By Jeff McQuilkin

It’s known simply as “The Game” and it is the oldest continuous high school football rivalry in the South. For the 117th time, Episcopal High School squared off against arch rival Woodberry Forest on Saturday at the Hummel Bowl in Alexandria.  

Led by a stifling defense and aided by three first-half Woodberry Forest turnovers, Episcopal avenged its only loss from last year, beating Woodberry Forest 21-7 to finish with a 5-4 record on the season.  

Senior running back Perris Jones, who played the entire season in a cast with a broken wrist, gave Episcopal a lead it would never relinquish by scoring with 5:24 left in the first quarter. In the second quarter, senior quarterback Seth Agwunobi scored twice on rushes of one and 13 yards. The first half ended with Episcopal leading 21-0. 

Early in the third quarter, Woodberry Forest took advantage of a personal foul penalty against Episcopal and narrowed the score to 21-7. But Episcopal’s defense would never let Woodberry Forest near the end zone again.

“Our defense played with a lot of heart and passion today,” said Episcopal head coach Panos Voulgaris.  “But this game was about the seniors. The underclassmen who were playing today understood the importance of sending the seniors out on the right note and they played their hearts out for them.”