Purcellville, VA (August 27, 2021) - In a way, it all seemed kind of surreal. The crowd gathered early, filling the Woodgrove side of the stadium with friends, family, and fans, many of them dressed ready for a luau. It seemed all too typical, yet it wasn't at all for it had been almost two years since a regular season was, well, regular.
Risky or not, social distancing and masks were a thing of the past, at least for a night. And for the first time since the end of the Fall 2019 season, it was Friday night business as usual. The John Champe Knights came to play, and the Wolverines were there to greet them.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
Woodgrove won the toss and elected to receive, but their initial drive stalled at their own twenty yard line. But John Champe was called for roughing the kicker and the yardage awarded was enough for a first down and a restart of what would become a nearly ten minute drive ending in a touchdown, and a 6-0 lead. The first quarter ended with no additional scoring.
On Champe's first possession of the second quarter they failed to gain a first down on fourth and two, and turned the ball over to Woodgrove deep in their own territory. But on what looked like a mishandled snap, Tony Cammarota scooped the ball up and ran seventy-six yards for his first score of the night. And just a few minutes later he would score again to give his team a commanding 20-0 lead. The Knights were able to get a field goal before halftime, but just about everything that went right in the first half went right for the Wolverines.
But momentum clearly shifted after halftime, as the Knights began clawing their way back into the game. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter they finally scored a touchdown making the margin manageable at 20-10. And midway through the fourth quarter, they did it again, cutting the lead down to 20-17.
Suddenly, the "I believe that we will win" cheer was coming from the visiting side of the field. But almost as soon that cheer was finished, the Knights' breath was taken away as Cammarota scored his third touchdown of the night, a brilliant, record-setting night, for sure, for the junior running back.
With four minutes remaining, with Woodgrove now leading 27-17, the game seemed all but over. But the Knights scored again to make it 27-24. Now fully energized, they held the Wolverines and got the ball back with time remaining for one more drive. But a potential game-winning long pass down the middle of the field was just out of the reach of receiver Cameron Petrey, and Woodgrove took over on downs for the final time. Once again behind Cammarota, the Wolverines ran out the clock for season-opening victory.
Final Score: Woodgrove 27 - John Champe 24
