The running back took a direct snap, rolled to his left, then shocked the Springers with a perfectly placed pass that JuJu Preston reeled in with one hand along the sideline before sprinting blissfully into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown. It was the key play in a 42-34 win for the Eagles, who repeated as state champions.
“I saw the ball in the air and I had to go get it, and that’s what I did,” Preston said, looking over at Overton. “I appreciate Jeff; great pass, bro.”
Overton was again the catalyst for the Eagles as they took down five-time state champion Highland Springs (13-2) at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. The star player rushed for 264 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his timely touchdown pass, a fitting end to a dominant season for the Eagles (14-0).
“They definitely brought [another linebacker] in the box expecting the run game,” Overton said. “They couldn’t stop it though, we kept running on top of them.”
Freedom entered having won its first four playoff games by an average score of 58-11, and the start of Saturday looked like it was on track to be another Eagles blowout. A 14-yard rushing touchdown by senior Kam Courtney preceded a pick-six by Jachai Hughes in the opening minutes, and then two rushing touchdowns by Overton gave the Eagles a seemingly impenetrable 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
But unlike many of Freedom’s previous opponents, the Springers didn’t cave to an offensive barrage. Highland Springs senior quarterback Khristian Martin, a Maryland commit, shook off his early interception and threw a 50-yard touchdown strike, and senior Jakyre Henley returned a rare Freedom punt 74 yards to the end zone to trim the Eagles’ lead to 28-13 at halftime.
The Richmond-area school pulled within a single touchdown in the closing minutes of the third quarter, but the Eagles didn’t flinch. They again looked to their stars: Courtney broke a 49-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the game and Overton drained the clock on the final possession to clinch the victory.
The win, Freedom’s 29th in a row, concluded a second-straight flawless season for the Eagles and was the final step in Coach Darryl Overton’s goal. “We talked about our program, our school, trying to get at the big boy table … getting in that circle of teams that have done it back-to-back,” he said.
In the last 35 years, the only schools from Virginia’s largest classification to win two titles in a row are Annandale (1993-94), Hylton (1998-99), Westfield (2015-17) and Oscar Smith (2020-21).
As the final whistle blew, and the Eagles joined that group, Jeff Overton ripped off his helmet and flung it high into the air as his teammates embraced along the sideline. Some pointed to their ring fingers while others laughed and danced as they spilled onto the field.