The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week - Lakeland Presents Unusual Challenge to Poquoson

From Recruit757.com

3A East Semifinals – Lakeland (3-8) vs. Poquoson (9-2), Friday 7:00 PM, Poquoson Middle

Lakeland LB Monte Hillard (Photo: Joe Barnes/recruit757)

Looking at the team records, this would appear to be a one-sided affair getting ready to be played out on Friday night in Poquoson.

However, the educated fan knows better than to jump to conclusions. Yes, Lakeland finished their regular season with a 2-8 record, while the Islanders were 8-2. And Poquoson was arguably the second best team in the Bay Rivers District, behind only undefeated Lafayette.

Yet, Lakeland is classified as a 3A school, albeit one of the largest ones, and plays in the Southeastern District. As such, their opponents included 6A and 5A powerhouses, such as Oscar Smith, Western Branch, Indian River, Grassfield and Nansemond River. With the point differential earned from playing teams with higher classifications, the Cavaliers snuck into the 3A playoffs as a #6 seed, despite sporting only a 2-8 record. And in their first round matchup, Lakeland, who had not won since a brief two-game fling in midseason, defeated #3 Park View (South Hill) 21-14.

The Cavs’ performance was highlighted by two long touchdowns – a 75-yard TD run by Damontra Milteer in the second quarter, which pushed the Lakeland lead to 14-7, and an 80-yard passing score from freshman quarterback Tyquan Holloman to Alajuwun Langston, which extended the lead to 14. DeAndre Faulk opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run.

Poquoson breezed into the second round of the 3A East playoffs by shutting out Warhill 39-0. The Islanders are led by seven players that earned first-team Conference 25 honors, one of which is star quarterback Trey Hicks. Hicks has a few weapons lined up around him including receiver Matt Blaser (former Wild Wings Player of the Week), running back Kyle Poultney (137 yards on 13 carries against Warhill; 966 rushing yards and 10 per carry), and tight end Brandon Peck, who was all-Conference on offense and defense as an end.

Defensively, Robert Henesey, who doubles as one on the Islanders top wrestlers, is a mainstay at linebacker, while lineman Gunnar Ogburn had nine tackles against Warhill, as well as a forced fumble and recovery, which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown.

Other all-conference performers to keep an eye on are Drew Watkins (lineman) and kicker Chris Coccimiglio.

The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week #2 - York High Makes Easy Work of Colonial Heights in 1st Round of 3A East, 44-6

YORK– Ramsay Hayyat threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, two to Luke Gilbert, as York opened its 3A playoff campaign with an easy 44-6 win over Colonial Heights.

The Falcons (7-4) will move on to next week’s semifinal round, against Phoebus at Todd Stadium.

Before the game, York coach Doug Pereira talked of his team’s need to avoid mistakes.

“We need to execute, plain and simple. I know it sounds clichéd, but we need to do what we do.” Pereira admitted that he knew little about the Colonials, having only seen them twice.

They succeeded. The Falcons controlled the first half, outgaining Colonial Heights 271-64. Freshman quarterback Ramsey Hayyat passed for 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the opening stanza. His first touchdown pass, on York’s third play of the game, came on a 25-yard lob over the middle, which found Da’Shaun Jones, who outsprinted the Colonial defense for a 59-yard score. Logan Weis’ extra point made the score 7-0 in the game’s first two minutes.

On the ensuing possession by Colonial Heights, the Colonials fumbled, and the loose ball was recovered by York’s Noah Pascarella. This led to a 19-yard field goal by Weis and the Falcons opened up a ten-point cushion.

Another Colonial fumble, recovered by KeMont Lipscomb, led to York’s second TD, a two-yard burst through the middle by Devin Campbell. On the previous play, Luke Gilbert lined to the left as a tight end, angled for the left corner and caught Hayyat’s ball, picking up 25 yards before he fell at the 2.

The next Hayyat-Gilbert combination was unique. The freshman dropped back to pass, and watched as the senior receiver was shadowed by three Colonial defenseman. Hayyat then arched a pass three yards behind the group, which Gilbert ably gathered as he ambled backwards, turned and ran in for a 56-yard touchdown.

Gilbert, who came into the contest averaging almost 25 yards per reception, caught five passes for 155 yards.

