HANDLEY RALLIES PAST COLONELS, SHARES DISTRICT TITLE

November 7, 2011

By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

Handley rallies past Colonels, earns share of district title

WINCHESTER- Bad. Terrible. Embarrassing. Whipped.

Those are some of the words Handley coaches and players used during and after the two worst losses in the team's 2-5 start.

But while the Judges sometimes expressed displeasure, they never expressed they were done. And never was their belief in themselves more needed and evident than it was Saturday afternoon.

Handley earned a share of its fourth consecutive Northwestern District championship by rallying from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to beat rival James Wood 21-13 at the Handley Bowl.

"More than anything, what changed in the second half was our attitude," said Derek Dowrey, Handley's senior nose guard on defense and barely stoppable fullback on offense (14 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown). "We just never quit.

"That's just the attitude we've tried to have all season, and that really showed today."

The Judges (5-5, 3-1 Northwestern) will be the No. 7 seed in the Region II Division 3 playoffs and face No. 2 Liberty (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Bealeton, while the Colonels (4-6, 1-3) will be the No. 7 seed in Region II Division 4 and travel to face No. 2 Powhatan (8-2) and also play at 7:30 Friday.

On Saturday, the Judges were stellar on defense. They recorded four turnovers - including an interception return for a touchdown and an interception near its own goal line in the final two minutes to seal the win - four sacks, and allowed just 14 yards after a Colonels' touchdown on the opening possession of the second half.

And led by Dowrey and Dexter Sloane (15 carries for 121 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown with 6:28 left that made it 14-13), the Judges thundered and flashed by the Colonels for 226 rushing yards, 200 of which came in the second half when the Judges were at full strength.

Handley sat several players - including Sloane, who also plays outside linebacker - in the first half because Judges coach Tony Rayburn said they did not meet the team requirement for attending practice.

But Rayburn - who pumped his right arm in the air and ran down the sideline as Sloane ran through, around and away from James Wood defenders on his game-winning score - said the energy Sloane displayed put him at the forefront of an inspirational charge.

"We just played with a passion," Rayburn said. "James Wood's a heck of a team, and I'm just really proud of our kids [and] how they played.

"The leadership ... we had more leadership today than we had all year. And those are the things that win games like that."

Rayburn said nothing special had to be said to elicit the team's fire - players were just jumping around, making plays, and cheering each other on.

But in the first 27 minutes, it was the Colonels making most of the big plays.

Two plays after a Handley fumble, a 36-yard pass from Jake Lewin (10 of 24 for 135 yards, two interceptions, and a rushing touchdown) to T.J. Bruce helped set up a 5-yard Aaron Clark (24 carries, 74 yards) touchdown run that made it 7-0 with 5:58 left in the first quarter.

On the opening drive of the second half, a 25-yard Chad Potter reception helped set up a Lewin 1-yard touchdown run at the 9:28 mark. But Handley blocked the extra point to keep it at 13-0.

The Judges got backed up to their own 13 following a holding call after the ensuing kickoff, but Sloane's initial carry picked up 28 yards and his first down got Handley started.

The next seven plays yielded three more Sloane bursts, three powerful Dowrey runs in which he ran through and dragged defenders, and finally a five-yard Dowrey touchdown run in which he walked into the end zone untouched to make it 13-7 with 6:14 left in the third.

The Judges kept up the pressure on offense and defense, then finally took the lead on a first-and-10 play from their own 46. Sloane shook off two defenders two yards past the line of scrimmage, came to a near-stop to cut to the left inside a defender at the 40, then went the rest of the way untouched with 6:28 left.

Handley's defense took care of the rest. The Judges forced a three-and-out on the Colonels' next drive, Tyree Summers returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-13 with 1:54 left, and Jawaun Goynes clinched the win with an interception near the goal line with 26 seconds left when James Wood had the ball at the Handley 35.

For Goynes - who was also forced to sit the first half - it was particularly important to contribute to the comeback.

"Me and Dexter, we had a plan," Goynes said. "We had to come out [strong] second half, and we were solid.

"It feels good [to win]. I feel like we've got back to where we were last year [in performance]. We feel good about this win, and we want to take this momentum into the playoffs."

The Judges attributed their performance on both sides of the ball in the second half to just better execution.

James Wood coach Mike Bolin said he thought Sloane definitely gave Handley an offensive spark.

When his team had the ball, Bolin said the Colonels didn't block well enough to establish a consistent running game (84 yards on 46 attempts, with 46 yards lost through sacks and holds behind the line of scrimmage) or passing game.

"That's my job, I'm the offensive line coach," Bolin said. "We're not establishing anything on offense. You can't win games if you don't control the football."

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