For a couple of years, as a fourth and fifth grader I lived close enough to Highland Springs that you could hear the roar of the crowd from Highland Springs on a Friday night. That was a long time ago and by the time I reached my high school years the Springers had taken a backseat to Varina not only in eastern Henrico but also in the region… That said over the last few years I have witnessed the Springer Nation reborn and Coach Johnson since he took over in 2008 has turned this program into a state champion caliber team and now they and their fans will be playing for one with a 35-10 win over the Indian River Braves today.
Early on in this game you felt like it would be Highland Springs day as they scored on their opening possession of the game with a 74-yard drive that saw DJ Anderson come away with 60 yards on the ground but none bigger than the 6-yard touchdown to put the Springers on top 7-0. Indian River responded with a 42-yard field goal from Grant Dafoe but on the ensuing kickoff Greg Dortch would score on a huge 74-yard return. Just like that the Springers were on top 14-3…
The Springs defense showed their might holding the Braves to 3 & out on two straight possessions. Germeek Knight dropped a pass on first down for the Braves on one possession and when the Springers had the ball on offense he nearly intercepted a Springer pass but could not come up with either.
On the punt return after the Braves were held to 3 & out for a second time, Dortch had a nice return juking and making some Braves miss along the sidelines to give the Springers the ball at the Indian River 37. Brandan Manley became the latest Brave who nearly came away with a pick but regardless he was able to breakup a pass making it 3rd & 6 for the Springers and that is when Juwan Carter threw the first of three touchdowns, two of which was to Greg Dortch. With 3:22 to go in the first quarter Highland Springs was feeling pretty good with a 21-3 lead.
Who knew the Springers would not score anymore until the third quarter but that is exactly what happened. Indian River would find themselves on their next possession attempting another 42-yard field goal after a false start call set the Braves back. This 42-yard field goal however would not go the distance and the Braves still trailed 21-3 but the defense brought it and forced a Springer punt and the ensuing possession the Braves scored their first touchdown of the day on a 64-yard drive that was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run from Tyain Smith! The Indian River crowd that has been quieted by the Springer scoring had come to life and the Braves offense had as well.
Neither team would be able to capitalize on either of their next two possessions’ to take us to halftime. The Springers had a 21-10 going into halftime but Indian River had to feel good in some respect having shutout the Springers in the second quarter. In some regard it kind of felt like last week’s game between Highland Springs and Hermitage… The Springers had built a lead but not long before the half the losing team scores and shuts the Springer offense down taking momentum into the locker room.
To start the third quarter I felt like if Indian River could score on the opening possession of the second half, the Braves might take it but that wasn’t to be… After a 6 yard run from Smith, the tailback again got the call but on the second down run he lost the ball and the Springers came up with it… This was a huge momentum crusher for a Braves team that was hoping to open the second half with a bang. Five plays later the Springers were in the endzone with Dortch catching his second touchdown from Carter from 40 yards out on a 4th & 1 play no less!
The Springers now up 28-10 looked to their defense to take care of their business and that they did. J’Kown Harvey returned the kickoff and Glaster Ellis delivered a hard hit to Harvey on the return that elicitied a lot of recaction from both fan bases. The Springers defense wasn’t done delivering hard hits as Aaron Motley delivered one to quarterback Tyre Givers-Wilson shaking him up. Tavante Beckett of Indian River would be helped off the field without putting pressure on his left leg as the Braves were now on defense and the Springers were again moving the ball… The Springers offense however would be unable to reach the endzone and turned the ball over on downs when K’Von Wallace dropped a Carter pass on 4th & 9 from the 34.
Wallace however made up for the dropped pass when he intercepted a Givers-Wilson pass in the endzone as the Braves quarterback took a shot at the endzone on 2nd & 7 from the 20. With 3:58 to go in the third quarter the Braves could not catch a break and the Springers defense was doing their best to put the past two weeks high scoring affairs behind them.
As we entered the fourth quarter the Springers once more had the ball and put together an 80 yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes off the clock. On this drive Dortch was shaken up and the Springers had to overcome two penalties one of which was a personal foul but the Springers were a team on a mission. K’Von Wallace who dropped a pass not all that long ago and had intercepted the Braves in the endzone found himself in the endzone on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Carter, the third of the day for the Springers QB and with 9:38 to go the Springers were now up 35-10 and feeling in control of this one.
