Appomattox hangs on late to advance in the playoffs with a 27-21 win over Glenvar
Highlander Field, Glenvar, Va – The number 1 and 2 teams in Class 1A Region C met Friday afternoon on a cold and blustery day. The Appomattox Raiders prevailed in the end 27-21 fighting off the Highlanders late push to survive and move on. Appomattox Coach Doug Smith didn’t take the Highlanders lightly, “Glenvar is coached well and they play well, and our kids knew this was going to be a tough job today.” 
The Highlanders drew first blood on an acrobatic, 3-yard high jump into the end zone by RB 2 Kyle Hanks. Appomattox answered seven plays later. QB 8 Trey Lawing kept the drive alive with a five yard, 4th down run, and RB 4 Jonathan Pennix tied it up on a 9-yard blast up the middle. The Raiders weren’t done yet though, and with 0:13 seconds left and K 91 Tye Robertson nailed a 46-yarder with the wind to give the Raiders a 10-7 lead at the break. Appy got the ball to start the second half and Pennix made it count. On first down, the Senior took it up the middle, made one jump cut and raced 64 yards put the visitors up 17-7. Two interceptions in the second half kept Glenvar at bay, with the second one a 60-yard ‘pick 6’ by Pennix to make it 27-7. The Raiders defense kept the high powered Glenvar offense in check for most of the day. “Our defense has been really scrappy this year, I thought our kids did a great job,” Smith said after the game. Glenvar wouldn’t quit, and QB 4 Aiden Wolk hit WR 7 Dagan Williams twice in the last minute on TD passes to make it 27-21. But with 0:35 left, the Highlanders second crack at getting an onside kick came up short.
It was a chilly day with a good win for this Friday afternoon contest
First Quarter – Glenvar received the opening kickoff but couldn’t get anything going and punted after a ‘three and out’ first series. Appomattox took over on their own twenty-four and moved the ball down to the Glenvar sixteen, but that was all they could muster. Going for it on fourth down, the Highlander defense sacked QB 8 Tre Lawing at the eighteen. Glenvar advanced the ball down to the Raiders thirty-five by the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter – It took Glenvar eight more plays to start the days scoring. RB 2 Kyle Hanks hurtled Appomattox MLB 53 Toby Bryant (see Crunch cover) to get the job done. K 28 Tyler Pierce hit the PAT and Glenvar led 7-0 with 9:56 left in the half.
Glenvar Senior RB 2 Kyle Hanks goes airborn for the Highlanders first score
Raider RB 4 Jonathan Pennix uses his speed to get outside and into the end zone
Appomattox answered right back, like championship teams do. It took the Raiders 7 plays including a big 5-yard, fourth down pick up on the ground by QB 8 Lawing to keep the drive alive down to the Highlander fourteen. Three plays later Junior RB 4 Jonathan Pennix scooted around the right end from seven yards out to notch the game a 7-7 with K 91 Tye Robertson’s point after at the 6:09 mark.
Appomattox K 91 Tye Robertson hits a 46-yard field goal to give the Raiders a half time lead
Appy stopped Glenvar on their next series forcing a ‘three and out,’ and looked to take the lead. It took the Raiders eleven plays this time to get into scoring position. But this time the hard-nosed Glenvar defense came up with the big play. DL 55 Aiden Custer sacked QB 8 Lawing back to the twenty-five forcing a fourth down decision by Appomattox Coach Doug Smith. He called on K 91 Robertson to try a 46 yard field goal with the wind on the cold day for the lead. Robertson stroked the boot and it just cleared the crossbar, giving the Raiders a 10-7 lead at the break.
Appomattox’s 1-2 punch of QB 8 Tre Lawing and RB 4 Jonathan Pennix
Third Quarter – Appomattox got the ball first in the second half and that would prove big. Glenvar tried to steal a possession with an onside kick, but the Raiders recovered at their own thirty-six. Enter the backfield one Jonathan Pennix. The Junior took a handoff up the middle, made one jump step right and was gone for the 64-yard TD run. 
That quieted the Glenvar faithful and put Appy up 17-7 with the made PAT. Glenvar looked to answer, moving the ball down to Appomattox forty one from their own twenty. But three straight incompletions by QB 4 Aiden Work forced another punt. From there both teams traded punts the rest of the quarter.
