Virginia Peninsula Game of Week #5 (Part 2 & 3) - Bethel Upsets Heritage 28-27; Denbigh Squeaks By Menchville 26-24

Bethel's Jeremiah Owusu (#9) with Bruins defensive
coordinator Isaac Fulwood

From Saturday's high school football doubleheader at John B. Todd Stadium

BETHEL 28, HERITAGE 27

NEWPORT NEWS – Bethel overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to upend previously undefeated Heritage 28-27 in the second game of a doubleheader at Todd Stadium on Saturday. The win puts Bethel ‘s record at 3-2 (2-2 Peninsula) and back into serious 5A playoff contention.

With 3:10 remaining in the third quarter of Saturday’s Bethel-Heritage game, the Hurricanes’ Shedrick Washington ran around the left side and out of bounds at the 6. While heading for the tackle, Bethel cornerback Kimonte White went airborne and landed awkwardly on his leg, breaking it upon impact.

When play resumed, Heritage quarterback Jeremiah Boyd scampered around the left side and dove at the left pylon to score on a six-yard touchdown. After Nevada Jones recovered a Bruin fumble on the next possession, Boyd found Amonyae Watson just behind the Bethel secondary for a run-and-catch 42-yard score. The extra point missed, but the Canes enjoyed a 27-14 lead and had all the momentum.

But the Bruins were not ready to quit.

“We already had Dwayne Hudson down,” said quarterback Navarro Price. “We knew that we all had to come together.”

“We focus on getting everybody reps,” added star receiver Jeremiah Owusu. “We told our guys that Monte was there for us and now it’s up to us to win this game for him.”

After Watson’s score, the Bruin offense immediately found its bearings, driving 50 yards on six plays, with Price’s touchdown pass to Owusu covering 24 yards and putting Bethel back in the game at 27-21.

After Heritage was forced to punt, the Bruins recharged with their best drive of the night, a nine-play, 68-yard series, which ended with two stellar runs by 250-pound fullback Janaz Jordan. The first, a 30-yard rumble through the Hurricane defense, put the ball on the Heritage 5, and set up the key play, another 5-yard grind by Jordan for the score.

John Vassilakopoulos added the extra point, and Bethel enjoyed its first lead of the night at 28-27.

From there, the Bruin defense bent, but refused to break, allowing several double-digit gains from Heritage, but not a score. And when Boyd’s last attempt to pass resulted in a swarm of Bruins players swarming over him for a sack, the visitors realized that they had the game won and the celebration began.

But it won’t be for too long.

“We’re not celebrating too much,” said Owusu. “I’m sure that we’ll be back at it tomorrow.”

Heritage opened up the scoring, sealing an 11-play, 56-yard drive with a counter handoff to Washington, who busted through the middle for an eight-yard touchdown.

After Bethel failed to convert a first down, the Hurricanes went to work again. A Boyd pass deflected off a Bruin defender and into the hands of Timothy Payne for a 21-yard gain to the Bruin 39. Four runs brought the ball to the 20. From there, Boyd called his own number and weaved through the porous Bethel defense for a touchdown, giving the home team a 14-0 lead.

Bethel fumbled on their next possession and Heritage was in a position to put the game out of reach. However, Boyd fumbled on his first drop back, giving the ball right back to the Bruins. On their second play, Bethel struck back with Navarro Price finding Owusu wide open down the right sideline for a 27-yard TD. The extra point missed, keeping Heritage ahead 14-6.

After a stalled Cane drive, Bethel put together its best drive of the first half, moving 50 yards on seven plays. A 26-yard run by Ki’sean Storm brought the ball to the 11, and was followed by another Storm run, for nine yards. After a trio of failed attempts to break the plane of the goal line, the Bruins turned to their battering ram, Jordan, who ran through the line for a two-yard score. Down by two, Bethel opted for the conversion, and went right back to Jordan, who broke through a second time for the two-pointer, knotting the score at 14.

