Colonials Beat Writer Michael Anderson
Sep 1, 2021
Williamsburg – On a hot and sultry Saturday afternoon it took the Williamsburg Colonials all of three plays from scrimmage to set the tone for the game.
After a 35-yard opening kickoff return by Antonio “Rawlo” Rawlings that put the Colonials into Punisher territory, they scored their first touchdown three plays later on a 2-yard run by Jamari Green after a 47-yard completion by Akeem Taylor to Linwood Walker. The point after was good.
On the ensuing Punisher series, Colonials cornerback Isaiah Smith made his presence known, as he did all game, on the first play from scrimmage as he defended a wide receiver screen, breaking through coverage and timing his hit perfectly, dislodging the ball with a crushing tackle that set the defensive stage for the rest of the game. The Punisher receiver, however, scored two plays later on a 53-yard bomb on an apparent receiver push-off against Smith.
The Colonials defense held strong, living up to the pre-season hype, as the Punishers went for two, stopping the quarterback on the half-yard line on an attempted outside run.
The score remained 7-6 throughout the 1st quarter, but the Colonials struck again on the first play of the 2nd quarter with a beautiful 77-yard strike from Taylor to Brandon Jones. Jones, showing his speed, was well past the defender, catching the ball in stride, then sprinted uncontested to the end-zone. With the extra-point being good, again, the Colonials took a 14-6 lead into half-time.
After the Colonials went three and out on their 2nd series of the 3rd quarter, the Punishers lived up to their name, punishing the Colonials defense by eating up the clock for the remainder of the 3rd quarter and part of the 4th quarter with a successful run and short passing game. They finally scored at 12:36 of the 4th, but again the Colonials defense held strong by stopping the 2-point conversion, making the score 14-12.
After swapping series, the Colonials struck for a final time by scoring on a beautiful 57-yard pass from Linwood Walker to Brandon Jones. Jones would not be denied as he came down with the reception from an under-thrown jump-ball, then used his speed to outrun the Punisher defenders to the end-zone. The Colonials missed the extra-point, making the score 20-12.
From the opening kickoff to the last play, the pre-season hype regarding the Colonials’ speed and defensive tenacity rang true as flashes of both prevailed throughout the game. The speed helped account for over 200 total yards (offense and special teams) and the defense made stop after stop while grabbing three interceptions. Brandon Jones led all receivers by having 114+ yards and two touchdowns.
The Colonials resume practice this week to begin preparations for their opener in the ACFA Kickoff Classic against the Harrisburg Bulls on September 11 in Frederick, MD.