Goochland’s ground game was running on all cylinders last week as the Bulldogs notched a James River District victory over visiting Central, 26-14 to top off the homecoming celebration.

  The Bulldogs’ rushing assault finally sank a stubborn Charger defense and an offense that went aerial on Goochland’s secondary.

  But both teams stumbled coming out of the gate. Goochland’s offense took the opening kickoff and lost the ball on a fumble. The Chargers, led by quarterback John Batts, marched deep into Goochland territory before an alert interception by safety the Bulldogs’ Matt Henley ended the initial threat.

  Henley, who recorded two interceptions in the game, said the coaches prepared the defensive backs for the aerial assault of Central. “Both of the interceptions came because the coaches had us positioned in the right place,” Henley said. “The coaches moved our defensive around to give their quarterback some different looks, so they get the credit.”

  Despite getting the ball back, the Bulldogs could not take advantage of the turnover and promptly gave the ball back to the Chargers with a second fumble.

  Entering the second quarter, the Bulldogs’ runners began to find seams in the Charger defense, and David McKenna and MJ Cox anchored a rushing attack with quarterback Tyler Carter adding the final yard for the score.

  On the ensuing kickoff, Goochland’s Cody Simmons launched a high squib kick that eluded the Charger receivers and the Bulldogs jumped on the loose ball at the Charger 35-yard line. Cox then finished the possession with a 25-yard run and the Bulldogs led 14-0.

  The Chargers scored with less than a minute remaining in the half when Forrest Williams finished off a Central drive with a one-yard run. The Chargers were successful on the two point conversion making the score 14-8 at an extended homecoming intermission.

  Simmons added a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter, but the Chargers did not go down without a fight.

  Central opened the fourth quarter with a 17-yard scoring strike from Batts to receiver Sean Townsend. With the two-point conversion, the Chargers were within one, 17-16.

  Back on offense, Goochland’s   Carter used the pass sparingly, but picked his spots well and finally struck paydirt on a 10-yard strike to Cody Davis, giving the Bulldogs their final advantage of 24-16.

  In the game, the Bulldogs had two runners with over a hundred yards each, Cox and Dustin Plummer, but it was McKenna who did the heavy lifting in the win, and it did not go unnoticed by coach Joe Fowler.

  “David really stepped up out there tonight,” Fowler said. “He really shouldered the load for us tonight when we needed it. He took us on his shoulders and got us through that rough stretch, and… he’s only a sophomore.”

  Plummer, another sophomore finished the night with 10 carries for 101 yards, and Willie Ezell led the rushing assault with 132 yards on 11 carries.

  The win lifts the Bulldogs to 3-3, with a string of district contests remaining. Fowler hopes his team is finally hitting their stride and he likes what he sees on the ground. With the exception of a couple of plays, the coach was pleased with the performance. “Except for the two turnovers we had in the first period, I thought we played well offensively,” Fowler said. “Except for the two jump balls on defense, I thought we played well on defense.”

  Despite the tough start to the season, Fowler said this year’s campaign has been different but rewarding for him. “When you don’t have the superstars we’ve had in the past, you actually get to do some coaching and get your hands dirty and work on new things,” he said.

  Fowler said this year’s team has a workman-like quality that makes coaching them fun and exciting. “This is the best group of kids. They work hard and they all get along,” Fowler said. “It’s been a fun year so far.”

Central       0   8   0   8 -  14
Goochland   0   14 3   7 - 24