Appomattox’s DB/QB 8 Tre Lawing gets a ‘pick’
Fourth Quarter – The final stanza was bit more exciting, especially late. Glenvar, pressed to score quickly, was pushed into passing more then normal. The result was a DB/QB 8 Lawing interception which set up the visitors for another scoring opportunity. Appomattox drove the ball deep into Highlander territory looking to pad their lead, but the Highlander defense was up to the task. Appy was forced to try a 33-yard field goal and missed it, but oddly enough a Raider delay of game moved the ball back five yards and gave Robertson another try. This time the boot was true from 38 yards out.
Robertson makes it count on the second chance field goal in the second half
That made it 20-7 Appomattox. Glenvar’s defense played great all day forcing the Raiders into field goal tries and keeping them out of the end zone for the most part.
Glenvar’s next series ended up costing them dearly. Again it was DB/RB 4 Pennix that turned the trick for the Raiders. The Junior jumped a Glenvar pass route and took it back 60-yards for the pick six, giving Appy a 27-7 lead with only three minutes left. It looked like it was all over but the crying for the Highlanders.
Jonathan Pennix makes what ends up being the game winning score with a pick 6 in the fourth quarter
But Glenvar is not a team that gives up easily if ever. QB 4 Wolk hit six straight passes before finally finding Highlander WR 7 Dagan Williams on a 9-yard scoring strike. K 28 Pierce made it 27-14 with the extra point.
Glenvar WR 7 Dagan Williams catches a TD pass from QB 4 Aiden Wolk
Glenvar still had life with a minute left. The Highlanders got the onside kick and still had life. Coach Smith credited the Highlanders, “They do a great job with it (on side kick). We have to do some work on it. All that credit is to them.” It took Wolk only three plays to find Dagan Williams again, this time for 28-yards down the middle of the field. The score and subsequent PAT made it 27-21 with thirty nine ticks left on the clock. Glenvar had one more chance at getting another onside kick. After multiple timeouts on both sides as each team jockeyed for an advantage by moving players around, Glenvar tried the other side of the Appy kick return team. This time the Raiders secured the bounding ball, and ran out the clock. Raiders Coach Smith was asked if felt like the tide had turned with Pennix’s TD run to start the second half, “I never really felt the tide turning at all because I know what time of team this is. Glenvar’s coached well and plays well, and our kids knew this was going to be a tough job today. We were going to have to battle to the very end and that’s what we had to do.” Glenvar Coach Clifford talked about the difference after the game, “you can’t lose the turnover and special teams’ battle. You can’t lose those two. Five straight years (Glenvar has been knocked out of the playoffs by an Appomattox team). We have to figure out a way to beat them.”
Williams scores again on the receiving end of a Wolk pass giving Glenvar a chance at the end with seconds left
Appomattox will now advance to play the undefeated Graham G-Men in Bluefield at Mitchell Stadium next Saturday in the Class 2A State Semifinals. Glenvar ends their successful season at 9-2. – Cap’n Crunch
Offense:
Rushing – Appomattox – JaQuan Walker 14-65, Jonathan Pennix 14-127, 2 TD, Tre Lawing 16-66, Ervis Davin 4-31 Glenvar – Kyle Hanks 10-30, TD, Aiden Wolk 7-(-7), Elijah Carter 1-2
Passing – Appomattox– Tre Lawing 2/5-10 Glenvar– Aiden Wolk 25/37-232, 2 TD, 2 INT
Receiving – Appomattox– Collin Slagle 1-2, Alex Caruso 1-8 Glenvar – Jackson Swanson 9-59, Kyle Hanks 2-4, Dagan Williams 7-91, 2 TD, Peyton Deel 1-9, Nicholas Woodson 1-9, Gabe Ford 5-60
Punting – Appomattox – N/A Glenvar – Aiden Wolk 5-30.6 avg.
Kicking – Appomattox– Tye Robertson FG 2/4, PAT 3/3 Glenvar – Tyler Pierce, PAT 3/3
Scoring:
First Quarter –
Second Quarter –
• Glenvar: K. Hanks 3-yard TD run; T. Pierce PAT (9:56)
• Appomattox: J. Pennix 9-yard TD run; T. Robertson PAT (6:09)
• Appomattox: T. Robertson 46-yard FG (0:07)
Third Quarter
• Appomattox: J. Pennix 64-yard TD run; T. Robertson PAT (11:47)
Fourth Quarter
• Appomattox: T. Robertson 29-yard FG (3:45)
• Appomattox: J. Pennix 60-yard interception return; T. Robertson PAT (3:08)
• Glenvar: D. Williams 9-yard pass from A. Wolk; T. Pierce PAT (1:00)
• Glenvar: D. Williams 25-yard pass from A. Wolk; T. Pierce PAT (0:39)