Monacan last night proved again that its bite as an underdog is much worse than its bark as the Chiefs continued their dream season by downing Marshall-Walker 17-14 to capture the Central Region title at University of Richmond Stadium.
The Chiefs, 9-1-2 in the school's first winning season, knocked off top-seeded Patrick Henry 26-7 a week ago in the regional semifinals. Last night's success advanced them to the state Group AAA semifinals next Saturday afternoon against the winner of today's Eastern Region title game between Hampton (11-0) and Kempsville (10-0-1).
All the scoring took place in the first half -- most of it in a flurry in the final 2:32 before intermission. But it took an interception by Monacan's Kurt Heine in the end zone with 51 seconds left in the game to preserve the victory.
Monacan was aided substantially by a drive that started with 1:20 left in the third period when Earl Layne recovered an M-W fumble at the Monacan 11. Picking up six first downs, the Chiefs drove to the Cavaliers' three before quarterback Marc Peck was stopped inches short on fourth-and-one with 5:44 left.
M-W quarterback Keith Thornton completed three passes to Myron Richardson for 44 yards and another to Eric Hopkins for 15 to key a drive to the Monacan 24 with just under two minutes left.
After two incompletions, Heine beat William Johnson to a third-down pass in the end zone, and the Chiefs ran out the clock.
"I've never been happier in my life," said Heine. "They had scored on that play earlier in the game . . . (but) I was right there waiting for it. I wanted to keep that ball for myself. We seem to work better as the underdog because people say, `Monacan who?"'
While Heine's interception put a lid on the victory, Lucious Cole gave the Chiefs with a much-needed burst late in the first half.
The Chiefs had taken a 10-0 lead on Ricky Jarvis' 30-yard field goal on the opening drive and Peck's one-yard TD run early in the second period after Monacan recovered a fumbled punt by the Cavaliers.
After a punt that gave M-W the ball at the Monacan 35, the Cavaliers scored in three plays. Aaron Evans bulled for the final 29 yards and the TD with 2:32 left in the first half.
Richardson recovered Cole's fumble on the first play after the kickoff, and two plays later, Thornton connected with Johnson for the Cavaliers' go-ahead TD with 1:23 left.
The Chiefs struck back after Cole returned the kickoff 54 yards to the M-W 31. On fourth-and-10 from the 17, Peck completed his only pass of the night to Cole for the score with :12 showing.
"That was a special kickoff play we just put in Monday," said Cole. "It worked and I was wide open. I never ran it in practice because I was talking to a reporter.
"On the TD pass, I was one-on-one with a linebacker, and he tried to go for the ball and missed it. I caught the ball around the eight and just went on in."
Monacan's second-year coach Buddy Gregory, who had also won a regional title in 1974 at Lee-Davis, said, "I didn't know what to expect. I know we had an awful time stopping Evans (19 carries for 90 yards), and Thornton was picking us apart in the second half . . . fortunately we came up with the interception.
"I know the Eastern Region is traditionally strong. We are honored to represent our region. You can call it gravy or icing on the cake or whatever . . . we are enjoying it."

