Highland Springs RB Jordan Jackson (Photo: Byron Jones/recruit804)
Springers shutout Eagles 45-0
by Byron Jones, recruit804
After covering the Glen Allen/Freeman matchup, I had some time to drop in and catch the second half of the Highland Springs vs. Mills Godwin contest. The Springers led 31-0 at the break and opened the second half quickly with another score. Junior QB Khaliyl Nasir threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Quanye Veney (PAT- Alsheskie) to extend the lead to 38. Highland Springs scored on its second possession of the half when Juwan Dent connected with Christian Robinson on a 9-yard touchdown pass (PAT- Alsheskie).
When asked about getting back on the field, Coach Loren Johnson stated, “I’ve enjoyed the whole process of being back out here and going through that work part of it, the grind part of it. There’s been a lot of late nights here recently. The wife has been upset with me about that, but we have the opportunity to play, be around the guys, hang out, and coach them… We have an opportunity to do what we love and that’s great.”
During the first half, the Springers were able to mix things up and had the chance to rotate a lot of players in for some much-needed reps. This was an opportunity that Coach Johnson believes will help his team over the course of the season and beyond.
“It gave us a chance to see some younger guys mixed in with some older guys, so just trying to bridge that gap. This is a unique situation for us like it is for everybody. We had the opportunity to do some unique things with some guys who are seniors playing with some guys who would have been sophomores and might have not had the opportunity to play with them. It’s a great mix for us all the way around.”
Senior running back Jordan Jackson (St. Francis) made the most of his time back on the field in the first half. The bruising back found the endzone twice and has worked hard in the offseason on becoming a better back. “I haven’t scored two touchdowns in 400 days, so it was a good feeling,” stated Jackson. “I made a couple of mistakes last year, so this year me and my group (RB’s) are focused on how we are going to carry the football.”
The Springers defense will include Kelvin Gilliam (Oklahoma), Damond Harmon (Oklahoma), and Jamareeh Jones (Boston College) this season. Many, including myself, speculated in the fall that these three would not play in the spring. However, their competitive nature and being away from the game they love for so long made the decision to play a no-brainer.
“When I first talked about this season with the players and when we might play, I told them they had the option or choice to do what was best for them and their careers,” explained Johnson. He continued, “But after talking about it and guys working out and preparing, they wanted to play and that’s the love that they have for football and students of the game.”
NEXT UP
Highland Springs (1-0) will host Henrico (0-1) at Varina next Saturday at Noon. The Warriors were shutout 35-0 at home against Varina (1-1).
Mills Godwin (0-2) has a bye next week and returns to action 3/12 against Hermitage (1-0).
– Byron Jones
