Abingdon football coach John Bowles refers to Zac Crosswhite as the "Little Tank." There’s a good reason for that.

The 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior runs with a mix of power, determination and fury.

Crosswhite rolled again Friday as the Falcons stopped Patrick Henry 42-0 in a matchup of Washington County rivals.

According to Crosswhite, the key to the resounding win can be traced to the steamy days of summer when the Falcons came together four days a week for some intensive team bonding sessions.

"We ran every day, lifted weights and just got in tip-top shape," Crosswhite said.

Crosswhite is the leader of the AHS iron squad. He can bench press a team-best 325 pounds and squat 405.

Crosswhite opened the scoring Friday with a 2-yard run at the 6:11 mark of the first quarter. Relying on his powerful legs, Crosswhite collected 75 of his 111 total yards in the first half.

"We’ve been called soft in the past and we don’t like it," Crosswhite said. "We’re out here to make a stand and change that. I think this was a good start."

Abingdon's Logan Elswick gets pulled down by Patrick Henry's Merrick Mullins and Aaron Fullen
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

The Falcons led 28-0 at halftime, as 6-1 senior quarterback Jake Hess added balance in the AHS offense.

Hess connected with versatile senior Ben Coleman on a perfectly-timed 19-yard scoring pass on Abingdon’s third drive. After Coleman busted up the middle for an 8-yard scoring run in the second quarter, Hess delivered a precise 44-yard scoring toss to junior Caleb Widner.

The suspense was over, but Crosswhite kept charging.

"Zac is a competitor and he’s the strongest kid on our team," Bowles said. "Zac kept his feet moving and had good leg drive tonight. Hopefully, he will continue to do that."

AHS compiled 413 total yards, while limiting PH to 62 yards. The Falcon line corps, led by Shaine Fannon (6-0, 230) and 6-4, 230-pound senior Graham Gardner, terrorized the PH backfield.

"We worked hard in the summer, especially our group of seniors, and that showed tonight," Fannon said. "Our goal was to hit [Patrick Henry] as hard as we could and shut them down. And that’s what we did."

Fannon, who also wrestles, said that Crosswhite has earned his strongman title the hard way.

"Zac is like a tank, that’s the best way to say it," Fannon said "I think he can squat about 500 pounds. I’ve laid a couple licks on Zac in practice, but he hits pretty hard and can run the ball."

Hess followed the lead blocking of Coleman to score on a 30-yard run in the third quarter, and then Crosswhite capped his big night with a 33-yard scoring run.

"We’ve all been in the weight room since we were freshmen, and we just feel like that we’re more of a power team than people expect," Fannon said.

After winning just two games last year and allowing over 28 points per game, PH was picked for fifth in the Hogoheegee District this season.

PH quarterback Jonathan Whitesides, a three-year starter, displayed durability and creativity Friday while completing eight passes for 54 yards. PH running backs Aaron Fullen and Andrew Groves were unable to find any room in the aggressive AHS defense.

"I thought we were more physical and in better shape," Bowles said. "We had a good off-season, and then we continued to work hard in fall camp. I think that paid off tonight.

Crosswhite said Friday’s reward was all about preparation.

"We all communicate really well and we’ve all been working for this," Crosswhite said.

Patrick Henry 0 0 0 0—0

Abingdon 14 14 14 0—42

Scoring Summary

AHS-Crosswhite 2 run (Ludwig kick)

AHS-Coleman 19 pass from Hess (Ludwig kick)

AHS-Coleman 8 run (Ludwig kick)

AHS-Widner 44 pass from Hess (Ludwig kick)

AHS-Hess 30 run (Ludwig kick)

AHS-Crosswhite 33 run (Ludwig kick)

First Downs: PH 11, A 13; Rushes-Yards: PH 30-8, A 19-245; Passing Yards: PH 54, A 168; Comp.-Att.-Int.: PH 8-13-1, A 12-17-1; Fumbles-Lost: PH 3-0, A 1-0; Penalties-Yards: PH 2-10, A 5-65; Punts-Average: PH 5-24, A 0-0.