. – After landing countless body punches Friday, fourth-seeded Eastern Montgomery finally landed a long-awaited jarring uppercut with less than a minute to play against seemingly staggering Holston.

But the youthful Mustangs couldn’t find their final knockout shot. That’s because Holston’s Jordan Blevins subsequently provided the game’s biggest pop.

Fighting through two would-be blockers, the Cavalier middle linebacker put his helmet directly into the chest of Eastern Montgomery running back Chad Raines, dropping him inches from the go-ahead score on a gutsy two-point conversion chance as Holston secured its first playoff win in nearly a quarter-century with a 13-12 decision during rainy Region C, Division 1 first-round action.

“It’s just a testament to the toughness of our kids,” Holston coach Jason Matlock said. “We wanted to come out and work extremely hard. They’re a real resilient bunch. Our defense has been playing well all year, but it’s been overshadowed a little bit because of our offense.

“It wasn’t pretty at times, but we found a way to make it work. And I’m happy about that.”

After coming away with just six points on four separate drives which penetrated Holston’s red zone, frustrations quickly turned to unchartered joy for the
Mustangs (5-6) with less than three minutes remaining. The big opening came with 2:26 to play, as Eastern Montgomery’s Stephen Lilly pounced on a crucial Cavalier fumble – their third miscue of the contest.

Following a personal foul penalty against the hosts, Mustangs’ quarterback Shawn Christian – who threw for 78 of his 89 yards in the second half – then fired a perfect seam route pass to teammate Brian Deare on 4th-and-7, who spun around two Holston defenders and drove into the end zone for a 24-yard TD reception.

Momentum seemed to side with the Mustangs, who quickly lined up for the two-point try without hesitation. The called play, a sweep to the right side, looked open at first for Raines, who had already sloshed through the muddy track for a game-high 147 yards on 29 carries.

But Raines needed just one more yard in his attempt for the right pylon, as Blevins slipped through two pulling Eastern Montgomery linemen for the game’s biggest tackle.

“We all knew they were going for two … and I wasn’t going to let him score,” said an emotional Blevins, who was also responsible for the Cavs’ lone offensive touchdown. “I wanted to win this one so bad. We haven’t won a playoff game since ’84, so I couldn’t let him score. I just wanted to win.”

In a game which saw the Mustangs run 29 more offensive plays and gain 78 additional yards, it was the play of the Holston defense that followed through on true consistency. Following a nine-play, 52-yard march by Eastern Montgomery midway through the third that closed the gap to 7-6 following Christian’s 8-yard fade toss to Lilly, Holston came up with a crucial score on the defensive side.

During a tackle against Raines, Blevins stripped the ball loose, while teammate Dillon DeArmond scooped and scooted 29 yards the other way for a 13-6 edge with 1:46 left in the third.

“Our defense really stepped up this game, especially since our offense wasn’t clicking,” DeArmond said. “Our defense had to make a lot of third- and fourth-down plays to stop them. That’s because Eastern Montgomery is a really good team. I have to give them all the credit in the world. They played us hard for all four quarters.”

Now, the top-seeded Cavaliers – following their first playoff victory since 1984 – will play host to third-seeded Bath County (10-1), a squad that eliminated the locals one year ago, next Friday for the Region C, Division 1 crown. The playoff-tested Chargers knocked out No. 2 Bland County 17-13 in other Region C, Division 1 play Friday.

Jeffrey Bramlett, meanwhile, had the lone touchdown pass for the Cavs (9-2), finding Blevins on a 17-yard halfback option heave for a 7-0 edge early in the second. Teammate Eric Mefford carried the pigskin 102 yards on just 14 carries.

Eastern Montgomery 0 0 6 6 – 12
Holston 0 7 6 0 – 13
Scoring Summary
HOL – Blevins 17 pass from Bramlett (Bramlett kick)
EM – Lilly 8 pass from Christian (kick blocked)
HOL – DeArmond 29 fumble recovery (kick failed)
EM – Deare 24 pass from Christian (run failed)
Team Stats
First Downs: EM 18, HOL 11; Rushes-Yards: EM 52-204, HOL 38-187; Passing Yards: EM 89, HOL 28; Comp-Att-Int: EM 8-20-1, HOL 2-5-1; Fumbles-Lost: EM 2-2, HOL 4-2; Penalties-Yards: EM 5-40, HOL 8-75; Punts-Average: EM 2-37, HOL 2-27.