When the game had ended, when the Monacan Chiefs had colored in the ninth frame of a string of firsts, football Coach Buddy Gregory entered the delirious locker room and asked for quiet.
Then, Gregory led the Chiefs in prayer.
When Gregory finished, quarterback Marc Peck stood on a table like a preacher taking the pulpit and finished the sermon.
"Can I have an Amen?" Peck asked, and he was greeted with a loud answer.
"Can I have another Amen," Peck asked again, this time shaking the Central Region championship trophy.
Peck couldn't have added a more appropriate reading to the scene. It's been a blessed season for the Chiefs, and last night was no different.
Monacan, in its first winning football season and first football playoff of any kind, captured its first regional title by beating Marshall-Walker 17-14 last night at UR Stadium. The game was everything a regional final should be.
The Chiefs (9-1-2) will be the visitors when they play the winner of today's Eastern Region final between Hampton and Kempsville in the Group AAA semifinals next Saturday afternoon. Marshall-Walker finished 10-2.
Later, Monacan assistant coach Alan Pruett looked skyward and suggested that someone was watching out for the Chiefs last night.
Maybe He was.
For most of the first half, Monacan didn't need any prayers. They took the opening kickoff, and behind the hard running of fullback Jeff Bosch, marched down to MW's 12-yard line. When the MW defense stiffened, Ricky Jarvis booted a 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Chiefs did get some help on the next series when Jonathan Pajibo missed a 33-yard field goal for the Cavaliers.
Then, a light shone on the Chiefs again when Ricky Jarvis lofted a towering punt that was misjudged by William Johnson. Johnson actually backed up too far, and the ball short-hopped him near midfield. Greg Hill recovered for Monacan, and five plays later Bosch and Peck crossed the goal line in a joint effort to make it 10-0.
"I don't think we were surprised we moved the ball," said Bosch, who was particularly effective as the dive man in the option for the Chiefs and finished with 77 yards. "We know we have a good running attack. We've controlled the ball against other good defenses."
Monacan continued to control the game -- until a sudden blitz by MW near the end of the half almost caused the Chiefs to lose faith. A series of favorable punts gave MW good field position, and with 2:32 left, fullback Aaron Evans bolted up the middle from 29 yards out to make it 10-7.
Seven seconds later, the Chiefs received another jolt when Peck was hit while trying to pitch out. The ball rolled away from Lucius Cole, and MW's Myron Richardson recovered. Quarterback Keith Thornton then hit Johnson over the middle with a pass, and Johnson raced into the end zone for a 14-10 lead.
In a span of 2 minutes and 14 seconds, Monacan had watched the momentum switch. In need of a big play, the Chiefs got it on the ensuing kickoff when Cole broke the wedge and carried the ball 54 yards to the MW 31.
"Lucius' kickoff return gave us quick, new life," said Gregory. "We were down."
Cole's return wasn't a miracle, though. The Chiefs had worked on a new blocking scheme, called a cross-wedge, for the kickoff during the week.
"I told them in the huddle we had to run this one back," said Cole, "and they blocked. As soon as I got to the 40-yard line, the hole was there."
Monacan moved to the 17, where on fourth-and-10, Gregory called time out with 18 seconds left. In an unusual move, he chose to go for the touchdown instead of the field goal.
"I went out to the huddle, and I asked the kids if they wanted to go for the field goal or the touchdown," said Gregory. "I think I heard one person say `field goal.' A couple didn't say anything. A couple said, `You decide.' So I just reached up and pulled one out of the air."

    Allison Asher was taking batting practice. With fluid ease, the powerful first baseman rifled one line drive after another into left field.
    Finally, it came.
    Asher mashed a drive that carried over the 235-foot sign that hangs on the fence at the softball field at Monacan High School.
    "Coach," yelled Heather Wirt from the infield, "she's not allowed to hit with us anymore."
     That might be as appropriate a way as any to describe Asher. She's in a class by herself when it comes to softball.
    Asher has committed only four errors in three years (career .983 fielding average) at first base for the Chiefs.
    But her most impressive attribute comes when she's hitting. Asher is batting almost .600 this season, and has a career batting average of .532. She's hit four home runs, with five doubles and two triples.
    Two of her home runs came over the 235-foot sign at Monacan in successive at-bats in a game last week. (Thurs., April 9, 1987, in an 11-9 loss to Thomas Dale.) She's the only girl ever to hit an over-the-fence home run in the three years the fence has been up.
    If you're not familiar with girls softball, 235 feet is something like a 500-foot blast in baseball. It's almost unheard of.

