©
By BRIAN C. FRENCH
Special to 757Teamz.com
VIRGINIA BEACH
Kellam got the ball at its own 7-yard line with 33 seconds left in the third quarter, having been pinned back there by a 53-yard punt from Cox’s Drew Jarrett. The Falcons had scored two touchdowns in the quarter to take the lead, energize the home fans and seize the momentum, and now they had the Knights deep in their own territory.
In other words, it’s where Kellam coach Chris DeWitt wanted to be.
The Knights ran a 19-play, 93-yard drive that consumed most of the fourth quarter, ending in Sean Abrams’ 3-yard touchdown plunge with 3 minutes left to give Kellam the lead for good in a 27-18 win Friday in the Eastern Region Division 6 quarterfinals.
“It we could paint a picture of how to win, this is how we’d do it,” DeWitt said.
Kellam (8-3) attempted three passes in those 19 plays, completing one. The rest of it was smashmouth Knights football, splitting carries between Abrams and James Taylor.
Kellam converted four third downs on the drive, and an Abrams 5-yard run got the Knights out of 4th-and-2. Abrams scored on the next play, diving into the end zone to give the Knights a 21-18 lead .
“The guys played their hearts out,” DeWitt said.
Cox (7-4), in its first playoff game in school history, tried to drive the field to win or at least give Jarrett a chance to kick a game-tying field goal, but Mike Venable returned an interception 63 yards to put the game out of reach.
The Knights held a 13-3 halftime lead, holding the Falcons to 27 first-half yards before Cox began using the option more frequently. James Coleman scored on a 39-yard run two minutes into the second half, and D.J. DiNardo scored from two yards out, seven plays after he pounced on a fumble at the Kellam 37.
Taylor finished with 118 yards on 28 carries for the Knights, who visit Ocean Lakes in next Friday’s semifinal. Coleman led Cox with 77 yards.
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