The first half was not all pretty, even for York, who was whistled for eight penalties for 69 yards. Colonial Heights had seven flags of their own (for 68 yards), but the Falcons took a 23-0 lead into halftime.

Devinne Edwards had the lone score for Colonial Heights (4-7) on a two-yard run in the games final 2:30.

COLONIAL HEIGHTS –        0, 0, 0, 6 - 6

YORK  -                                  17, 6, 14, 7 - 44

First quarter

Y – D. Jones 59 pass from Hayyat (Weis kick)

Y – Weis 19 FG

Y – Campbell 2 run (Weis kick)

Second quarter

Y – Gilbert 56 pass from Hayyat (kick failed)

Third quarter

Y – Gilbert 28 pass from Hayyat  (Weis kick)

Y – Lightfoot 6 run (Weis kick)

Fourth quarter

Y – Wakelyn 8 run (Weis kick)

CH – Edwards 2 run (run failed)

    

          CH   York

First downs;    9, 12

Rushes-yards;  28-67, 24-80

Passing yards;   75, 281

Comp-att-int;   4-13-1, 9-18-1

Penalties-yards; 10-94, 11-90

Punts-avg;      3-36, 1-29

Fumbles-lost;   4-4, 0-0

The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week #1 - Hampton Trounces Maury 42-6 in First Round of 5A South Playoffs

HAMPTON – Quarterback Jovonn Quillen ran for four touchdowns, all in the second half, as Hampton advanced to a 5A South semi-final matchup with Norview, by beating Maury 42-6.

Quillen, who gained 133 yards, ran for three touchdowns in last week’s 42-3 win over Churchland, and headed a Crabber rushing attack that gained 296 yards on 40 carries. Hampton overcame an early scare by Maury to score 30 unanswered points in the second half.

Maury started the game playing fearlessly. Their first two drives netted only a first down and 31 yards, but gave the Commodores a chance to show the versatility of their offense, as Markell Wood, Ronnie Faulks and Delveon Little all got carries.

Hampton scored its first two touchdowns during the first quarter – both on Quillen passes, a three-yarder to Trequan Smith, and a 20-yarder to Dazz Newsome.

It was on Maury’s third drive that they began to net results and claw back into the game. Starting on their 24, Maury put its offense on display with a 15-play, 76-yard drive, which ended with a 2-yard run through the middle by Little, who switched to quarterback for the final three plays. Between Little and Kevin “Bam” Mills, Maury completed six of seven passes for 58 yards on the drive. Receiver Anthony Williams was the recipient of four of those passes for 32 yards, including a clutch 23-yarder on 4^th-and-10 from the Crabber 39.

Hampton ran three plays before punting on its next possession and Maury went to work again, driving 76 yards on 11 plays. Passes to Williams (18 yds.) and Charles Ridley (21) set up the Commodores with a first-and-goal from the 9. After a pair of penalties, Mills threw two passes to Williams in the end zone, which were nearly caught for scores. With third and goal, Mills’ pass was intercepted in the end zone by Tyqwan Brown, who almost committed a costly error when he tried to run out of the end zone and was almost tackled for a safety.

Hampton led only 12-6 going into halftime, and in the second half, they started out with mixed results, although Quillen scored his first touchdown in the third quarter – a 21-yard sprint through the right side of the Crabber line. Hampton led 20-6 at the end of the third period.

However, the fourth quarter belonged to Hampton. Quillen ran for touchdowns of one, eight, and nine yards, all on successive drives, as the Crabbers built a lead that became insurmountable. Two more interceptions, from Brown and Juanya Majette, held the Commodore offense at bay as they gained only 71 yards in the second half, after tiotaling 195 in the first.

MAURY –        0, 6, 0, 0 - 6

HAMPTON  -  12, 0, 8, 22- 42

First quarter

H – T. Smith 3 pass from Quillen (kick failed)

H – Newsome 20 pass from Quillen (pass failed)

Second quarter

M – D. Little 2 run (kick failed)

Third quarter

H – Quillen 21 run (K. Hunter pass)

Fourth quarter

H – Quillen 1 run (pass failed)

H – Quillen 8 run  (T. Smith run)

H – Quillen 9 run  (Seldon run)

       

      Maury  Hamp

First downs;    12, 16

Rushes-yards;  42-133, 40-296

Passing yards;   133, 35

Comp-att-int;   12-23-4, 3-8-1

Penalties-yards; 9-75, 4-24

Punts-avg;      3-28, 1-31

Fumbles-lost;   1-1, 3-2

The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week #2 - York Looks for First Round Win Against Colonial Heights

3A East – #5 Colonial Heights (4-6) vs. #4 York (6-4), 2:00 PM Saturday, Bailey Field (Yorktown)

Simply put, Colonial Heights is a team in trouble as they head to Yorktown for Saturday’s matchup against York.

