Last night, the Cavalier football team picked up their first win, a 21-20 thriller against the Huguenot Falcons, mostly due to a run game by Clover Hill’s running back duo of senior Shawn Douglas and junior Nick Thornton that saw them combine for 235 yards.

The Cavs’ first win comes after a trio of 30-plus point losses to Matoaca, Midlothian and Cosby. Additionally, the Cavs scored multiple touchdowns in a game for the first time in the victory, courtesy of Douglas, Thornton and sophomore LaTrell Green.

While the game started out slowly for the Cavs with Huguenot going up 14-0 in the first half, they were able to quickly gather themselves in the second half en route to the comeback win. Going on a 21-6 run during that half, the Cavs were able to pull out the one point win.

Unfortunately, senior linebacker/defensive end Andre Williams left on a stretcher with an apparent lower leg injury with about four minutes left in the first quarter. 

Huguenot was able to get on the board early with a rushing touchdown four minutes into the game. Added to their touchdown, the Falcons converted a two point try, pushing the score to eight to zero. The second quarter saw quarterback Malacai Swain fumble a snap, leading to a Hugeuenot recovery and ultimately another touchdown, which pushed the score to 14-0. 

Coming out of the halftime break, however, the Cavs’ running backs began to gain yardage on the Huguenot defense. Douglas won the Cavalier Chronicle Player of the Game award once more, marking his third win this season. He ran for 141 yards over 26 rushing attempts. He also added the team’s first rushing touchdown of the year in the third quarter, making the score 14-8 after a successful two point conversion.

Douglas believes that with a bit more work and preparation, the Cavaliers will be able to take the momentum from the win into next week’s game. 

“I think we’ve got to work hard… and bring the same energy next week; practice harder and do what we have to do to win,” Douglas said. 

In addition, Douglas attributes his run game and his ability to always run through holes that the defense gives him, to his own talents and hard work.

One of two touchdowns in the third quarter, Douglas’ run gave the Cavalier team hope after a rough start to the night. The other touchdown came courtesy of a 42 yard receiving touchdown by Green. It was Swain’s longest pass of the season so far.

With the Cavs holding a 15-14 lead at the end of the third quarter, players and fans alike held up four fingers in the hopes that the team would be able to pull the game out in the final quarter. After a fumble by Huguenot early in the quarter that the Falcons were able to recover, the Cavs forced a punt on fourth down. However, Huguenot proved that a win would not come easy, as they quickly forced another Clover Hill fumble, and recovered it with 7:25 left in the game. 

Fortunately for the Cavs, Huguenot then turned the ball back over on downs. On the next drive, Thornton ran for a 19 yard touchdown that would seemingly put the game out of reach. However, Huguenot was able to drive down the field on the next possession and score another touchdown. A failed two point conversion attempt and an onside kick recovery by the Cavs, ultimately ended the night, with the Cavs victorious for the first time this season.

The Green and Gold will look to ride this momentum into next week, as they take on a 3-1 foe in Manchester. The game will take place at Manchester High School at 7 p.m on Sept. 30.