News Virginian Write-Up after Caissons Football Beats Model

By DANA JONES/FOR THE NEWS VIRGINIAN
After a long struggle with Model Secondary School, Fishburne pulled off a 34-33 win at the last two minutes of the game.

After a long struggle with Model Secondary School, Fishburne pulled off a 34-33 win at the last two minutes of the game.

Down 33-26, with only two minutes and 10 seconds remaining and possession in the Eagles’ hands, the Caissons’ David Candelario recovered an Eagle fumble, allowing the Caissons one last shot at victory.

The recovery put the Caissons on their own 25-yard line and after two short passes from quarterback J.P. Gonzalez for a combined 15 yards, the Caissons were on the 40 and ready to roll.

“These kids usually get behind and give up,” said Fishburne coach Val Gochenour. “This is the first time that they kept fighting. Inch by inch, they kept fighting. Today they had heart.”

With the clock ticking down, Gonzalez let a long pass fly down field and straight into the hands of Tevin Washington, who strode the ball into the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown.

With no field goal kicker present, the Caissons were forced to go for yet another two-point conversion after succeeding in only 1 out of 4 attempts previously. On the fifth attempt the Caissons made magic with Nolen King sneaking to the outside, giving the Caissons a one-point lead.

With one minute and 42 seconds left in the game, the Caissons nervously awaited their fate as the Eagles started their march down field, but little did they know that one Caisson in particular would cool their nerves. On first and ten at the 31-yard line, the Eagles took a stab at a pass play only to be thwarted by the sure hands of Washington for the interception, clinching the game for the Caissons.

“When I picked-off that pass, I was so excited that I couldn’t even breathe,” Washington said. “I’m glad that my team stayed strong and didn’t give up.”

Washington led the Caissons with three touchdowns, the first off a 45-yard touchdown pass and the second on an 80-yard kick return, a total of 132 receiving yards, and two interceptions.

“Washington has a lot of skill,” Gochenour said. “He’s the real deal. He’s got the speed, the moves and a good set of hands.”

The Caissons’ first touchdown came from Chris Lowder off a 73-yard run, and Candelario added another off a 25-yard pass play. All in all Gonzalez gained 189 passing yards off 19 attempts and eight completions for two touchdowns.

“We didn’t have a quarterback, but Gonzalez stepped up to the plate and made a lot of progress in a short time,” Gochenour said. “This was a great win for us.”