For the Daily Reporter
CHARLOTTESVILLE — As the ancient saying goes, “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”
For the Eastern Hancock Royals, big plays followed by turnovers encapsulated that saying in Friday night’s 32-21 loss to visiting Class 1A No. 4 Fountain Central. The final score showed an 11-point margin, but the game was much closer than the scoreboard would indicate.
“Fountain Central is a very good team,” Royals coach Doug Armstrong said afterwards. “Giving that kind of team that many breaks is just not a good way to play.”
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The Royal offense sputtered early on, allowing for the Mustangs to take an early 12-0 lead. First, the Mustangs were able to drive down the field on their opening drive following a Royal three-and-out. Then, Fountain Central linebacker Aaron Barnett snagged a Royals’ screen pass out of the backfield and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown.
For the next two quarters, however, the Royals turned the game on its head. Freshman quarterback Houston Swan began connecting with receivers and the Royals were able to put Fountain Central on their heels. Multiple receivers stepped up for the Royals, with at least seven different players catching passes.
The Royals got on the board first with a 6-yard shovel pass from Swan to junior running back Garrett Friesen. Then later on in the quarter, the Royals took the lead on a 60-yard bomb to fellow freshman Zach Arnold.
Swan would finish the game with over 200 yards passing and three touchdowns.
“Houston is a young kid who is going to get better as the year goes on,” Armstrong said. “He had some really good moments tonight, but he will need to learn to take care of the ball better when playing teams this talented.”
The Royals’ defense stymied the Mustangs in the middle quarters with quick three-and-outs or crucial fourth down stops in Royal territory. And when Swan found junior Connor Shultz for a touchdown with 6:57 remaining to give the Royals a 21-18 lead, it appeared as if the Royals may be able to grind out a victory over a ranked team.
With no rhythm, it appeared as if one more stop may be enough for the Royals, but senior quarterback Nathaniel Butts scored on long runs on their next two drives to put the game out of reach for the Royals.
The loss drops the Royals’ record to 2-1 on the season. Four consecutive road games loom, the first of which is at Heritage Christian next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
