FALLS CHURCH — Following a 72-point performance against Warren County a week earlier, James Wood traveled east to face 3-2 Meridian. Though the Mustangs were coming off their own offensive explosion, defeating Fauquier 60-22 last time out, the Colonels made more big plays and won 41-22 in high school football on Friday.
James Wood (5-1, 2-1 Northwestern District) initially was a step slow, trailing 9-7 at halftime. However, massive second-half contributions from quarterback Owen Neal, wide receiver Kaden McCullough and running back Dominik Ramirez helped get the offensive juices flowing.
Neal finished 4 of 6 for 63 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and notably added 23 carries for 171 yards and two scores on the ground after fighting through contact and breaking tackles throughout the night.
McCullough was dynamic, totaling 132 yards from scrimmage on six touches. Ramirez, whose offensive snaps have decreased this season, punished the Mustangs (3-3, 1-3) in the second half and finished with nine carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Colonels’ head coach Todd Wilson said he felt a late arrival threw his team off its routine and game plan early, but also commended Meridian’s ability to start strong.
“They’re a good football team. They’re tough. They come out and hit you out,” Wilson said. “That’s what they did in the first half. They had us on our heels a little bit. They played more physical in the first half than we did. In the second half, we played more physical.”
The first quarter only featured five total possessions, as both sides prioritized playing physically and methodically.
Meridian’s opening drive lasted for nine plays and 65 yards and was capped off by an Oumar Thompson 4-yard rushing touchdown. The Mustangs missed the two-point conversion, making it 6-0 with 7:04 on the clock.
James Wood’s first possession kicked off with both a 14-yard kick return and a 39-yard reception for McCullough. This helped the team inch closer to the red zone, eventually leading to Neal scoring on a 7-yard scamper that put his team ahead 7-6 with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
Neal ran the ball five times on the drive, and Wilson said his toughness was what the team needed.
“He’s a strong kid. We put a little bit on him tonight,” Wilson said. “We don’t typically try to do that. We don’t want to have to run him 15 to 20 times a game, but tonight was a game where we had to. So, he relishes in those moments. He doesn’t shy away from contact.”
Meridian’s next possession saw it climb out of an immediate first-and-15 from its 27 and drive down to the opposite 40 before punting on fourth-and-6. During this drive, the second quarter began.
The 25-yard punt placed James Wood deep in its own territory. Neal tried to get out of this situation quickly, but instead threw an interception on the drive’s second play. The Mustangs now had possession on the Colonels’ 45.
On Meridian’s next play, quarterback Cruz Ruoff targeted a receiver deep, but the ball was knocked out of bounds. On this play, Colonels’ defensive back and receiver Xander Manzo exited with an injury and didn’t return.
A false start on Meridian stalled this drive, eventually forcing it to punt from the 38-yard line on fourth-and-13. The Mustangs once again placed James Wood near its end zone, this time on the 11-yard line.
After five run plays, a 10-yard catch by Aidric Yurish brought his team to midfield. Four plays later, James Wood faced a fourth-and-6 from the 46. Neal took the ball on a designed run but came up about a yard short, giving Meridian the ball on its 41.
A 39-yard catch by Duke Dawson on third down moved Meridian across the 50, but it was eventually stopped on third down on James Wood’s 20. The Mustangs then made a 37-yard field goal 15 seconds before the break to take a 9-7 lead. Dawson finished with 10 carries for 69 yards, a 39-yard catch and a touchdown.
Coming out of halftime, the Colonels entrusted their quarterback further. Neal ran on six of the team’s first seven plays, gaining 50 yards. Once James Wood reached the 11, Neal found Xavier Price for the receiver’s eighth touchdown of the season, making it 14-9 with 7:33 left in the third.
“The coaches got on us [before] the second half. We put in some stuff, made some adjustments,” McCullough said. “The adrenaline kicked in, definitely in the second half of the game. We didn’t come out too hot in the first half. If we put four quarters together, we’re a dangerous team.”
Meridian responded with a seven-play, 63-yard drive where Dawson excelled. After running for gains of 16 and 11, he later punched in an 11-yard rushing touchdown to regain the lead with 4:09 left in the quarter. James Wood prevented a two-point conversion, making it 15-14.
McCullough ran the ensuing kick to James Wood’s 39 before Neal sprinted down the sideline for a gain of 42 to place the Colonels in striking distance.
Two Jeremiah Hodel runs moved the ball to the 10-yard line before Neal fought through contact up the middle for a 10-yard score. His two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, so the Colonels led 20-15 with 2:43 left in the third.
Meridian only ran four plays on its next drive, as Thompson fumbled in space while trying to shift past a defender. This gave James Wood possession on its 37, and Ramirez ran for a gain of 5 before the third quarter concluded.
He continued gaining steam in the fourth, carrying the ball on six of the next 11 plays, eventually scoring a 1-yard touchdown to cap off a 13-play drive. This put James Wood ahead, 27-15, with 7:58 remaining.
Meridian continued to fight, as Rex MacAlester beat a defender one-on-one and made a 32-yard catch to move his team to the Colonels’ 20. Five plays later, Abe Ellis found the end zone on a 4-yard run, making it 27-22 with 3:18 remaining.
With James Wood under pressure, McCullough stepped up. He returned the ball to the Meridian 48, then ran for 41 yards to put his team in the red zone in the blink of an eye. Ramirez soon scored a 5-yard touchdown to elevate the lead to 34-22 with 1:29 to go.
Price picked off Ruoff’s first throw on the next drive, giving James Wood the ball again. Then, after all his hard work setting up others, McCullough scored the game’s final touchdown on a 35-yard run with 1:20 to go.
McCullough, who also consistently sees time at linebacker and safety, said he has to “flip a switch” to fight through any exhaustion.
“I’m not gonna lie, it is tough. It’s tough to keep that energy up the whole game, especially not coming out for much of the game at all,” McCullough said. “So it’s definitely a tough time. You’ve got to flip a switch. Got to be a different animal.”
“He’s a dynamic player,” Wilson said. “At the end, we thought we were going to be able to just go into victory formation, but they had two timeouts. I just told them, ‘give it to Kaden and go score,’ and that’s exactly what he did.”
Following this victory, the 5-1 Colonels will host Frederick County rival Millbrook at 7 p.m. next Friday. The Pioneers fell to 3-3 after falling 35-14 to Sherando on Friday.
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
Follow him on X @jtuman21