CHESAPEAKE — Throughout its run to the state playoffs, the Colonial Forge High School football team embraced the role of underdog, beating three higher seeds on the road.
For just over a half on Saturday afternoon, the Eagles looked every bit the part, battling powerhouse Oscar Smith on nearly even ground.
Then came the big plays from the Tigers’ bevy of talented skill players, and things quickly got away from the underdogs.
Oscar Smith scored 28 second-half points, turning a slim halftime lead into a 42-7 victory over Colonial Forge in a Virginia High School League Class 6 state semifinal game.
The win sends the Tigers (14-0) to their 10th state championship game — all of the appearances coming since 2008. They’ll be seeking their fifth state title when they face Region 6D champion Madison (14-0) at JMU’s Bridgeforth Stadium next Saturday at 5 p.m.
The Region 6B champion Eagles conclude their season at 10-4.
“Our defense was on the field entirely too much in the [second half], Forge head coach John Brown said. “I didn’t call enough good plays at the start of the third quarter to help us sustain drives, and Oscar Smith is too good to hold down for four quarters.”
The Eagles trailed just 14-7 at intermission but went three-and-out to start the second half. Their second possession of the half ended when they turned the ball over on downs at the Tigers’ 44-yard line, and their third came to a screeching halt when Josiah Bryson lost a fumble while fighting for extra yardage on a 14-yard reception after picking up a first down.
Meanwhile, Smith scored on two of its first three third-period drives, due in large part to the running of Brandon Nesbit. The senior capped the Tigers’ first possession of the quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run, then rumbled 11 yards for a score later in the frame to give the hosts a 28-7 advantage.
Nesbit tallied 62 of his game-high 104 yards on those two drives alone.
“I feel like in the first half, we were playing down to [Forge’s] level,” Nesbit said. “We weren’t playing our kind of football. In the second half, we knew we had to come out and play Oscar Smith football, and that’s what we did.”
The Tigers tacked on two more TDs in the fourth quarter courtesy of a pair of Lonnie Andrews scoring passes. The strong-armed sophomore quarterback hooked up with University of Buffalo signee Alvin “Trey” Jones from 41 yards out and threw a 6-yard strike to Charles McGlown.
Andrews, who already has Football Bowl Subdivision offers from Virginia Tech, Boston College and Syracuse, completed 13 of 23 passes for 188 yards with four TDs and an interception.
“I felt like we played about as well as you can possibly play against them for about 2-1/2 quarters,” Brown said. “They’re just a good team. Their offense is very explosive, and their defense is great.”
The Eagles’ defense kept Smith out of the end zone for much of the first half until Andrews’ 9-yard scoring connection with Travis Johnson gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:59 to play before intermission.
Forge answered back with a quick five-play, 78-yard drive, capped by QB Brock Brimhall’s 15-yard TD run.
Then came a pair of pivotal plays in the final minute of the half.
Facing a fourth-and-9 at the Eagles’ 17, Andrews lofted a pass to the left side of the end zone that looked to be overthrown at first glance. But Johnson snagged the ball out of the air and just barely dragged a toe inbounds to put Smith back on top, 14-7, with 31 seconds to go.
Forge managed to move the ball to the Tigers’ 2-yard-line in the final seconds of the half thanks to a 61-yard catch-and-run by TaySean Jones, but Brimhall was stopped short of the goal line on the final play of the half, preserving Smith’s advantage.
Brown initially sent Landon Walker out for a 22-yard field-goal attempt but opted to go for the TD after the Tigers jumped offsides. He stood by that decision after the contest.
“I thought that was the right call,” he said. “I thought we needed to be aggressive throughout the whole game, and I just didn’t feel like kicking field goals was going to help us win.”
Brimhall and Jones were both standouts for the Eagles. Brimhall completed 19 of 32 passes for 228 yards, while Jones recorded nine receptions for 151 yards.
“They played outstanding,” Brown said of the junior duo. “To be able to make the plays that they made against such a fast defense shows what kind of players they are.”
Brown expressed pride in Forge’s ability to shake off three regular-season losses and some injuries en route to claiming a regional crown and a spot among the state’s top squads.
“Our kids overcame a lot of adversity throughout the year,” he said. “I am very, very proud of them for how hard they played and the fact that they left everything they had on the field.”
Score by quarters
Colonial Forge 0 7 0 0 — 7
Oscar Smith 0 14 14 14 — 42
Scoring summary
Second quarter
OS—Travis Johnson 9 pass from Lonnie Andrews (Marco Hernandez kick).
CF—Brock Brimhall 15 run (Landon Walker kick).
OS—Johnson 17 pass from Andrews (Hernandez kick).
Third quarter
OS—Brandon Nesbit 2 run (Hernandez kick).
OS—Nesbit 11 run (Hernandez kick).
Fourth quarter
OS—Alvin Jones 41 pass from Andrews (Hernandez kick).
OS—Charles McGlown 6 pass from Andrews (Hernandez kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Colonial Forge—Josiah Bryson 9-62; Brock Brimhall 16-44, TD; Jake Ashinhurst 2-(-4); Team 1-(-7). Oscar Smith—Brandon Nesbit 16-104, 2 TDs; Ty’jae Curtis 10-48; Reginald Wallace 3-18; Lonnie Andrews 3-16; Breon Gibson 1-14; Alvin Jones 1-13; Team 1-(-3).
Passing: Colonial Forge—Brimhall 19-32-0, 228 yards; Jake Ashinhurst 1-2-0, 4 yards. Oscar Smith—Andrews 13-23-1, 188 yards, 4 TDs.
Receiving: Colonial Forge—TaySean Jones 9-151; Darion Majeed 3-35; Jake Ashinhurst 4-25; Bryson 3-17; Cole Ashinhurst 1-4. Oscar Smith—Jones 3-66, TD; Travis Johnson 4-64, 2 TDs; Kaden Walker 3-51; Charles McGlown 2-4, TD; Nesbit 1-3.
