Orange closes season with a win

By Bart Isley MEDIA General News Service
Published: November 8, 2008

ORANGE — As tears mixed with sweat and Quintin Hunter soaked in his final moments at Porterfield Park, the soft-spoken, often-contemplative senior quarterback deftly summed up a complex moment.

“Every high school player comes to a point where he thinks his career won’t end, and you won’t realize it is over until the clock says zero,” Hunter said. “That’s where I am right now.”

With 8 minutes and 28 seconds left in the Hornets’ 48-26 victory over Fluvanna County, Orange called a timeout and subbed out a number of seniors, including Hunter, effectively ending the U.Va. commitment’s time as a high school quarterback. The Hornets, at 7-3 overall, were left on the outside looking in of the VHSL’s Power Poll system.

Despite the lack of a playoff berth, Hunter didn’t disappoint at all in his finale, rushing for 107 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for another. The 42-yard touchdown toss to Shane Atkins, another member of an incredibly large, 26-member senior class for the Hornets, came on a typical Hunter play. The senior escaped the pocket, moved to his right and unleashed the throw across the field, catching Atkins in stride for the score.

“They finished with five wins again [just like 2007] and that’s a great way to end it,” said Orange coach John Kayakanian of his seniors. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get in the playoffs, but we got better every week and they’re a real good group.”

After Fluvanna took a 6-0 lead on a 30-yard pass by Ryan Foster to Hunter Shepherd in the first quarter, Orange exploded past the Flucos. Hunter hit Atkins on the ensuing drive to knot the game at 6-6 going into the second, and then orchestrated four touchdown drives in the second frame to put the Hornets up 34-6 at the break.

Hunter capped three of those drives with touchdown runs of two, 27 and 46 yards, and sophomore Amir Waller finished off the other drive with an 8-yard sprint on an end around.