Early scores, turnovers and Harich offense move Cougars past Millbrook

Jefferson High School football players Noah Bagent and Stephen Cameron combine to tackle a Millbrook High School runner on Friday night. David Pennock
WINCHESTER, Va. — Jefferson High School’s most impressive win of the fast-moving football season came last Friday on the road, when the opportunistic Cougars rode big plays, an early lead and the offensive weaponry of quarterback Dylan Harrich to an important, 35-28, win over Millbrook High School (Virginia).
With the latest success, the state-ranked Cougars improved to 5-2 overall and left the single-wing using Pioneers with a similar 5-2 overall mark.
Jefferson’s latest win was over a playoff-contending team and kept it headed straight toward the West Virginia state playoffs.
Three teams — all with losing records — are all that’s left to Jefferson’s regular season.
In last Friday’s fast-paced win, the Cougars opened an early 14-0 lead before many in attendance could find their seats.

Dylan Harich crosses the goal line, after a long quarterback run in the second half of the game at Millbrook High School on Friday evening. David Pennock
Only 91 seconds into the opening quarter, the Cougars had a 7-0 lead after Tay’Shaun Roper had recovered a Pioneer fumble on the kickoff at the Millbrook 16.
Rodrigo Delgado earned the early points with a seven-yard run.
Just minutes later, Harich, who would rush for 85 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, punched in from the three and the Cougars had a quick-start 14-0 lead.
Millbrook running back Kyler Jackson, who would eventually notch all four Millbrook TDs, ran for two short-yardage scores and the back-and-forth game became deadlocked at 14-14.
After Millbrook’s second TD, Roper returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield from where Harich found Jackson Rockwell with a 24-yard scoring pass with only 55 seconds remaining in the first half.

Stephen Cameron (35) and Nolan Meehleib (36) team up to stop the Millbrook High School runner in his tracks, during Friday night’s game in Winchester, Va. David Pennock
In an eerily similar beginning to what had transpired at the game’s outset, Harich scored on a 29-yard run with just 68 seconds having elapsed in the third quarter. Jefferson then had a 28-14 lead to protect.
It became a 35-14 Jefferson lead when Roper stepped in front of the last pass from any Millbrook player and made an interception he took 85 yards to a three touchdown Jefferson lead.
Millbrook junked its unimpressive passing game for a ground-gobbling offense that got it close again but chopped too much time off the disappearing game clock.
Jackson scored from eight yards out.
But then a clock-depleting drive that took 6:51 to complete left less than a minute remaining when Jackson found the Cougar end zone a fourth time to make it a 35-28 Cougar lead.
Only 49 seconds remained, when an onside kick went safely into a Jefferson player’s arms.
Harich finished going 16-for-23 with 155 yards and one score with his passes.
Regular season games left for the Cougars are with Musselman High School, Clarksburg High School (Maryland) and Washington High School. And then comes a third consecutive trip to the Class AAA playoffs.
Jefferson had prevailed with its versatility over a potent team that relied almost exclusively on its methodical single-wing runners.
- Dylan Harich crosses the goal line, after a long quarterback run in the second half of the game at Millbrook High School on Friday evening. David Pennock
- Jefferson High School football players Noah Bagent and Stephen Cameron combine to tackle a Millbrook High School runner on Friday night. David Pennock
- Stephen Cameron (35) and Nolan Meehleib (36) team up to stop the Millbrook High School runner in his tracks, during Friday night’s game in Winchester, Va. David Pennock