The Central District team is without its star running back Darien Canada. Canada, who joined the Colonials after transferring with his military family from Texas, fractured his leg in the last regular season contest against Petersburg. Surprisingly, Colonial Heights, who had garnered a 5-34 record from the beginning of 2012, managed to overcome a 16-point deficit at halftime to overtake Petersburg and earn a surprisingly high seed for a 4-6 team.

However, Canada, with his 1,254 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, will not be easy to replace. Devinne Edwards, who ran for 87 yards in Canada’s place last week, will try and fill the void.

On the other side of the field, the Falcons will be waiting. The York offense is firing on all cylinders after last week’s win over Jamestown. In that game, Devin Campbell served as a one-man wrecking crew. In his final home game as a Falcon, Campbell rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown, while grabbing four passes for 123 more yards and another pair of scores. With his performance, Campbell topped 1,000 yards on the ground for the season, and the 339 total yards with three TD’s raised him to “Superman” status.

Not to be outdone, freshman quarterback Ramsay Hayyat completed all 11 of his passes against Jamestown for 285 yards and three touchdowns. With the final outburst, Hayyat finished the regular season with 1,151 yards and nine touchdown passes.

Hayyat’s main target remains Luke Gilbert, who finished the season with 18 catches for a remarkable 24.8-yard average and four TD’s. However, Adam Lytle lit up the Eagles last week for 100 yards on three receptions.

The Falcon defense, headed by Darius Reynolds, finished among the Bay Rivers District leaders in fewest points allowed (15.1 – 3rd ) and fewest yards allowed (189.6 – 2nd).

Facing a traveling opponent without their star player, the Falcons should be able to utilize their weapons on both sides of the ball and live to play another week.

The "Wall's" Peninsula Playoff Game of the Week #1 - Maury vs. Hampton - Undefeated Crabbers at Home on Friday Night for Round 1 of 5A South

Maury (4-6) vs. Hampton (10-0), Friday 7:00 PM, Darling Stadium (Hampton)

Maury Football (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

Maury is going to face a uphill battle on Friday night. The Commodores staggered to the finish line, losing to Granby 14-3 in their regular season finale. While their 4-6 record is better than the 1-9 mark from 2014, Coach Chris Fraser and his troops are going up against a Crabber squad that not only finished the regular season undefeated, but outscored its final three opponents 152-6.

Fraser will rely on Delveon Little to lead the offense. Little, a 5-11, 195 lb. senior running back, has gained close to 4,000 yards in his Maury career and represents the key cog in that the coach has called “the best I’ve ever had.” Markell Wood and Shamarr Perry can catch balls, return kicks and play cornerback, and for Maury to have a chance, they will have to come up with several big plays.

Hampton has blitzed through its regular season without being seriously challenged. In the past three games, key players, such as star quarterback Jovonn Quillen, have been able to enjoy the second half as a spectator.

That pattern may continue on Friday. With Hampton outscoring its competition 423-82, there is no reason to believe that they will not jump to a big lead in their first post-season matchup. The Crabbers have too many weapons. Quillen leads Hampton with 811 rushing yards, but his 15-1 TD/interception ratio is phenomenal for a high school quarterback. Trequan Smith has carried 88 times for 647 yards, but has been on fire of late, with eight rushing TD’s in the final three games. Dazz Newsome is the Crabbers “Mr. Everything,” and he scored seven touchdowns in one game earlier this season. Newsome is an end zone threat as a runner, receiver, defensive back, and return man.

However, do not be surprised to see some new faces in the box score for Hampton. Demetrius Strickland has been seeing more carries for Hampton, while Khamari Hunter has hauled in two touchdown passes in the past few games. In the final game against Churchland, Burnell Pulley caught two passes for 61 yards.

