Stallions Win, Advance to State Championship

South County defeated Hanover 38-22 Saturday evening to advance to the Virginia High School League AAA Division 5 state final on Saturday, Dec. 10, in Charlottesville, Va.

Michael Ferguson was the last player to walk off of the Stallions’ football field Saturday evening. It took the wide receiver longer than usual to wade through the mass of South County parents and fans.

Scores of outstretched hands slapped his dirty shoulder pads as he made his way to the locker room. For a kid who helped South County reach its first state title game, Ferguson’s postgame demeanor was as composed as his dominating play Saturday evening.

“I love making plays,” said Ferguson. “Our offense has improved. Every week we have gotten better. We’ve been coached well and I just go up and catch the ball.”

Ferguson saved his best performance of the season for Saturday. The senior caught five passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns. It did not take long for him and quarterback Shane Foley to reach the endzone. The two connected on the Stallions’ first drive from 27-yards out on a beautifully thrown fade pass that Ferguson outleaped the defender to grab from the air and haul in with his fingertips. The touchdown gave the Stallions an early lead, which they would not surrender all game.

“Michael has shown to be one of the best wide receivers in the northern region over the past three or four weeks. He is the life blood of our team,” said Mike Hart, Ferguson’s wide receiver coach.

“He’s incredibly coachable. He takes everything I say to heart and applies it to his game.”

And if Ferguson’s touchdown catches weren’t enough, he also served as the team’s kicker, kickoff specialist and punter. He successfully kicked a 25-yard field goal and converted five extra point attempts, scoring 26 of South County’s 38 points.

“I like playing receiver better,” joked Ferguson. “But I know that kicking is very important. I actually think that I’m stronger at kicking.”

The Stallions, known for their conservative offensive style, threw a few wrinkles at Hanover that proved successful. In the second quarter, Foley took the snap and tossed it to running back Jake Josephs who then hurled a pass 10 yards to Ferguson who snagged it from the air near the back of the endzone for a touchdown.

South County’s suffocating defense forced three turnovers that were recovered by Jeremy Haynes, Devin Vandyke and Oren Burks. It also limited Hanover’s potent rushing attack for most of the game.

The mood of Saturday’s victory was tempered after Foley left the game with an apparent right knee injury with just over four minutes remaining in the final quarter. He walked off of the field unassisted before heading to the locker room on crutches. The extent of his injury is unknown.

“He tweaked his knee so hopefully he’s ok,” said head coach Gerry Pannoni. “He told me that he was ok when he came off of the field, but that’s just a kid being competitive and not knowing what could happen.”

Before exiting the game, Foley threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

South County travels to the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium on Dec. 10 to play Phoebus for the state title. The game is scheduled for a 12:07 p.m. kickoff.