Sherando shuts out Wood for fourth straight win

WINCHESTER — After initially extending the ball forward for a handoff but then pulling it back, Sherando junior quarterback Micah Carlson whipped a dart to Drew Tyson as he slanted over the middle, and the tight end caught it at the goal line for a 17-yard touchdown.

Carlson's final pass of the night was yet another accurate one (he was 17 of 20 on Friday), produced yet another touchdown (he threw for four) and involved yet another receiver (Tyson became the seventh Warrior to catch a pass) and was set up once again by exceptional blocking. About the only thing that was missing was Tyson adding to the Warriors' significant yards after the catch tally.

Tyson's catch and the extra point from Noah Smith (two receptions for 23 yards) with 1:49 left in the third quarter provided the final points in Sherando's 41-0 Class 4 Northwestern District win over James Wood on Friday at the Colonels' Kelican Stadium.

The Warriors (5-2, 2-0 district) won their fourth straight game and posted their third shutout in that stretch to improve to 30-4 all-time against the Colonels (3-4, 0-2).

James Wood had some success — the Colonels had 13 first downs, including five in the first quarter — but Sherando controlled the game thoroughly. Led by Carlson (279 yards and four TDs passing; 38 yards and one TD on four carries), the Warriors scored TDs on their first four possessions for a 28-0 halftime lead. Sherando finished with a 472-147 yardage edge.

"I thought coming into this game the key to tonight was going to be how we played up front on both sides of the football," Sherando coach T.J. Rohrbaugh said. "James Wood's got some big guys up front and they've got a good front on both sides, and I thought we were able to establish ourselves on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. I really thought that was the key to opening up everything we wanted to do offensively and defensively."

Rohrbaugh gave credit to offensive coordinator Ben Taylor for calling plays that would best take advantage of what he was seeing from the Colonels' defense. Christian Ruiz (17 carries, 81 yards, one TD) and Carlson had success on the ground, but taking to the air and having their athletes run after catching the ball made the biggest difference.

Carlson completed his first nine passes. His second completion was a throw in space to the 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end Smith on the right seam. After catching the ball at the line of scrimmage, Smith turned upfield and built up a head of steam before breaking tackles and dragging Wood players, finally getting stopped at the James Wood 2 after a 20-yard gain. Carlson kept the ball around the left side on the next play for a TD, and the first of Smith's five extra points made it 7-0 at the 4:03 mark of the first quarter.

The play was a sign of things to come. Whether Carlson was throwing short, intermediate or deep, he was on the money with his throws. And Smith's catch was one of many where Carlson put his receivers in positions where they could pick up big chunks of yardage after catching the ball.

Ruiz caught a swing pass to the left and ran through Wood's defense after being able to run straight ahead for more than 10 yards on a 58-yard TD with 1:42 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0. Carlson connected with Tucker LaFever (three catches, 33 yards) for a 15-yard TD on a throw to the right that LaFever caught inside the 10 and ran in without breaking stride to make it 21-0 with 10:02 left in the second quarter.

After Carlson threw off his back foot with a perfect throw to Brady Hamilton (five catches, 29 yards) for a seven-yard TD pass with 8:54 left in the third quarter to make it 34-0, Aiden Leatch (four catches, 92 yards) then picked up about 30 extra yards after being led on a bomb down the right sideline as part of a 60-yard play to the James Wood 7. A holding penalty moved the Warriors back to the 17, but Carlson connected with Tyson on the next play to finish off the scoring.

With so many different weapons and the starting offensive line of center Jarrett See, guards Mason Patterson and Kaden Hurst, and tackles Parker Fredman and Ethan Gonzalez providing plenty of time, the Warriors are not easy to defend.

"It keeps a defense guessing, and everybody gets a shot," said Carlson of the benefits of having so many receiving options.

"We don't have any one guy we're specifically targeting," Rohrbaugh said. "We're just trying to take what the defense gives us. When we're executing and not turning the ball over and not committing penalties, Micah's doing a great job of getting the ball where it needs to be, and Coach Taylor's doing a great job of calling plays to put us in positions to be successful."

Sherando's defense made sure the offense always had a big cushion. The Colonels did not advance past the Warrior 40-yard line in the first half, and LaFever had an interception to end one of the Colonels' possessions.

Jake Dann is part of the receiving corps, and plays on the back end as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker. Dann said the defensive line and linebackers continued to set a strong tone on Friday, helping hold James Wood to 9-of-28 passing for 59 yards and two interceptions and 88 yards on 29 carries.

"They're definitely the heart of the defense," Dann said. "They're working real hard. They're breaking through and getting penetration, and shutting things down. Without them being as nasty and physical as they are, I don't think we would have done nearly as much as we did tonight."

The Warriors did well to preserve the shutout late. Donovan Blackwell picked off a pass over the middle at the 5-yard line from No. 2 Wood quarterback Aidric Yurish on a first down throw from the Warriors' 14. After a fumble two plays later at the 8, James Wood got as close as the Warrior 2, but a three-yard loss on third down and a fourth-down incompletion kept the score 41-0.

The Colonels didn't get the efficiency they needed to stay with the Warriors early.

On the game's opening drive, James Wood coach Todd Wilson was upset the referees stopped the game when the Colonels brought in their heavy package on fourth-and-1 at the Colonels' 41 — Sherando was scrambling with a mass substitution at the time. The Warriors were called for encroachment after everyone lined up for the next play, but Wilson thought the stoppage disrupted James Wood's rhythm. The Colonels then had a catchable deep pass fall incomplete on the play after that and eventually punted. James Wood then committed three penalties for 25 yards on Sherando's opening drive.

Wilson also thought the Colonels could have done better to contain some of Sherando's big-yardage plays.

"We did a lot of things that hurt us," Wilson said. "Tackling was the biggest thing. We had guys in spots, and we've got to finish the play. Offensively, we were putting things together at times, but we were just shooting ourselves in the foot. But hats off to Sherando. Their team made the plays, and they're doing a great job over there."

For Wood, Owen Neal was 8 of 25 for 46 yards and one interception. Elijah Richards had 47 yards on 16 carries.

Sherando and James Wood are both on the road next Friday. The Warriors will travel to Kettle Run and the Colonels will play at Fauquier.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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