GRETNA — The Gretna Hawks averaged more than 40 points this season on their way to a 9-1 record and the top seed in the Group A Region B Division 2 state playoffs.
But on Friday night, the fourth-seeded Goochland Bulldogs were able to keep the Hawks’ potent offense under wraps — for the first half, anyway.
Gretna had just two possessions and ran a total of 13 plays in the opening 24 minutes, and took a precarious 7-0 lead into the intermission. But senior quarterback Jayme Barksdale connected with Andre Dickerson on a 27-yard touchdown pass barely a minute into the third quarter, and the Hawks pulled away for a 36-0 victory.
“They had a great gameplan,” Gretna head coach Chris Thurman said of the Bulldogs. “Their coaching staff did a great job scheming us up. Hats off to those guys — they came in and did what they needed to do. They slowed the pace of the game down. They grinded the clock. They did what they needed to do to stay in the ballgame.”
The Hawks, the reigning Group A state champions, improved to 10-1 overall and will host No. 2 seed Clarke County — which outlasted Appomattox 27-19 in Friday night’s other semifinal — in next week’s regional finals. Goochland finished its season at 6-5.
“It means a lot (to win),” Dickerson said. “We’ve got a bull’s eye on our backs, let’s put it that way. Teams are looking to defeat us at our own house.”
Following a scoreless first quarter, Dickerson put the Hawks on the board when he scampered 30 yards down the right sideline with 4:45 left in the opening half.
After Dickerson’s second score, the Hawks lined up for an extra point attempt by Sebastian Jakob. But Barksdale, acting as the holder, took the snap and raced to the left corner of the end zone for a 2-point conversion that made it 15-0.
Gretna’s third touchdown came on a 9-yard run by Barksdale midway through the third quarter. The Hawks tacked on a pair of scores in the final period, one on a 62-yard fumble return by Steven Payne and another on a 6-yard run by Dickerson.
In addition to his return, Payne was credited with a sack and two tackles for loss, sparking a Gretna defense that held the Bulldogs to just 32 yards of total offense in the second half.
“I thought the defense played well,” Thurman said. “They got after them. I think we kind of wore on them a little bit with our size, and our team speed, I think that kind of showed up, too, at the end.”
Dickerson finished with 122 yards rushing on just five carries.
“He’s really growing into that position,” Thurman said. “The speed he has, and just the competitor that he is, I think it shows out here. He’s only going to get better.”
Long is sports editor of the Danville Register & Bee.
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