     
     Monacan's Rob Wesley was named the left-handed pitcher for this year's all-Central Region baseball team. After his three, actually four, performances in three regional playoff games this week, there should be little doubt as to the selection.
     Wesley wrapped up a brilliant week last night with five innings of no-hit relief as the Chiefs defeated Lee-Davis 7-4 in nine innings to win the regional title at Bailey Field in Highland Springs.
     Wesley entered the game after starter Mike Dougherty opened the fifth with two balls to Chris Owens. Owens drew a walk but was picked off by Wesley.
     Kyle Whiteside followed by reaching on a two-base error, but became the Confederates' final base runner of the season. Wesley, who struck out 10 and walked none (Owens' walk was charged to Dougherty), fanned the next eight batters.
     In the final two innings, the senior struck out two and retired the other four on infield pop-ups.
     Is there any way to describe Wesley's outings this week? Chiefs' coach David George said, "No. He threw the devil out of the ball."
     Wesley chalked up seven strikeouts of the nine outs he recorded in Thursday's 5-4, 10-inning win over J.R. Tucker, and was the winner in relief in Tuesday's opening win over Meadowbrook. Against Meadowbrook, Wesley was the starter, left in the second and came back with five strong innings of relief, making it four appearances in three games.
     "After he had pitched last night (Thursday) his elbow was bothering him a little, but he said he could go a couple of innings," said George. "After two innings, he said his arm felt better."
     "When I was pitching it felt fine," said Wesley. "Then, when we would come in, it would get stiff . . . I just started tossing balls while we were in to keep it loose. As the innings went on I seemed to get stronger, but it's been that way all season.
     "We never gave up, but that's the way Coach George's program is. The whole team wanted this, it's great."
     The Chiefs are scheduled to play the winner of the Northern Region title game between W.T. Woodson and West Springfield. That state Group AAA semifinal will be at Bailey Field Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., with that winner playing host in Friday's title game.
     When Wesley entered, the Chiefs had scored three times in the top of the frame to tie make it 4-4. Monacan failed to score off reliever Johnny Sheffield, who walked seven in 3 2/3 innings, but did not yield a hit.
     Starter Matt Moore, the region's top right-handed pitcher, returned in the eighth inning and escaped a bases-loaded situation, but walked John Eliasek to open the ninth.
     L-D catcher Kyle Whiteside tried to pick Eliasek off first on a pitchout, but the throw sailed into right field, allowing Eliasek to move to third. Todd Campbell hit a sharp grounder, fielded by diving shortstop Steve Getz.
     Getz looked home, but elected to throw to first and made an errant toss. Wesley singled and Chris Porter's squeeze plated another run. Dave Smith added an RBI single.
     Getz's single, Owens' bunt hit, an error and Ray Shrader's groundout gave L-D a 1-0 lead in the first. Monacan tied it in the fourth on Campbell's double and two errors.
     An RBI single by Shrader, a squeeze by Chucky Brooks and an error helped the Confederates move to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Infield hits by Dan Rogers and Smith and a bunt and an error helped the Chiefs even it at 4 in the top of the fifth.
     Last night's win was the second comeback victory in two nights for the Chiefs, who found themselves down 4-0 afer an inning Thursday against Tucker. Travis Phelps' bases-clearing double sparked Tucker's outburst, but the Tigers were blanked the next nine innings.
     Mike Peasley's sacrifice fly broke the ice for Monacan in the first, Rogers hit an RBI single in the fourth, a balk brought in another run in the fifth and the Chiefs tied it on Aaron Cannaday's RBI single in the seventh.
     Later in the seventh, Cannaday appeared to score the winning run on a passed ball and a Chief celebration erupted. While Monacan was celebrating, the umpires met at the request of Tucker coach Garland Isaacs and ruled a foul tip, sending Cannaday back to third. Tucker escaped to force the extra innings.
     Finally, at 1:11 a.m. yesterday morning, Cannaday delivered a game-winning single to left-center to score Eliasek from second, giving the Chiefs a semifinal win and setting up last night's second straight extra-ining affair.
     The regional title is the first for Monacan since 1983, although the Chiefs had reached the regionals the past two years.

