Alleghany sails past Fort Defiance

FORT DEFIANCE – Two up, two down. 

 

For a second week in a row, Alleghany cruised up I-81 into the Shenandoah Valley and came away with another victory over a Shenandoah District team following a 47-13 non-district win over Fort Defiance at Alumni Field.

 

It was Alleghany’s physicality and quickness that was too much for Fort Defiance. It was also the trio of Des Jordan, Sarge Persinger, and Xzavier Hayslett that Indians could not handle as all three scored on six of Alleghany’s seven touchdowns. 

 

Jordan, the junior quarterback, was a multidimensional nightmare for the Indians defense all night long. Jordan had a total of six touchdowns. The left-handed QB was 11-for-15 on passes with 243-yds in the air and three TD’s. In the run-game, Jordan rushed for 57-yds on eight carries and scored three times.

 

Persinger and Hayslett, both hurt Fort Defiance on offense and defense. Persinger had a breakout performance with four receptions for 85-yds and two TD’s. Meanwhile on the defensive side of the football, the Indians offense felt Persinger’s wrath. Persinger had a handful of tackles and a sack.

 

Meanwhile, Hayslett, once again the Cougars in receiving yards with 118 on five catches and a TD. Hayslett also had an interception on the game’s opening drive which set up the first rushing touchdown for Jordan.

 

Alleghany jumped out to a 6-0 advantage following their first drive of the game after Hayslett picked off Trey Miller on the games opening drive by Fort Defiance. Hayslett moved the ball into the Indians territory which set up Jordan’s first score of the game from 21-yds out as Jordan out of the pocket scrambled to the right side of the field, avoided multiple tackles and worked his way to the left side and found a hole en route to the end zone.

 

The Cougars opened the game in the second quarter by scoring 22 points to take a 28-7 halftime lead.

 

It wasn’t an easy quarter by any means at the start of the period for Alleghany despite the lopsided halftime score. After Jordan connected with Persinger on the first of two touchdowns between the duo and a completed two-point conversion, Fort Defiance would finally move the ball without any blemishes or hiccups as Miller would cap a 68-yd drive to connect with Talyn Armentrout from 18-yds to put the Indians on the scoreboard and cut the lead down to one score at 14-7.

 

With a little momentum on their side following their first score of the game, Fort Defiance’s defense came up in a big way and forced Alleghany to go three-and-out on offense.

 

Looking to potentially tie the game Miller put the game in his hands and used his scrambling ability to get close to a first down near midfield with a 9-yd run. Two plays later and inches from a first down, Miller would come up short of the first-down marker as Alleghany’s defense stepped up and halted all of the FDHS momentum.

 

Two plays later for the Cougars and Jordan connected with Persinger a second time, this time from 38-yds out. On the reception in the end zone, Persinger fumbled the ball, but quickly recovered and jumped back on the ball for the score.

 

The Cougars were not done with the first half just yet.

 

Just before halftime and at their own 29 yard line, Alleghany would move the ball down the field on multiple big plays. Jordan connected with an 11-yd pass to Persinger and followed it up with a 35-yd completion to Hayden Knighton. This would eventually lead to Jordan’s second rushing score of the game from 10-yds out with 17 seconds remaining in the half.

 

As the second half opened up, it was more of the same from the Cougars. On their first drive of the third quarter, AHS used five plays to go 65-yds for the score as Jordan rushed for his third touchdown of the game, once again from 10-yds out.

 

Things turned for worse for Fort Defiance at the end of the third quarter as Jordan would once again pick apart the Indians defense as he connected with Hayslett from 56-yds out. Following a Mason Hale extra point the Cougars took a 41-7 lead.

 

With the game well in hand, Alleghany went with some key reserve players on offense. The outcome, more of the same as the Cougars needed only three plays, and one long play of 65-yds from Gavin Via to score his first touchdown of the season. 

 

Fort Defiance would get back on the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter following a Kaden Eastep 11-yd score.

 

The unbeaten Cougars (2-0) will head home for the first time this season for a three-game homestand starting with the winless Rockbridge County Wildcats (0-2). RCHS lost last Friday to Staunton 42-21. 

 

Alleghany 6 22 13 6 – 47

Fort Defiance 0 7 0 6 – 13

 

AHS – Jordan 21 run (kick failed)

AHS – Persinger 10 pass from Jordan (Hayslett pass from Jordan)

FOR – Armentrout 18 pass from Miller (Sayre kick)

AHS – Persinger 38 pass from Jordan (Hale kick)

AHS – Jordan 9 run (Hale kick)

AHS – Jordan 10 run (Hale kick)

AHS – Hayslett 56 pass from Jordan (Hale kick)

AHS – Via 64 run (pass failed)

FOR – Eastep 11 run (run failed)