After a 4-0 record on the road, the JV Bulldogs finally took to the turf last Wednesday night for the first time this season. In the first of three consecutive Wednesday night home games, Goochland faced the visiting Orange County Hornets for a 12-0 win. 

  Playing at home for the first time proved no challenge for the JV squad. “I noticed a slight change in the guys as we played at home,” said Head Coach Matt Singleton. “They were a little more focused and enjoyed being able to relax some before the game instead of taking a long bus ride. That being said, the guys had showed incredible focus to win four road games in a row.”

  Coach Singleton also credits the Bulldog fans with helping their team to the 4-0 away record.

  “I have been very excited to see how much support we have gotten on the road,” he said. “The Goochland fans travel excellent. The players and we coaches really appreciate their efforts to make it out to our road games.”

  Last Wednesday night, Goochland again dominated their opponents; this time, in a shutout victory. The Bulldogs scored their first six points in the second quarter after the Hornets were unable to move the ball or stop GHS.

  On a fourth down, Orange was forced to punt the ball away and Goochland’s Mitchell Brice immediately gained nine yards on the play before Andrew Gee quickly passed the first down marker.

  Brice carried the ball to the Hornets’ 12-yard line for a first down. With 56 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Cody Johnson handed off to Brice for the first Bulldog touchdown of the night. 

  The Hornets started the third quarter, but were unable to gain any ground. The Bulldogs faced similar problems, running out of chances and time on the clock.

  However, the fourth quarter was different.

  On a second down at their own 25-yard line, the Bulldogs ran the ball to the 45 for a first down. Goochland’s offense fought a tough battle with Justin Buckner and his Orange defense before moving a couple of yards for another first down. 

  But Brice helped carry the ball further into Hornets’ territory.

  On a second-and-nine with six minutes left in the game, Jake Martin rushed to the pylon, just one yard shy of a touchdown.  Johnson then slipped into the end zone to take the Bulldogs to a 12-0 lead.

  Orange couldn’t recover or push past Goochland defense in time, and the Bulldogs went on to add another victory to the win column for a 5-0 record. 

  “I thought we played well on both sides of the ball,” Singleton said after the game. “Our defense was superb, as we were able to shutout a formidable opponent. Their defense was tough, and we had to work hard all night in order to move the ball. Mitchell Brice really became the workhorse and helped move us up and down the field. Jake Martin also had some really nice catches for big first downs, as well.”

  After defeating Orange and Charlottesville, Goochland is now 2-0 in the Jefferson District. This week, the JV team hosted the Monticello Mustangs in another district match-up. Coach Singleton and the team spent the week practicing and preparing, hoping for another win.

  “We will be working hard everyday in practice making sure our guys do a mix of conditioning, hitting, drills and working on team plays,” he said. “Monticello is going to be a very good team and we are going to have to continue to raise our level of play if we are going to keep up with them.”