      A couple of questions here: Just how does Moncan High's Rob Wesley do it? And why hasn't his arm fallen off by now?
     How does he pitch in three Central Region playoff games, two of them on consecutive nights and win all three?
     How does he pitch four innings relief Tuesday, three Thursday and five last night and give up one hit? One hit in the past 12 innings, that coming in the first game against Meadowbrook's Robert Windom.
     Wesley's finest hour came last night in Monacan's 7-4 victory over Lee- Davis in the championship game of the Central Region at Highland Springs. He threw five innings of shutout relief and struck out nine, eight consecutive in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
     The victory puts Monacan, the Dominion District regular-season co- champion, in the Group AAA tournament. Tuesday night, the Chiefs (18-5) will play W.T. Woodson, the Northern Region champ, at Highland Springs. Lee- Davis, the Capital District champion, ended the season at 17-5.
     How does Wesley, an All-Central Region left-handed pitcher, do it?
     "Besides the physical ability," said Monacan Coach David George, "he was mentally prepared. When he's in a clutch situation, he wants the ball in his hand. And I think that's half the battle."
     Example: Last night, Monacan trailed 4-1 and scored three runs in the fifth to tie it. Then Wesley relieved Mike Dougherty. Chris Owens walked, and Kyle Whiteside reached on an error. He picked off Owens at first; then struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
     He cruised after that and struck out seven of the next nine. In the ninth, he retired three consecutive, all on short fly balls past first base.
     Wesley said he wasn't tired. His arm hurt before the game, but once he started throwing, it felt fine. He threw between innings to keep loose.
     "I just took it inning by innning," Wesley said. "I don't look back. I just try to concentrate on the batter, what I've thrown to him before. It helps keep my head in the game. I had confidence in my defense, and I knew we would score some runs."
     With the score tied 4-4 after seven regulation innings, Monacan scored three runs in the ninth off pitcher Matthew Moore. Moore started; Johnny Sheffield relieved him in the fifth; Moore came back in the ninth.

      Pummeling a widely held perception that Mills Godwin owned the area's premier football team, Monacan ripped the Eagles 41-0 last night in the semifinals of the Group AAA, Central Region, Division 6 playoffs
      Ranked six spots behind No. 1 Godwin in the final Times-Dispatch Area Scholastic Football Poll, the Chiefs will meet Highland Springs -- a 30-7 winner over Varina -- at 3 p.m. next Saturday at UR Stadium for the Division 6 regional crown.
      This was the third time since 1985 that Monacan has usurped an unbeaten team in a postseason opener. But never had the Chiefs done it so easily.
      Monacan led 14-0 at the end of one quarter, 28-0 by halftime and 35-0 early in the final quarter. The Chiefs (8-3) outgained Godwin 327-100 and allowed the Eagles past midfield just three times -- only once past the 46.
      Senior tailback Leslie Hamlett ran for three touchdowns and caught a pass for another. More than anyone else, he trashed Godwin's defense, rushing 28 times for 121 yards.
      "Coach (Buddy Gregory) had been telling us all season how good we were," Hamlett said. "Now, I guess I believe him."
      So does Godwin coach Ron Axselle, whose 10-1 team lost for the first time since last season's Group AAA state semifinals.
      "I don't know how that team ever lost three games," Axselle said. "It's one thing to get beat, but it's another thing to get whipped, and we got whipped."
      Godwin's line certainly took a whipping, on both sides of the ball. Monacan provided Hamlett with wide holes and timely, open-field blocks. And the Chiefs' defense didn't give up more than 16 yards to any individual rusher.
      While Monacan quarterback Alonzo Bowler completed six of 12 passes for 115 yards and two TDs, Godwin's Brian Reid was eight of 19 for 70 yards and two interceptions.
      A year ago, the Eagles topped Monacan 33-15 in the Central Region final. That's one reason senior guard and linebacker Jason Hull said he was "shocked," at Monacan's early dominance but not completely discouraged, even at halftime.
      "But after we didn't do anything on our first (second-half) series, you could tell that some of the guys kind of gave up."
      Small wonder, inasmuch as the Eagles had managed but one first down in the initial half and picked up two yards on their first possession of the final half.
      Monacan didn't score on two third-quarter possessions but scored the first two times it had the ball in the fourth quarter.
      "Sometimes when a game is going like that, the score's going to keep going one team's way," Gregory said. "In other words, I don't think we're nearly that much better than Mills Godwin."
      Not that he was stunned about the outing.
      "I knew we were capable of playing like this, and I didn't think we were the underdogs here like everybody was talking about," Gregory said. "We had one heck of a game. We played our best game of the season, and they probably played their worst game."
      Make no mistake, Monacan's first-half field position was conducive to scores. Godwin's was conducive to, well, exactly what happened. The Chiefs' began work in the first two quarters from their 46, 43, 48, 23 and the Godwin 5. The Eagles began from their 21, 15, 35, 17 and 30. Monacan had 12 first downs by halftime; Godwin had one.
      "Nothing was going our way," Axselle said. "But that happens sometimes."
      Hamlett's first touchdown, a plunge from the 2, was set up by a 28-yard pass from Bowler to Bill Scott. Hamlett followed with two one-yard scoring runs, the last with 2:40 left in the half that put the Chiefs up 21-0.
      Seconds later, Reid fired a backfield pass to Craig Coles, who fumbled to Monacan's Chris Caffrey at the 5. Two plays later, Bowler hit Hamlett with a four-yard touchdown pass.
      Monacan made it 35-0 with a little more than 11 minutes left in the game. Bill Scott's 16-yard TD toss from Bowler came less than two minutes after he intercepted a Reid pass at the 40 and returned it 20 yards, a Godwin miscue compounded when Coles was called for a late-hit on Scott.
      Another Reid interception -- this one by Andy Hamil -- gave Monacan the ball at Godwin's 45 with less than nine minutes left. Long runs by Hamlett moved the Chiefs to the 1, and Patrick French scored from there.

