Defense carries Williamsburg to gutsy win

WILLIAMSBURG - Playing without starting quarterback Jacob Holub, out with a gimpy ankle, undefeated Williamsburg knew it would need a gutsy effort to reach the Class 2A quarterfinals.

In typical Raiders fashion, the defense answered the call.

Third-ranked Williamsburg forced four South Tama turnovers, the last a game-clinching interception by Josh Koeppel with under two minutes to go, and advanced with a 17-7 victory Monday night in a second-round playoff game.

'Our defense has been our backbone,” Williamsburg Coach Curt Ritchie said. 'We fly around, we pursue the ball, we bend but we make plays.”

Williamsburg bent against one of the hottest tailbacks in the state in junior Jerry Lowe, who ran for 517 yards combined in his previous two games. Lowe's 6-yard TD run off right tackle 8:30 before half gave South Tama a 7-3 lead, but Williamsburg answered 1:19 later when tailback Allyn Francis took a backward pass from reserve quarterback Vic Malloy and raced 33 yards for a 10-7 lead.

'He's the perfect guy to come in there,” Ritchie said of Malloy. 'He's just steady, he's even keel, he's not going to put you in a bad position.”

Ritchie expects Holub to be back under center when Williamsburg (11-0) hosts No. 7 Albia (10-1) in the quarterfinal round Friday.

Lowe and South Tama charged down the field on its next possession, but defensive back Noah Heitshusen intercepted a Dalton Doyle pass at his 4-yard line to help preserve the halftime lead.

'You've got to tip your hat especially to the guys up front,” Heitshusen said. 'They put pressure on the quarterback and it just allows you to make plays as a defensive back.”

Late in the third quarter with Williamsburg still clinging to its 10-7 lead, Heitshusen turned South Tama away again with his second interception at the Williamsburg 38. Heitshusen has eight interceptions this season, tied for third in Class 2A.

With 3:49 remaining, defensive tackle Jordan Feldmann recovered a South Tama fumble at the Trojans' 32. Six plays later on fourth-and-2 from the 11, Ritchie called on tailback Mitchell Stahl instead of a field goal. Stahl came through with an 11-yard burst through the left side of the line for a TD and a 17-7 Williamsburg lead.

'Our whole line stepped up,” said Stahl, who ran for 177 yards. 'We got what we needed and it was great.”

Lowe finished with 186 yards on 34 carries for South Tama (8-3).

'They just play so dang sound,” South Tama Coach Jay Hoskey said. 'We'd get a few things going, and then it seems like we would stall and they'd make a big play. They're so quick.”

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com

Williamsburg 17

South Tama 7

AT WILLIAMSBURG

ST WILL

First downs 12 9

Rushes-yards 43-193 45-258

Passing-yards 46 35

Comp-att-int 5-9-3 5-11-0

Punts-avg. 5-38.4 7-37.7

Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0

South Tama 0 7 0 0-7

Williamsburg 3 7 0 7-17

WILL - Josh Koeppel 31 FG

ST - Jerry Lowe 6 run (Adrian Castanon kick)

WILL - Allyn Francis 33 run (Koeppel kick)

WILL - Mitchell Stahl 11 run (Koeppel kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing - South Tama: Jerry Lowe 34-186, Bo Blocker 1-(-3), Peyton Rutledge 3-3, Dalton Doyle 5-5; Williamsburg: Mitchell Stahl 27-177, Blake Hughes 12-45, Allyn Francis 5-41, Vic Malloy 1-(-5).

Passing - South Tama: Dalton Doyle 5-9-3-46; Williamsburg: Vic Malloy 4-10-0-39, Holub 1-1-0-(-4).

Receiving - South Tama: Darius Lasley-Shields 2-16, Justin Suchanek 1-16, Peyton Rutledge 1-8, Kolbie Clark 1-6; Williamsburg: Dalton Van Etten 1-16, Noah Heithusen 1-14, Allyn Francis 1-9 Blake Hughes 1-(-4).