TJ Rallies For 42-8 Win Over King William!
For a quarter of football it looked as if it was not going to be Thomas Jefferson‘s night. Games are not won in the first quarter, however. After falling down 5-0 in a first quarter defined by blunders, the Vikings rallied. By the time we got to halftime the Vikings were up 22-8.
The Vikings never looked back as they played their brand of football. A strong run game was the key on offense. The defense was already turning back King William when arguably their best player K’Sean Hill left the game due to injury.
That defense led by Amare Gough, Daeron Ferguson & Tyler Meade held the Cavaliers to 150 yards of offense. A Cavalier run game averaging 271 yards per game was held to 117 with the passing game a non-factor.
The Vikings athleticism, speed and talent took over the game as the Cavaliers were shutout in the second half.
Coach Harris talked about the resiliency his team showed early on when things weren’t going their way. That resiliency, a by product of a tough schedule and the character it builds through adversity.
Now TJ gets a crack at their rival Armstrong who they fell to early in the season. That 21-14 loss was the closest the Wildcats came to being toppled this season.
1st Quarter Highs & Lows
There were more lows than highs for both teams if we are being honest in the first quarter.
For King William the lows were two three and outs and settling for a field goal rather than a touchdown. One of those instances saw the Cavaliers at the TJ 20 facing 3rd & 5. That is when K’Sean Hill was chased down, brought down by none other than Daeron Ferguson. This why the Cavaliers had to settle for a field goal.
The lows for TJ was a muffed return following the first King William punt of the night. That touched ball instead was recovered by Matt McNeal. When the Vikings finally did have a possession they were being pushed back into the end zone from the three for a safety.
Those lows were highs for TJ whose defense kept them in the game. Dominique Sauls, Daeron Ferguson & Leroy Cosby led the charge for the Vikings.
The only highs for King William was 5 points… a 44-yard field goal from Cooper Wolfe and a safety. Their offense had nothing to show for.
Vikings Flip The Script
As the first quarter was ending, TJ was just getting going. The Vikings put together a 65-yard drive that culminated with Daeron Ferguson ending the shutout with a 16-yard run to the end zone.
That was the first of three straight touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Vikings a 22-5 lead approaching the half. The other other TD’s would come via a 29-yard drive with Amare Gough tagging the end zone.
Then it was Daeron capping a 24-yard drive for his second TD of the quarter and night for that matter.
It was the polar opposite for King William. First there was a fumble that K’Sean Hill was able to recover and convert for a first down. Problem is that TJ defense with Leroy Cosby bringing the heat, the pressure stalled with just 29 yards to show for.
When the Cavaliers punted the Vikings were flagged for a block in the back. The re-kick that ensued never stood a chance as Trent Simmers blocked it. That gave the Vikings great field position for the second Viking TD of the day.
Kicking problems persisted when a punt went into the stands. That too gave the Vikings a short field to work with/from. In three plays Daeron had his 2nd touchdown of the day.
Nothing went right for the Cavaliers until the very end and I mean as time expired. The Cavaliers put together a drive that stretched from their own 35 to the TJ 13. On that drive Leroy Cosby and Trent Simmers both broke up passes to disrupt the rhythm. That is why as time expired the Cavaliers had to settle for a 23-yard field goal.
No Breaks For King William
King William in the third quarter was shutout for the first time all game.
It did not appear that way at first. On the heels of another TJ touchdowns, the Cavaliers put together a 48-yard drive. QB Joseph Robertson, Jr. capped off a 65-yard drive putting the finishing touches from 5 yards out.
With 8:58 to go in the third quarter the Cavaliers were down 29-8.
At this point in the game the Cavaliers workhorse was on the sideline with an injury that saw K’Sean Hill never return to action. The weight of the offense fell on the supporting cast that benefitted from 2 TJ penalties and kept the drive alive.
That is until the Cavaliers went airborne with Amare Gough picking them off.