BETHEL       0, 14, 0, 14 -- 28

HERITAGE   7, 7, 13, 0 -- 27

1^st Quarter

H – Washington 8 run (Greene kick)

2^nd Quarter

H – Boyd 20 run (Greene kick)

B – Owusu 27 pass from Price (kick failed)

B – Jordan 2 run (Jordan run)

3^rd Quarter

H – Boyd 6 run (Greene kick)

H – Watson 42 pass from Boyd (kick failed)

4^th Quarter

B – Owusu 24 pass from Price (Vassilakopoulos kick)

B – Jordan 5 run (Vassilakopoulos kick)

           Beth    Her 

First downs;     12, 15

Rushes-yards;  32-112, 40-136

Passing yards;  125, 145

Comp-att-int;   9-17-0, 8-23-0

Penalties-yards; 4-30, 7-41

Punts-avg.;      5-32, 4-24

Fumbles-lost;   4-2, 0-0

 

DENBIGH 26, MENCHVILLE 24

In the opening game, Daquan Benton’s two key interceptions in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Patriots in a seesaw battle with an exciting finish.

Trailing 26-24 with 5:03 remaining, the Monarchs gained possession just over midfield and managed to gain two first downs on six rushes. With first-and-10 at the 22, Menchville’s K.J. Sarvis threw toward the end zone, where the diminutive senior defensive back picked it off.

The Patriots failed to convert a first down and were forced to punt with just under 40 seconds left. However, on the first play from scrimmage, Benton intercepted Sarvis’ pass again, and the Patriots ran out the clock.

Menchville (0-5) gained their first lead of the season midway through the first quarter. Nick Webster converted a fake punt on fourth-and-seven from the Denbigh 27, gaining the needed seven yards. Later, a pass interference call on the Monarchs put the ball at 10, and set up Corey Hairston, who busted through the middle of his offensive line and scooted in for the score.

Jameer Lukerson, making his first start for Denbigh, evened the score just before halftime. The Patriots benefitted from great field position as Menchville’s punt snap went over Nick Webster’s head, and he was tackled at the Monarch 17. After an eight-yard pass to Shaquan Jones, Lukerson called his own number three straight times. He reached the end zone on the first carry, but his knee hit at the one-foot line. Two plays later, Lukerson snuck through for the game-tying touchdown.

The third quarter was explosive offensively for both teams and keyed by two passing touchdowns of 43 and 37 yards from Lukerson to Keyshawn Chisholm. The Monarchs held tight, buoyed by an 80-yard interception return by senior cornerback Marquis Rhodes.

MENCHVILLE  6, 0, 10, 8 -- 24

DENBIGH          0, 6, 12, 8 -- 26

1^st Quarter

M – Hairston 10 run (kick failed)

2^nd Quarter

D – Lukerson 1 run (pass failed)

3^rd Quarter

M – Warner 31 FG

M – Rhodes 80 int return (Warner kick)

D – Chisholm 43 pass from Lukerson (pass failed)

D – Chisholm 37 pass from Lukerson (pass failed)

4^th Quarter

M – Butts 15 run (Dixon run)

D – Banks 71 pass from Lukerson (Lukerson run)

           Mench   Den  

First downs;     12, 9

Rushes-yards;  48-211, 23-4

Passing yards;  0, 208

Comp-att-int;   0-6-3, 11-23-0

Penalties-yards; 6-57, 15-110

Punts-avg.;      5-28, 5-33

Fumbles-lost;   2-1, 1-1

Virginia Peninsula Game of Week #5 (Part One) - Poquoson Slams York 28-7

Last weekend was busy. I covered a game on Friday night - this one, and then watched on Saturday as they "played TWO" at Todd Stadium. Here's a recap from Friday, in its original form. One must understand that the paper is pressed for space, so segments of what I write don't make the final cut. Therefore, remember to check the "Wall" if you see me at your game.

POQUOSON 28, YORK 7

POQUOSON – Cole Jackson ran for a pair of touchdowns and Donovan Edwards returned an interception 22 yards for a score, catapulting Poquoson to a 28-7 win over rival York at home.

Although neither team gained much traction offensively in the first half, it was Poquoson who scored the first two touchdowns, mostly because of their beneficial field position, which was attributed to a sturdy Islander defense that held York to 100 total yards. The opening Poquoson drive started at the Falcon 39, and a pedestrian ten-play drive was capped by junior running back Robert Henesey, who bulled his way into the end zone from the 3.

