Apr 03, 2021
ASHLAND, Va. – Sophomore quarterback Presley Egbers (Clifton, Va./Centreville) grabbed a loose ball out of the air and scampered 13 yards for the winning touchdown in overtime as the top-seeded Randolph-Macon football team outlasted second-seeded Emory & Henry 13-10 on Saturday afternoon on Day Field.
The Basics:
Score: Randolph-Macon 13, Emory & Henry 10 OT
Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Day Field
Records: Randolph-Macon 5-0, Emory & Henry 3-1
How it Happened:
- Each team was forced to punt on its first possession. The second time they had the ball, the Wasps drove to the RM 19. On 4th-and-1, senior Aaron Cox (Grifton, N.C./Ayden-Grifton) and junior Jace DePriest (Sandston, Va./Varina) combined to stop E&H for a one-yard loss and turn the ball over on downs.
- The Yellow Jackets used 11 plays to move to the E&H 39 but had to punt. The first quarter would end in a scoreless tie.
- R-MC would move to the E&H 24 early in the second period, but a missed field goal from 41-yards out kept the game scoreless. E&H drove to the RM 21, but Cox and DePriest combined on a sack and forced a punt. The teams would remain deadlocked after 30 minutes of play.
- The teams struggled to penetrate the opponent's defense in the third period as it remained scoreless heading to the fourth quarter.
- Early in the fourth period, the Wasps advanced to the RM 18. On 4th-and-3, E&H first decided to attempt a field goal. Following a timeout, the Wasps went for it and a pass was picked off by sophomore Cade Jones (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) to thwart the drive.
- R-MC lost the ball on a fumble, but E&H went 3-and-out. A seven-yard punt gave the Yellow Jackets the ball on the E&H 29. Egbers hit senior Tim Hanratty (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) with a six-yard TD pass to give the home team a 7-0 advantage with 9:37 remaining.
- The Wasps would take the ensuing kickoff and use 12 plays to drive 76 yards for the tying score with 4:21 left.
- E&H quickly got the ball back on an interception but could not take the lead. Regulation ended with the teams knotted at 7-7.
- R-MC won the overtime toss and elected to play defense first. The Wasps were stopped at the RM 7 and a 22-yard field goal gave the visitors a 10-7 lead.
- Presley would run for nine yards on R-MC's first OT snap. Sophomore David Wallis (Cedar Point, N.C./Croatan) ran a sweep for three yards to pick up the first down. On the next snap, Presley faked a handoff to Wallis and the ball popped up into the air. Egbers grabbed the ball and took it up the middle 13 yards for the winning score.
By The Numbers:
- Wallis carried the ball nine times for 84 yards. He had five catches for 97 yards.
- Senior Tyler DeBerry (Greensboro, N.C./Page) had 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
- Junior Stephen Richardson (Richmond, Va./Varina) had eight solo tackles and three pass breakups.
For The Record:
- R-MC claimed its 12th ODAC football title, the most of any school in the conference.
- The Yellow Jackets won their fourth ODAC championship under head coach Pedro Arruza. Ted Keller and Jim Blackburn both captured three.
- The Yellow Jackets recorded their first undefeated season since going 9-0 in 1968.