Friday night was one of many firsts. The spirited South County, Hayfield football rivalry was renewed after a three year hiatus; Gerry Pannoni made his first appearance as Stallion head coach and the Hayfield Hawks enjoyed their first ever victory over South County.
South County hosted Hayfield Friday evening in opening weekend action. Passionate parents and fans were treated to a defensive battle that saw Hayfield outlast South County 7-0, leaving South County players yearning for a rematch.
“The big thing is that it was a season opening win. We knew that they were a very good defensive team and that it was going to be a battle that would probably come down to turnovers and special teams,” said Hayfield head coach Roy Hill.
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“It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but I can’t question my guys’ effort.”
Despite being separated by just ten miles, the two schools’ fan bases were clearly divided and made great use of the separate bleachers.
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As expected for the first game of the season, both teams got off to slow starts and coaches relied on basic run heavy play calling. Each team traded turnovers in the first half. South County marched down to Hayfield’s six-yard line, only to fumble away the ball and a scoring opportunity. Not to be outdone, Hayfield’s Ellis Knudson was intercepted by Stallion cornerback Marcus Thomas at South County’s one-yard line with just 18 seconds remaining in the first half.
South County was without the services of last year’s starting quarterback, Jake Josephs, who injured his hand in the offseason.
“Jake’s playing running back right now. He did get his cast off but he’s still having a little bit of trouble handling the ball. He can’t play quarterback if can’t handle the ball with two hands,” said Panonni.
Without Josephs, Panonni rotated between Shane Foley and Andrew Rector at quarterback throughout the contest. Stallion backs struggled to move the ball vertically down field as Hayfield defenders frequently penetrated South County’s offensive line.
While Hayfield struggled to score in the first half, Hill’s halftime speech resonated well with his players, who wasted no time finding the endzone. Hayfield running back Stephen Ross broke the deadlock as he scampered 62 yards for the game’s first and only touchdown.
“I really had no idea that I was even going to break that. They were lining the interior lineman up right in the hole, so I was thinking that going up the middle wasn’t going to work. But they weren’t wrapping up,” said Ross, who finished the evening with 78 yards and a touchdown.
“I just stayed on my feet, turned around and saw daylight and had to speed out of there. It always feels good to get a win, especially in a big game like this.”
Down by 7 points and in the fourth and final quarter of play, Pannoni turned his quarterback loose. With less than one minute remaining in the contest, Foley connected on several passes that drove the Stallions down to Hayfield’s 16-yard line. After three unsuccessful attempts at scoring, Foley gave it one final try and fired towards the endzone. Hayfield safety Steven Lynch came down with the interception, ending South County’s attempt at a comeback.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to bite or not, because I saw that the quarterback looked like he was going to run. He only needed seven yards. So I tried to play in between,” said Lynch.
“He threw it, and I just went up to get it.”
Following the night’s theme, it was only fitting that the final series was Lynch’s first on defense all game.
“We made mistakes tonight. Mistakes we didn’t make in our scrimmages. I know that mistakes are part of the game, but they are preventable,” said Pannoni.
Pannoni’s Stallions return to practice next week and will get their next chance at victory on Friday, September 9 at Oakton.
Hayfield hosts Jeb Stuart on Friday, September 9.