A fumble recovery by Poquoson’s Gunnar Ogburn gave the Islanders the ball at the York 33. Jackson’s 18-yard run helped to set up a first-and-goal from the 7. On second down, the senior back scored from the 4, as Poquoson opened up a 14-0 lead.

However, York (0-4) opened the second quarter with its own scoring drive. Sophomore quarterback Ramsay Hayyat found Adam Lytle for a 23-yard gain that pushed the ball to the Islander 36. After a trio of runs by Cole Lytle gained 18 yards, Hayyat found Adam Lytle again, this time for an 18-yard score. Adam Meade’s extra point cut the lead to 14-7, which was the halftime score.

Jackson broke the game open on Poquoson’s second drive of the second half. With third-and-five, he took a handoff on a sweep to the right, deked a defender, cut toward the middle of the field, and ran untouched for a 39-yard score. For the game, Jackson finished with 93 yards on ten carries.

Edwards’ interception off a Hayyat pass completed the scoring for the Islanders, who raised their record to 3-1 (2-1 Bay Rivers).

YORK              0, 7, 0, 0 -- 7

POQUOSON  14, 0, 14, 0 -- 28

1^st Quarter

P – Henesey 3 run (Andersen kick)

P – C. Jackson 4 run (Palmer kick)

2^nd Quarter

Y – A. Lytle 18 pass from Hayyat (Meade kick)

3^rd Quarter

P – C. Jackson 39 run (Andersen kick)

P – D. Edwards 22 int return (Palmer kick)

         

 York   Poq

First downs;     5, 11

Rushes-yards;  27-45, 44-160

Passing yards;  55, 15

Comp-att-int;   4-15-1, 3-7-0

Penalties-yards; 8-35, 8-75

Punts-avg.;      7-32, 6-35

Fumbles-lost;   1-1, 2-1

Virginia Peninsula Games of Week #4 - Heritage and Phoebus Remain Undefeated Atop Peninsula District

HERITAGE 35, MENCHVILLE 2

NEWPORT NEWS – Heritage overcame a slew of first half penalties, two of which nullified passing touchdowns, to handily defeat Menchville 35-2 on Friday night at Todd Stadium. With the win, the Hurricanes remain undefeated and edged to the top of the Peninsula District standings.

 

Photo by Sam Mizelle

Heritage (4-0) was flagged seven times for 60 yards in the first half. Holding penalties on the offensive line negated both a 43-yard touchdown pass to Shedrick Washington and 51-yard touchdown pass to Amonyae Watson. The Hurricanes struggled to gain traction with their offense and led only 7-0 after the first quarter as Jeremiah Boyd scrambled out of traffic to his right and found a wide-open Watson in the back of the end zone for a 20-yard score.

Roy Johnson III and Trevon Faison added touchdown runs in the second quarter as Heritage extended its lead to 21-0 at halftime. In the first half, the Canes outgained Menchville 275-24, and the Monarchs were held to a single first down.

The best drive for Heritage came as they took possession for the first time in the second half. The Canes drove 82 yards in five plays, capitalized when Boyd arched a 25-yard pass that caught Watson in stride. The ball bounced off his right hand and straight into the air as Watson snared the ball before running through the back of the end zone for the score. For the drive, Boyd completed all four of his passes for 71 yards, as the Canes converted five consecutive first downs.

Boyd also helped his team on the defensive side, intercepting a flare pass from Menchville and returning the ball 18 yards for a touchdown.

Shedrick Washington stopped the Monarchs longest drive when he intercepted Shemar Butts’ pass and stepped out of bounds at the Hurricane 3. Yet, the turnover led to Menchville’s only score. On Heritage’s second play, the Monarch defense found a Hurricane runner changing direction and tackled him in the end zone for their lone score – a safety.

Boyd finished the game completing eight of 16 passes for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Watson who finished with three catches for 68 yards.

