Haysi’s final football game ends on the field of Essex
Haysi (13) vs. Essex (35)
Written: Dec 07, 2014
BY JIM SACCO
for the Daily Telegraph
KING WILLIAM, Va. — Despite the interceptions, despite the rain and despite the explosive offense Essex flashes for all the state to see, through three quarters Haysi was down a score to the Trojans.
But the Essex defense was there all day, jumping in front of five Jalen Sykes' passes, before the offense exploded for 21 points over the final 12 minutes. It sealed another trip to the VHSL 1A championship game for the Trojans. It also put the Haysi football program in the history books, falling a game short of a championship date in the school's final year before shuttering to consolidation.
"A rainy day against Essex," veteran Haysi coach James Colley said in an emotional locker room at King William High School. "That's a great football team over there. And they showed it."
John Fulks' Essex squad flashed its muscle - and speed - early and again late. In-between, his unheralded defense - led by a ravenous secondary unit - stole more than the ball from the Tigers. It took home the show.
The first of five interceptions came on the Tigers' second possession of the game when Sterling Hammond jumped a route on Sykes, pulling the pass in on a third-and-3 from the Essex 28.
The Trojans would tack on four more, scoring 21 points off the turnovers after getting stymied on the first, and killing a long Haysi drive to the open the second half with another.
"Nobody in our region has thrown the ball around like that," Fulks said. "We had to prepare for that. I thought our kids answered the challenge pretty well."
Sykes, who finished the day completing half of his 36 passes, could only shake his head and laugh at the interception total.
"You got to try to get the ball down the field somehow," the senior said. "If this is it, this is how I want to go out."
Essex put the only points it needed on the board in the first half, scoring in the first quarter on a 23-yard hook pass from Dominek Broaddus to Rausaun Moore and again in the second off a Leo Gaskins burst through a hole for a 5-yard scoring rumble.
It was the Haysi defense that set up the Tigers' first score of the game with Travis Conway stepping in front of a Broaddus pass while in stride at the Haysi 37, and returning it down the 5. Three plays later, on fourth-and-goal from the 2, Tristan Yates fell into the end zone before Colley's attempt at two points failed.
"We didn't quit," Colley said. "Their defense played great. That showed."
And with a large and loud Haysi contingent cheering, that Essex defense slipped the dagger in on the Tigers' first drive of the second half when the Trojans ended a 14-play Tiger drive with its third pick of the game on fourth-and-15 on their own 35.
The red-clad crowd fell silent.
"It's tough to throw the ball [against Essex]. They wore us down," Colley said.
The line-of-scrimmage battle went clearly to the larger Trojans linemen, who opened up big holes for Broaddus and Malik Martin (122 rushing yards). A differential not lost on Yates or Colley.
"They were big," Yates said.
Colley agreed.
"You're going to have to win the line of scrimmage if you're not quick," Colley said. "And their size wore us down."
Haysi got a late-game scores from Chris O'Quinn on a 12-yard run, but with 1:24 left and Essex falling on the squib kick, the Trojans took three knees before celebrating in the north end zone. Yates, who led the Tigers' ground attack with 98 took a brief look at the celebration. Colley, with fans around him and the players on their knees in front, also took a quick peek before returning his attention to the Tigers.
"It's tough," he said.
At King William
Haysi...................0 6 0 7 — 13
Essex..................7 7 0 21 — 35
E-Monroe 27 from Broaddus (Umphlette kick)
E-L. Gaskins 5 run (Umphlette kick)
H-Yates 2 run (pass failed)
E-Martin 13 run (Umphlette kick)
E-Hammond 29 run (Umphlette kick)
E-Martin 56 run (Umphlette kick)
H-C. O'Quinn 12 run (Ratliff kick)
Team Stats
First downs: H 14, E 14; Rushes-Yards: H 25-217, E 36-254; Passing Yards: H 36, E 46; Comp-Att.-Int.: H 13-26-5, E 8-13-1; Fumbles-Lost: H 0-0, E 3-2; Penalties-Yards H 5-30, E 5-50; Punt-Average: H 1-37; E 2-31.5.
Individual stats
RUSHING -H:Yates 18-98, Sykes 2-4, Sutherland 1-4, Turner 3-18, C. O'Quinn 1-12. E: Gaskins 5-19, Broaddus 9-49, Monroe 2-1, Hammond 6-55, J. Payne 1-3, Martin 12-122,
PASSING- H: Sykes 13-26-5, 36 yards; E: Broaddus 8-13-1, 46 yards.
RECEIVING- H: T. Mullins 4-43, Sutherland 3-4, Hill 1-2, Yates 4-(-)4. E: Martin 4-16, Jones 1-23, Gaskins 1-(-)3, Hammond 1-18.
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