The crowd was beginning to thin out… Indian River folks could see this day was not going to end the way they had hoped and the casual fan who showed up to support the local team were filing out while the Springer Nation was still on hand in full force and chanting 804 as the Springer defense held Indian River to a 4 & out… On the Springers possession Dashawn Young coughed up the ball on a 2nd & 22 run but Dortch was able to recover the fumble but the Springers were now facing 3rd & 9 at the 11 and much to the dismay of the Springer fan base, there were no backups in yet… The Springers went for it on 4th & 4 from the 6 yard line but could not get the yards needed for a first down.
Indian River had the ball at the 6 and over the course of a few plays they were able to move the ball out to the 47 thanks in large part to Smith running the ball but at this point it was too little too late for the Braves and the Springers defense sacked Givers-Wilson again for a loss of 10 yards and on 4th & 14 a false start call crushed any late momentum the Braves had as they hoped to at least get one more score before their season came to a close…
Highland Springs final possession of the day was more less just buying time off the clock so they could celebrate a trip to the 5A Final as the backups were now in the game. When the clock showed zero the Springers let loose as they mobbed one another on the field, coaches and players; a team, a family. Amidst the presentation of the trophy and the customary postgame rituals, the Springers ran to their side of the field to celebrate with their fans.
Indian River’s season end at 11-3 and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The Braves didn’t get to this point for no reason but on this day the Springers were just the better team. I have thought all along it was Bird and Highland Springs 1 and 2… Bird lost a couple of weeks ago and Highland Springers will get their chance to prove they are the best next week at Charlottesville against a Stone Bridge team no one thought would be there. It should be a whale of a game and one I cannot wait to see.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
9:29- (HS)DJ Anderson 6-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Highland Springs 7-0.
8:24- (IR)Grant Dafoe 42-yard field goal, Highland Springs 7-3.
8:13- (HS)Greg Dortch 74-yard kickoff return for touchdown, PAT good; Highland Springs 14-3.
3:22- (HS)Greg Dortch 33-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 21-3.
2nd Quarter-
9:54- (IR)Tyain Smith 21-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Highland Springs 21-10.
3rd Quarter-
9:20- (HS)Greg Dortch 40-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 28-10.
4th Quarter-
9:38- (HS)K’Von Wallace 15-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 35-10.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Quick Start-
On the opening possession of the game the Springers went 74 yards in two and a half minutes with DJ Anderson carrying much of the load. After an Indian River field goal, Greg Dortch then returns the kickoff 74 yards for a Springer touchdown little over a minute after their first score. That made it 14-3 and with the defense keeping the Braves to two 3 & outs and good field position, the Springers made it 21-3 with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter to Greg Dortch. In the first 8 and a half minutes of the game the Springers had a 21-3 lead.
Second Half Turnover-
The Braves defense had clamped down in the second quarter keeping the Springers scoreless which would be the only scoreless quarter for the Springers in this one. There felt like a swing in momentum in that second quarter with the Braves scoring and keeping the Springers scoreless. To open the second half the Braves had the ball and on 2nd & 4 Tyain Smith fumbled the ball and the Springers came away with it. With the possession the Springers would squash the momentum the Braves had with a 40 yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter to Greg Dortch. After that, it felt as if the wind was sucked right out of Indian River.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
A case could be made for Greg Dortch as player of the game but Juwan Carter I feel like had the bigger game. The Springer quarterback completed 17 of his 25 passes and threw three touchdowns on his way to 200 yards passing! That is just the kind of game that Highland Springs needed with the run game somewhat limited. Carter only had one touchdown last week through the air but he more than made up for it in this one and he is a big reason why the Springers are now headed to the 5A final…
Well Indian River is known more for their defense than anything but on this day it was an offensive player who had the bigger game in my eyes. Tyain Smith scored the lone touchdown of the day for the Braves and with 22 carries on the day, he routinely could be found grinding against a tough Springer defense trying to eat some yards, eat up some time. On occasion he would hit a hole or get a burst and grab chunks of yardage at a time and there were moments where he had a run but the quick Springers would catch him. Without Smith’s run game today, it could have been a worse day for the Braves. At the end of the day Smith finished with 130 yards on the ground.
EXTRA POINTS
Hats off to the Springer Nation and fans within the region who showed up today to cheer on the Springers. It might not have been as packed as last week but when you have the home stands full and two or three deep along the fence, that’s a decent crowd without a doubt. Indian River traveled well themselves, I was surprised by how many they had their to support them.
Will the third time be the charm for the Springers? They lost in 1978 and 1989… We will find out next week.
The Richmond Region has now had a team playing for a championship in 6 out of the last 7 seasons.
