Not every day I get to hit 3 games, especially on a day as beautiful as this one. Got there as quickly as possible from Camden, which was a challenge in itself with part of Route 31 closed.
Walked on the field right after the 1st TD of the game, scored with 8:28 left in the 1st quarter. Chris Beavo, VVS' all everything back, ran one in from 2 yards out to give the Red ones the 7-0 lead in the battle of the Devils. Camden moved the ball well using the ground game, but weren't able to capitalize on its first drive, fumbling it away in the red zone. Using a 25 yard connection from VVS QB Christian Tiffin to Matt McCoy on 3rd & 10 and a 28 yard Beavo run 2 plays later, the Red Devils moved down the field and completed the 10 play, 85 yard drive with a 3rd & goal 1 yard TD run by Tiffin, making the score 14-0 in favor of VVS with 9:27 left in the 1st half.
I'll use a new paragraph here, because from that point, it was a different game. VVS had 2 drives in the 2nd & 3rd quarters after that one that weren't 3 & outs; 1 of them was a 3 & out after an 11 yard pickup on the 1st play of the drive. Over those drives, Beavo, who has been a part of the vast majority of VVS touchdowns this season, had just 12 yards on 4 carries. Meanwhile, Camden was cruisin'. They responded to the Tiffin TD by going 68 yards in 6 plays, all with the run, no gains less than 7 yards. Camden QB Ryan McCarthy finished it off with a 13 yard TD run, making it 14-7 with 6:49 left in the half. McCarthy had 3 carries for 38 yards on that drive, and RB Jeremy Zeitchel had the other 30 on his 3 carries. Late in the half, Camden used its defense to set up its offense. Evan Kessler picked off a Tiffin pass on the 1st play of their drive, returning it to the VVS 34. McCarthy hit Matt Critelli on a 33 yard score 2 plays after, highlighted by Critelli dragging his defender the last 4 yards into the end zone. With this, it was tied up at 14 with just over a minute and a half remaining in the half. They continued their dominance into the 3rd - after a couple dead drives, they chewed up 6:34 on a 16 play, 69 yard drive, culminating with a 3 yard McCarthy TD run. He connected with Critelli the play before to keep the drive alive, a 7 yard catch on 4th & 4. The snap was higher than Dave Chappelle in Half Baked and botched, making the score 20-14 in Camden's favor at the 1:42 mark of the 3rd.
I'll use a new paragraph here, because from that point, it was a different game... kinda. VVS started to get the ball moving and had a double-digit play drive of their one. However, a Tiffin pass fell incomplete on play #11 of that drive, giving Camden the ball on downs with 5:53 to play at their own 13. At that point, I said to the guy next to me, "They're close, but the momentum is gone. They just need one big play." They got it. The Red Devil D forced a 3 & out, and on 4th & 5 at the Camden 18, they got pressure on McCarthy, who was also the punter. He kicked it into the backside of one of his own players, and the ball rolled into the end zone. VVS' Drew Hoehn beat everyone to it and pounced on it for the Devil TD, giving them the lead for good at 21-20 with 4:11 to go. Camden turned it over on downs at their own 11 on their ensuing drive, and on the 3rd play of VVS' ensuing push, the Camden D let Chris Beavo waltz in from 2 yards out so their offense could get one more shot at it. With the score 28-20 and 45 seconds showing, Camden got one more shot, starting at their own 39... and ending there. McCarthy threw a pick on the first play of that drive, to Mr. Big Shot Drew Hoehn. VVS took knees to finish it out. Camden needed this one, and they looked like they were going to get it for a while. However, they drop to 1-3, and VVS jumps up to 3-1.
#NumbersDontLie - Camden moved the ball well, and they contained Chris Beavo for most of the game, but Beavo and the Red Devils made big plays and picked up yards when it mattered. All-in-all, Camden outgained VVS 233-178 when not factoring in that drive I missed. However, they only picked up 13 yards in the 4th quarter, while VVS gained 61. Chris Beavo (again, not factoring the first drive where he scored) ran for 106 yards on 17 carries, including the last TD. He also caught 3 passes for 30 yards. 46 of those 106 rushing yards came in the 4th quarter. On Camden's end, Ryan McCarthy went 4/11, throwing for 54 yards, a TD, and a pick. He did most of his work on the ground, running for 91 yards on 19 carries & scoring twice. Jeremy Zeitchel rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries. Both of them did most of their damage in the 1st half.
Final Thoughts - First time at VVS for a football game. Enjoyed myself. Halftime entertainment was great, atmosphere was nice. Felt like something the community was behind. Coaches treated me like gold - classiest group I've been around. I'd love to hit another Red Devil football game in the near future.
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