North Cross wallops Fredericksburg Christian to reach 3rd straight state title game

As penance for fumbling the ball on an interception return, Jaziel Hart was doing pushups as the third quarter of Saturday's VISAA Division II state semifinal game came to a close.

Even with his squad holding a massive lead and victory well on the horizon, he had to pay for his mishap.

"You just have to have discipline for your own self," he said. "That's going to push you to a higher level and just stay humble."

That discipline helped Hart and the No. 2 North Cross football team crush No. 3 Fredericksburg Christian 48-0 at Willis Field in Roanoke to reach its third straight state championship game.

"It's all about the guys," Raiders first-year head coach Dwayne Priest said. "The guys come out every day, put in hard work. For us new coaches, they bought into what we wanted and they come out and give us their best every day. All the praise goes to the guys."

North Cross (9-1) will now take the 135-mile trip north to St. George next Saturday to face unbeaten Blue Ridge (10-0) in a rematch of last year's state title game. The Raiders will be gunning for their third consecutive championship, and after a VISAA committee elected to give the Barons the No. 1 seed and thus home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the contest means a little extra.

"All the voters that didn't vote for us, even the ones that voted for different teams, we've just got to prove them wrong," Hart said. "We're going to set the point of, we can come anywhere and beat you."

Hart caught two passes, both of which went for touchdowns on plays of 28 and 24 yards. Quarterback Brock Miles finished an efficient 10-of-11 for 243 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, without an interception. Jesiah Hines tallied a 65-yard scoring reception and ended with three catches for 97 yards, and Jase Rhodes snagged a 30-yard toss in the end zone as part of a two-catch, 65-yard performance. Tristan Lange scored three touchdowns on the ground and collected 82 yards on nine carries.

North Cross found the end zone on its first seven drives and built a 41-0 advantage at halftime, inducing a running clock for the final two quarters.

"To be able to do that helps our defense a lot because we don't have that much depth," Hart said. "So being able to score quick and play defense keeps us healthy, for one, and two, saves energy."

On the defensive side, the Raiders pitched their second straight shutout, blanking Potomac 47-0 in their regular season finale last week. They held Fredericksburg Christian (9-2) to 70 yards of offense, including just 3 through the air on 2-of-13 passing.

"We preach it every time we come out; play fast and physical with anybody they put in front of us," Priest said. "Play fast and physical, the outcome will always be for us."

The VISAA Division II state championship game is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff next Saturday.

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