But Green, a Virginia Cavaliers recruit, turned a poor snap into a 40-yard adventure to the end zone, during which he broke at least four tackles.
That’s saying something, because Green’s 28-yard touchdown reception of Luke Hanson’s pass while falling backward in the front corner of the end zone against blanket coverage was pretty spectacular.
Lord Botetourt retaliated with the kind of fury you’d expect from a team with 11 Division I recruits, and which was averaging 48 points per game.
When he, linebacker Aidan Byron, safety Bryce Cupp and the rest of the defense forced the Cavaliers to punt on their first three possessions, it was clear Lafayette was in it to win it.
Although running back Hunter Rice did not approach his average of 10.2 yards per carry, his block of a Lafayette punt paved the way for his 1-yard touchdown run that gave Lord Botetourt a 7-0 lead with 5:16 to play in the first half.
After bending on Lord Botetourt’s touchdown drive in the third quarter, the Lafayette defense retook control and led the way to the title.
On the Cavaliers’ next series, Green pressured quarterback Sammy Peery into a harried pass that Byron intercepted and returned to the Lord Botetourt 9.
Lafayette’s defensive momentum only increased as it forced a punt on the next series before Byron recovered a fumble to stop a Lord Botetourt march into Rams territory.