Thomas Dale shocks national power in semifinals

Yesterday dawned cold and gray in Chester, with a steady rain soaking Thomas Dale's football field hours before the start of the Group AAA, Division 6 state semifinal against Chesapeake's Oscar Smith.

For the nationally ranked Tigers, the adverse playing conditions were a nightmare that hampered their high-powered offense and made University of Alabama-bound quarterback Philip Sims mostly a nonfactor.

For the Knights, the muddy turf became a field of dreams.

Demetrick Jackson's 8-yard touchdown run on Thomas Dale's second overtime snap gave the Knights a 20-17 victory, snapped Oscar Smith's 28-game winning streak and sent Dale into next week's state championship game at U.Va.'s Scott Stadium.

"This was our type of playing field. We're a hard-nosed team," senior Mike Edmunds said. "Any team we play that runs the spread, we love it when we play in the rain or on a messed-up field because it takes them out of their element and forces them to play like we do."

Thomas Dale (11-2), which will play in the state final for the first time since 2001, won't know its opponent until later today. The other semifinal matching Lake Braddock and Battlefield was postponed because of snow in Northern Virginia.

Dale coach Vic Williams said officials from Oscar Smith (13-1) tried unsuccessfully to get the Virginia High School League to either postpone their game or move it to Virginia Beach so it could be played on an artificial surface.

"They got here at 11:30 and at 1 o'clock they were still trying to get it moved. They had principals, ADs, everybody calling," Williams said.

It didn't take long to figure out why. Sims had passed for 2,914 yards and 32 touchdowns in Oscar Smith's first 13 games, but as wind and heavy rain made accurate passing all but impossible, the Tigers kept the ball on the ground for most of the final three quarters.

That's Thomas Dale's game. The Knights dominated the first half, outgaining Oscar Smith 173-48 behind Jackson's 147 rushing yards, while running 29 plays to just 16 for the Tigers.

But while Dale built a 14-0 first-quarter lead on a 48-yard touchdown run by Jackson and a 1-yard scoring plunge by Edmunds, the Knights knew Oscar Smith wouldn't give up its state title defense without a fight.

"We knew they were going to make another push and if we could withstand that push, we'd win the game," Dale quarterback Demitrius Campbell said.

Oscar Smith closed within a touchdown late in the first half, recovering a fumbled snap by Campbell and turning it into a 6-yard scoring run by J.C. Coleman. It still was a 14-7 game when Tigers receiver Quinta Funderburk took a screen pass from Sims and galloped 34 yards for the tying touchdown with 7:45 left in the fourth quarter.

Coleman, a gifted freshman, had 21 of his 30 carries and 137 of his game-high 194 yards in the second half. But Thomas Dale stopped two Oscar Smith drives on downs inside the Knights' 30-yard line, and a third ended when Sims tracked down an errant shotgun snap at the Dale 48 on the final play of regulation.

"Our defense has had its back against the wall all season. We just keep fighting and keep believing that we'll finish, no matter what it takes," Edmunds said.

Dale's defense stepped up in overtime. The Knights held Coleman to 4 yards on two carries, then forced an incompletion from Sims before Ryan Troutman kicked a 23-yard field goal.

Oscar Smith's lead lasted only two plays. On the second, Jackson found a huge hole on the right side and sprinted untouched into the end zone as the Dale sideline exploded in celebration.

"In overtime, if you want it more, you have to go for it," Jackson said. "I just set my eyes on the goal line and kept my legs moving forward."

It's been that kind of season for Thomas Dale, which has won 10 straight games after starting the season 1-2.

"This team is mature. They work hard and they do what they need to do," Williams added. "What we talked about all year is being able to put our equipment away on our own terms, instead of letting somebody else decide. We can do that now."

Oscar Smith ------------------------- 0 7 0 7 3 -- 17
Thomas Dale ------------------------- 14 0 0 0 6 -- 20

TD -- Jackson 48 run (kick blocked)

TD -- Edmunds 1 run (Green pass from Campbell)

OS -- Coleman 6 run (Troutman kick)

OS -- Funderburk 34 pass from Sims (Troutman kick)

OS -- FG Troutman 23

TD -- Jackson 8 run

RUSHING

Oscar Smith: Coleman 30-194, Ricks 1-2, Majette 1-1, Funderburk 1-(-4), Sims 3-(-37). Thomas Dale: Jackson 28-181, Edmunds 9-10, Evans 1-8, Wheat 1-4, Fields 1-2, Campbell 2-(-3).
PASSING

Oscar Smith: Sims 3-11-46; Thomas Dale: Campbell 3-8-30-1.
RECEIVING

Oscar Smith: Funderburk 1-34, Ricks 1-7, Coleman 1-4. Thomas Dale: Green 1-14, Dudley 1-13, Burton 1-3.