JF surges past Liberty on Goode runs

BEDFORD — There’s no way Jefferson Forest running back Desmond Goode should not have been taken down on each of his two second-half touchdown runs in Friday night’s regular-season finale at Seminole District and Bedford County rival Liberty.

But Goode, who finished with 184 yards rushing on 18 carries, eluded the initial tackles in traffic then emerged from a pack of Minutemen and accelerated up the sideline for 64- and 52-yard scores that sealed the Cavaliers’ 30-14 victory.

“Until I see the film … I don’t know the answer,” Liberty coach Chris Watts said. “I don’t know what happened. We had people there, that’s the disappointing part about it. He’s not a big guy so it was probably hard to find him there. (But) we had guys there to make the tackle, we just didn’t make the tackle. There were a whole bunch of people on the sideline and it kept moving that way.”

Goode has a way of finding seams that don’t appear to be there, with his small frame, shifty feet and explosive leg strength.

“Once I get my momentum going, it’s pretty hard to stop me because I keep my legs moving and my arms swinging and everything, I’m pretty hard to bring down,” Goode said. “Once I get past that first wave of defenders, my main intention is to get to the end zone, so if somebody happens to jump on my back, I guess they’re just going to be riding with me.”

His two scores came on the heels of Liberty’s two third-quarter touchdowns — one on a 37-yard reception from Tyler Bowyer to Boo Payne, who later dropped two potential big-play passes, and one on a 70-yard punt return by Anthony Reynolds that resembled one of Goode’s scores.

The game’s first play from scrimmage was typical of Liberty’s struggles on a less-than-festive Halloween night.

Bowyer completed a pass to Kordero Thompson, who beat JF defender Brandon Harrison on a crossing pattern. But after turning upfield, and appearing to have an angle on Harrison to the end zone, Thompson cut back and twisted his knee as he was brought down at the 22 after a 52-yard pickup.

He limped off the field and Liberty’s opening drive stalled from there before Logan Johnson’s line-drive 35-yard field goal attempt veered wide left.

The Minutemen managed only one more first down in the first half — Thomas Clark’s 12-yard run on the next drive, followed by Colby Rhodes’ interception of a Bowyer pass at Forest’s 40. The Cavaliers scored seven plays later and added a 42-yard field goal by Josh Storm and a 1-yard run by Tyler Rosser seven seconds before halftime.

JF (7-3, 4-2 Seminole) finishes with the same overall record it missed the playoffs with in 2006, before Region III expanded its postseason field from four to six teams. With the win over Liberty, it could move up to the No. 2 seed and receive a first-round bye, but would need help from other teams.

Liberty (6-4, 3-3) enters the Region III, Division 3, playoffs with the same overall mark it had in 2002, when it went on to claim the state title.

But they don’t take much momentum into the postseason after managing just 61 yards rushing on 23 carries while yielding more than 300.