Highland Springs is just the fifth team from the Richmond Region to play in three or more title games. LC Bird 4 times; Patrick Henry, Thomas Dale, Dinwiddie and now Highland Springs 3 times… The four before have all won at least one title.
Early on in this game you felt like it would be Highland Springs day as they scored on their opening possession of the game with a 74-yard drive that saw DJ Anderson come away with 60 yards on the ground but none bigger than the 6-yard touchdown to put the Springers on top 7-0. Indian River responded with a 42-yard field goal from Grant Dafoe but on the ensuing kickoff Greg Dortch would score on a huge 74-yard return. Just like that the Springers were on top 14-3…
The Springs defense showed their might holding the Braves to 3 & out on two straight possessions. Germeek Knight dropped a pass on first down for the Braves on one possession and when the Springers had the ball on offense he nearly intercepted a Springer pass but could not come up with either.
On the punt return after the Braves were held to 3 & out for a second time, Dortch had a nice return juking and making some Braves miss along the sidelines to give the Springers the ball at the Indian River 37. Brandan Manley became the latest Brave who nearly came away with a pick but regardless he was able to breakup a pass making it 3rd & 6 for the Springers and that is when Juwan Carter threw the first of three touchdowns, two of which was to Greg Dortch. With 3:22 to go in the first quarter Highland Springs was feeling pretty good with a 21-3 lead.
Who knew the Springers would not score anymore until the third quarter but that is exactly what happened. Indian River would find themselves on their next possession attempting another 42-yard field goal after a false start call set the Braves back. This 42-yard field goal however would not go the distance and the Braves still trailed 21-3 but the defense brought it and forced a Springer punt and the ensuing possession the Braves scored their first touchdown of the day on a 64-yard drive that was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run from Tyain Smith! The Indian River crowd that has been quieted by the Springer scoring had come to life and the Braves offense had as well.
Neither team would be able to capitalize on either of their next two possessions’ to take us to halftime. The Springers had a 21-10 going into halftime but Indian River had to feel good in some respect having shutout the Springers in the second quarter. In some regard it kind of felt like last week’s game between Highland Springs and Hermitage… The Springers had built a lead but not long before the half the losing team scores and shuts the Springer offense down taking momentum into the locker room.
To start the third quarter I felt like if Indian River could score on the opening possession of the second half, the Braves might take it but that wasn’t to be… After a 6 yard run from Smith, the tailback again got the call but on the second down run he lost the ball and the Springers came up with it… This was a huge momentum crusher for a Braves team that was hoping to open the second half with a bang. Five plays later the Springers were in the endzone with Dortch catching his second touchdown from Carter from 40 yards out on a 4th & 1 play no less!
The Springers now up 28-10 looked to their defense to take care of their business and that they did. J’Kown Harvey returned the kickoff and Glaster Ellis delivered a hard hit to Harvey on the return that elicitied a lot of recaction from both fan bases. The Springers defense wasn’t done delivering hard hits as Aaron Motley delivered one to quarterback Tyre Givers-Wilson shaking him up. Tavante Beckett of Indian River would be helped off the field without putting pressure on his left leg as the Braves were now on defense and the Springers were again moving the ball… The Springers offense however would be unable to reach the endzone and turned the ball over on downs when K’Von Wallace dropped a Carter pass on 4th & 9 from the 34.
Wallace however made up for the dropped pass when he intercepted a Givers-Wilson pass in the endzone as the Braves quarterback took a shot at the endzone on 2nd & 7 from the 20. With 3:58 to go in the third quarter the Braves could not catch a break and the Springers defense was doing their best to put the past two weeks high scoring affairs behind them.
As we entered the fourth quarter the Springers once more had the ball and put together an 80 yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes off the clock. On this drive Dortch was shaken up and the Springers had to overcome two penalties one of which was a personal foul but the Springers were a team on a mission. K’Von Wallace who dropped a pass not all that long ago and had intercepted the Braves in the endzone found himself in the endzone on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Carter, the third of the day for the Springers QB and with 9:38 to go the Springers were now up 35-10 and feeling in control of this one.
The crowd was beginning to thin out… Indian River folks could see this day was not going to end the way they had hoped and the casual fan who showed up to support the local team were filing out while the Springer Nation was still on hand in full force and chanting 804 as the Springer defense held Indian River to a 4 & out… On the Springers possession Dashawn Young coughed up the ball on a 2nd & 22 run but Dortch was able to recover the fumble but the Springers were now facing 3rd & 9 at the 11 and much to the dismay of the Springer fan base, there were no backups in yet… The Springers went for it on 4th & 4 from the 6 yard line but could not get the yards needed for a first down.
