All week long, those of us who have watched Sam Rogers since his September, 2009 debut as a freshman starting quarterback for Hanover suspected that, if a healthy Rogers is comfortable running the offense, the #4 seeded Hawks wouldn't play like a #4 seed.
Couple that with a tremendous performance on defense by the Hawks tonight, and Hanover escaped Mechanicsville with a 28-21 win over #1 seeded Lee-Davis to advance to their fourth consecutive regional final, looking for back-to-back region titles for the first time ever.
Sam Rogers went 23-for-33 for 236 yards passing with one interception, while rushing for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns. L.J. Jones scored the first Hawk touchdown, but later left the game with an ankle injury.
Lee-Davis, who rushed for 570 yards against Atlee last week, gained 98 yards tonight, the Hanover defense too speedy to close off the corners, and too stout up the middle to allow holes to develop for Chris Simpson and Deshaun Rogers.
Stephen Hall kept Lee-Davis in the game with 31 and 32 yard field goals, and Lee-Davis had a chance in the final minutes, getting the ball at their 32 yard line with 1:37 left. On 2nd down, Brandon Sulser looked downfield for his favorite target, Austin Rice, but underthrew the pass allowing Donte Haynesworth to grab the interception and seal the Hanover victory.
Lee-Davis sees their season end at the regional semifinal game for the second straight year, finishing 7-4, while Hanover, at 8-3 and the lower seed, must next travel to Hopewell for the Division 5 Finals next Friday. Hopewell avenged a loss to Dinwiddie from two weeks ago, upsetting the Generals on the road 47-28.
So it'll be #3 vs. #4 for the right to advance to the state playoffs, Hanover at Hopewell next Friday! Listen LIVE to the game next Friday at 7pm on WHAN Radio, 102.9 FM, 1430 AM, and HERE online at HanoverCountySports.org!
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