Monacan Tears Apart Proud Eagles' Hope

By WELDON BRADHSAW
Richmond News Leader correspondent

     The contrast was striking.
      On the visitors' sideline last night, there was unabashed jubilation. Players whooped and hollered, patted each other on the back, embraced, exchanged high fives, and celebrated the reality that victory in the semifinals of the Central Region, Division 6 playoff would soon be theirs.
      On the home side, however, there was virtual silence except for the last futile instructions coaches bravely gave their charges in subdued tones as they played out the painful drama.
      There were players with heads bowed, sitting tearfully and incredulously on the cold metal bench as their undefeated season and dreams of a state championship slipped cruelly away. For many, towels concealed their faces and their pain. Quietly, they too patted each other on the back, but the tone was somber, the mood funereal.
      Beyond the west end zone, the clock ticked to its conclusion and, thereby, told its story.
      Monacan 41, Mills Godwin 0.
      As incredible as the decisiveness of the outcome might have been, Monacan's victory was not a fluke.
      "Coming in, we were very, very confident," said Alonzo Bowler, the junior quarterback who must now direct the Chiefs (8-3) against Highland Springs next Saturday at 3 p.m. at University of Richmond Stadium in the Division 6 regional final.
      "We knew it we eliminated our mistakes, and controlled the ball, we could win.
      "Everybody did a great job. All our plays were working. And our line . . . our line did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage."

