James Wood broke a 42-42 tie to defeat Millbrook 63-49 on the road last week, raising its points per game average on the season to 55.7. The Colonels will look to keep this high-scoring momentum going against a Liberty team that defeated them in dramatic fashion last fall.
Trailing 27-20 with 4:01 remaining, the Eagles recovered a James Wood fumble and mounted a 10-play, 66 yard drive that concluded with quarterback AP Hull running for a 1-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion that gave Liberty a 28-27 victory.
Liberty challenged James Wood’s defense all game, completing five passes of 30+ yards. Hull, who tallied three total touchdowns and two two-point conversions in the game, graduated this past spring.
Though Liberty thrived on big plays against James Wood last season, its results throughout this season haven’t been so flashy. After six games, the Eagles have been outscored 30.2 to 19.7 on average and have only scored more than 20 points once in a 55-7 win over Fauquier.
Last week, Liberty trailed 24-0 after three quarters and eventually fell 31-20 to Brentsville in a game where Tigers starting quarterback Mark Griggs played receiver due to injury. A week prior, the Eagles lost 22-19 to Warren County, a team that fell 56-26 to the Colonels on Sept. 25.
James Wood’s offense has continued elevating, as quarterback Owen Neal threw four passing touchdowns and ran for three scores against Millbrook, while receiver Xavier Price hauled in four receiving scores and ran for a fifth.
Neal now has completed 97 of 139 passes for 2,160 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions while running 68 times for 650 yards and 19 scores. He’s connected with Price (29 catches, 697 yards, 13 receiving touchdowns) and Aidric Yurish (39 catches, 804 yards, four receiving touchdowns) routinely this season.
Wideout Jackson Lang (320 receiving yards, touchdown) and running backs Jackson Ledford (492 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) and Dane Tews (386 rushing yards, three touchdowns) round out the Colonels’ offensive attack.
James Wood’s defense has held opponents to 19.1 points per game.
The linebacker core of Ledford (67 tackles, 41 solo, interception, forced fumble), Logan Lafollette (49 tackles, 36 solo, 4.5 sacks, fumble recovery) and Anthony Salvati (61 tackles, 36 solo, 0.5 sacks) have been very reliable in the middle. Against Millbrook, Lafollette recorded a sack, Ledford forced a fumble and Salvati recorded a pass breakup to force a four-and-out.
Additionally, defensive backs Price (interception, two pass breakups, 27 tackles) and Lang (14 tackles, three pass breakups) have come up strong for James Wood.
Liberty quarterback Sam Ryman threw two touchdowns to Patrick Corbin and another to Ariyan Hull last week. Hull caught a 75-yard touchdown against James Wood last season. The Eagles have also relied on running back Miles Lamb this season.