Fishburne Wins CAFC Championship Game!

Fishburne wins late

WAYNESBORO —Strong passes from quarterback Chet Berry combined with major defensive stops took Fishburne Military School to a 13-12 win over Hyde Leadership on Saturday for the Capital Area Football Conference Championship.

“It feels good, obviously, to win anything,” said Berry.

“It was a great win for Fishburne,” said Fishburne coach Val Gochenour. “After a 19-year loll, this makes the kids proud of the school. You couldn’t [have] asked for a better season.”

Though the Caissons came out with the win, the first half belonged to the Lions.

Fishburne started the game with control of the ball, but a bad snap on fourth-and-seven put Hyde on the 25-yard line. A few plays later, Tavone Harrington ran in a quick 6-yard touchdown for Hyde with nine minutes, 23 seconds on the clock. The Lions defense was able to stop the Caissons from gaining any big yards on the following drive, forcing the Caissons to punt.

After five plays and four first downs on the ensuing drive, the Lions threw an interception straight into the hands of the Caissons’ Andre Truesdell, but again the Lions put a stop to the Caissons offense.

Without Fishburne ever gaining a first down, the teams went into the second quarter with Hyde leading 6-0.

“We were moving the ball in the first half,” said Hyde coach Brian Banks. “Unfortunately, we would get down within the 10-yard line and have a few mistakes.”

Again Fishburne started with control of the ball in the second quarter and after a 70-yard pass to Glen Franklin, the Caissons were in scoring position. On fourth-and-goal at the 7-yard line, Berry, with the Lions’ paws on his back, tossed one to David Candelario for a touchdown, tying the game 6-6.

“The play didn’t work and I couldn’t outrun their [Hyde] defender,” said Berry. “Candelario recognized that I was struggling and got open. So I threw it high to him and he made a great catch.”

The Caissons were able to contain the Lions in the third quarter until a fumble gave control of the ball back to the Lions. An 11-yard run from Evon Lee put Hyde on the 38-yard line. Salim Lancaster then drove it in the whole 38 yards for the Lions’ final touchdown, putting them up 12-6.

“We changed our defense in the second half,” Gochenour said. “We had to work on containing the outside.”

Fishburne didn’t get a chance to counter until the final quarter. Starting from their own 16-yard line, the Caissons slowly worked the ball downfield using only their passing game. A deep pass from the 40-yard line into the hands of Franklin tied the game at 12 with eight minutes on the clock.

“I got to give credit to the receivers,” Berry said. “Our defense did a great job, too. The defense gave us the chance to win. They could have given up when we weren’t doing well in the first, but they didn’t.”

The Caissons then sent in kicker Jordan Wittig to finish the job, sending the ball straight through the posts for the 13-12 lead.

The Lions then took possession with plenty of time left on the clock, but the Caissons defense stopped the Lions 1 yard short of a first down.

“I believe we picked up that first down,” Banks said. “It was a bad spot by the refs, but we shouldn’t of put ourselves in that situation. You just got to keep playing, though.”

Fishburne then launched its longest drive yet, keeping control of the ball for over 10 plays and running out the clock.

“We just had to buckle down,” Gochenour said. “Our kids came ready to play, every single individual came ready to play.”

“No one expected us to be here,” Banks said. “We left points on the field. I congratulate Fishburne.”

Additional Photos by FMS Communications:

Below photos added by Mike Rogers, parent of Cadet Derek Rogers