HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Chance Wellington earns hero role for Virginia High in win over Patrick Henry (copy)
Patrick Henry quarterback Kolby Hicks throws a pass down field against Virginia High.
Patrick Henry's Hunter Sweat (50) causes a missed field goal from Virginia High's Devonte Walling.
Patrick Henry quarterback Kolby Hicks looks to pass the ball against Virginia High.
Patrick Henry's Kallum Gobble goes to tackle Virginia High's Grayson Dingus.
Patrick Henry's Jeb Stewart weaves through the Virginia High defense.
Virginia High's Davy Woolen (0) and Jaxson Slone (66) tackle Patrick Henry's Jeb Stewart.
Patrick Henry coach Austin Cooper celebrates with his team against Virginia High on Friday night.
Patrick Henry's Bradford Loudy celebrates to the bench Friday night against Virginia High.
Patrick Henry coach Austin Cooper talks with Kolby Hicks Friday night against Virginia High.
Patrick Henry's Kallum Gobble tackles Virginia High's Grayson Dingus.
Virginia High quarterback Chance Wellington carries the ball through the Patrick Henry defense as Rebels' Ryder Thayer goes to tackle.
Virginia High's Jarae Bryant gets tackled by the Patrick Henry defense on Friday night.
Patrick Henry's Bradford Loudy tackles Virginia High quarterback Chance Wellington.
EMORY, Va. – Virginia High senior Chance Wellington had never played quarterback until this season.
The 6-foot athlete took a big step in his development on Friday.
Relying on his speed and blockers, Wellington scored on the first play of the second overtime to give the VHS Bearcats a 7-0 win over the Patrick Henry Rebels in a non-district thriller.
“My team needed a big play. I wanted the ball and made it happen,” Wellington said.
With a sharp cut to the inside and a quick burst, Wellington evaded two tacklers.
“My lineman (Jeremy Quinto) gave me an amazing block and then I just had to beat one more defender to reach the end zone,” Wellington said.
Wellington receives regular instruction from senior Deion Graham, who started the past three years at quarterback for VHS.
“I live next door to Deion and he has been helping me with everything,” Wellington said. “I give a lot of credit to Deion.”
In addition to the absence of Graham and standout senior running back Kayden Laws due to knee injuries, two starting offense linemen and one defensive line starter were unable to play for the Bearcats.
Freshman Ryan Trent started at center.
“I’m proud of how our team faced adversity, kept fighting and just found a way to win,” VHS coach Derrick Patterson said.
VHS offensive coordinator Zack Slone gave Wellington a piece of advice just before his highlight reel moment.
“Coach Slone urged Chance to get vertical, and he did,” Patterson said. “That’s the type of athleticism that Chance has.
“We’ve put a lot on Chance at quarterback. He still has a way to go, but he is getting there.”
Wellington finished with 66 yards rushing on 10 carries, while senior running back Jarae Bryant managed just two yards on five carries.
“Our guys fought against a team that is way more athletic and bigger,” second-year PH head coach Austin Cooper said. “These guys have the hearts of a champion.
“We were in position to make the play on the touchdown, but we just missed the tackle.”
Rugged senior running Jeb Stewart led the Rebels with 94 yards rushing on 25 carries, with many of those yards coming off second effort.
“Jeb ran tough between the tackles,” Cooper said. “I thought he was going to break out a couple times, but it's hard to get a big run against a team that athletic.”
The first offensive series for PH in overtime was stopped by an interception from VHS junior Isaiah Jones.
“I’m beating myself up because I never should have thrown the ball there,” Cooper said. “We thought that we needed a touchdown to win instead of a field goal.”
Both teams were held under 50 yards in total offense over the first two quarters.
PH missed a 36-yard field attempt in the first half.
And following a 30-yard run by Wellington, VHS stalled at the PH four-yard line with 8:05 left in the game.
The Bearcats had a chance to win in the first session of overtime, but a 19-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
VHS was limited to 96 total yards as junior linebacker Kallum Gobble, sophomore lineman Bryson Forrester and senior linebacker Zayne Bolen played well on defense for PH.
The defensive stoppers for VHS included senior lineman Jeremiah Daggs, senior linebacker Eli Osborne, senior linebacker Aaron Joyce and Jones.
Wellington finally ended the defensive struggle.
“I grew up playing receiver and would still like to play there, but my team needs me at quarterback,” Wellington said. “The transition to a new position this summer was very tough.
“I’ve just been putting in the work and listening to my coaches. If I can clean up some things, I can see myself getting better.”
Virginia High 0 0 0 0 0 7-7
Patrick Henry 0 0 0 0 0 0-0
Scoring Summary
VHS – Wellington 10 run (Walling kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: VHS 5, PH 8; Rushes-Yards: VHS 24-96, PH 40-99; Passing Yards: VHS 0, PH 25; Comp.-Att.-Int.: VHS 3-12-0, PH 8-17-1; Fumbles-Lost: VHS 0-0, PH 2-0; Penalties-Yards: VHS 3-20, PH 4-25; Punts-Average: VHS 6-33, PH 6-32
