The result wasn't unexpected, but the blowout margin of victory was a surprise to many when the Washington-Liberty Generals hosted and defeated the Yorktown Patriots, 46-16, in this season's annual all-Arlington clash between the neighborhood high-school rivals.
The Generals, who improved to 4-0, led 46-0 at halftime, scoring on the game's first drive, a nine-play, 80-yard march, and dominating until intermission. Washington-Liberty took advantage of four first-half Yorktown turnovers, one an interception return for a touchdown, and held the Patriots to minus-10 total yards in the first two quarters.
Yorktown fell to 3-1 and 1-1 in the Liberty District, won by the Generals last season.
"Washington-Liberty was very good. We came out flat and we just couldn't get anything going or started on offense. Then we started pressing on both sides of the ball," Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson said. "We didn't do too good."
The winning margin was a surprise, because the teams were considered pretty even and have often played much closer games for many of the last few regular-season tilts. Washington-Liberty beat Yorktown, 21-18, last fall.
"This was a huge win," W-L coach Josh Shapiro said. "Our defense was outstanding, our offensive line did really well, they gave us opportunities with the turnovers, their starting runningback had an injury and didn't play, and our quarterback was very precise and smart with the ball."
Generals' senior quarterback Matthew Abramson was 23 of 30 passing for 236 yards and threw two touchdown passes. His scoring throws went for 14 yards to Jon Malatesta (six catches, 36 yards) and Trevor Fullen (three catches, 91) for 74 yards.
Shapiro praised the offensive line for giving the quarterback time to throw. Abramson was not sacked.
"I love our offensive line," Shapiro said. "They work hard and have zero egos. They just want to listen and learn and they are very humble."
The offensive line consisted of center Samuel Bekele, Grant Siebert, Cooper Colucia, Grayson Haney and Christopher Gonzalez Ferrufino.
"We were well-prepared, we practiced hard for this game and we had a game plan and we ran that well," Abramson said. "We passed the ball and ran it."
Washington-Liberty had 410 total yards and 20 first downs.
Brayden Black led the running game with 82 yards rushing and a six-yard scoring run, Dylan Guzman had 44 and Ben Hughes had 29 and two six-yard TD runs. Backup quarterback Jackson Colgan had a two-point conversion run.
Mikey Barber had seven catches for 46 yards, Guzman had three, Zach Meehan two and Ian Crowley and Black one each.
On defense for W-L, Crowley had a 41-yard fumble return for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and batted down another pass; Meehan had an interception; Connor Hurren recovered a fumble and broke up a pass; and Hughes and Maximus De La Vega had sacks. Hughes, De La Vega, Hurren, Henry Cruz and Brian Baptiste were among the team's leading tacklers.
Washington-Liberty place-kicker Felipe Dieguez booted a 39-yard field goal and five extra points.
On offense, Yorktown had 164 total yards. Drew Morgan passed for 92 yards, Max Troiano ran for 57 and a touchdown and caught two passes for 38 yards, with a TD of 20 yards. Brady Owens caught four passes for 37 and Nate Randles ran for 13 yards and caught one pass for 17. Max Yoon kicked two extra points. Owen Woodward had five returns for 70 yards.
For Yorktown on defense, Anthony Rucker had an interception, Bobby Shea had a tackle for a loss and J.J. Randisi batted down a pass.
NOTES: Washington-Liberty's 32-point win over Yorktown was the second largest in program history against the Patriots. In 1963, W-L defeated Yorktown by 34 points . . . The Generals last defeated Yorktown in consecutive seasons in 2015 and '16 . . . With the victory Sept. 21, Shapiro now has 80 career wins as the Generals head coach, taking over in 2007. Hanson has 299 career wins, hoping to earn his 300th on the road Sept. 27 against the West Springfield Spartans. Yorktown has never played at West Springfield in Hanson's 39-year tenure as the Patriots' coach, according to research done by longtime Yorktown scorekeeper Bob Herring . . . Washington-Liberty plays at 1-3 Falls Church on Sept. 27.
