Friday, October 29, 2010

Patriots on the road against Freeman tonight!

How will the Patrick Henry Patriots bounce back after a disappointing 27-21 overtime loss to Deep Run? Find out TONIGHT LIVE when the Patriots travel to the West End to face the Douglas Freeman Rebels!

Coverage begins at 6:30pm tonight, immediately following Collegiate Cougars football on WHAN-AM (1430)! You can also listen LIVE from anywhere at the UStream link above!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Homecoming 2010 Tonight!

Celebrate Homecoming at Patrick Henry tonight! Festivities begin at 6pm, with tonight's Patrick Henry/Deep Run football game kicking off at 7pm! See you there!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Week Six: Patrick Henry 6, Mills Godwin 3

The last time the Patrick Henry Patriots traveled to Axselle Stadium to face the Mills Godwin Eagles, the teams combined for 85 points as Godwin came back to nip the Patriots, 43-42. All of us in the press box couldn't remember the last time Patrick Henry scored 42 points....and lost.

Apparently the 2007 teams used up most of the points alloted by the football gods for the 2010 renewal Friday night.

Patriot fans knew coming into this Colonial District battle that points would come at a premium. Mills Godwin's defense held Highland Springs to 13 points earlier in the season, and survived a road test against John Marshall, the two teams' only common opponent in 2010.

Thus, when the Pats took the opening kickoff 80 yards, all on the ground, straight to the end zone, it was a pleasant surprise, and super start for the road team. Several times during the night I mentioned that I thought six points wouldn't be enough to win on the road.

I was proven wrong.

This was a game where the pessimist would say, "Neither team wants it. They're trying to give the game to the other team." Meanwhile, the optimist would declare, "both defenses have spent the night bending but not breaking, keeping their teams alive!"

Mills Godwin spent most of the second quarter in Patriot territory, thrice knocking on the door. The first drive ended on downs after Godwin failed on 4th down to move the chain. On the second and third possessions, Godwin kicker Whit Beebe missed on field goal attempts of 38 and 33 yards, on a side of the field quickly becoming muddy thanks to the rain of the previous 48 hours.

The Eagles only score would be, ironically, on the first possession of the second half, mirroring the Patriots but not equalling the score output, as their drive stalled and Beebe, who came back from halftime early to do some quick kicking practice, nailed a 23-yarder to cut the lead to 6-3.

Then, for the next 30-40 minutes of real time, they knocked, and knocked, and knocked on the door, thought once they'd knocked it down, but, in the end, did not.

Meanwhile, for the second straight week, the Patriots showed they don't yet have the poise and experience to make the key plays in the second half to close out games with authority. The Patriots twice had it first and goal. Both times the Pats commmitted offensive penalties to back themselves up.

The first drive ended controversially, when QB Jay Waller, seemingly going down for a tackle, tried a very ill-advised shovel pass to Brian Houchens. In the end, the referees ruled it a fumble, and Tom Solak picked up the ball and ran it some 94 yards for an apparent go-ahead Eagles touchdown. Confusion swept the stadium.

When the smoke cleared, it was determined to be a fumble and Godwin recovery, BUT...

....due to a penalty, Godwin's touchdown was taken off the board and their offense took over at their own 30. They didn't make it back to the goal line again.

The PH offense's second "down and goal" series of quarter four ended with Waller running for his life, tackled at the five on a fourth and goal, as a Brian Houchens touchdown run earlier in the drive was negated by, yep, a holding penalty.

Godwin's last hope ended when, with some questionable time management with some three minutes left, they used their last timeout of the second half to discuss a fourth down play deep in their own territory. Rather than punting to try to pin the Pats deep and ask their defense for a three and out, they went for it. Quarterback Dane Forlines was stopped on a great one-on-one tackle by Terrell Archer.

Josh Thomas broke a 2nd down run for 1st down yardage, and Godwin couldn't stop the clock.

Patrick Henry escapes Pump Road with the 6-3 win.

