Bruton Travels to Smithfield for Early Season Test

Smithfield SO WR Chris Pierce (Photo: Joe Barnes/recruit757)

As shown in recruit757.com. I will be covering the game tonight for the Daily Press. And just to add, my prediction, which was wisely deleted on the other site, is Smithfield 27, Bruton 19. Look for my live updates @jfmcgrath tonight.

Bruton (1-0) at Smithfield (0-1) Friday at 7 p.m.

An inspired Bruton team, fresh off an upset last week, travels across the James River on Friday night to take on district rival Smithfield in a game that should serve as a formidable barometer for each team’s chances of a top-half district finish.

For the visiting Panthers, defeating King William last weekend served as a minor upset and a reminder to the rest of the Bay Rivers District that last season’s 2-9 record should not be used as the 2015 measuring stick. Granted, Bruton did earn a 2A playoff berth because most of their district competition was against 3A and 4A teams.

But the Panthers, under second year coach Reggie Jones, showed off a strong running game in the 32-24 win. Feature back Daniel Jones rushed for 121 yards with touchdown runs of 48 and 14 yards. In all, Bruton totaled 312 yards on the ground, with Jones and company eating up chunks of real estate behind the offensive line, which featured Elijah Graves, Trevon Wallace, Hudson Daniel, A.J. Battle, Kirk Cooke, Giovani Campbell, Dailon Donley and Tadie Mielczarek.

Linebacker Ian Gruver spearheaded a strong defensive effort with 11 tackles, three for losses. Fellow defender Mike Rodgers helped to seal the win with his 27-yard interception return for a pick-six touchdown. Coach Jones is hoping that his young squad will return to the 8-4 mark it recorded in 2013, Coach Tracy Harrod’s last season.

Smithfield (0-1), who finished 5-6 last year under coach Clark Harrell (now at New Kent), is also hoping for a fast start under new head whistle Reginald Chavis, who earned his coaching stripes as an assistant at Booker T. Washington. Chavis’ troops fell a touchdown short to Kings Fork last week, 24-17, but a seven-point loss to a fellow 4A team that won two games in last year’s playoffs (38-3 against Grafton and 33-14 against Booker T.) is not the worst of starts.

Although replacing Donald King and his 2,400 yards over the past two seasons will be a tall task, having veterans QB Nick Turner and RB Lowell Patron in the backfield, along with last year’s 44-catch wide out Chris Pierce in the mix should provide stability to the offense.

The "Wall's" Peninsula Games of the Week - Doubleheader at Todd -- Heritage and Woodside Win

A couple of takeaways from last Friday's doubleheader at Todd. First, I am going to gloat a little bit about my predictions which were displayed here and at recruit757.com. 

Woodside's Tamir Walker was in beast mode against
Menchville last Friday night, gaining 251 total yards of
rushing and receiving, as well as 4 touchdowns.

For the Heritage-Warwick contest, I predicted a 35-21 final. As you see, it was 36-18. For the nightcap, I mentioned that last year's game was 49-0 in favor of Woodside, and the only difference this year might be that Menchville would score once or twice. Final score -- 46-7 Woodside.

But looking at the Peninsula District, it was good to see Heritage bounce back from a 54-0 spanking in Week 1, while Warwick looked to be improved from last year's 2-8 team.

In Game 2, Tamir Walker of Woodside is looking like a beast. He ended up with 88 yards rushing, 153 receiving and FOUR touchdowns! Woodside will once again be a team to beat in the PD, and I'd probably rank the top 4 as Hampton, Phoebus, Woodside, Bethel (in spite of 0-2 record).

(As seen on HRVarsity.com)

HERITAGE 36, WARWICK 18

NEWPORT NEWS – The Heritage Hurricanes avenged a 54-point loss to Lake Taylor last week, upending Warwick 36-18 on Friday at Todd Stadium.

After a scoreless first quarter, Heritage (1-1) got on the board first, gaining two points when the Warwick snap from punt formation went over their punter’s head and rolled out of the end zone. The Hurricanes put their first solid drive together (nine plays, 64 yards) later, but it fizzled on fourth down at the Raider 9. On their next possession, starting at midfield, running back Roy Johnson III found daylight down the left sideline and sprinted past the Warwick defense for a 50-yard score. Khari Greene’s extra point gave the Canes a 9-0 lead with nine minutes left in the first half.

