Culpeper grinds out victory at King George

KING GEORGE — The numbers on the back of Larry Williams’ and Cortez Rollins’ jerseys were barely visible under layers of mud after the first half of the Blue Devils’ 14-6 win over King George Friday, and they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“We knew it was going to be muddy and the weather wasn’t going to be good,” Rollins said. “So we emphasized the running game all week because the weather actually gives us an advantage because of our strength.”

The rain began an hour before kickoff and continued well past the final whistle, but neither the sloppy conditions nor the Foxes defense could slow down the Blue Devils’ running game in The Pit.

“This offense is real dangerous because at any point somebody can get run over and we can take it to the house,” Rollins said. “So we just try to keep our feet moving and linebackers better watch out.”

Williams and Rollins put King George’s linebackers on notice by combining for 240 of the Blue Devils’ 296 rushing yards and scoring both of Culpeper’s touchdowns in Friday’s Battlefield District contest.

“Those two guys (Rollins and Williams) run straight ahead,” CCHS coach Mike Williams said. “They don’t try to get around the corner. So, especially with the line doing its job, this was perfect weather for them.”

Williams led the Blue Devils (2-4 overall, 2-1 in the district) with 152 yards on 27 carries. The 5-9, 180-pound junior also tied the game in the second quarter after capping a 14-play, 82-yard drive by plowing across the goal line from seven yards out with a little over 10:00 left in the first half.

“Our offensive line is pretty dang good,” Mike Williams said. “And Larry is that kid that’s going to work harder than everyone else and give you everything he’s got on every down.”

Williams proved that by running over tacklers and breaking big runs late into the fourth quarter after already having carried the ball 15 times for 91 yards in the first half alone.

Rollins did his part as well. The Blue Devils went exclusively with junior Donald Downs at quarterback Friday, but that seemed to be just fine with Rollins, who began the year as CCHS’s main signal caller.

The 5-11, 210-pound senior racked up 88 yards on 12 carries, and put the Blue Devils ahead after leaving a couple King George defenders in his dust on the way to a 39-yard touchdown scamper with 5:13 left in the second quarter.

“Cortez brings a whole lot of leadership to the team,” Mike Williams said. “He’s a great kid, a great student and a great athlete. He’s a kid that other kids respect and admire.”

Senior Dustin Whisenhunt scored the game’s final points when he pounded the ball across the goal line for the two-point conversion following Rollins’ touchdown run.

King George (1-5, 0-3) got on the board first in their home stadium thanks to a mistake by the Blue Devils’ special teams.

Culpeper was forced to punt from deep in its own territory after its first drive of the game stalled after just three plays, but the snap flew over punter Jordan Canon’s head and King George’s Josh Endicott pounced on the loose ball in the end zone to give the Foxes the lead with 9:36 left in the opening quarter.

But the Blue Devils not only held the Foxes scoreless from that point on, they limited King George to just 60 yards of total offense on the way to their second district victory.

“These guys are tough,” Mike Williams said. “We had a big error but we didn’t lay down. That says a lot about the character and the work ethic of this team. They have worked harder than any team I’ve ever coached.”

Even the non-stop rain couldn’t dampen the Blue Devils’ spirits after Friday’s win, and they aren’t planning on slowing down any time soon.

The Blue Devils’ will be in action again Friday when they take on Spotsylvania, and with the Knights coming off of a 65-0 shutout loss to Chancellor, coach Williams likes his team’s chances.

“If we keep playing the way we are, we can get a couple more (wins),” he said. “Our kids are playing really well right now. I was hoping we would hit our stride about now, and it seems like we are.”

Culpeper 14, King George 6
CCHS 0 14 0 0 – 14
KGHS 6 0 0 0 – 6
Score by quarter
First quarter
KGHS – Endicott fumble recovery (9:36). 2-point no good.
Second quarter
CCHS – Williams 7-yard run (10:03). 2-point no good.
CCHS – Rollins 39-yard run (5:13). Whisenhunt run.
Individual Statistics
Rushing – CCHS, Williams 27-152, TD; Rollins 12-88, TD; Whisenhunt 4-18, Lezcano 3-17, Downs 6-11, Wilkins 2-5, Zajkowski 1-5. KGHS, Lewis 12-50, Thompson 4-7, Calloway 3-5, Walton 2-(-7).
Receiving – KGHS, Calloway 1-6, Walton 1-(-1).
Passing – CCHS, Downs 0-4-0-0. KGHS, Thompson 2-14-5-0.