GOOD NEWS:

---More rushing production. Josh Thomas had some hard yards, and put the dagger in the Eagles' heart rushing for that first down at the end. Brian Houchens was solid in the opening drive.

---Glimpses of Waller's Best. Jay completed a huge 2nd half pass to Gibson Vaught in double coverage after slipping in the pocket to keep one 4th quarter drive alive, went 4 of 7 for the night, with no interceptions.

---Indvidual defensive efforts. BIG kudos to Ryan DeRusha, Montel Minor, Andy Joyce, as well as Terrell Archer, for each making one-on-one defensive tackles at key points in Godwin second half drives to either cause a loss of yardage or a turnover on downs.

BAD NEWS:

---Learning to close. Salesmen will tell you nothing is sold until the "close". Gotta have a signed deal. The Patriots' offense had the pen in hand twice in the fourth quarter and couldn't score the dagger touchdown. And, Kenny Mock had a sure pick-six late in the fourth and simply dropped it.

---Glimpses of Waller's Worst. One ill-advised lob throw in the first half fell harmlessly to the ground. The ill-advised shovel pass attempt broken down earlier would have been disaster, except for Godwin committing the penalty that negated what could have been the winning score.

The Patriots return to Ashland for Homecoming 2010 against Deep Run, a historically good team struggling mightily (they are 1-1, 1-4 going into their Saturday game at John Marshall). The Wildcats would like nothing more than to pin the Patriots with their first District loss.

For now, it's simple for Patrick Henry. They're tied for first with mighty Hermitage in the Colonial. The way Division Five teams (Clover Hill, Hanover, Atlee, Petersburg, Dinwiddie) are playing this season, the Patriots, even at 7-3, probably wouldn't have enough VHSL points to make the Division Five playoffs as a wild card.

To extend the 2010 season to week eleven, the Pats must win out. They're the only team left that can win the District other than Hermitage, essentially, unless there is a major upset in Hermitage's future (they have Freeman, TJ, and John Marshall the next three weeks).

It will be fun to watch this young team and its coaching staff respond to the challenge and I look forward to these Patriots putting together that "complete game" performance. Congrats to the Pats for a very hard-fought win, filled with lessons that can help this team make it to the next level.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Patrick Henry/John Marshall Podcast!

Click the title link above to listen to Patrick Henry's 16-8 win over John Marshall!

Patrick Henry Football: At the Halfway Point

When Patrick Henry fans collectively went, "WHEW!" last Friday night about 9:15pm, willing their Patriots to an important 16-8 home win over pesky John Marshall, the Patriots, in their first campaign under Coach Sam Hart, found themselves in the midst of a three-game winning streak, with a record of 3-2, 2-0 in the Colonial District.

There are almost as many questions after five games of the 2010 campaign as there are answers. But, conversely, there is much more to be optimistic about than there was before opening night. Here are a few of my observations after viewing the first five games.

1) "A Closer Knit Unit"---The 2010 version of the Patriots has matured in front of our eyes in five quick weeks, none moreso than week three at the Tomato Bowl. It would have been easy for an 0-2 Patriot squad, down 24 points after only 18 minutes of football, in Mechanicsville, to mail it in, will themselves to their second straight season of winless football in Hanover County and start looking ahead to the Colonial District. They, instead, chose the road less traveled. And, once the 25 point comeback was complete, as I watched Jayrin Waller run across the field with the Tomato Bowl trophy, I saw a young program take a huge step forward. Since then, I've seen more of a Patriot "unit" rather than a group of players wearing the same uniform. Going through something, both negatively and positively, either galvanizes or rips apart. This Patriot squad did the former. And it took the disappointment of the first 2.3 games, as well as the comeback, to do so.