      Tom Federice, the Monacan High soccer coach, calls Mike Gill "a regular guy. Not your typical wild and crazy goalkeeper." But Gill has every right to be wild and crazy today.
      Mighty Northern Virginia has fallen. And Gill, a 6-foot-2 keeper, did a large part of the felling in a Group AAA tournament first-round game at Monacan last night.
      No Central Region team had ever won a state-tournament game against a team from soccer-rich metro Washington or from any other area until last night's 2-1 victory for the Chiefs in quintuple overtime over Robinson of Fairfax.
      It came down to a penalty-kick shootout after four overtimes of no scoring. When Gill made his second shootout save -- a dive to thwart Tito Baptista, the Rams' last shooter -- the Central Region-champion Chiefs were on their way to the state semifinals.
      Mills Godwin, the Central runners-up, didn't fare as well last night. Scott Brugh scored the Eagles' only goals in an 11-2 loss to host West Springfield.
      Monacan can't savor its victory too long. Next up Friday night is Woodbridge (21-0), and 14-year coach Angelo Helios says the team is his best ever. Host Woodbridge knocked off Kecoughtan, 1-0, last night on Chris Petrini's goal 35 seconds into the game.
      Woodbridge, which beat Monacan 6-0 earlier in the season, was without Parade All-American forward Scott Poirier. The junior had to sit out the quarterfinals because he'd been red-carded his previous game. But he will be available Friday.
      Monacan and Woodbridge will clash at 7 p.m. on the Woodson High field in Fairfax. The other boys' semifinal will be at Centreville High at 8 p.m. and matches Kempsville against West Springfield.
      Monacan's victory on a wet field that fortunately took no rain during the game didn't stun Robinson coach Mark DeBlois, who has four state select players on his Northern Region runner-up squad to two for Monacan.
      "Parity has been reached around the state. Virginia Beach teams have won the last two state titles," he said. ' ' As for the field, it was in great shape."
      Gill is a junior who has never had the starting job all to himself, but he was almost pressure-proof in the shootout.
      "I've read where the pressure's on the shooter. Only 18 percent of all penalty-kick shots are stopped, so no one's expecting you to be great. I knew nothing about their guys. I didn't put much pressure on myself, but was a little nervous," Gill said.

Monacan's thrilling 63-62 triple overtime victory over Midlothian in the championship game of the Central Region girls basketball tournament at the Ashe Center last night can best be summed up in two words: Tiffany Bower.
The Chiefs' 5-7 senior guard scored a career high 46 points, the last two coming with 11 seconds left in the third OT on a layup after a steal at midcourt.
Playing all 41 minutes, Bower also dealt six assists, thereby accounting for 56 of the Chiefs' 63 points, and collected 10 rebounds.
Most of her points came off layups created by her own defensive expertise or by her instinctive ability to go one-on-one with one of several players the Trojans sent into the fray to try to stop her.
"We knew we couldn't beat them by running with them, so we had to get them in a half-court game," explained an exhausted Bower as she clutched the game ball and her tournament most valuable player trophy afterward.

    The green-canvased left-field fence at the Monacan High softball field is 205 feet from home plate. Behind that is about 30 feet of grass and then some high weeds and a deep ditch.
     It was on the far side of that ditch that Michelle Meadows recently walloped probably the longest home run in Chiefs history.
    ``Two hundred and fifty feet . . . I measured it myself the next day before practice,'' said Monacan coach Keith Daniels. ``That's quite a blast . . . really, unbelievable, for a girl.
    ``It was long, and it was high . . . the furthest I've ever seen.''
    Meadows' HR came in the bottom of the 10th inning off one of the area's best pitchers -- Manchester's Natasha Johnson, an All-Metro choice last year.
    It gave Monacan a 3-2 victory and helped keep the Chiefs unbeaten (6-0) heading into spring break this week.
    Meadows, a 5-7 junior who transferred from Powhatan last year, is a major reason the Chiefs are winning despite graduation and transfer (to James River) losses from last year's Central Region runner-up.
    ``We lost five starters, four of whom had been with me since eighth grade,'' said Daniels. ``It's hard to replace those kind of losses.''
    Daniels has only one senior -- slugging center fielder Meredith Gompf.
    The other returnees are sophomore pitcher Katie Moss, junior catcher Heather Morris and sophomore right fielder Ashley Ragland.
    Newcomers include Laura Watts and Melanie Pridgen at first base, freshman Adrienne Parson at second, left fielder Lindsay Wright and Michelle Falatovich and Tivona Wonson at third.