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Fernow |
By STEVE FRANZELLO
At the beginning of the season, Caroline football coach Robert Jenkins told his coaching staff that a 5-5 season would be an exceptional year for his young squad.
Today, Jenkins and the Cavaliers are tri-champions of the Battlefield District and headed for their first postseason playoff game in 14 years.
Last night they punched their ticket to the Division 4 semifinals with a convincing 32-14 district victory over King George and then learned that they had earned a share of the league title with James Monroe and Courtland.
The Yellow Jackets' 20-8 win over the Cougars gave all three teams 4-1 district marks and a slice of the championship. For the Cavaliers (8-2 overall), the accomplishment was extra satisfying after such a long drought.
"We didn't want to take King George lightly," running back Jabrel Mines said. "We practiced really hard and wanted to get to the playoffs, and now we're going. It feels great."
Mines was instrumental in Caroline's success last night just as he has been all year. The hard-running senior fought his way to 161 yards on the ground and scored two times as the Cavaliers built a 26-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
His two touchdowns came in a hurry in the first quarter to put Caroline in control. Both scores came as a result of King George turnovers.
Four minutes into the contest, he scored on a 5-yard run after the Foxes had mishandled a punt at their own 40. Mines carried four times in the short scoring drive.
On the Foxes' next possession, Cavaliers DB Lavada Rollins made a leaping interception of King George quarterback Shane Houck's pass at the Foxes 29. Six plays later, Mines plowed into the end zone for a 2-yard score to put Caroline in front 14-0.
"I think we came out really quick and that kind of subdued King George--and it made us feel good," Cavaliers coach Robert Jenkins said. "We came to play."
Caroline dominated the first half with a suffocating defensive effort. With linebacker Claudell Fells and Rollins leading the way, they limited the Foxes to just 17 yards rushing in the first two quarters and intercepted Houck twice.
In the meantime, their offense continued to take advantage of King George's miscues and good field position. Quarterback Jamar Samuel fired a 51-yard scoring strike to Tory Smith and scored on a 25-yard keeper to extend the lead to 26-0 at intermission.
Despite the loss, King George concluded its best season in several years under coach Bill Dignan. The Foxes finished with a 5-5 record, 1-4 in the district.
Caroline | 14 | 12 | 6 | 0 | -- | 32 |
King George | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -- | 14 |
First Quarter
Ca--J. Mines 5-yard run (R. Dalton kick).
Ca--J. Mines 2-yard run (R. Dalton kick).
Second Quarter
Ca--T. Smith 51-yard pass from J. Samuel (kick failed).
Ca--J. Samuel 25-yard run (run failed).
Third Quarter
Ca--D. Byrd 16-yard run (kick failed).
Fourth Quarter
KG--J. James 2-yard run (S. Bogue pass from T. Dameron).
KG--S. Bogue 14-yard pass from S. Houck (run failed).
TEAMSTATISTICS
KG | Ca |
First downs8 | 15 |
Rushing yardage31-56 | 41-294 |
Passing yardage56 | 78 |
Passes6-23-4 | 5-11-1 |
Punts-Avg.3-35.6 | 3-30 |
Fumbles-lost1-1 | 0-0 |
Penalties-yards 7-60 | 7-75 |
INDIVIDUALSTATISTICS
Rushing: Caroline--Jabrel Mines 19-161, 2TDs; Jamar Samuel 8-56, TD; Gerome Azemar 2-27; Chris Smith 3-21; Devontae Byrd 1-16, TD; Keith Brown 5-12; Lavada Rollins 2-4; Tory Smith 1-(-3). King George--Tremayne Dameron 21-46; Jericho James 3-8, TD; Calvin Jones 1-3; Richard Martin 1-2; Shane Houck 5-(-3).Passing: Caroline--Jamar Samuel 5-10-1 78, TD; Matthew Schenemann 0-1-0 0. King George--Shane Houck 6-22-4 56, TD; Tremayne Dameron 0-1-0 0.
Receiving: Caroline--Tory Smith 4-77, TD; Joshua Samuel 1-1. King George--Richard Martin 2-21; Stephen Bogue 1-14, TD; Donta Smith 1-13; Deonte Johnson 1-9; Jericho James 1-(-1).
Steve Franzello: 540/374-5440| CAROLINE 32KING GEORGE 14 |
