After digging themselves into a 19 - 0 halftime pit, Williamsburg got their bearings in the 3rd quarter, and put together a stunning rally, nearly pulling off a huge comeback only to fall short in Saturday's 19 - 14 loss to the 9 - 0 Yorktown Patriots.

The game started well enough as the Hornets-D stopped Yorktown's initial possession. Williamsburg took over, and picked up 2 quick first downs as Monii Burden (17-carries for 55-yds) and Hunter Brittain (3-carries for 10-yds) moved the pigskin.

Yorktown, though, took advantage of a rugby-scrum tackle, that allowed a Patriot to strip the ball from a propped up Hornet runningback.

Taking over the Hornets' 17-yd line, despite strong efforts from linebacker Josh Herslow (4-tackles), Yorktown capitalized quickly, scoring in 3-plays, and then adding the PAT to go ahead 7 - 0.

Williamsburg muddled around on their next 2 offensive series, giving the Patriots' more time to rally their scoring weapons. On the next Yorktown posession, in just 3-quick plays, Yorktown was on the board again, going up 13 - 0 mid-way through the 1st period.

Then in the 2nd period, strong efforts by Defensive Linemen Tyler Neville (5-tackles) and Bryant Walker (5-tackles) helped slow, but not stop, the Yorktown advances as the Patriots' built an 8-play drive, then scored on a halfback pass to pad their lead at 19 - 0.

Williamsburg was pinned deep on their own 4-yd line on the ensuing Yorktown kick-off, but managed to avoid further 1st half damage by clawing out the hole when Zach Pope made a twisting, leaping catch for a 15-yd gain, and Hornet 1st down.

The Hornets defense prevented any further Yorktown damage keeping the game within reach as Carter Weissenfluh (4-tackles) had a nice stop on a scrambling Yorktown runner as time expired in the half.

With PYFA player-personnel rules in effect, the Hornets quickly pounced on the undermanned Patriots. Burden returned the Yorktown kick-off, then scored from 20-yds out and converted the PAT putting Williamsburg on the board, now only at a 19 - 7 deficit.

The score rallied the Hornet faithful, and inspired the defensive unit to make a stand. Michael Burt (3-tackles) and Pope (4-tackles) were each in on a pair of stops that led to a quick Yorktown punt.

Williamsburg took over at midfield, and put together a game changing 8-play drive, overcoming a holding penalty and converting on "4th and 12" situation along the way.

Ward (12-carries for 90-yds) was the catalyst, moving the ball inside the Yorktown 5-yd line, where Burden scooted in for his 2nd TD of the game. Ward added the PAT making the score 19 - 14 in the 3rd.

The Hornet O-Line of Kade Campbell, Adam O'Neill, Cooper Minor and Tadic Mielczarek did a fantastic job all game, not allowing any of Yorktown's 4 defensive lineman to make a play during the contest. Trent Neville & Ryan Patirik, when pressed into service, both performed very well on the blocking front also.

On the following critical series, Yorktown moved to the Hornets 11-yd line and was poised to put the game out of reach with a "3rd and 1-yd" play.

The Williamsburg D rose to the challenge, and turned back the Patriots on 2 consecutive plays. Brittain (3-tackles), Burt, Pope and Walker led the Hornets with a pair of team-tackles giving Williamsburg the ball, and hope, at their own 10-yd line.

The Hornets quickly moved 20-yds out to their own 30-yd line before back-to-back yardage losses, and an "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalty put Williamsburg in a "4th and 35-yds-to-go" situation from their own 5-yd line.

For the first time in the season, Zach Stallings was called on to punt. 

Stallings promptly delivered a line-drive boot that travelled 10-yds on a rope smacking a Yorktown linebacker in the helmet. The ball then launched skyward and when it hit the turf, Pope fell on it giving the Hornets another possession starting from their own 22-yd line with 4-minutes to go.

The Hornets no-huddle offense then methodically marched to the Yorktown 35-yd line, but with less than a minute remaining stalled and turned the ball over to Yorktown.

The Patriots made an ineffective attempt to run out the clock, and Williamsburg, miraculously was given one more breath with 13-seconds to go from the Yorktown 30-yd line.

After an incomplete pass stopped the clock with 7-seconds left, Ward dropped back to pass, looked downfield at 3-streaking receivers, then tucked the ball and headed wide behind a wall of blockers led by Burt and Brittain. With open turf and blockers in front him, Ward raced to the Yorktown 15-yd line before the Yorktown safety was able to react, and make a shoe-string tackle ending the game.