I would imagine their 2nd option would be interested in Lebanon and that may be slowing things down, but that's just a guess. Between the two id pick Lebanon, Red over Orange every time! but seriously the Lebanon opening muddies things some. Seems like this is a record year for open jobs in SWVA, and more could come open
https://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/allen-leads-graham-to-class-state-crown/article_8cc732be-fb61-11e8-bc8d-d30243c71619.html?fbclid=IwAR1bf_dSfZBFUHUfz9O6wI-cXS6wvNkW32lAU_1lS5RCTp5_fjWSeuYhGms
Allen leads Graham to Class 2 state crown
Allen Gregory | Bristol Herald Courier
8 hrs ago
SALEM, Va. – Cam Allen will play football in the Big Ten next fall for Purdue University, but the final high school season for the Graham quarterback was one to remember.
With his usual mix of creativity and athleticism, Allen guided the G-Men to a 31-9 win over the Goochland Bulldogs in Saturday’s VHSL Class 2 state championship game at Salem Stadium.
Allen generated four touchdowns while rushing for 174 yards and passing for 157. That command performance lifted Allen into the No. 3 spot on the Virginia High School League record book for single-season touchdowns with 61.
“This is the best feeling ever,” said Allen, one of just eight seniors on the Graham roster. “Since freshman year, we’ve put so much into this – on the practice field, in the film room and in the classroom. We’ve all just been grinding.”
The Class 2 crown for Graham was the fourth state championship in school history and the first since 1995.
It was also a sentimental day for Graham fans. Saturday would have marked the 81st birthday for longtime Graham head football coach Glynn Carlock, who passed away in 2005.
“That makes this day even more special for us,” said Graham head coach Tony Palmer, who was a star running back under Carlock. “Coach Carlock meant everything to us, and we still carry the things he taught us in our heart.
“This victory is for our program and entire community. Our coaching staff did a great job of preparation and the kids played well in all areas.”
One week after forcing six turnovers against Radford, Graham recovered a fumble at the Goochland 44-yard line on the first offensive series of the game.
Seven plays later, Allen followed the blocks of 220-pound running back Jazaire Reed and 6-foot-7, 275-pound left tackle Gabe Sesco for a 10-yard TD run.
The tone was set.
Goochland quarterback and ace defensive back Devin McCray was helped off the field with 6:52 left in the first half after suffering a dislocated shoulder trying to tackle Allen. C.J. Towles, a 6-foot, 155-pound freshman, played the remainder of the game at quarterback.
“That was a giant loss,” said first-year Goochland head coach Alex Fruth.
McCray’s injury wasn’t the only obstacle for the Bulldogs. Senior playmaker Perry Snead-Johnson was injured on the final day of practice this week while wingback Kameron Holman was hurt in the second half Saturday.
“By the end of the game, the only [starting] guy we had out there was our fullback,” Fruth said. “Not to use that as an excuse, but it was a war of attrition to a certain extent. It doesn’t help when we turn the ball over. It was one bad thing after another.”
The escape acts of Allen added to the frustration for Goochland.
“He can make some things happen with his feet and run right by you,” Fruth said. “You have to form a good base and keep the kid in front of you, and we didn’t do a good job with that at times. We would stop them for a couple downs, then give up a big play.”
So was Graham the best team Goochland played all season?
“Obviously,” Fruth said.
Two plays later after the McCray injury, Allen connected with junior slot back Devin Lester on a 61-yard pass across the middle. After moving to the Goochland 5-yard line, the G-Men settled for a 30-yard field goal by Joey Dales.
That’s when Graham’s marquee man went into Superman mode.
Relying on his speed and vision, Allen dashed through the heart of the defense for a 50-yard run to the Goochland 31. With the G-Men facing a third-and-14 dilemma, Allen hit Lester in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard TD pass with 23 seconds left in the first half.
Lester finished the game with eight receptions for 141 yards.
“Our game plan was to just give the ball to any player that was open,” said Lester, who also recovered a fumble. “The line gave Cam time to throw, and he has a really strong arm. You always have to keep your eyes open when Cam has the ball because you never know what he’s going to do.”
The fun run is not over for Lester. He has the task of replacing Allen at quarterback.
“That’s a tough guy to follow,” Lester said. “I’m just glad that I got to be part of this team and to win a state championship with these boys.”
With the defense monitoring his every move, Allen accumulated 222 all-purpose yards and two scores in the first half.
“Teams always key on me, but we we’ve got so many guys that can make plays,” said Allen, who added a blocked extra point. “I just tell my receivers to be ready for anything.”
Goochland finished the game with just 121 total yards, as junior linebacker Aaron Edwards and Nick Kastner combined for 12 tackles.
“We stayed focused all week,’’ said Allen, who also played safety on defense the entire game. “We knew [Goochland] was going to try to run the ball, and run defense is our strong point.”
Another sequence of the Allen highlight reel developed at the 4:42 mark of the third quarter. After dancing around the defense, Allen found Tre Booker alone on the sideline and the powerful junior rambled for a 16-yard score to give Graham a 24-3 advantage.
“An athlete like Cam is one in a million, and it just so happens that he’s a G-Man,” Palmer said. “We’re very proud that he can go out as a state champion.”
Goochland gained a spark with 2:42 left in the third quarter when Graham turned the ball over on its 33-yard line after a fake punt attempt. With 31 seconds left in the quarter, Hunter Willms scored on a 6-yard run but Allen blocked the extra point attempt.
Allen provided his encore with 3:07 left in the game when he sprinted past the Goochland defense for a 37-yard TD run.
“Our guys weren’t coming away from here empty-handed,” Palmer said. “Everybody made plays.”
With Graham graduate and former National Football League star Ahmad Bradshaw snapping photos, the G-Men celebrated their conquest with alumni, family and friends. Countess fans lined up to grab a final handshake or photo from Allen.
“We did this for everybody in our community,” Allen said. “The Big Ten is the next chapter for me, and I’m ready for it.”
Goochland 0 3 6 0-9
Graham 7 10 7 7-31
Scoring Summary
GRA – Allen 10 run (Dales kick)
GO – Hayward 26 FG
GRA – Dales 30 FG
GRA – Lester 23 pass from Allen (Dales kick)
GRA – Booker 16 pass from Allen (Dales kick)
GO – Willms 6 run (kick blocked)
GRA – Allen 37 run (Dales kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: Go 7, Gra. 16; Rushes-Yards: Go. 42-98, Gra. 35-184; Passing Yards: Go. 23, Gra. 157; Comp.-Att.-Int: Go. 4-8-0, Gra. 9-17-1; Fumbles-Lost: Go. 2-2, Gra. 0-0; Penalties-Yards: Go. 8-55, Gra. 6-45; Punts-Average: Go. 1-24, Gra. 0-0.
Individual Stats
RUSHING – Goochland: Popierlarz 12-34, Snead 5-26, Willms 5-15, McCray 6-13. Graham: Allen 19-174, Reed 7-11, Lester 3-3, Booker 4-0.
PASSING: - Goochland: Towles 4-8-0-23. Graham: Allen 9-17-1-157.
RECEIVING - Goochland: Popielarz 2-16, White 2-7. Graham: Lester 8-141, Booker 1-16.
agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544
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