HANOVER, Va. — Barrett Bucholz ran for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Atlee knocked off previously unbeaten Hanover 17-7 in the 24th edition of the Battle of 301.
Bucholz opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run that gave Atlee (3-2) a 7-0 lead. Hanover answered with a Nolan Crist 20-yard run to tie the game at 7.
The game stayed tied until late in the 2nd quarter when Lance Heizer banged in a 24-yard field goal off the right upright to give the Raiders a 10-7 lead at the half.\
Both defenses stiffened in the second half keeping each other off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when Jack Lee engineered an 85-yard TD drive capped by a Bucholz 4-yard scoring run with under 1:20 left to play.
"The coaches had a wonderful plan," Atlee head coach Matt Gray explained. "The guys up front are tough and physical. I love our backfield. Our message to the guys is, 'This is what we're built for.'"
The Hawks (3-1) drove to midfield on their last possession until the drive stalled and Atlee took over on downs. Hanover had scored over 40 points in each of their last two wins but were held to just a single first-quarter score against the Raiders.
"We've got some guys who can play," Gray continued. "It comes down to execution and very proud of the way they did it."
Atlee offensive line coach Derek Stoudt was head coach at Hanover for six years, leading the Hawks to 3 playoff appearances and was visibly emotional after the win.
"He's responsible for those guys up front," Gray said. "He takes a lot of pride in that."
The win evened the overall series record between the schools that are separated by just 3 miles of highway at 12-12 but gave the Raiders just their second win over their rivals in the last six tries.
"It's a very healthy rivalry," Gray added. "When we're both really good, it's wonderful for our community."
Gray paused then added with a smile... "It feels really good to win."
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