Amherst starts fast and finishes strong with a 39-14 win over Granby
Amherst CoH.S., Amherst,VA – Lancer Coach Bob Christmas couldn’t have drawn up a better start to his Amherst County Lancers game against Granby on Friday night. The visitors kicked off and Amherst WR/DB 3 Lawrence Brown took it back to the ‘house.’ Brown took off down the right sidelines in front of the Lancer bench then cut back to the pilon on the other side. It was an electric start. “I’m happy with our effort. We have great kids,” Christmas said after the game.
“We have had a rough go… two weeks off (due to pandemic precautions) and we are still trying to catch back up.” Catching up in this game wasn’t going to be an issue for the Lancers this night. After Brown’s kickoff return for a touchdown, Amherst never looked back. The home team built an 18-0 lead at halftime, and then started the second half off with a well executed onside kick. They turned that into points and a 26-0 lead before Granby could get on the board. The Comets made it 26-14 on a 13-yard run by RB 21 Deric Washington at the start of the fourth, but Amherst tacked on two more scores to close it out.
Amherst County’s Student Body supporting their team
WR/DB 3 Lawrence Brown returns the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown
First Quarter– WR/DB 3 Lawrence Brown took the opening Granby Comet kick and looked like he was launched out of a canon. The Senior never broke stride. A good kick returner needs to have great vision and courage. It’s the one time in a football game where you can really have some big collisions with players from both teams potentially having a 50-yard sprint at each other. The 95-yard kick return for the game’s first score set the tone for the Lancers all night long. The PAT was no good and Amherst led 6-0.
Granby started their first drive on their own thirty five after a 17-yard return by WR/DB 10 Ty Bowser Mings. The Comets from Norfolk moved the ball fairly well initially, but when MLB 54 Logan Burnett and DL 66 Markell Haynes converged on QB 8 Chad Bohn for no gain at the Lancer seventeen, Granby was forced to try a field goal. That thirty-four yard boot missed and so would go Granby’s night. Amherst drove the ball well on their first offensive possession of the game, making it to the Comet fifteen. It actually appeared they had scored on a QB 2 Tyleik Brown 20-yard fourth down toss to WR 3 Lawrence Brown but a holding penalty nullified it. Their next fourth down attempt didn’t fare as well.
Lancer QB 2 Tyleik Brown lets it go
Amherst’s WR/DB 3 Brown 4th down TD catch is called back due to holding penalty
RB 23 Jor’dyn Whitelaw shows his quickness, getting to the end zone
Second Quarter –
Amherst got the ball back a few plays later forcing a fumble by QB 8 Bohn at the Comet six. It took all of one play for RB/DB 23 Jor’dyn Whitelaw to take that in for a 12-0 lead . The 2-point try no good.
Lancer RB/DB 4 Isaiah Idore cuts back
The Lancers would make it 18-0 with another rushing TD. This time it was RB 4 Isaiah Idore from 40-yards out with just over two minutes left until the break. Again the 2-point try came up short.
Third Quarter – Amherst started the second half with a successful onside kick and 
you had to be thinking that this could be a “seal the deal” kind of moment for the home team. Coach Christmas had that in mind as play resumed, “We came out the second half and got the onside kick. I wanted that to be the ‘nail in the coffin,’ but they got that big play on us (after Amherst extended their lead).” Amherst turned the recovered opening kick off into points.
Amherst County Head Coach Bob Christmas gives QB 17 Jaizeon Hurt his marching orders
Lancer RB 1 Vincent Sweeney squeezes through a hole
RB/DB 1 Vincent Sweeney powered it in from the one at the 7:29. RB/DB 4 Idore was successful on the three-yard, two point try which made the score 26-0 Amherst.
Granby, to their credit, didn’t back down. Less than thirty seconds later, Comet QB 8 Chad Bohn found WR/DB 4 Elijah Edmonds racing down the right sidelines on a 56-yard bomb and the visitors were finally on the scoreboard.
Granby WR/DB 4 Elijah Edmonds gets Granby on the board with a TD catch from QB 8 Chad Bohn
K 16 Marco Peery striped the PAT and Amherst’s lead was cut to 26-7. Coach Christmas, though his defense played well against the pass-happy Comets, was wary of a few missed assignments. “They throw the ball well and that is their deal. I thought we did a great job most of the time (tonight).”
Amherst DB 4 Isaiah Idore demonstrates perfect pass defense
Tough Lancer defense in the end zone by DBs 22 Omar McPherson and 2 Tyleik Brown
Fourth Quarter – Granby continued to gain some confidence in the final stanza.
Comet RB 21 Deric Washington gets the rushing TD
The Comets tacked on a RB/DB 21 Deric Washington 13-yd TD run and K 16 Peery PAT to make it 26-14 with 11:47 left. But that’s all the visitors could muster. RB/DB 1 Vincent Sweeney broke off a 25-yard scoring run with 7:44 left. Again the 2 point try was foiled but Amherst’s lead had grown to 32-14. The last score of the night came courtesy of RB/DB 24 Vaughn McShaud on a one yard jaunt. K 11 Darren Davenport hit the PAT with 0:37 left and Amherst carded another victory, 39-14.
Granby made the three and a half hour ride to Amherst and played hard. They didn’t win the game, but they showed up and recorded a couple scores that they can build on this season. As for Amherst, this season has been a start and stop event. Coach Christmas talked about this crazy season during postgame. “You get in shape preseason. It’s hard to get in shape in season, if you are not already in it.” Amherst looked in shape tonight. Next up for the 3-1 Lancers is Seminole District foe EC Glass. – Cap’n Crunch
Amherst DB 4 Isaiah Idore demonstrates perfect pass defense
Scoring:
First Quarter:
• Amherst Co – L. Brown 95-yard kickoff return for a TD; PAT no good (11:40)
Second Quarter:
• Amherst Co – J. Whitelaw 6-yd TD run; 2 point try no good (11:36)
• Amherst Co – I. Idore 40-yd TD run; 2 point try no good (2:12)
Third Quarter:
• Amherst Co – V. Sweeney 1-yd TD run; Idore 3-yd run for 2 pointer (7:29)
• Granby – E. Edmonds 56-yd TD pass from C. Bohn; M. Peery PAT (7:06)
Fourth Quarter:
• Granby – D. Washington 13-yd TD run; M. Peery PAT (11:47)
• Amherst Co – V. Sweeney 25-yd TD run; 2 point try no good (7:44)
• Amherst Co – V. McShaud 1-yd TD run; D. Davenport PAT (0:37)
Rushing:
Amherst Co– V. Sweeney 15/147, 2TDS, J. Whitelaw 12/98, TD, I. Idore 7/53, TD, V. McShaud 4/28, R. Burford 4/16, J.J. Morris 1/12, J. Goins 3/11, T. Brown 1/(-5)
Granby– D. Washington 6/34, TD, R. White 7/27, C. Bohn 5/25
Passing:
Amherst Co – T. Brown 3/7, 20, J. Hurt 3/4, 40, INT
Granby – C. Bohn 7/21, 135, TD, 2 INTs
Receiving:
Amherst Co – L. Brown 3/25, J. Whitelaw 1/32, V. Sweeney 2/3
Granby– E. Edmonds 3/77, TD, J. Gainey 3/41, T. Mings 1/13, F. Williams 1/4
Punting:
Amherst Co – D. Davenport 1/37 yd avg
Granby– M. Peery 1/34 yd avg
Returns:
Amherst Co – L. Brown 1/95, TD, D. Davenport 1/34
Granby – T. Mings 3/57, F. Williams 2/30