2) "We Can Do It"---It's common knowledge that Hermitage is the prohibitive favorite in the Colonial District this season. Everyone else seems to be playing for second place. Different teams look at this challenge in different ways. With the Pats coming off their 3-7 season of 2009, it seems their attitude towards this is, "Why Not Us?" The schedule is most friendly to the Patriots, as they are the last team that has to climb Mount Hermitage and attempt the upset of the year. Now that TJ and John Marshall are behind them, the Pats look ahead to a tough Godwin squad on the road (especially their defense), a down Deep Run team coming in for homecoming, a currently-winless Freeman team on the road, and a J.R. Tucker team coming to Ashland who are not as deep as they were in '09 when they finished 8-2 and beat PH in overtime. In other words, the table is set. If the Patriots take it one step at a time and handle each assignment given them, then, come week ten, they could go to Hermitage with the District Title at stake, which will probably be the only way PH can extend their season. So, again I ask, "Why Not Us?"

3) "Consistency"---The one caveat, looking ahead to weeks six through ten, to me, is a desperate need for consistency. The 2010 Patriots have yet to play a "complete" game in all three game phases. When they do, they can beat most Colonial District teams at home, compete on the road, and have an outside shot at Hermitage. The current 3-2 record has come due to a classic comeback, being worn down by Hanover and Atlee, and home wins over teams they should have won.

If there IS consistency, especially moreso on offense, then we could be in for a very exciting second half of the season. If not? We'll discover quickly just how far the 2010 Patriots, at their current maturation level, can go.

It starts Friday night at 6:30 at Mills Godwin High School! Listen to WHAN (1430) or online LIVE at the link at the top of this page!

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Week Five Schedule

Collegiate at Woodberry, 3pm (2:45 airtime on WHAN-AM 1430!)

John Marshall at Patrick Henry, 7 (6:30 airtime on WHAN-AM 1430 and online!)

J.R. Tucker at Thomas Jefferson, 4
Potomac School at Trinity Episcopal, 4
Fork Union at St. Christopher's, 4:30
Armstrong at Lee-Davis, 7
Atlee at Henrico, 7
Varina at Hanover, 7
Huguenot at Highland Springs, 7
Hopewell at Thomas Dale, 7
Meadowbrook at Dinwiddie, 7
Petersburg at Matoaca, 7
Douglas Freeman at Deep Run, 7
Mills Godwin at Hermitage, 7
Colonial Heights at Prince George, 7:30
Cosby at L.C. Bird, 7:30
George Wythe at Clover Hill, 7:30
Manchester at James River, 7:30
Monacan at Midlothian, 7:30

Listen to the John Marshall game LIVE!

Click HERE at/after 6:30pm Friday night (10/8) to hear Patrick Henry battle John Marshall live!!

PH Boys and Girls fall to Godwin in Volleyball

Leslie Smith had 19 assists, leading the Eagles girls volleyball team to a 25-12, 25-12, 25-13 win over Patrick Henry. The Patriots fall to 1-1 in the Colonial District, 8-6 overall.

Meanwhile, the boys team met the same fate, falling to Godwin in three sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22. Andrew Thompson led the way for the Eagles with 6 digs, 6 kills and an ace.

The PH boys team falls to 0-1 in the Colonial District, 4-7 overall.

Monday, October 04, 2010

2010 Tomato Bowl Podcast HERE!

Click on the title above to download the podcast of the 2010 Tomato Bowl, featuring the biggest comeback in Tomato Bowl history, as Patrick Henry upset Lee-Davis, 25-24!

Patrick Henry Thomas Jefferson Podcast!

Download Patrick Henry's 53-7 win over Thomas Jefferson by clicking on the title link above!

Friday, October 01, 2010

Listen to Patrick Henry/Thomas Jefferson ONLINE!

If you can't pick up WHAN (1430) at night, you can now listen to Patrick Henry football live online!

Go HERE, then enter "Patrick Henry TJ" in the search box. Click on the link to the broadcast and enjoy the game from anywhere in the world!

Colonial District Opener Tonight in Ashland!

The rain has passed, the wind is drying the surface, and we're ready for October football!

Join us in Ashland tonight as the Patriots open their 2010 Colonial District schedule against Thomas Jefferson. Our pregame show begins just after 6:30 on WHAN (1430), or listen online!!!