As has been the case all season, East Hardy didn’t waver.
Trailing 21-20 at Cameron last Friday, Cougars’ tailback Nehemiah Graham had just ripped off a 52-yard run on the second play of a series 4 minutes into the fourth quarter.
EHHS went back to its workhorse on the next play, but Graham fumbled and the Dragons recovered at their 23-yard line with 7:41 remaining.
Six plays later, with Cameron approaching the red zone, East Hardy’s defense forced a turnover on downs, and the visitors took full advantage of their final possession by generating a winning touchdown courtesy of Trevor Roof’s 27-yard pass to Dayton Dove on fourth-and-8 with 43 seconds remaining.
“After we fumbled late, it was big to not only keep them out of the end zone, but to have some field position,” East Hardy coach Devin Orndorff said.
The decisive 77-yard drive from the visitors featured Roof’s 14-yard completion to Brinn Childers and a 24-yard run from the quarterback that allowed the visitors to move across midfield and inside the CHS 30.
But when Roof was brought down for a 3-yard loss on third-and-5 with inside 1 minute remaining, it left the Cougars in a precarious position. They called timeout with 50 seconds to play, and though East Hardy had scored its first TD on fourth-and-goal when Roof completed a 5-yard pass to Childers, this was a more pressure-packed situation and the outcome hung in the balance.
Roof stayed composed and lofted a pass toward Dove, who was single-covered against the Dragons’ sideline.
Dove located the football in the air, won the 1-on-1 battle, and brought in the pass before celebrating with teammates. Roof then connected with Childers on the 2-point pass to up his team’s lead to seven, and the Cougars came up with another stop in the final seconds to secure the victory.
“We just didn’t make enough plays to win this game,” Cameron coach Tim Brown said. “They did and that’s why they’re undefeated. They’ve been making plays when they need to make plays and they did a great job.”
A well-protected Roof finished 14-for-18 with 203 yards, two passing scores and a rushing touchdown.
“We have athletes all over the field and our offensive line does a great job,” said Roof, a senior in his second season as the starting quarterback. “They give me time and run block successfully. They’re the pillar to everything that happens.”
The athletes Roof referenced were on display as Graham gained 151 yards on 31 rushes and reached the end zone once, while Dove had five receptions for 103 yards and Childers brought in seven passes for 73 yards.
Without the quarterback operating about as efficiently as possible, however, those skill players wouldn’t have as great of an impact.
“His drive to win is unmatched,” Orndorff said. “As part of his preparation, he sends me notes and he’s almost like an offensive coordinator. “He’s inside my brain and I’m inside his. We know what each other are thinking. When I call a check from the sideline, he knows how I want that altered on the field. He has to get guys going in the right place.
“It’s a process, but he’s a great offensive-minded kid and God has gifted him with the abilities to back that up on the field. I wouldn’t have anybody else in my corner.”
The latest result allows East Hardy (9-0) to enter Week 11 as one of two remaining unbeaten teams in Class A with Meadow Bridge the other.
The Cougars are No. 2 in the Class A playoff ratings ahead of Friday’s regular season finale against Petersburg.
Many of the team’s key contributors have quality postseason experience from last season, when Orndorff’s team put together a five-game win streak to overcome an 0-3 start and claim the No. 12 seed.
A first-round playoff win at Sherman was followed by a quarterfinal round loss at Pendleton County in overtime.
This year’s group has found a way to win several close games that eluded the team last season, and there is plenty of motivation for a deeper postseason run.
“You have to go one of two ways. You either have to discredit Pendleton County, Moorefield and Cameron, which I don’t think you do, or we have to say finally that East Hardy might be a good team,” Orndorff said. “Hopefully, we proved a point with this win and we can keep building from it.”