Daley rushes for four scores as Handley tops James Wood for Apple Cup

WINCHESTER — Senior defensive lineman Nasir Nix remembers what it was like coming into the Handley football program as a freshman. That’s what makes this season season more special.

“When we came in, we were losers,” Nix said Friday night after Handley’s 26-14 win at James Wood’s Kelican Stadium. “Now we’re winners.”

The Judges (9-1, 5-1) got four touchdown runs from Stephen Daley and controlled the clock in knocking off the Colonels to win the Barr-Lindon Crimson Apple for the first time since 2009 and clinch the Class 4 Northwestern District’s No. 2 regional playoff spot. The Judges will now host the third-place finisher from the Dulles District on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. James Wood (7-3, 4-2) finished third in the district and will travel to the Dulles runner-up on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

The Judges were happy to accept the “Apple Cup,” which is presented by The Winchester Star to the best football team in Frederick County. The Judges swept Sherando, Millbrook and James Wood this season.

“I love it,” defensive lineman Rodd’ney Davenport said of being the No. 1 team in the area in Class 4. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy I’m stuttering.”

“It feels great,” said Daley, who was “gassed” after a season-high 30 carries for 195 yards and 1.5 sacks on defense. “Freshman and sophomore year we couldn’t get it. Last year we didn’t even get to try for it because of the COVID. It feels great to beat all three teams and get the Cup. I never knew what the trophy even looked like. I didn’t know it was that big. It’s great having it senior year.”

“They brought us back to where we need to be and expect to be,” said Handley coach Dan Jones, who took over four seasons ago after the Judges went 6-24 in the previous three. “That’s a standard at Handley and this senior group brought us back where we should be.”

The Judges earned it by controlling the ball against the Colonels, who got a pair of touchdown runs from Jaden Ashby including a school-record 99-yarder in the third quarter.

Ashby’s run started a key sequence in the second half. After the Colonels held Daley a yard short of the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 2, Ashby took off around right end, found a seam and was gone.

“The offensive line blocked well and the receivers blocked well,” Colonels coach Ryan Morgan said. “We used a little bit of a shift there to maybe confuse the defense or show them something they hadn’t seen to that point. There was a clear lane, the guys blocked it well and Jaden is probably the fastest guy in the area.”

After Ashby energized the Colonels fans, they got even louder when the Judges failed to field Hunter Barnhart’s kickoff and James Wood recovered at the Handley 15. The Handley defense responded, holding the Colonels to five yards in three plays and Barnhart's 27-yard field goal attempt was just wide to the right.

“That was real important,” Nix said of getting out of the jam without giving up points. “If they score, they have the momentum. We don’t want anybody having the momentum except for us.”

After the two teams exchanged punts, Handley then embarked on a time consuming drive 89-yard march that ate up the first half of the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Davion Butler, who got off to a slow start in the contest, was a perfect 3-for-3 for 62 yards in the 13-play march. His 30-yard strike to Jacob Duffy got the ball down to the James Wood 2 and Daley took it over on the next play. The Judges missed the extra point, but led 20-14 with 5:47 remaining.

“My teammates did a good job setting me up for most of my runs,” said Daley, who now has rushed for 24 TDs this season. “They just got me to a place and I had to finish it for them. I thank them for that.”

The Colonels then took over at their 44, but could not move the ball. Two rushes netted three yards and Davenport then sacked Jared Neal for a seven-yard loss back to the 40.

Electing to go for it on fourth down, Neal threw a jump ball to Ashby, but Handley’s Mannot Lusca was able to break it up.

“That was something to tell my kids,” Davenport said of stopping the Colonels on that drive and getting a sack. “That’s what I was thinking the whole time. I was like, ‘One day, I’m going to come back and tell them about this.’ I wanted to make it important and that’s what we did.”

Handley then tacked on an insurance touchdown. On second-and-4, Daley took a Wildcat snap, started inside and then bounced outside to the left and raced down the sidelines to the 3. He powered his way up the middle on the next play to make it 26-14 with 2:16 to go.

Wood made things a little interesting before it was finished. Neal’s 27-yard pass to Ryan King and an interference penalty quickly pushed the ball to the Handley 19. After two plays netted two yards, Daley and Davenport combined to sack Neal for an eight-yard loss. Neal’s fourth-down heave to the end zone was batted down by Christian Metzger.

The Handley defense didn’t look good at all on James Wood’s opening drive. Led by 51 yards on six carries from Wes Brondos, the Colonels rumbled 64 yards in 10 plays. Out of the Wildcat, Ashby scored from four yards out to make it 7-0 with 6:07 left in the quarter.

But from there, the Colonels only ran 29 offensive plays the rest of the game.

The Judges, who were stuffed on a couple of early chances deep in James Wood territory, got even on a 47-yard drive late in the second quarter. Daley’s six-yard run on a fake punt extended the march. Later on third-and-goal from the 10, Daley fended off a tackle and stretched the ball over to make it 7-7 with 2:48 left in the half.

“Coach [Brian] Thomas does a good job with their defense. He’s a tough nut to crack sometimes,” Jones said. “It took awhile to figure out what he was trying to do. Fortunately, we were able to get some big plays when we needed them.”

After a good kickoff return by Blake Corbin, the Colonels missed out on a big opportunity to have a halftime lead. Starting at the Handley 47, Ashby (8 carries, 152 yards) broke loose around the right side for 38 yards. But two plays later, Wood fumbled and Izayah Arnoux recovered for the Judges.

Handley took its first lead on its initial drive in the fourth quarter, going 81 yards on just four plays. Emerson Fusco’s tackle-breaking 22-yard run on the second play, followed by a 17-yarder from Deonte Trammel moved the ball to the Wood 40. Daley then bounced a run to the right and showed off his sprinter’s speed for the 40-yard scored that made it 14-7.

“I just run behind my big linemen,” he said. “Then I try to use my speed to get outside.”

“I can’t say enough,” said Jones when asked about Daley’s effort. “The kid just gives everything he has. … He gave us every play we needed from him. He made plays on defense and he definitely ran the ball hard. He pounded it a little harder today than we used give him the rock because we needed it tonight.”

Fusco had a big second half, gaining 70 of his 79 yards on the ground. After going 2-for-9 in the first half, Butler was 5-for-5 over the final two quarters and threw for 140 yards.

Besides Ashby’s school-record burst, the Colonels were held to minus-9 yards rushing in the second half. The Handley secondary, torched against Kettle Run and Liberty in back-to-back weeks, gave up just 35 yards through the air.

Brondos added 65 yards on 15 carries for the Colonels.

“Some of the mental mistakes, we need to fix some of those as coaches and players,” said Morgan looking ahead to the school’s first regional berth in seven seasons. “… We keep building and growing. I thought we played well in a lot of ways tonight, but Handley is a good football team.”

Handley is looking for its first playoff win since 2010.

“We think baby steps as a program and we’ve got to win a playoff game,” Jones said. “Whoever we play is going to be good and going to be a challenge. That’s our goal to get that first one and to go as far as we’re fortunate enough to go.”

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