BC Wins Without Suspended Ex-HHS Star (Daily News-Record)

Daily News-Record - by Jeremy Cothran

ASHLAND – The prevailing question swirling around Day Field was not the breakout performance of Bridgewater College’s aerial attack in its 35-24 comeback victory over Randolph-Macon, or the sudden disappearance of its star cornerback.

Instead, attention was focused on the Washington & Lee game against Emory & Henry in Lexington, a game the Generals won 24-6 to clinch their first Old Dominion Athletic Conference title since 1985, denying the Eagles a sixth straight championship.

For weeks, BC’s players and coaches had seemed resigned to their ODAC streak ending, so they accepted news of W&L’s victory without much sorrow.

“Well, you enjoy what we all accomplished in the past,” Eagles coach Michael Clark said. “Congratulations to Washington & Lee. It’s a great accomplishment. But I want them to know that I’m chasing them.”

Normally, it’s been the Eagles being chased, but two straight losses in mid-October effectively put the skids on any thoughts of a league championship. BC (7-2 overall, 3-2 in the league) still has a slim chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, but it would need to rely on several higher-ranked teams in the South Region losing this weekend.

Another question Eagles players and coaches had to answer was the absence of senior All-American cornerback Josh Knight, who did not make the trip to suburban Richmond.

According to Clark, the former Harrisonburg High School star’s collegiate career is over.

“Josh was suspended for a rules violation,” Clark said, refusing to elaborate. “It will be for the remainder of the season. We’ve appreciated the energy that he’s given us.”

Ex-Turner Ashby player Seth Little started in place of Knight, finishing with five tackles, including one for a loss.

Players said they were not given details of Knight’s booting, but said it wasn’t a distraction.

“It wasn’t necessarily during the game,” senior linebacker Brandon Borst said. “[Knight’s] one of the best who ever walked in here. He’s a stud, an absolute stud.”

Clark said Knight was suspended Friday, but he refused to elaborate.

As for Saturday’s game, the Eagles got off to a slow start. Senior tailback Winston Young (66 yards, one touchdown rushing, one receiving) fumbled the opening kickoff at the BC 25 and the Yellow Jackets (2-7, 0-5) quickly capitalized with a 1-yard TD run by tailback Steven Ahonen.

Bridgewater countered on the arm of junior quarterback Jeff Highfill, who had his best game of the season through the air. The Roanoke native zipped a 35-yard pass to receiver Brandon Copeland on a skinny post to even the score.

Highfill finished 15-of-21 for 319 yards and four TDs. Copeland had a career-high 217 yards and two touchdowns,

Still, the Eagles trailed 10-7 at halftime, thanks to a 36-yard field goal by Reggie Moore. BC wasn’t concerned with the deficit, or some of the first-half struggles in the running game.

“Nothing, no worries at all,” Borst said. “They got nothing on our defense. We knew we were going to make up for it.”

The Eagles’ offense heated up in the second half following another R-MC field goal, with Highfill hooking up with Copeland for a 69-yard pass to put BC ahead for good at 14-13.

The duo continued to connect, thanks to Randolph-Macon’s insistence on playing nine-man fronts and positioning the free safety just yards off the line of scrimmage, leaving Copeland in single coverage for most of the game. The problem with R-MC’s coverage philosophy was an ineffective pass rush, which gave Highfill ample time to pick out receivers.

“Well, I think stopping the run is our No. 1 priority,” Yellow Jackets coach Pedro Arruza said. “But on that thought, we did let the quarterback hold the football too long.”

Copeland, naturally, was a big fan of the single coverage he received.

“Oh, I loved it,” the junior from Greensboro, N.C., said.

Young pushed the score to 21-13 with an 18-yard, tackle-breaking touchdown reception. Last year, he burned R-MC for 198 yards rushing and five touchdowns (four rushing), and while he didn’t come close to equaling those stats, he said Randolph-Macon is just one of those team’s he feels comfortable against.

“Everyone said they had a good defense,” Young said. “We just wanted to show them what we were made of.”

Young followed with a 2-yard rushing touchdown after R-MC quarterback Bradon Braner gave the Eagles great field position after he was intercepted by BC safety Desmond Jalloh. The Eagles capped the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Highfill to backup tailback Phillip Carter.

With just one game remaining – a trip to Washington to face Catholic this week -- the Eagles know they may be playing out the string. Still, there’s hope.

“Obviously, we want to win,” Copeland said. “And then we’ll just have to see how the other teams do. It depends on the other guys. It’s not in our hands anymore.”