Ashburn, Va. — Despite jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead, the Independence High School football team needed to make a stand late in the fourth quarter to hold off the surging Woodgrove Wolverines and earn a season-opening win, 27-21, on August 28 in Ashburn.
“We were just off a couple of big plays. But that’s how the game goes: one or two plays can change the whole dynamic,” Independence head coach RJ Windows said. “At least we got out of here with a win. Now we can get them coached up and get them squared away.”
The Tigers got both their passing and running game established early as sophomore running back Chase Alvarez and senior quarterback Nick Nassib ran then passed for back-to-back first downs on their first two offensive plays of the season. Alvarez added another 6-yard carry before Nassib completed a 13-yard pass to junior receiver Caidyn Parks to pick up another first down as Independence was in motion early.
Facing 3rd-and-10 from the Woodgrove 20, Nassib again found Parks to set up 1st-and-goal from the 7 yard line. On the very next play, Nassib kept it himself as the Tigers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.
“I felt our quarterback stepped up really well. He carried the ball really well, threw the ball well,” Windows said. “He’s our general. He just stays calm and composed. He’s a top level quarterback, and we’re blessed to have him.”
On the ensuing Woodgrove drive, the Wolverines also moved the football decently well, but stalled out at the Independence 25, turning the ball over on downs.
On the first play of the Tigers’ second drive, Alvarez caught a pitch from Nassib and made his way 26 yards down the sideline. The duo then traded carries, setting up a 33-yard touchdown run by Nassib to extend the Independence lead to 14-0.
“Coming in as a freshman, I was a little scrawny kid so I didn’t run the ball. But coming into senior year, I’m pretty confident in my running ability, so I just had fun out there,” Nassib said. “When you have to respect the quarterback as a runner, that changes the defensive scheme.”
After forcing a punt, the Tigers got back to work on offense, again using both the ground and the air to meticulously move the ball downfield. During the drive, the Tigers converted on two 3rd-and-longs as well as a 4th-and-short before capping off their third drive of the night with their third touchdown on a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Samuel Ahn.
“We are going to be a ground and pound team, but when teams stack the box, we need to be able to make those simple completions,” Windows said. “We were getting just enough on third and short where we were okay.”
Looking to cut into the lead before the half, Woodgrove went to the air as freshman quarterback Colton Dabkowski connected with four different receivers to march the Wolverines down to the Independence 10; however, the Tigers’ defense held, sending Independence into halftime leading 21-0.
Needing a spark to swing the momentum, Woodgrove sophomore kick returner Colton Tokarchic returned the second-half kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 21-7.
Wanting to respond, the Tigers slowly but surely marched down the field, capping a nearly 10-minute, 19-play, 87-yard drive with a 10-yard Alvarez touchdown run. The Wolverines blocked the PAT as Independence led 27-7.
Trailing by 20, the Wolverines needed to steal some momentum back and did just that when less than two minutes later, sophomore running back Joey Ridolfi found a hole then outraced the defense for a 57-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 27-14 after three quarters.
“We gave up that quick touchdown then all of a sudden the wheels started sliding,” Windows said. “We scored, but then they scored quickly again. We grouped together enough at the end to hold them off.”
With a two-score lead, Independence looked to manage the clock, but an illegal procedure followed by a delay of game put them in a tough spot. However, a quick 5-yard completion followed by a 10-yard run, set the Tigers up with a 3rd-and-5 from the Woodgrove 11.
Then, Woodgrove junior defensive lineman Grant Smith came up with the play of the game for the Wolverines’ defense as he sacked Nassib for a 14-yard loss. The Tigers elected to go for it on 4th-and-19, but Woodgrove sophomore defensive back Dylan Donnelly stopped Alvarez just two yards short of the first down marker, forcing a turnover on downs.
Woodgrove continued to lean heavily on Dabkowski on the ensuing possession, as the freshman gunslinger converted a pair of third downs as well as a big fourth down before hitting Tokarchic with a 20-yard touchdown strike to cut the Independence lead to 27-21 with less than five minutes to play.
“We struggled getting pressure most of the night, and their quarterback did a great job stepping up,” Windows said.
Looking to eat clock and put the game on ice, the Tigers kept the ball on the ground on their ensuing possession, but the Woodgrove front finally broke through, stuffing Alvarez in the backfield to force a turnover on downs and give their offense one last chance.
“In the second half, we had a couple of penalties that put us behind the chains that hurt us,” Windows said. “We didn’t do that in the first half, and we didn’t do that on the first drive of the second half when we were able to go down and score.”
Facing 4th-and-4, Dabkowski hit junior receiver Cody Adams with a 12-yard pass to give the Wolverines a new set of downs. Dabkowski then hit Adams again, this time for 28 yards, giving the Wolverines a 1st-and-10 from the Independence 21 with less than 30 seconds to play.
On 3rd-and-10 with just five seconds left, Dabkowski took a shot at the endzone, but his pass fell short as time expired, and the Tigers held off the Wolverines, 27-21.
Following the win, Independence (0-0, 1-0) will look to stick to their winning ways when they travel to Potomac Falls on September 5. Woodgrove (0-0, 0-1) will host John Champe on the same night.
“I’m happy we got the win. But playing like this isn’t going to cut it,” Nassib said. “I’m expecting us to go 10-0 and make a deep run in the playoffs. We just need to keep improving every week. I’m proud of this team and proud of the win.”