Warwick (1-1) put together its own long drive, highlighted by a 23-yard Demonte Good run and finished with a two-yard quarterback sneak by D.J. Nunn, which closed the lead to 9-6.

But Heritage roared back. QB Jeremiah Boyd (eight for 15, 190 yards, 2 TD’s, int) found a wide-open Amonyae Watson down the right seam and the wide receiver galloped the last ten yards for a 40-yard TD.

The Hurricanes momentum blew over into the second half. Tre’Sean Shackleford, who had been held to 11 yards rushing in the first half, found his bearings and carried for 45 yards on five carries on Heritage’s opening drive, which ended with a one-yard touchdown sneak by Boyd.

After a Silas Walls fumble recovery, Boyd found Watson again, this time on a 64-yard bomb, which put the game away for the Canes. Elijah Anderson’s nine-yard pass from Nunn gave Warwick some life, especially after they recovered the ensuing onside kick. But Phillip Harley’s second interception sealed the game for Heritage.

Shackleford added a two-yard rushing TD for Warwick, while Good completed the Raiders scoring with a two-yard plunge in the fourth quarter.

Watson finished the game with three catches for 146 yards plus the pair of touchdowns.

HERITAGE  0, 16,14, 6 -- 36

WARWICK   0, 6, 6, 6  --  18

Second quarter

H – Safety. Punt snap rolls out of end zone.

H – R. Johnson 50 run (K. Greene kick)

W – Nunn 2 run (pass failed)

H – Watson 40 pass from J. Boyd (K. Greene kick)

Third quarter

H – Boyd 1 run (K. Greene kick)

H – Watson 64 pass from J. Boyd (K. Greene kick)

W – Anderson 9 pass from Nunn (pass failed)

Fourth quarter

H – Shackleford 2 run (pass failed)

W - Good 2 run (pass failed)

      

               Her    War  

First downs;    11, 17

Rushes-yards;  32-171, 47-151

Passing yards;   190, 99

Comp-att-int;   8-15-1, 11-17-2

Penalties-yards; 8-56, 10-110

Punts-avg;      1-3, 2-24

Fumbles-lost;   1-1, 1-0

WOODSIDE 46, MENCHVILLE 7

NEWPORT NEWS – In the nightcap, Woodside jumped all over the Monarchs early, and cruised to a 46-7 win.

The Wolverines (1-1) scored on their first four possessions. Running back Tamir Walker scored the first two on 21 and 69 yard passes from Tyhier Tyler. Jacari Lee snared a 31-yarder from Tyler, and TaShawn Lassiter finished the first half scoring with an eight-yard sweep to the left.

Menchville (0-2) found its way on to the scoring column early in the second quarter. Malik Dixon took an Anthony Wyatt pass in the right flat, then beat the Woodside defense down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown. At the half, the Monarchs trailed 27-7.

Woodside opened the second half with a six-play, 70-yard drive capped by Walker’s third touchdown, a one-yard scamper around the right side.

Walker added a fourth touchdown on another sweep to the right, this one for 31 yards. Kendall Bell added a nine-yard touchdown run to finish the Wolverine scoring.

For the game, Tyler completed nine of 12 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns, while Walker caught five passes for 163 yards. In all, Woodside outgained Menchville 454-145.

WOODSIDE        15,12,12, 7  -- 46

MENCHVILLE    0, 7, 0, 0 --       7

First quarter

W – Walker 21 pass from Tyler (pass successful)

W – Walker 69 pass from Tyler (Mitchel kick)

Second quarter

W – Lee 31 pass from Tyler (kick blocked)

W – Lassiter 8 run (kick failed)

M – Dixon 51 pass from Wyatt (Mitchel kick)

Third quarter

W – Walker 1 run (run failed)

W – Walker 31 run (run failed)

Fourth quarter

W – Bell 9 run (Mitchel kick)

                   Wood   Mench       

First downs;    15, 9

Rushes-yards;  26-173, 41-71

Passing yards;   281, 74

Comp-att-int;   9-12-0, 3-5-0

Penalties-yards; 5-40, 4-45

Punts-avg;      0-0, 2-28

Fumbles-lost;   1-1, 2-2

HS Football: Newport News Doubleheader at Todd Stadium Friday, Sept. 4th

In Thursday's high school football action, Hampton, led by coach Mike Smith, won its 800th game as a program, shutting out Denbigh 38-0. With the win, the Crabbers become only the 10th American high school team to reach the 800-win plateau. Here's the link to the game summary, as provided by Kate Yanchulis of the Daily Press.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/highschool/dp-spt-hampton-denbigh-20150903-story.html