Indian River had the ball at the 6 and over the course of a few plays they were able to move the ball out to the 47 thanks in large part to Smith running the ball but at this point it was too little too late for the Braves and the Springers defense sacked Givers-Wilson again for a loss of 10 yards and on 4th & 14 a false start call crushed any late momentum the Braves had as they hoped to at least get one more score before their season came to a close…
Highland Springs final possession of the day was more less just buying time off the clock so they could celebrate a trip to the 5A Final as the backups were now in the game. When the clock showed zero the Springers let loose as they mobbed one another on the field, coaches and players; a team, a family. Amidst the presentation of the trophy and the customary postgame rituals, the Springers ran to their side of the field to celebrate with their fans.
Indian River’s season end at 11-3 and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The Braves didn’t get to this point for no reason but on this day the Springers were just the better team. I have thought all along it was Bird and Highland Springs 1 and 2… Bird lost a couple of weeks ago and Highland Springers will get their chance to prove they are the best next week at Charlottesville against a Stone Bridge team no one thought would be there. It should be a whale of a game and one I cannot wait to see.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
9:29- (HS)DJ Anderson 6-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Highland Springs 7-0.
8:24- (IR)Grant Dafoe 42-yard field goal, Highland Springs 7-3.
8:13- (HS)Greg Dortch 74-yard kickoff return for touchdown, PAT good; Highland Springs 14-3.
3:22- (HS)Greg Dortch 33-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 21-3.
2nd Quarter-
9:54- (IR)Tyain Smith 21-yard touchdown run, PAT good; Highland Springs 21-10.
3rd Quarter-
9:20- (HS)Greg Dortch 40-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 28-10.
4th Quarter-
9:38- (HS)K’Von Wallace 15-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter, PAT good; H. Springs 35-10.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Quick Start-
On the opening possession of the game the Springers went 74 yards in two and a half minutes with DJ Anderson carrying much of the load. After an Indian River field goal, Greg Dortch then returns the kickoff 74 yards for a Springer touchdown little over a minute after their first score. That made it 14-3 and with the defense keeping the Braves to two 3 & outs and good field position, the Springers made it 21-3 with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter to Greg Dortch. In the first 8 and a half minutes of the game the Springers had a 21-3 lead.
Second Half Turnover-
The Braves defense had clamped down in the second quarter keeping the Springers scoreless which would be the only scoreless quarter for the Springers in this one. There felt like a swing in momentum in that second quarter with the Braves scoring and keeping the Springers scoreless. To open the second half the Braves had the ball and on 2nd & 4 Tyain Smith fumbled the ball and the Springers came away with it. With the possession the Springers would squash the momentum the Braves had with a 40 yard touchdown pass from Juwan Carter to Greg Dortch. After that, it felt as if the wind was sucked right out of Indian River.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
A case could be made for Greg Dortch as player of the game but Juwan Carter I feel like had the bigger game. The Springer quarterback completed 17 of his 25 passes and threw three touchdowns on his way to 200 yards passing! That is just the kind of game that Highland Springs needed with the run game somewhat limited. Carter only had one touchdown last week through the air but he more than made up for it in this one and he is a big reason why the Springers are now headed to the 5A final…
Well Indian River is known more for their defense than anything but on this day it was an offensive player who had the bigger game in my eyes. Tyain Smith scored the lone touchdown of the day for the Braves and with 22 carries on the day, he routinely could be found grinding against a tough Springer defense trying to eat some yards, eat up some time. On occasion he would hit a hole or get a burst and grab chunks of yardage at a time and there were moments where he had a run but the quick Springers would catch him. Without Smith’s run game today, it could have been a worse day for the Braves. At the end of the day Smith finished with 130 yards on the ground.
EXTRA POINTS
Hats off to the Springer Nation and fans within the region who showed up today to cheer on the Springers. It might not have been as packed as last week but when you have the home stands full and two or three deep along the fence, that’s a decent crowd without a doubt. Indian River traveled well themselves, I was surprised by how many they had their to support them.
Will the third time be the charm for the Springers? They lost in 1978 and 1989… We will find out next week.
The Richmond Region has now had a team playing for a championship in 6 out of the last 7 seasons.
Highland Springs is just the fifth team from the Richmond Region to play in three or more title games. LC Bird 4 times; Patrick Henry, Thomas Dale, Dinwiddie and now Highland Springs 3 times… The four before have all won at least one title.
