Game V: Patrick Henry 35, Deep Run 7

Now that's more like it.....

First trip ever for Patrick Henry to the newest high school in Henrico, Deep Run, in the very affluent northwest corner of the county.

A little self-deprecating humor from the Patriots' students, as the team busts through a banner reading "Hicks from the Stix" before the game, and the student body showed up wearing hunting suits.

Tight early on, as PH marched quickly for the first score, but gave Deep Run an excellent chance to immediately tie thanks to a muffed punt. Troy Leftwich ended all that on the next play with a nice interception, but Deep Run would get the ball back, score and make it 7-7.

On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Bruce Mines took a misdirection right side 48 yards to paydirt, breaking the tie and giving PH the lead for good. Up 21-7 at half, they dominated the 2nd half, especially with a classic, long, grind-it-out running drive of several minutes. With five minutes left in the game, Deep Run had only run nine offensive plays from scrimmage. Can't come back from a 14-point deficit like that...

Solid PH performance, in spite of Kevin Wagner's absence due to injury. Now the focus is on Douglas Freeman, suddenly PH's latest thorn-in-its-side. Freeman lost to Hermitage Friday night, so if PH can win, they put Freeman two in the hole in the District, essentially eliminating them from District title contention. Plus, after the two bitter losses the last two years, both at Freeman, PH must be salivating at the thought of finally getting them on the home turf....of course, they salivated at having Lee-Davis at home for the first time in 3 years, too, and we all know what happened there.....

And....BIG PROPS to Coach Ray Long. According to the VHSL, he broke Al Rinaldi's record for most career wins by a coach in the Central Region with win #191. The Richmond paper, though, contends Rinaldi won 191, so Long only tied him this week. Either way, a big win for the coach, and another win Friday against Freeman just seals the deal completely. And to think, I came to PH with Coach Long. He coached at the Junior High School while I was there in 8th and 9th grade, then moved to PH as head football coach when my class moved to PH as sophomores in 1982-83. His first team went 7-3. After so many years of losing, you'd thought we'd won the state title!

Way to go, Coach Long....and the irony of, if they defeat Freeman to give him the record in everyone's eyes, it'll be against the high school where his great father became a Central Region legend in his own right. The name "Long" is certainly revered in high school football circles in Central Virginia, and I'm proud to say part of that tradition has resided at my alma mater. :)