In the game previewed here yesterday, Tabb managed to keep up with Hopewell for three quarters, before the Blue Devils ran away with a 49-20 victory. Here's Marty O'Brien's story.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/highschool/dp-spt-brd-gamer-0904-20150903-story.html

I'm covering a pair of games for the DP at Todd Stadium tonight. Here's a preview that I wrote for recruit757.com.     

http://www.recruit757.com/todd-stadium-doubleheader-highlights-friday-schedule/

Heritage (0-1) vs. Warwick (1-0), 5 p.m.

Heritage Coach George Massenburg hopes for a better result this Friday (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

The Peninsula District will get its season underway this weekend, including a key doubleheader of Newport News schools at Todd Stadium on Friday night.

In the first game, Warwick will play host to the Heritage Hurricanes.

For Heritage, fresh off an 11-2 season, a collective short memory may be their best remedy after a 54-0 drubbing at the hands of last year’s 4A state champion Lake Taylor. Few things went right for the Hurricanes last Friday. The team was outgained 370-68 in total yardage, while completing only two of 16 passes. The offense was further stalled with four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles).

However, Heritage retained many of its key players from last season, and will remain a force within the Peninsula District. Junior quarterback Jeremiah Boyd begins his third year as the starter, and he has help in the backfield, namely in the form of last year’s leading rusher Tra’Sean Shackleford (103 carries, 709 yards, 6.8 avg., 4 TD’s). Omar Martin (86 carries, 525 yards, 6.1 avg.) is also back, and Boyd is known for possessing fleet feet, giving the Canes a triple threat on the run.

Tyquan Baucom, a transfer from New Bern, NC, has been playing middle linebacker and should help to shore up a defense that will get better as the season progresses.

Nevertheless, the Raiders (2-8 in 2014) look to be better than the team that lost 43-6 to Heritage last year, a fact that was evidenced in their 27-18 win over Granby last week. In that game, Warwick overcame 11 penalties to build up a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter.

Demonte Good led the ground attack for Warwick, tallying 147 yards on 23 carries, with a pair of touchdowns. Not bad for a converted wide receiver. On the defensive side, end Malik Harris will lead a team that returns eight starters, but will have to continue a speedy maturation process to avoid giving up over 30 points per game like it did in ’14.

Coach Corey Hairston has other reasons to be pleased with the progress of his team. While young last season, many of his players gained valuable experience from playing a full schedule and will reap the benefits this year.

Heritage will be hungry for a week after last week’s devastation, but this year’s margin of victory will probably be nowhere near the 37-point spread from 2014. Something along the lines of 35-21 in favor of Heritage looks more reasonable.

Woodside (0-1) vs. Menchville (0-1), 8 p.m.

In the second game, Woodside (7-4 in 2014) will face Menchville, a team coming off successive 1-9 seasons, and now coached by Ray Savage.

Woodside should win the fictitious award for toughest Week 1 test among Peninsula teams. The Wolverines opened their season with a six ½-hour bus ride to Rock Hill, SC, where they clashed with 2013 state champion Northwestern. Although Woodside “hung around” and were only trailing 26-17 in the third quarter, the hosts pulled away for a 47-23 victory.

After the game, Coach Danny Dodson told a South Carolina newspaper, “We played our tails off and got beat by a real good football team. That’s why we wanted to play them.”

There were positive signs for Woodside, such as converting 22 first downs, eight more than their opponent. Looking ahead to this season, Dodson brings back key members of a high-powered offense that averaged 33.3 points a game last year.

With L.J. Taylor’s transfer to Denbigh, Tyhier Tyler regains his spot as the starting quarterback, a role he played for the first nine games of 2014 before a season-ending injury put him on the sidelines. Tyler ran for 119 yards and two TD’s against Northwestern. Tamir Walker, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2014 added 99 yards of rushing against Northwestern and will compliment an offensive trifecta that includes Demetri Banks. Last year, Woodside could score early and often, as shown against Gloucester when they scored touchdowns on each of their first three offensive plays.

