Struggling Grafton confident it can get to the playoffs

YORK — — No one has really landed a knockout blow on Bay Rivers District preseason football favorite Grafton High this year. But as in boxing, an accumulation of blows in football can leave you as dazed as a haymaker.

So it is with the Clippers (2-3, 2-2 district) as they ready for Friday's game at Bailey Field against current Bay Rivers leader Smithfield (5-0, 4-0). That their three losses were essentially decided on each game's final play — goal-line stands by Powhatan and Lafayette, and a blocked kick by Poquoson — doesn't make it any easier.

"We're pretty shocked," senior wide receiver/cornerback Jesse Santiago said. "You come out to practice and it's not as intense as it used to be.

"A big win Friday might jump-start us."

Senior tailback Dylan Bartells said, "There's a lot of frustration. From what I'm looking at, we've got to play four quarters of football."

There are some tangible reasons for the Clippers' slow start, including the program's quarterback curse. Grafton coach Jared Van Acker didn't decide on a starting quarterback until the third game, when he tabbed Jett Johnson, who broke his leg in game four. It's the fourth consecutive season Grafton has lost its starting QB to injury.

Perhaps a bigger loss to the offense has been Harvard commitment Marcus Spearman, the Clippers rushing leader in the season opener. He hasn't played an offensive down since the first game because of a shoulder sprain. An all-state defensive back, Spearman returned to the defense for Saturday's 15-7 loss to Lafayette, but is still far from 100 percent.

"They're a big part of the team," Bartells said. "It hurts to lose players like that."

But there is also a lack of urgency and execution that has dogged the Clippers, who have started slowly in every game. Even in victories against New Kent and Bruton, two of the district's weakest teams, the games were close well into the second half.

"We've got to get a mentality to get the job done for 48 minutes, especially against the good football teams," Van Acker said. "You give a team like Lafayette any room and they'll attack you.

"We're a different team when we kick it in."

For almost three full quarters, Lafayette pushed around the Clippers, limiting them to three yards total offense and building a 15-0 lead that could've been a touchdown bigger. Then the Grafton team many expected all along suddenly appeared.

The Clippers put together a 16-play, 91-yard touchdown drive, in which Jackson, 0 of 6 passing to that point, had six completions. His nicest was a 37-yard completion to Tyler Noel while rolling out. Jackson capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Santiago on fourth down.

The momentum carried over. The defense, steady all season, forced a fumble. Five Bartells' runs for 51 yards moved the Clippers to the Rams 23, where a dropped pass on fourth-and-4 killed the drive.

After another stop by the defense, the Clippers drove 88 yards to the Rams' 2, Jackson completions of 27 and 37 yards to Bryan Mitchell being the big plays. On third-and-1 at the 2, Parker Kindley intercepted Jackson's pass at the goal line with 29 seconds left to decide the issue.

Were the final 16 minutes a season-changing punch or a desperate flurry by a staggering fighter? We'll know when the bell rings after 48 minutes against Smithfield, but the Clippers see hope in their strong finish.

"The execution and heart we showed at the end of the Lafayette game is something we need to carry through an entire game," Spearman said.

Bartells said, "Hopefully the momentum carries over to this week. We need to stick together and keep our cool."

Santiago said, "The second half against Lafayette showed our potential. We still have confidence that we can make the playoffs and do some damage."