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Dinwiddie QB throws 4 TD passes as Eagles ousted in state semifinals
Wayne Fleming’s broken foot had a trickle-down effect on the Liberty offense in Saturday’s 42-21 loss to Dinwiddie County in the Group AAA Division 5 semifinal.
The Eagles' No. 1 running back most of the year, Fleming went down in the previous week’s regional championship triumph. To advance to their first state championship game, adjustments would be needed. Capable Corey Lillard would need to shoulder the running load, with support players Shaheem Jones and Ryan Burroughs getting prime time carries as the speed backs. Standout quarterback Nick Potts would need to be extra sharp.
Alas, the Eagles (10-3) didn’t come close to executing their offensive game plan. They threw three interceptions and made two costly fumbles — one each by Jones and Burroughs — for a grisly total of five turnovers. Every one led directly to Dinwiddie points, or killed a Liberty drive.
“We made five turnovers. If we played a team that was not very good we couldn’t make five turnovers and win,” said Liberty coach Tommy Buzzo.
“It’s a sad ending. We played hard and had a great season,” said Potts.
It was Liberty's third state semifinal appearance; the other two were in Group AA Division 4 in 1998 and 2001.
Unlike its previous three games, when shouting and dancing filled the Eagles' postgame locker room, the scene in Dinwiddie, located 40 miles south of Richmond, was sad and reflective. The Eagles felt they matched up well with Dinwiddie (12-1). While Dinwiddie's record-setting quarterback Adam Morgan (18 for 26, 225 yards, 4 TDs) proved to be a challenge, the Eagles' biggest threat was themselves.
You couldn’t script a worse start for LHS. In fact it felt like the screenwriter ripped up his opening and re-wrote it, adding an uglier new twist several times.
Liberty’s very first play ended up as an interception as Potts’ pass tipped off Kenny Tapscott’s hands into the arms of Dinwiddie’s Brandon Parson on the Eagle 30. After a Liberty penalty moved the ball to the 20, Dinwiddie scored in four plays, as Morgan hit Jerrell White on a 4-yard crossing route to make it 7-0.
While Potts’ first interception was not his fault, the second, moments later, he took full accountability for.
After a penalty pushed the ball back to the LHS 12, Potts dropped back into the end zone, where he was close to being sacked. Instead of going down, he delivered a pass right into the arms of Generals' star linebacker Corey Marshall, who caught it and was tackled at the LHS 5-yard line.
“I tried to make a play and throw, it was not a great decision,” Potts admitted.
One play later Morgan hit Terron Addams on a 5-yard out pattern for the TD. Barely two minutes in, the Eagles trailed 14-0 as Dinwiddie fans whooped it up on the balmy 50-degree afternoon. “It was a typical offensive performance for us. That’s pretty common,” said a smiling Morgan. “We ran some screens, some seams, did some running.”
Playing their best 12-minute stretch of the game, the Eagles made an aggressive comeback, however. They drove to the Dinwiddie 4 on the ensuing possession, but could not score on fourth down. After stopping Dinwiddie, the Eagles got a 34-yard punt return from Derrick Lee. Soon a 15-yard touchdown run by Lillard made it 14-7 late in the first quarter...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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