The "Wall's" Peninsula Game of the Week #2 - Hampton U. Shuts Out Florida A&M 33-0

HAMPTON – In a game that started under a steady downpour, the Pirates celebrated Senior Day in strong fashion, shutting out Florida A&M 33-0.

With the win, the Pirates evened their season record at 5-5 (4-3 MEAC).

Hampton had an early opportunity to score as Chaka Diarrassouba partially blocked a FAMU punt from deep in their territory. The ball rolled upfield, but the Pirates were able to start from the Rattler 33. However, Hampton failed to capitalize, and after a fourth down pass from Watford sailed past its target, the Rattlers took over.

Hampton was more successful on its next drive, which went 32 yards on ten plays, and culminated with a 39-yard field goal by Adam Brown. The Pirates saved themselves on the drive when Watford, facing 3^rd-and-17 from the Rattler 45, dumped a screen pass to Dwayne Garrett, who scooted 18 yards for the first down to keep the drive alive.

On FAMU’s next drive, linebacker Jamari Cord forced, and then recovered, a fumble at the Rattlers 24. But the Pirates went the wrong way, losing 16 yards, and were forced to punt.

Watford alternated with Jerrell Antoine at quarterback, but neither could get the offense moving with regularity in the first quarter, perhaps a by-product of the soggy conditions. Both teams combined for a mere 39 yards in the opening quarter, which had Hampton leading 3-0.

The Pirates found a spark of offense early in the second quarter, in the form of running back Chris Dukes, who gained 31 yards on six rushes,. This set up Antoine, who faked two handoffs, then found a wide-open Twarn Mixson in the end zone for a 35-yard score. Brown’s extra point gave Hampton a 10-0 edge.

“We just started executing,” said Hampton Coach Connell Maynor. “We started executing the plays, and once that happened, we started hitting for big plays. That’s why I was switching quarterbacks.”

Asked if he was committed to a starter for the final game against Savannah State, he simply answered, “No.”

The Pirates tacked on another touchdown just before halftime. Antoine found Shakim Alonzo in the end zone to finish a six-play, 80-yard drive, and the Pirates led 17-0 at halftime.

While Hampton was finding its offensive bearings, the Rattlers were stuck in neutral, gaining only 14 yards on 28 plays in the first half, including a minus four yards of total rushing.

Hampton maintained its momentum in he second half. On its first drive, the Pirates moved 39 yards on ten plays to set up another Brown field goal – this one from 36 yards. Antoine kept the drive going by scrambling for 13 yards on a 4^th-and-3 play.

Watford re-entered the game at QB, and found Kentrel Richard for a 3-yard score to highlight a seven-play, 61-yard drive, which put Hampton in the lead 27-0.

Garrett led the Pirates with 147 yards on 20 carries, his first 100-yard effort of the season. Mixson added 100 receiving yards on three catches.

“He’s a hard runner, and all season, he’s been a couple of plays away from breaking out. The offensive line did a great job,” added Maynor, when asked about Garrett’s contribution.

After a 3-8 campaign last year, the Pirates are looking to finish the season on upswing. A win next week against Savannah St. (currently 1-6) would give them a winning record for the season.

Asked about the importance of finishing 6-5, Maynor spoke toward the future.

“If we finish with 6-5, it shows a winning record, plus we’ll be 5-3 in the MEAC. Five conference wins is a huge deal. It will show people that we’re on the right track, and that the tradition is coming back. It’s part of the process. You can’t just turn around a Division I program in one season because of APR and other things.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

FLORIDA A&M –   0, 0, 0, 0 - 0

HAMPTON  -           3, 14, 3, 13 - 33

First quarter

HU – A. Brown 39 FG 1:30

Second quarter

HU – Mixson 35 pass from Antoine (Brown kick) 8:43

HU – Alonzo 16 pass from Antoine (Brown kick) :27

Third quarter

HU – A. Brown 36 FG 11:11

Fourth quarter

HU – Richard 3 pass from Watford (Brown kick) 12:21

HU – Garrett 3 run (pass failed) 5:32

      FAMU  Hamp

First downs;    16, 20

Rushes-yards;  37-62, 49-224

Passing yards;   106, 197

Comp-att-int;   12-24-0, 9-25-0

Penalties-yards; 6-63, 7-61

Punts-avg;     7-37.6, 3-34.3

Fumbles-lost;   3-1, 0-0