Call it lucky. Call it ugly. Call it perserverance. Call it hard nosed play. Call it what you want, but make sure to call it a season opening victory for the Hornets Green Mighty Mites.

 

Williamsburg, despite a trio of 1^st half turnovers, stayed in the game thanks to bend-but-don’t-break defensive play and finally cracked the scoreboard with a pair of 4^th quarter touchdowns to put away Back River 13 - 0.

 

Monii Burden and Hunter Brittain each tallied 8-tackles on the day. Josh Herslow, Bryant Walker and Carter Weissenfluh each added 5 stops.

 

With Back River threatening at the Hornets 11yd line in the 2^nd Qtr, Burden and Walker stepped up combining on back-to-back plays to end the threat.

 

Back River opened the 3rd quarter with a grueling 15-play drive that carried them all the way to the Hornets 1-yd line late in the period. With Williamsburg in the weeds, Herslow, Brittain and TJ Davis held tough, stuffing the Panthers on 4 straight plays, giving the ball back to the Hornets on their own 15-yd line.

 

Williamsburg then marched the length of the field in 8-plays for the game's 1st score as a well rested Burden (17 carries / 98-yds) ran heavy and hard against a Panther defense that was starting to look overheated in the humid afternoon.

 

Then, just when all eyes were focused on #33, Cesar Ward (12 carries / 60-yds) burst around the left corner, behind solid blocks from Zach Pope and Burden, and raced untouched 29-yds for a TD. Burden added the PAT to put the Hornets up 7 - 0.

 

Josh Herslow recovered Josh Womeldorf's ensuing muffed kick-off and Williamsburg was back in business on offense, this time from mid-field with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. On the drive the Hornets reeled off three first downs, as Burden moved the ball close to the Panther goal before serving as a decoy as Ward scampered in from 4-yds out to put Williamsburg up 13 - 0 with 1 1/2 minutes to play.

 

Hornet blockers Kade Campbell, Tadic Mielczarek, Cooper Minor and Adam O'Neill, built a wall in front of the Williamsburg backs all day and only allowed 1 play for a loss.

 

In the heat and humidity, Williamsburg utilized its deep reserve pool running players in and out of the game and not losing a step. Micky Smith, Tyler Neville and Michael Burt played key defensive roles, while Ryan Pastirik, Weissenfluh and Clayton Vinson filled openings on the offensive front. 

(1) Ref gives pre-game instructions ... "Pope you're never to speak to me; David, why the pink hat?"

(2) Banner Busting Time vs Back River

(3) Game Captains ... Womeldorf, Joey, TJ and Michael

(4) Tyler Neville busts through the Back River O-Line and nearly makes a big play

(5) Swarm tackle! 6-Hornets pile on a big Back River Runner

(6) Bryant Walker is poised to make a big hit after breaking through the front

 

(7) Michael & Brittain seal off the Back River Defensive End with a nice block

(8) Cesar rolls down the sideline on his 29-yd TD run

(9) Adam shows great blocking form pushing back a much bigger Back River Linebacker

 

 

(10) Monii leaves a path of tacklers in his wake as he muscles over for a PAT

(11) Coach Scott, showing more skin than should be allowed, leaps the height of a credit card (laid flat) and crashes back to the turf, as several Back River players look for a Richter Scale reading to measure the jolt