Courtland High School football coach J.C. Hall preached the concept of trust to his team all week long leading into its showdown with rival Spotsylvania on Friday night.
Nonetheless, it’s unlikely that Hall and the Cougars had any idea how crucial their belief in one another would truly be when everything was on the line.
Courtland got key plays on offense, defense and special teams in the game’s final minutes to rally from a 12-point deficit for an emotional 21-19 Battlefield District victory over the visiting Knights.
The result kept the Cougars (5-1 overall, 3-0 Battlefield) in the hunt for their first district championship since 2015. They are tied atop the standings with Caroline (6-0, 3-0), which narrowly defeated Eastern View 6-0, also on Friday evening.
“I’m still shocked at how the final few minutes unfolded,” Hall said. “[But] the word of the week for us was trust. Trust one another, trust the program, trust what the coaches are doing, trust your mindset, [trust] your skill set. … And we found a way.”
Trailing 19-7 with just over two minutes to play, Courtland recovered a Spotsylvania fumble at the Knights’ 9-yard line. This set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Chieftain Watson to Ahmari Boxley that pulled the Cougars within 19-14 with 1:42 remaining.
Courtland followed that up with a textbook onside kick. Kicker Rocco Thelen’s offering floated perfectly into the hands of teammate Greg Garecht, giving the Cougars possession at the Spotsylvania 49.
“We practice special teams every single day,” Hall said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario in terms of execution. I mean that was flawless.”
Boxley, who’s terrorized Courtland’s opponents all season long with his big-play ability, factored heavily into the game-winning drive. And he showcased a short memory in doing so.
On first down, Watson lofted a pass down the left sideline in Boxley’s direction. The 6-foot-2 junior appeared to outmaneuver his defender and make a spectacular toe-tap catch for a first down inside the Knights’ 40, but he was called for offensive pass interference.
Backed up at its own 36, the Cougars got a 24-yard connection from Watson to Grayson Larch and then an 11-yard scramble by Watson to the Spotsylvania 29.
On the next play, Watson lobbed another offering toward Boxley, this time along the right sideline. This time, Boxley swiped the ball out of the air with a fantastic one-handed grab, setting Courtland up at the Knights’ 14 with 51 seconds on the clock.
Four plays later, Tyrik Newman scampered 4 yards for the game-winning score with 19 seconds left.
“When they called the earlier catch back, I just felt like a switch flipped in my head,” said Boxley, who finished with six receptions for 86 yards. “I forgot about it instantly, and I was just focused on helping my team win.”
Newman, who rushed for a hard-earned 94 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, attempted to put his game-winner—and the improbable comeback—into words.
“Being a part of this team is incredible,” he said. “We’ve been through so much together, from offseason workouts last winter to tonight. And while there’s still a lot of work left to do, this feels great.”
Spotsylvania (4-2, 2-1) didn’t exactly go quietly. After returning the ensuing kickoff to their own 40, the Knights covered 31 yards on back-to-back completions from Braden Hodges to Colton Jones. But ultimately, they ran out of time at the Cougars’ 29.
“We choked,” Spotsylvania coach Vern Lunsford said bluntly. “There it is. Two-score lead. … We choked it away. We’ve got to do a better job. … I’ve gotta do a better job. That loss is solely on me.”
The Knights trailed 7-0 after Newman’s 2-yard scoring run on the opening play of the second quarter. But they capitalized on Courtland’s inability to finish a pair of drives that crossed their 40.
Hodges faked a handoff up the middle and connected with Jones over the middle, who slipped through multiple Cougar tackle attempts and raced 72 yards to pay dirt to pull the visitors within 7-6 just before halftime.
After a long kickoff return by Hudson Callahan set Spotsylvania up at the Courtland 23 to begin the second half, Jones completed a 15-yard pass to Aiden Booth that moved the ball to the 4. Two plays later, Cameron Puller bulldozed his way over the goal line to give the Knights a 12-7 advantage.
On the ensuing drive, Spotsylvania blocked a punt and recovered it at the Cougars’ 28. Puller finished another short drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge five plays later, handing the Knights a 19-7 lead with 3:19 left in the third period.
Spotsylvania had opportunities to slam the door shut in the final stanza after stopping a Courtland drive on downs inside its own 20 and a Callahan interception of a Watson pass inside its own 10. But Hodges was picked off by Watson to end the first possession, and the Knights coughed the ball up to squander Callahan’s interception.
“I’ve gotta do a better job making sure we’re in the right situations,”Lunsford said. “It’s not those kids’ fault, it’s all my fault. I’m going to take care of it. … We’re going to fix it. But there’s no reason we shouldn’t have won that football game.”
Spotsylvania will look to get back in the win column when it hosts Caroline next Friday. Courtland will visit Eastern View the same night.
