VIRGINIA BEACH
Tied at 44, Bishop Sullivan faced fourth and 6 from the Potomac School 48 with less than four minutes left in the VISAA Division II state championship game.
The Crusaders called a timeout. Some of the coaches hinted they should punt, but a foot away wide receiver Jamil Kamara was screaming - no demanding - they throw him the ball.
"I needed the ball and I wanted the ball," said Kamara, one of the nation's top receivers. "Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. This is what I do."
And that's what he did. Kamara caught a 16-yard pass from quarterback Blake LaRussa to keep the drive going. And five plays later, LaRussa scored on a 15-yard run with 1:59 left to help Bishop Sullivan beat Potomac School 50-44 to win their first Division II state championship before a standing-room crowd of more than 2,000. The victory put an exclamation point on a perfect season.
"It feels great," said Kamara, who finished with six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. "Ain't no better feeling."
The game featured some of the top private school players in the state in Kamara, LaRussa and Potomac School running back Jalen Broome, who had rushed for 1,860 yards this season. Broome kept the Panthers (8-3) in the game as he rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
With 6:13 left, Bishop Sullivan needed to score and leave Potomac School with as little time as possible. But then the Crusaders faced fourth down.
"(The assistant coaches) were talking about punting and I said I've been working too hard in my life to punt on fourth down," Bishop Sullivan coach Carl Turner said. "We gotta go for the win and that's what we did."
He also knew Kamara was the answer.
"I said we gotta get the ball to the money guy," he said. "This guy has performed all year and if he gets in open space he's going to make a play. And he made a play."
The catch also was huge because it helped LaRussa overtake Landstown's Terry Mitchell as the all-time leading passer - public or private school - in South Hampton Roads.
But he couldn't celebrate because the Crusaders still needed a score. And with 1:39 left, LaRussa sprinted down the right side for the game-winning touchdown.
"I honestly don't remember what I did," said LaRussa, who threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two. "I just saw that side of the field was wide open and I went for it."
Afterward, he reflected on the state title and putting his name into the record books.
"This is a dream come true," said LaRussa, who finished the season with 3,794 yards. "As for the record, my name goes down for it but I couldn't do it without those guys around me."
Key stats B-Tucker 16-157, TD rushing; Turner 9-69, TD rushing.
Larry Rubama, 757-446-2273,larry.rubama@pilotonline.com, Twitter@LHRubama