Generals came long way to final

BLACKSBURG Big game. Big stadium. Big disappointment.

"Our motto all year has been, 'Leave no doubt'," said Dinwiddie quarterback Adam Morgan. "We got to this point, we just didn't reach out and grab it."

"This point" was the Virginia High School League Division 5 championship game in Lane Stadium at Virginia Tech.

The size of the facility did not intimidate the Generals. The performance of the Phoebus Phantoms, though, was too much for the Generals to overcome.

On a day that ended with a thin stream of snow pelting the field, the cold reality was that Phoebus was a lot better than Dinwiddie. The score was 37-13.

Sometimes, the result doesn't matter as much as the journey.

Four years ago, Dinwiddie barely was an afterthought in the Central District and Central Region. When teams saw the Generals on their schedule, the players mentally penciled in a victory and the coaches anticipated a night when the reserves would play much of the second half.

The postseason for the Generals was known as basketball practice.

Then, Billy Mills arrived to take over the program. At times, he wondered if the challenge was bigger than he had anticipated.

"I didn't know if anybody could play football," Mills said. "We had a hard enough time running sprints the right way."

Mills did know that a freshman linebacker showed tenacity and leadership skills. That linebacker was Morgan, and he took over the defensive huddle early in the season.

"I knew I had a leader," Mills said. "You get out your Football Book 101, and it says you need to play your upperclassmen at quarterback. He [Morgan] was our backup, and the kid went down and he [Morgan] stepped in.

"He took shots, but he never would stay down. He kept throwing the ball. We kept scoring points. I knew I had a tough kid with a lot of character who wanted to win, and he wasn't going to let anyone around him down. Then, I kicked myself for not starting him the first six games."

Morgan has been the starter ever since, and the Generals won nine games each of the past two regular seasons.

Winning is not a sometime thing. Morgan and one of his primary targets, wide receiver Jerrell White, have been playing together since their days in the Dinwiddie North recreation league.

"We went undefeated for about four years," Morgan said. "A lot of the seniors on this team were on those teams."

Even with that base of success, turning things around in Dinwiddie was a difficult process. It involved weight work and passing leagues in the offseason and a seemingly endless string of sprints.

"You look at each other and pick each other up through the good times and hard times," Morgan said.

Through all the work, the Generals dreamed big. At times, they wondered if the dream was beyond their reach.

"To be honest, I really didn't think we'd be at this point," Morgan said. "I just did everything coach Mills told me to do. I believed in him. We fought to be here. I'm proud to be here.

"We had a few mental errors, some holding penalties. I can understand that. I'd rather them hold than I get an ear shot, you know what I'm saying? I love those guys. I'd just do anything for my teammates."

What Morgan, a senior, wanted to do most was lead his team to one, final victory. That was not to be, but it was not for a lack of trying. Morgan threw 46 passes yesterday, and his final attempt was to his good friend White. It was a 7-yard touchdown with 1:34 left in the game.

The points meant little, but the effort said a great deal about the Generals. They were beaten, but they didn't quit.

That they were in Lane Stadium yesterday says a great deal about the Generals as well. They are not an afterthought for anyone now.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .