Fueled by the extra-large and enthusiastic Homecoming crowd, the Dinwiddie Generals defense gave it’s best performance of the season helping the Generals roll to a 28-6 victory over Colonial Heights this past Friday. The defense stifled Colonial Heights all night long, allowing only 130 of total offense on 64 plays - barely 2 yards per play - while also forcing 2 turnovers.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw both offenses struggle to move the football, the Dinwiddie offense exploded with the kind of big play it’s known for when QB Chris Hall connected with WR Quintaze Jackson down the middle of the field for a 53-yard TD. The speedy Jackson caught the ball in stride, jumped out of two tackles and weaved across the field to give the Gens a 7-0 lead. The TD was Jackson’s 6th of the season.
Colonial Heights would answer on the next drive with a methodical 13-play 53-yard TD drive of it’s own to cut the Dinwiddie lead to 7-6. A controversial pass interference call on 4th down kept the drive going for the Colonials while also angering the huge Homecoming crowd.
Following a Dinwiddie punt, the momentum of the entire game would change on a play with less than 2 minutes left before the half. Faced with a 4th-and-inches on their own 17 yard line, the Colonials decided to gamble and go for it. That gamble blew up in their face when the Dinwiddie defensive line stuffed the attempted QB sneak for a loss giving the Generals possession of the ball at the 17 yard line right before the half. The Generals wouldn’t waste any time taking advantage as Hall rumbled 17 yards thru the middle of the Colonial Heights defense on the very next play for a TD to make it 14-6.
The Dinwiddie offense responded on the first drive of the 2nd half as Hall hooked up with Jackson on passes of 12 and 10 yards to move the Generals across midfield. An 8-yard run by RB Micah McDaniel followed and set up the Generals second big play of the night, a 35-yard catch-and-run from Hall to WR Drakar Harvell. Kicker Eder Lopez’s extra point bumped the Dinwiddie lead to 21-6 and put any thoughts of a Colonial Heights upset on ice.
The Generals dominated the rest of the half with more suffocating defense and a solid running attack. A 42-yard TD drive consisting of 9 straight running plays culminated with a 3-yard Darius Johnson TD plunge to give the Generals the 28-6 lead they would walk off the field with.
Defensively the Generals were led by the efforts of two seniors, DE Brian Belangia and LB Jason Ampy. Belangia recorded a career-high 14 tackles while Ampy made 12 tackles. Junior DE Corey Marshall was a factor as well, recording 13 tackles, a sack, and deflecting 2 passes. DT Diante Monroe and LB Andre Thweatt both recorded 10 tackles, while senior LB Cavazie Blount added 9 tackles. CB Brandon Taylor and S Darec Brooks each had an INT.
On offense the Generals leaned more on the ground game than usual, racking up 210 yards rushing in the process. Hall led the way with 99 yards on 10 carries. He ran for a TD and threw for 2 more. Micah McDaniel carried 8 times for 52 yards, while Johnson ran 9 times for 39 yards and a TD.
Jackson led the receivers snagging 6 passes for 87 yards and a TD, while Harvell finished with 4 catches for 58 yards and a TD.
The win makes the Generals 3-1 this season and sets up a Central District showdown next week at 4-0 Meadowbrook.
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