HERITAGE       7, 14, 14, 0  -- 35

MENCHVILLE   0, 0, 0, 2  --  2

1^st Quarter

H – Watson 20 pass from J. Boyd (Greene kick)

2^nd Quarter

H – R. Johnson III 18 run (Greene kick)

H – Faison 2 run (Greene kick)

3^rd Quarter

H – Watson 25 pass from J. Boyd (Greene kick)

H – J. Boyd 18 interception return (Greene kick)

4^th Quarter

M – Safety – running back tackled in end zone

       Her   Mench

First downs;   15, 5

Rushes-yards;  28-204, 32-55

Passing yards;  163, 0

Comp-att-int;   8-19-0, 0-5-2

Penalties-yards; 8-65, 3-15

Punts-avg;      1-42, 6-27

Fumbles-lost;   1-1, 1-0

PHOEBUS 21, WARWICK 0

HAMPTON – The Phoebus defense held Warwick to just 20 total yards and three first downs to key a 21-0 win over the Raiders at Darling Stadium on Saturday. With the win, Phoebus (4-0) remains in a first place tie with Heritage for the Peninsula District lead. The Hurricanes stopped Menchville 35-2 on Friday night to remain undefeated.

Shadarius Horne provided the key play for the Phantoms as a Tzion Lucas pass hit him in the midsection at the Raider 32. The middle linebacker caught the ball and rumbled in for a touchdown, which gave Phoebus a 14-0 in the third quarter after Cori Jackson caught Iziah McNair’s two-point conversion pass.

In the fourth quarter, Bryce Bailey completed the scoring with a 12-yard power touchdown run through the middle of the Raider defensive line.

The Phantom defense has been their calling card this year. Phoebus is undefeated, due mainly to a swarming defensive line that gives opposing offenses little room to set up plays. They gave up a single touchdown in each of their first three games, and Warwick could do almost nothing throughout the game, but particularly toward the end, gaining a minus 38 yards for the second half.

“It was a complete team effort,” said Coach Jeremy Blunt after the game, before naming players “Patterson, 55, Taite, 82, Purdie, 84, Ryder, 42, the entire defensive backfield was key.”

The Phantom offense did little damage, gaining only 151 yards in the game. According to Blunt, that was all they needed.

“We got a lead, and at that point, there was no need for flashy football.” The Phantoms used different backs for successive runs – first Daequan Fleming, and later Daniel Wright and Bryce Bailey.

“We have a lot of guys who can carry the ball,” added Blunt. “I credit the entire offensive line for that.”

Both offenses were stagnant in the first half, combining for 139 yards and six first downs. Phoebus had a scoring opportunity on their opening drive. After a 60-yard punt return by Andre Jackson put the ball on the Raider 13, the Phantoms ran Fleming three consecutive times for nine yards, setting up a 4^th-and-1 from the 4. However, the Warwick defense stuffed 225-pound running back Wright for no gain and got the ball back.

The Raiders repeatedly tried to run into the middle of the Phoebus defense with no success. Warwick carried the ball 15 times in the first half, but gained only 27 yards. They failed to get the ball past the Phoebus 40 and could only muster one play over ten yards – a 12-yard pass from Tzion Lucas to Tayshaun Porter.

Meanwhile, the Phantoms were having their own trouble moving the ball. But, after the Raiders failed to convert a fourth-and-three from the Phoebus 46, the Phantoms cobbled together a scoring drive. Iziah McNair found Andre Jackson for a 20-yard pass, giving the Phantoms a first down conversion – their first.

A nine-yard run by Wright was enhanced by a facemask penalty on Warwick, giving the Phantoms another first down at the 16. Two more runs by Wright took the ball to the 8, and set up McNair, who rolled to his left, found an opening and flipped into the end zone for the half’s only score. The extra point failed, and Phoebus led 6-0 at the half.

Late in the game, Warwick’s Travis Williams picked off a McNair pass for his fifth interception of the season. The Raiders dropped to 2-2 with the loss.

WARWICK 0, 0, 0, 0 -- 0

PHOEBUS  0, 6, 8, 7 --  21

2^nd Quarter

P – McNair 8 run (kick failed)

3^rd Quarter

P – Horne 32 int return (C. Jackson pass)

4^th Quarter

P – Bailey 12 run (Sharpe kick)

          War   Pho

First downs;     3, 9

Rushes-yards;  28- (-14), 38-109

Passing yards;  34, 42

Comp-att-int;   4-14-1, 3-7-1

Penalties-yards; 6-30, 13-115

Punts-avg.;      8-30, 5-37

Fumbles-lost;   1-0, 0-0