The Monarchs had a tough time in their opener, scoring the initial touchdown against Nansemond River, but then giving up 53 unanswered points en route to a rough loss. However, looking toward the future, Savage is trying to lay the groundwork for a team that has not enjoyed postseason success for 22 years.

For this year, he needs to look no further than his living room to see the key to his defense. Ray Savage Jr., a 6-2, 206 lb. linebacker, who has been drawing college interest, will lead the Monarchs. On offense, Savage can rely on returning QB A.J. Wyatt, as well as senior running back Malik Dixon, who led the team with 488 rushing yards last year.

Woodside won this game 49-0 last year, and the only difference on Friday could be a score or two from the Monarchs.

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.

The "Wall's" Peninsula Football Game of the Week - Indian River 14, Bethel 8

Bethel tailback DeAndre Gillis (#22) led the Bruins in
rushing last night with 72 yards in a 14-8 loss to I
Indian River.

The high school football season opened last night, and my first assignment was to cover an up-and-coming Indian River HS team from Chesapeake, which traveled across the water to square off with the Bethel Bruins of Hampton. I had the Braves favored by a couple of touchdowns, and was surprised to see Bethel playing aggressive defense and holding Indian River to one first down and negative four yards for the entire first half, while building an 8-0 lead.

However, through social media and a pair of eyes on the field, I learned that Indian River had suspended 13 players for this matchup. The fact that they won 14-8 was a testament to the rest of the team that found a way to win by overcoming adversity. But Bethel, 5-6 last year, looked decent in its first game for Coach Beverley. The defense, which gave up 29 points per game last year, was stingy and held the Braves to just 15 rushing yards (on 28 carries), and a mere 122 total yards. New quarterback Navarro Price showed a strong arm, and the offense will take shape as he finds more ways to include T.J Chisley in the mix. DeAndre Gillis (20 carries, 72 yards) is developing into the go-to back for Bethel, and Janaz Jordan (10 for 30) could become a fine complimentary player.

Here's my preview, which was posted on recruit757.com Friday morning.

xxx

The Bethel Bruins have made the switch from 6A to 5A (PenSouth Conference 10) and will open their 2015 campaign tonight with a 7 PM home game at Darling Stadium. This is the good news for football fans of the Hampton school.

Here’s the not-as-good news — they will continue to play a full schedule against nine other Peninsula District teams, and their opening opponent, Indian River of the Southeastern District, is ranked third in the initial Recruit757.com Southside poll. Also, with the addition of some talented transfers, the Braves will be arguably better than the squad that finished last season with an 8-4 record and a playoff win.

While the Bruins’ first task is daunting, head coach William Beverley is happy to have at least decided on his starting quarterback, the one he hopes will improve on the .500 mark (10-10) that Bethel has posted over the past two regular seasons.

However, as of Friday morning, Beverley had yet to make a public announcement on his starter, who was selected on Monday or Tuesday, allowing for several full practices with the team. Lekendrell Lowther and Navarro Price were the two contenders for the opportunity to replace Beau Morgan as the signal caller. Regardless of which one wins the starting job, he will have at least one weapon on offense, in the form of wideout T.C. Chisley, a versatile athlete, who was given the task of replacing Darrell Brown, last season’s deep threat. Chisley could also see time at quarterback if either Lowther or Price struggles in the first half.

Running back Quinton Lee is also gone from Bethel, but Beverley hopes that the combination of Janaz Jordan and DeAndre Gillis will be able to keep the Bruin backfield in motion. Offensive lineman Daquan Silver (6’5”, 303 lbs.) should help to create open spaces for both runners. Robert Viney, a 6’4”, 310 pound transfer from Fork Union and last season’s All-Conference player Korey Ricks (6’0”, 290) will help to give Bethel a formidable force up front.

The trio of Silver, Viney and Ricks will also provide stability on the defensive line, but the Bruins will need to improve on last year’s mark of giving up 29 points per game if they harbor any hopes of gaining extended post-season play.

On the other side of the field, while Bethel is quickly filling its roster gaps, the Braves did a fine job at reloading, with a huge boost from players who starred at other schools last year.  Linebacker Tavante Beckett transferred from Oscar Smith and should be a solid addition to a mid-defensive core, which already features a standout in linebacker Jaquan Yulee. Beckett’s new teammate Kevin Staton, made the move from Great Bridge, and at 6’6” and 330 pounds, will be tough to move on the offensive and defensive lines, a fact that may have helped running back Tyain Smith make the decision to join Staton in transferring from Great Bridge to Indian River. Omar Butler, a transfer from I. C. Norcom, should also help the Braves on the defensive side of the ball.

