On August 30, the Flucos went head to head with the William Fleming Colonels. The Flucos put up a resilient fight but lost the game 32-13. Sophomore Marcus Ditta started off the game at 7:30 with the opening kickoff. The action picked up immediately when a penalty was called on the Flucos just after the kickoff.

The first quarter was a long one. Possession of the ball bounced back and forth between the two teams until– with two seconds left in the quarter– the Colonels put the first points of the night on the board with their touchdown (although they missed the extra point). By the end of the quarter, the Flucos were trailing 6-0.

The second quarter started off rough for the Flucos after fumbling on the first kick of the quarter, although they managed to recover it. The first score of the quarter brought William Fleming to a 12-0 lead with 7:16 left on the clock. Fluvanna’s first play after the Colonels’ touchdown resulted in an interception. Roughly five minutes later, they had extended their lead to 19 with 2:03 left in the quarter.

The teams left the field to discuss strategies and rest during halftime… but halftime wasn’t restful for all. The Fluco marching band took center field and with the amazing spinning abilities of the guard, proceeded to dazzle the crowd with their impressive coordination and musical talents in their halftime show entitled “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “I honestly believe we exceeded everyone’s expectations, and were a little surprised ourselves!” said Guard Captain Isis Rodgers.

The band marched back to the bleachers and the action resumed. William Fleming appeared dominant as they broadened their lead to a hefty 25 points only two and a half minutes in. But things turned around for the Flucos when senior cornerback Goddience Flannagan intercepted a pass from the Colonels and ran the ball all the way back to the 12 yard line. After a pass to senior Jesse Vandyke resulted in Fluvanna making it to the 1 yard line, senior quarterback Austin Foster went into the end zone putting the Flucos’ first points on the board. That touchdown, combined with the extra point, brought the score to 25-7.

Then, the Flucos were daring. They proceeded to do an onside kick and managed to recover the ball. It seemed all hope was not lost and the momentum of the game was swinging in the Flucos’ favor. However, after getting a first down on their next play, another fumble caused William Fleming to hold the ball with around three minutes left in the quarter. William Fleming scored a touchdown with a minute and a half left in the quarter, bringing the score to 32-7.

Pulling on inner reserves of strength, the Flucos shut down William Fleming during the fourth quarter. No scoring plays were made from the team hailing from Roanoke. Fluvanna managed to score another 6 points with 6 minutes left in the game with a 1 yard run from Luke Norcross after recovering a William Fleming fumble during the punt snap, bringing the final score to 32-13.

Sadly, the Flucos were unable to come out victorious this game, but that will not stop them from improving as a team and coming out on top their next game.