Flip of a Switch: Buckingham falls in Region Semifinals

By Logan Riddick / Scrimmage Play Senior Contributor

Three Buckingham defenders stop Baylor Graber a yard short on fourth down early in the fourth quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter of Friday’s Region 2B semifinal, Buckingham County held a seven-point lead and its defense had tightened the screws on Stuarts Draft. The Cougars’ second-half offense had managed only 49 yards as its series ended with three punts and a turnover-on-downs.

Unfortunately for the green-and-gold faithful, the tables turned quickly.

After he broke through the right side for a 28-yard score in the second quarter, Draft junior back Baylor Graber doubled down and rumbled 56 yards down the middle. The PAT knotted the score 13-13 with 5:08 remaining.

Moments later, disaster struck the Knights’ backfield and the ball hit the turf. Cougar sophomore Traven Karicofe’s 34-yard scoop-and-score put the visitors up by seven with 3:14 left.

As the Knights mounted their final drive and advanced near midfield, Graber as linebacker delivered the dagger with a fumble recovery. On offense, he picked up the one first down needed to exhaust Buckingham’s timeouts and setup victory formation as Stuarts Draft punched its ticket to the 2B championship with a 20-13 win.

The drizzle may have dissipated early in the first quarter, but dampness caused persistent ball security issues. The contest saw eight fumbles, with three lost for turnovers. Six occurred in the second half, including on the play prior to Graber’s game-tying run, which the Cougars covered to maintain possession.

“23 and 10 are a dangerous combination, and we knew that,” said Buckingham coach Seth Wilkerson of Draft’s running back/linebacker and senior quarterback Derrick Moore. “[Graber] found some space on one and he was able to make a play.”

The Cougars totaled 199 yards of offense in the game, with that pair accounting for the bulk of it. Graber carried 12 times for 120 yards and two scores and caught one pass for 31. Moore completed 3-of-6 attempts for 42 yards and added 28 yards on six rushes.

The Knights may look back with wonder and regret to a first half where they hung only six points on the board despite dominating possession time and redzone opportunities. Buckingham received the opening kickoff and marched from its own 33 to the SD 1 over more than eight minutes, but had to settle for a 22-yard field goal. The kick coverage team then came up with the game’s first fumble recovery on Draft’s ensuing return, sending the offense right back on the field in plus territory. However, after 12 plays, the drive ended without points as Jehremiah Woodson’s fourth-and-goal pass sailed just beyond the reach of tight end Emerson Edwards.

Draft’s only series of the first half covered 85 yards in just under four minutes, capped by Graber’s first big run. The Knights blocked the low PAT, keeping the deficit 6-3 at the 3:14 mark in the second quarter.

Junior back ZhaMari Maxie returned the kickoff 51 yards to set up the Knights at the SD 25. Once again, the offense reached the doorstep, but the Cougar front denied the endzone on three goal-to-go plays. Sophomore Jack Steffenson hit a 23-yard field goal at the horn to send the teams into the break tied 6-6.

“Of course we would’ve liked to punch both of those in, but [Draft]’s a good team over there, well-coached and disciplined,” said Wilkerson. “We just had to take what we could get at the time.”

The teams traded punts to start the second half before Maxie took a third-down pitch to the right before finding wide open space back across the middle. His 74-yard house call put the Knights up 13-6 at the 1:54 mark in the third quarter.

“The guys just kept hanging with it, and we were finally able to pop that one in the third,” said Wilkerson.

The sudden twist late in the fourth quarter dealt a cruel conclusion to the season for Buckingham (9-2).

“I just told the seniors how much I appreciated all their work,” said Wilkerson. “A lof them have been with me three years, some four, and I just told them how much I appreciate their leadership and what they brought to the program.”