Purcellville, Va. — It took Woodgrove High School senior running back Tony Cammarota less than four minutes to find the endzone against Riverside High School in their Homecoming game. But what looked like it could become an easy path to victory for the Wolverines was quickly thwarted by the Rams.
After the initial touchdown drive, the Rams started to stack the box, forcing the Wolverines to make a decision. And it was Cammarota who proposed he be taken out of the backfield and into the slot, forcing the Riverside defense to follow, once again opening up both the passing and rushing attack.
“Tony’s a really quiet, introverted kid, but he’s become that field general and that leader,” Woodgrove head coach Derek Barlow said. “He’s so selfless that he came over and told us they were stacking the box, so we split him out, they adjusted to guard him, and then Cameron Owens could run the ball. Tony just wants to win the football game, and it doesn’t necessarily have to go through his hands. When you have a kid like that, that’s really special.”
The selfless move by Cammarota didn’t go unrewarded as the Woodgrove workhorse carried the ball 34 times for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Wolverines overcame a halftime deficit to celebrate Homecoming, 20-13, on October 7 in Purcellville.
“We just kept fighting, kept preserving, and played to the end of a really good football game,” Barlow said.
[adrotate banner=”46″]Woodgrove added some insurance late in the first quarter when senior kicker Avery Mayers drilled a 36-yard field goal, making it a two-score game at 10-0.
However, midway through the second quarter, Riverside cut the lead to just 4 when junior tight end Robert Yarbrough carried in a 2-yard rushing touchdown. The Woodgrove special teams stepped up and blocked the point after attempt.
Then, late in the second quarter, Riverside senior quarterback Will Lind left the game with an apparent injury as sophomore backup Robert Evelyn took the reins.
On his first pass attempt of the night, Evelyn hit senior receiver Chase Canary with a 14-yard touchdown pass as the Rams took the lead, 13-10.
“They’re a good football team, but things just haven’t gone their way, so we didn’t sleep on them,” Barlow said. “You saw how good they are, how well coached they are, and how talented they are.”
Trailing 13-10, the Wolverines turned back to their tried and true on their first series of the third quarter as Cammarota punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to once again claim the lead for the Wolverines, 17-13.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mayers re-extended that lead with a 21-yard field goal to once again create two scores of separation.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Woodgrove kicking unit forced a fumble and recovered to put themselves back in the driver’s seat with just half a quarter to play.
“We’ve practiced special teams more this year than we ever have—to the point where I can kind of see my assistants’ eyes rolling,” Barlow said. “We really worked it into practice this week, and it’s been a big part of our game plan this year.”
After a missed field goal gave the Rams some life, the Woodgrove defense stepped up as senior defensive back Alec Hughes intercepted a pass late to put the game on ice.
The win breathes some life into a Woodgrove team that is currently sitting on the border of playoff contention. With four weeks left in the regular season, the Wolverines know that if they stay true to who they are and make the necessary adjustments to who they want to be, they’ll be right where they want to be.
“You never play as bad or as good as you think, and the film shows it,” Barlow said. “We need to stick with what we’re doing well, but also find a way to be a little more dynamic and space people out outside the box to keep defenses a little more honest.”
Sam Mesecar captured 250+ photos at the game!
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
| 1Q | 8:14 | Woodgrove | Tony Cammarota 4-yard TD run (Avery Mayers PAT) | 7-0 |
| 1Q | 2:20 | Woodgrove | Avery Mayers 36-yard field goal | 10-0 |
| 2Q | 6:39 | Riverside | Robert Yarbrough 2-yard TD run (PAT blocked) | 10-6 |
| 2Q | 0:35 | Riverside | Robert Evelyn to Chase Canary 14-yard TD pass (Owen Saraceno PAT) | 10-13 |
| 3Q | 7:03 | Woodgrove | Tony Cammarota 1-yard TD run (Avery Mayers PAT) | 17-13 |
| 4Q | 8:14 | Woodgrove | Avery Mayers 21-yard field goal | 20-13 |