Between that point and the start of the fourth quarter the Vikings covered 22 yards. Amare and Daeron Ferguson were heavily involved in the sustained drive for TJ. In the process TJ overcame two holding calls and another penalty.
All TJ
As the fourth quarter began Daeron Ferguson was scoring his third touchdown of the game.
It would be the first of two TD’s in the fourth quarter for the Vikings sandwiching a 3 & out for King William.
The Cavaliers did their best to prevent another score, the defense broke up two Joseph Robertson, Jr. passes and that is when Tyler Meade took over. Meade nearly had an 11 yard TD if not for Javon Lewis stopping him a yard short. Next play, Meade was in. The PAT was blocked but the Vikings had their 42-8 lead.
In the fourth quarter King William had the ball three times and had just 23 yards to show for.
The Vikings last drive was highlighted by the second string in the game and as expected, they did not have the same level of success. For the first time since the second quarter the Vikings punted.
Although King William would get the ball one more time, this was one was for all intents and purposes over.
Thomas Jefferson 42, King William 8 – Scoring
| Play | Score | Time |
| Safety | 2-0 King William | 7:39 (1Q) |
| 44-yard field goal for Cooper Wolfe. | 5-0 King William | 3:57 (1Q) |
| 16-yard Daeron Ferguson run. Daeron Ferguson 2-pt. conversion.. | 8-5 Thomas Jefferson | 11:55 (2Q) |
| 14-yard Amare Gough run. Emerson Pelletier PAT. | 15-5 Thomas Jefferson | 6:12 (2Q) |
| 1-yard Daeron Ferguson run. Emerson Pelletier PAT. | 22-5 Thomas Jefferson | 3:31 (2Q) |
| 23-yard field goal for Cooper Wolfe. | 8-22 King William | :00 (2Q) |
| 5-yard Joseph Robertson run. Emerson Pelletier PAT. | 29-8 Thomas Jefferson | 8:58 (3Q) |
| 15-yard Daeron Ferguson run. Emerson Pelletier PAT. | 36-8 Thomas Jefferson | 11:51 (4Q) |
| 1-yard Tyler Mead run. Emerson Pelletier PAT no good. | 42-8 Thomas Jefferson | 8:29 (4Q) |
Coach Speak
Thomas Jefferson Gamers
2026 MLB/RB Daeron Ferguson had himself a night! The first-year Viking led the team in rushing yards with 131 yards and 3 TD’s! Ferguson averaged nearly 12 yards per carry as he could not be stopped once he got going. Offense wasn’t the only way Daereon hurt the Cavaliers as he also tied with teammate Amare Gough for a team high tackles with 11!
Speaking of Gough. The Syracuse-bound 2026 corner and wide receiver as equally impressive. Amare Gough not only led the team in tackles alongside his teammate Ferguson but he also had two picks. When Gough wasn’t disrupting the pass game he was racking up 81 yards off 5 catches. Amare scored his only TD of the night via the ground game, not by air.
How about the game 2028 linebacker Tyler Meade had? Tyler not only got to the Cavaliers for 10 sacks but he brought the pressure to the Cavaliers QB with two hurries. Tyler also forced a fumble making it a rough night for King William.
Out of an abundance of caution Quameer Waters was held out of the game Friday following an ankle injury a week ago. In steps 2027 QB Joseph Robertson, Jr. who looked like a different player than the one I saw back in September against Armstrong. Robertson completed 10 of his 14 passes for 130 yards! Joseph also for 73 yards off 7 carries scoring once himself.
Post-Game Nuggets
TJ’s 34-point margin of victory was the largest in their player off history.
Thomas Jefferson is now 2-0 all-time versus King William.
The Vikings are now 4-2 all-time at Hovey Field in the playoffs.
Thomas Jefferson has 7 wins or more in their last 4 seasons.
TJ has won at least 1 playoff game in four straight seasons.