The finish came down to a couple of Hail Mary passes at the end, one a big success and the other so close to working, as the Madison Warhawks fell a point short of winning their first state football championship.
The undefeated Oscar Smith Tigers of Chesapeake (15-0) nipped Madison, 21-20, in a seesaw Dec. 14 championship game of the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state final at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.
The contest did not lack in excitement, having three different lead changes.
Madison (14-1) pulled within 21-20 on the final play when quarterback Cael Yates scrambled and threw a lofty 48-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Knicely. Knicely broke open behind four defenders and caught the throw, falling backward into the end zone.
After a celebration penalty backed the extra point kick attempt back 15 yards, Madison opted to attempt a winning two-point conversion instead. A pass into the right corner of the end zone went off the fingertips of a diving Knicely to end the game, and the Warhawks’ season as a state runner-up for the third time, all since the 2021 season.
The speedy and elusive Knicely was the offensive standout of the game for Madison, as he was all season. He caught six passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards and a TD. Knicely also had kick returns for 17 yards.
Yates was 11 of 19 passing for 214 yards. Anthony Voinis had two catches for 22 yards and Kellan Counts, Harry Lewis and Jay Pendry had a catch each.
Madison was hurt badly by three turnovers (all lost fumbles), a block punt that set the first Oscar Smith touchdown and an overthrow of a wide open receiver, which if the pass was caught would have been a touchdown.
Oscar Smith led 7-0 at halftime.
A 46-yard pass from Yates to Knicely followed by Knicely’s scoring run and Yates’ two-point conversion pass to Voinis gave the Warhawks their only lead at 14-7 in the third quarter. Oscar Smith scored the next two touchdowns and made two extra points, the last TD with 19 seconds to play.
Madison then scored on the Hail Mary pass to give the Warhawks a chance to win.
Oscar Smith struggled against Madison’s physical defense until it found success passing the ball on its two fourth-quarter scoring drives, the last set up when Madison lost its third fumble of the game.
On defense for Madison, Quincy DeWispelaere had an interception and broke up another pass. Luke Salvosa, Jack Ambruzs, Charlie Backmam and Matthew Vojta were among those involved with sacks.
Ambruzs also batted down a pass, as did Vojta and Caden Green.
Salvosa and Graham Gorkowski helped make a big fourth-down stop of an Oscar Smith runningback in the first half. Oscar Espanol, Joe Gore and T.J. George contributed on defense.
NOTES: Madison also lost in state title games in 2021, to Oscar Smith, and 2022, to Freedom-Woodbridge, both by lopsided scores. The Warhawks have been defeated in the state semifinals three times . . . After a 10-0 regular season this fall, Madison finished 4-1 in playoff games, winning a fifth straight 6D North Region championship to reach the state tournament . . . Yates also played in a state baseball championship game for Madison in 2023, when the Warhawks won the title.
