Collegiate QB too much for LCA in VIS Division I final

RICHMOND — In his final high school football game before he takes his considerable talent down River Road to the University of Richmond, quarterback Jake McGee gave Collegiate’s fans one more reason to remember him fondly.

Facing a Liberty Christian Academy defense that blanked Potomac School in the Virginia Independent Schools Division I semifinals, McGee finished with 396 yards of offense and seven touchdowns as the Cougars defended their state title and won their fifth in the past seven seasons with a 48-28 victory Saturday.

“He’s a playmaker. Sometimes he puts the game in his hands and just takes it with him,” Collegiate lineman Andrew Foster said. “He’s a big reason why we won the game.”

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound McGee completed 21 of 33 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns and carried the ball 26 times for 145 yards and three more scores. As if that wasn’t enough, he also ran for a two-point conversion and intercepted a pass.

Two of his touchdown runs and one of his TD tosses came in the fourth quarter, when Collegiate (10-1) broke open a close game by scoring 22 unanswered points.

“I just looked at it as ‘We’re not going to lose this game,’” McGee said. “I felt comfortable knowing what the defense was doing, and we were able to make some big plays.”

McGee’s favorite target, Alex Newsome, also had a huge game. The West Point-bound senior caught 10 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Another senior, Connor Kelley, finished with four catches for 54 yards and caught McGee’s final two touchdown passes.

“Our seniors knew this was our last game together and we’re all going our separate ways next year, so we were definitely fired up,” Newsome said. “It was one heck of an effort by everybody.”

LCA (10-2) also got strong performances from a pair of seniors. Louisville-bound quarterback Mike Rocco finished 13 of 27 for 243 yards, passed for three touchdowns and ran for another. Running back Desmond Rice added 109 total yards (65 rushing).

“We scored 28 points, so our offense played pretty well,” said Rocco, who also started at safety despite a cast on his left (non-throwing) wrist. “Our defense came up short and that’s frustrating, but what can you do?”

McGee was the source of much frustration for the visiting Bulldogs. His ability to scramble and buy time until he either found an open receiver or a running lane helped Collegiate convert 8 of 12 third-down plays.

That led to three scoring drives of 11 plays or longer and kept LCA’s offense on the sideline for long stretches of the first three quarters.

Collegiate’s most important possession followed Rocco’s 59-yard touchdown pass to Cody Underwood, which drew LCA within 26-21 with 1:39 left in the third quarter. McGee responded by guiding the Cougars 68 yards in 12 plays, capping the drive with a 7-yard TD strike to Kelley ,and ran for a two-point conversion.

LCA never threatened again.

“Our defense would get them in third-and-10, and their quarterback would make a play,” Rice said. “We knew he had the ability to do that and he did a good job.”