October 23, 2010

By David Selig

The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- Chandler DeHaven insists that kicking a field goal is no different than an extra point.

But when the James Wood junior lined up for a 27-yard game-winning field goal in overtime Friday night at Millbrook, he had actually never attempted one in a game.

Admitting later that he was "nervous," DeHaven split the uprights, giving the Colonels a 17-14 victory and a huge boost to their playoff chances.

The Wood players then piled onto DeHaven, chanting his first name over and over as they gathered into a huddle near the end zone.

"It was awesome," said DeHaven, who is 9-for-9 on extra points this season after making two Friday. "Best feeling in the world. ... I'll remember this probably for the rest of my life."

The Colonels (5-3, 2-1 Northwestern District) and Pioneers (4-4, 1-1) have each had their share of memorable wins in the short series, splitting eight meetings - five by seven points or less. This one couldn't be settled in regulation, as Wood kicker Peyton Hottel missed a game-winning 30-yard attempt as time expired, his second miss of the game.

Wood - which hasn't lost a coin toss this season - won the flip in overtime, electing to play defense first as the teams alternate possessions starting at the 10.

Millbrook ran the ball down to the 2 on three carries, but kicker Derek Davis misfired on a 19-yard field goal.

James Wood coach Mike Bolin said he approached DeHaven to let him know he'd be kicking in overtime, and when the Colonels were still at the 10 after two runs, Bolin sent his field goal team out on third down.

How did DeHaven react to that news?

"He just came out and kicked a field goal," Bolin deadpanned. "He's been our extra point guy for the last few weeks. You know, we've got two really good kickers. Peyton didn't have a good night, and we had to change it up."

The Colonels also had to adjust their plan on offense a bit.

Bolin said they had planned to give Mark Collie the bulk of the carries after his 106-yard effort in last week's win at Skyline.

But Collie suffered a gash on his hand in the first half that required stitches.

Collie still came back, rushing for a total of 37 yards on 10 carries. But Joel McGreevy (21 rushes for 90 yards and a touchdown) and fullback Cory Schrock (20 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown) carried the load in a vintage James Wood attack that totaled 287 yards on the ground.

"Everybody was stepping up and doing their jobs," said Schrock, who was awarded a trophy sponsored by Valley Health as the game's most valuable player. "I couldn't thank the line any more. Between them and the running backs that were blocking for me, they did a heck of a job tonight. Words don't explain them tonight."

Bolin had words to explain them, telling his team multiple times how proud he was, specifically for the way they've faced an abnormal amount of injuries and other setbacks this season.

"You talk about a group of guys that have had their backs against the wall, adversity of all kinds," Bolin said after addressing his team." And they show up every day and work hard. ... They want to play football. And they want to win."

Millbrook wanted to win, too, needing a victory to stay in first place in the district.

But the Pioneers fell for the third time this season in a game that came down to a late kick. (They also won once in overtime, beating Kettle Run on a Davis field goal.)

"It's just a tough one to take," Millbrook coach Reed Prosser said. "The kids played hard. The frustrating part about the game is, usually when you lose, it's because you make mistakes. And both teams made no mistakes. Both teams were more or less penalty-free, and neither team turned it over. Both teams played well and played hard."

Wood went up 7-0 after a 15-yard McGreevy touchdown in the first quarter, and Millbrook tied it just before halftime.

The Pioneers were faced a 4th-and-1 at the Colonels' 33 with just over a minute left before the break. Out of an off-set Maryland I formation with two fullbacks, Jordan Hartman took a handoff and bounced outside the left tackle before sprinting into the end zone.

Hartman finished with 22 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

After Wood went back in front on a two-yard Schrock run, the Pioneers went to the shotgun, and Curtis Daily (8 of 14 for 126 yards) completed three passes on a 71-yard drive that set up a two-yard Hartman score. A Davis extra point tied the score at 14-14 with 7:42 remaining.

"I thought he did a really, really nice job," Prosser said of Daily. "They gave us some things in the passing game, and we wanted to get Boomer [Kaczmarzewski] more involved in the offense, particularly after the half."

Kaczmarzewski caught five passes for 78 yards, but Wood's defense held firm on Millbrook's final possession of regulation, then kept the Pioneers out of the end zone in overtime.

Bolin praised his defense for making those crucial stops, and as the Colonels jogged off the field and toward the locker room, he was giving out hugs left and right.

He applauded Mark Bean, who moved from fullback to guard earlier this season and has become one of the Colonels best blockers.

He also highlighted Collie's toughness for coming back from the hand injury.

"Those are the kind of kids we have," Bolin said.

And on this night, those kids had just enough.

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