Colonials remain undefeated after Homecoming victory against Virginia Beach Breakers
![Justin Yoo (7) celebrates with his teammates moments after scoring his first touchdown of the game. On 2nd and 1, Yoo broke out for a 29-yard touchdown rush to give Jefferson the lead. “He [Justin] broke through 5 tackles and it genuinely deserves to go on SportsCenter,” senior kicker Joshua Park (13) said.](https://www.tjtoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Featured-photo-900x600.jpg)
Justin Yoo (7) celebrates with his teammates moments after scoring his first touchdown of the game. On 2nd and 1, Yoo broke out for a 29-yard touchdown rush to give Jefferson the lead. “He [Justin] broke through 5 tackles and it genuinely deserves to go on SportsCenter,” senior kicker Joshua Park (13) said.
September 30, 2021
The Jefferson Colonials won 28-14 against the Va. Beach Breakers on Sept. 24. In attendance, crowds of students cheered on for the annual homecoming football game.
The game started with lots of action, and with only three minutes and five seconds left in the first quarter, Justin Yoo (7) was able to score the Colonial’s first touchdown of the game.
“I felt that I had to do something, especially because I knew we were going to do a toss, which is my best play,” Yoo said. “I got the ball and just ran through people on the outside.”
The first touchdown set the pace for the game by adding points to the scoreboard and building momentum for the Colonials.
“[Yoo] broke past seven defenders, did a spin move and cut in and out of tackles,” senior Hilal Hussain said. “It was probably one of the craziest runs I’ve ever seen, considering it was 29 yards but felt like 100 with how many people he had to run through to reach the endzone.”
Senior Joshua Park (13) tacked on the extra point for a Jefferson seven-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
“I felt more excited about Justin’s first touchdown than my kick after because that touchdown run was the craziest play I’ve seen in this program. Kicking field goals is just part of my job,” Park said.
Following a Breakers touchdown during the second quarter, the score remained tied at 7-7 throughout the third quarter until another Breakers touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“The turning point was when [the Breakers] scored their touchdown to go up 14-7, and the player just started dancing his way to the endzone. That really woke up the team because we were absolutely livid, and there’s no way someone does that on our field,” Park said.
Minutes after, junior Charan Sattiraju (1) responded with a Jefferson touchdown of his own for a score of 13-14 with Jefferson behind by one point.
“Charan’s catch was a big play that really gave us a big momentum boost when we were down, and him just being able to reel it in at that clutch moment pushed us back into the game,” senior Hilal Hussain (56) said.
Still, Jefferson students watched closely as the Colonials attempted for two more points to get back into the lead.
“The anticipation was building as the front of the stands started cheering loudly when we learned that we were going for two more points [right after the touchdown], which was all we needed to win the game,” sophomore Aria Merrill said.
The referees called a penalty flag for the Breakers creating a better field position for Jefferson to score a two-point conversion.
“After the two-point conversion, we were all really happy to finally be back in the lead,” Yoo said.
Just minutes later, Hussain–a defensive player–was used in an offensive play to score Jefferson’s third touchdown of the night and widen the lead to 21-14.
“I wasn’t expecting to get called to run the ball in. Scoring on offense was a unique experience because on offense you know what’s coming toward you and just being able to punch it in feels good,” Hussain said.
As Jefferson students began to celebrate the homecoming game coming to an end, Yoo picked off the Breaker’s quarterback for his second touchdown of the night with only two minutes and twenty-two seconds left in the game.
“I knew that he was gonna have to throw for something long because it was third and 25. So I just watched the QB carefully, and when he threw the ball, I just listened to what my coaches always told me and ran for the touchdown,” Yoo said.
With a final score of 28-14, the Jefferson Colonials remain undefeated this season and are making history with a 4-0 start.
“It all came together, the team spirit and the energy, and formed into a perfect ending,” sophomore Vaishnavi Kuriti said.