Indian River is also returning several key players on offense. Along with transfer Smith, the Braves have a bonafide quarterback in Tyre Givers-Wilson, a 6’4”, 210 lb. senior, as well as wide receiver Devon Hunter (6’3, 210, Jr.), a pair of college sized players who should help the offense light up the scoreboard.

However, Coach Glenwood Ferebee, in his second year at the Chesapeake school, has set a high standard for his team this year, with Southeastern District, 5A South region, and state titles all in his sights. After the team’s scrimmage against Tallwood, Ferebee told Recruit757, “(We) keep pressing. You gotta get better every week.” adding that while his team intends to take the season one week at a time, the objective will be to peak at the end of the year.

Ferebee impressed with his team’s collective effort in its final scrimmage against Tallwood, while Bethel gave up several long drives in its matchup against Landstown last Thursday.

On paper, it looks like the Bruins may be overmatched by a couple of touchdowns. However, if Bethel can keep the game close, Beverley hopes to rely on one more secret weapon, kicker John Vassilakopoulos, who he found on the Bruin soccer team.

IAAF World Track Championships - Bolt Wins Round One - Nips Gatlin by .01 Second in 100 Meters

Today, Thursday, Bolt made it 2-for-2, taking the 200-meter championship with a blazing 19.55, more incredible because he slowed down for the final 15 meters. Gatlin was again second, in 19.74.


Round 1 was a race for the ages. Fighting off the rust that accompanied an injury from two years ago, Jamaica's Usain Bolt held off an early-leaning Justin Gatlin to capture the world 100-meter title last Saturday evening.

The margin of victory was .01 seconds (9.79 to 9.80), but to the naked eye, the race looked like a tie.


Watching the race, I had a number of thoughts and feelings racing through my head. This was the most highly anticipated track race in years. At face value, it held enough drama. In lane 7 was Gatlin, the 33-year old who has been running his fastest ever times this season, and held a 28-race unbeaten streak which had stretched over two years.

Two lanes over was Bolt, the eight-time world champion and winner of six Olympic gold medals. Two months ago, I made a Facebook post pointing out that Bolt's best season times of 10.12 in the 100 and 20.18 in the 200 through June, were mere hundredths of a second better than Noah Lyles, a junior from T.C. Williams --- HIGH SCHOOL! -- in my hometown of Alexandria, VA. Through the summer, the man who reinvented the bow and arrow shooting pose would take until the end of July to dip under ten seconds for the 100-meters. Rumors of his demise were imminent, and Gatlin looked to become the new sheriff in town.

Funny thing with Bolt is that he always shows up when the lights are brightest, and Saturday was no exception. He overcame a rough start in the semifinals to find his drive phase and win from seventh place. In the finals, his start was better, but he still had to catch Gatlin with his last three strides to win at the tape. Sensing the 6'5" Bolt at his side, Gatlin tried to over-compensate at the very end, a move that made him lean five meters too soon, and allowed the Jamaican to win at the last step.

In spite of the fantastic race, the event was overshadowed with cries that the sprinting duel was a show of "good versus evil," and that the future of athletics hung in the balance. Many in the sports and social media world like to jump on the bandwagon of people who decry Gatlin as a "two-time" drug cheat. In fact, his first "offense" was overturned because the foreign substance in question was adderall, a prescription medicine that Gatlin had been taking since age nine for a diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) condition. He did serve a four-year suspension for the second offense, but denies intentional wrongdoing, and has passed 59 drug tests since returning to track in 2010. 

In fact, a revealing article by Alan Abrahamson, best-selling author and founder of 3 Wire Sports (www.3wiresports.com), may shed some more light on this subject -- a light that gets cast in the direction of Trevor Graham, Gatlin's former trainer, and shows Graham's possible history of deception, especially since he was a key player in the BALCO scandal. Here is Abrahamson's article link:

http://www.3wiresports.com/2015/08/20/justin-gatlin-and-a-run-for-redemption/

For those who are simply interested in track, there is great news. Bolt and Gatlin will most likely square off again two more times this week - in the open 200, and as anchors of their country's 4x100 meter relay.