Tabb High Faces Early Test in Thursday Opener Against Hopewell

From Recruit757.com. Marty O'Brien will be covering the game for the Daily Press and you can catch his updates @MartyOBrienDP as well as HRVarsity.com. 

Hopewell (0-0) vs. Tabb (0-0) at Bailey Field, Yorktown 7:00 p.m. Thursday

Tabb QB Alec Kurek (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

The Tabb Tigers will open their regular season on Thursday with a tough non-conference opponent in the Hopewell Blue Devils, from just southeast of Richmond.

Hopewell finished 5-7 in their Central District last fall, but figure to be greatly improved for 2015 with the return of 16 starters. Quarterback Cameren Hill threw for 13 TD’s (against 13 interceptions) and 1,317 yards as a sophomore in 2014. At 5’9″ and 165 pounds, he’s small for a QB, but will be helped by a large offensive line, and complimented by his own nimble legs. Victor Figueroa (Sr.-FB) and Anthony Crawford should get the lion’s share of the carries at running back now that Darrell Taylor and Matt Trevilian have graduated. And the defense should be bolstered with the return of DE Jarey Allen and CB Ronnie Moore, who will join a quartet of three-year starters.

Tabb, with Matt Lawson returning for his 12th season, finished 7-4 last year as a 4A South school, and should benefit from a drop to 3A competition. But Lawson’s objective this season will be more about rebuilding and stabilizing his young Tiger squad. Still, there is some talent returning to Yorktown.

Quarterback Alec Kurek will be at the center of the Tiger attack. The QB threw for over 1,000 yards and a dozen touchdowns last year, but more importantly, finished the regular season strongly. Senior Nick Hunter will move from WR (23 catches, six TD’s in 2014) to running back in order to provide experience and ability to the running game, and Rodney Haggins, a 5’8″, 175 lb. junior will join Kurek and Hunter in the backfield. Haggins’ 145-yard rushing effort against Bruton (a 28-0 win) last fall gave Lawson an idea of the youngster’s talent as a tailback. Zach Schiele (6’1″, 250) should anchor both sides of the line, but the defense will have to gel quickly as only a pair of starters return.

In all, it looks like an uphill battle for Tabb at home. The offense should be able to score a couple of touchdowns, but the defense could face problems unless they are able to make big plays early and often. If the Tigers can gather a couple of key turnovers from their defense, they can leave Bailey Field with an opening game win.