The South County Stallions lost to the Hayfield Hawks 7-0 on Friday evening. It was the first game between the rivals in three years, and Hayfield enjoyed its first-ever win in a conservatively played defensive battle.
“We made mistakes tonight - mistakes we didn’t make in our scrimmages," said new South County Coach Gerry Pannoni. "I know that mistakes are part of the game, but they are preventable.”
Both teams got off to slow starts and coaches relied on basic run-heavy play calling. In the second quarter, South County marched to Hayfield’s six-yard line, but fumbled the ball. Not to be outdone, Hayfield’s Ellis Knudson was intercepted by Stallion cornerback Marcus Thomas at South County’s one-yard line with 18 seconds remaining in the first half.
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“The big thing is that it was a season-opening win. We knew that they were a very good defensive team and that it was going to be a battle that would probably come down to turnovers and special teams,” said Hayfield head coach Roy Hill. “It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but I can’t question my guys’ effort.”
South County was without the services of last year’s starting quarterback, Jake Josephs, who injured his hand in the offseason. “Jake’s playing running back right now," said Pannoni. "He did get his cast off but he’s still having a little bit of trouble handling the ball. He can’t play quarterback if can’t handle the ball with two hands.”
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Without Josephs, Panonni rotated between Shane Foley and Andrew Rector at quarterback throughout the contest. Stallion backs struggled to move the ball vertically down field as Hayfield defenders frequently penetrated South County’s offensive line.
While Hayfield struggled to score in the first half, Hill’s halftime speech resonated well with his players, who wasted no time finding the endzone. Hayfield running back Stephen Ross broke the deadlock as he scampered 62 yards for the game’s first and only touchdown.
“I really had no idea that I was even going to break that. They were lining the interior lineman up right in the hole, so I was thinking that going up the middle wasn’t going to work. But they weren’t wrapping up,” said Ross, who finished the evening with 78 yards. “I just stayed on my feet, turned around and saw daylight and had to speed out of there. It always feels good to get a win, especially in a big game like this.”
Down by seven points and in the fourth and final quarter of play, Pannoni turned his quarterback loose. With less than one minute remaining in the contest, Foley connected on several passes that drove the Stallions down to Hayfield’s 16-yard line. After three unsuccessful attempts at scoring, Foley gave it one final try and fired towards the endzone. Hayfield safety Steven Lynch came down with the interception, ending South County’s attempt at a comeback.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to bite or not, because I saw that the quarterback looked like he was going to run," said Lynch. "He only needed seven yards. So I tried to play in between."
Pannoni’s Stallions return to practice next week and will get their next chance at victory on Friday, September 9, at Oakton. Hayfield hosts Jeb Stuart on Friday, September 9.
