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

The "Wall's" Peninsula Game of the Week #1 - Hampton High Finishes Regular Season Undefeated With 43-6 Thrashing of Churchland

Interesting pair of games for the "Wall" last weekend. Last Friday, I covered Hampton High's game - on Saturday it was Hampton University. They both won big. Here's the Crabber game:

HAMPTON – Quarterback Jovonn Quillen ran for three touchdowns to lead the Crabbers to a 43-6 thrashing of Churchland at Darling Stadium.

With the win, Hampton (10-0) finished the regular season undefeated and cemented their #1 seed in the upcoming 5A South playoffs, which will begin next weekend.

An interception by Hampton’s Juanya Majette set up the first Crabber touchdown, an eight-yard keeper by Quillen. The conversion pass to Trequan Smith was successful and Hampton enjoyed an early 8-0 edge.

After an unsuccessful Churchland drive, a short punt gave Hampton good field position, and they took over on the Trucker 40. From there, it took only four plays for the Crabbers to gain their second TD, an eight-yard run from Demetrius Strickland.

Hampton’s next drive stalled, but they quickly recovered with lineman Tyrique Coleman grabbing a tipped pass out of the air for Hampton’s second interception. The ensuing field goal attempt was no good, but Hampton drove 90 yards on seven plays with their next drive, culminating with a 32-yard blast up the middle by Smith, who, to avoid a tackle, high stepped into the end zone.

Rashaud Taylor picked off Churchland’s Corey Gause for the Crabber’s third interception of the half, and Quillen struck again, scoring on a three-yard charge through the middle, on the final play of the first half.

Churchland had a chance to score on its opening possession of the second half, but fumbled at the Hampton 10-yard line. They would not come close again until late in the fourth quarter when Gause hit Michael Huff with a flare pass and Huff rumbled 39 yards to the touchdown.

Hampton immediately struck back, gaining 65 yards on three plays – a 30-yard pass to Burnell Pulley III, a 15-yard run by Smith, and the capper, a 20-yard run by Strickland, who took Quillen’s pitch down the left sideline for the score.

The Crabbers gained 380 yards of total offense and rushed for 266 yards on 33 carries. Quillen led the Crabbers with 102 yards on 16 rushes.

The win was the 461^st for Coach Mike Smith – fourth all-time among high school coaches.

CHURCHLAND –   0, 0, 0, 6 - 6

HAMPTON  -      15, 12, 10, 6 – 43

First quarter

H – Quillen 8 run (T. Smith pass)

H – Strickland 8 run (Valenzuela kick)

Second quarter

H – T. Smith 32 run (kick failed)

H – Quillen 3 run (run failed)

Third quarter

H – Safety – Edwards tackled in end zone

H – Quillen 17 run (Strickland run)

Fourth quarter

C – Huff 37 pass (pass failed)

H – Strickland 20 run (run failed)

       

      Church  Hamp

First downs;    9, 16

Rushes-yards;  29-51, 33-266

Passing yards;   160, 114

Comp-att-int;   12-23-3, 5-11-0

Penalties-yards; 12-82, 5-33

Punts-avg;      2-30, 2-46

Fumbles-lost;   3-2, 0-0

Grafton Volleyball Reaches Conference 18 Finals With Win Over Lafayette; Will Meet Jamestown in Final

In related news, Jamestown did defeat Grafton to win the Conference 18 final over Grafton last night, but both teams will be in the 4A South region tournament, which will begin next week.

YORK – With a 4A South regional berth on the line, the Grafton girls volleyball team survived a pesky challenge from Lafayette for the first two sets, then rolled through the third set to sweep the Rams 25-22, 25-20, 25-14.

With the win, the second seeded Clippers (21-4) will travel to top seeded Jamestown (18-3) on Thursday for the Conference 18 final. Jamestown swept Smithfield on Wednesday to earn their place in the conference final. Last week, Grafton defeated the Eagles 25-21, 25-23, 25-15.

Speaking about the possibility of a second straight win against Jamestown, Grafton coach Karissa Cumberbatch preferred to look toward the 4A South Region tournament next week.

“We’re hyped, but there’s no pressure tomorrow. We just have to play our game and take care of our side of the floor. Next week is what matters.”

The first set followed a pattern after the initial 14 points seesawed back and forth. With the score tied at seven, Grafton scored the next four points, and seemed to be gaining the momentum. But the Rams clawed back, not once, but on three separate occasions. Their last run narrowed a 20-16 Clipper margin to 22-all. But Grafton closed the door, scoring the set’s final three points, with Sophia Beaudoin providing the set-ending kill.

The second set was tight throughout. Lafayette relied on their heavy hitter Abby Orem, while Grafton countered with recent CNU-signee Rachel Blitt. Blitt delivered the key kills to keep the Clippers in the set. But with a tie at 17, Sam Heard took control, accounting for an ace and kill as part of a 4-0 Clipper surge that served as an impetus for Grafton to hold on and win Set 2.

The Grafton servers also performed well against Lafayette.

“We serve teams tough, and put balls away. Kaitlyn Young was particularly tough tonight, with lots of serving runs. She must have had at least three aces,” added Cumberbatch.

The third and final set was all Grafton. On one particular exchange, the Clippers first two hits of a return sent the ball sailing way backwards and over the back line. With a burst of speed, Haley Sutton ran ten feet behind the back line and with her back to the net, sent a powerful return back over her head and over the net, a shot which stunned the Rams and fell to the ground to give the Clippers a 9-3 lead which they would not relinquish.

Lafayette coach Lee Thornhill could only praise the team concept, while pointing out his two best players.

“We rely heavily on Abby (Orem) and Julia Howard. The Abby-Julia combination will cover a lot of deficiencies. But they couldn’t overcome the six players on the other side of the net tonight.”

Grafton def. Lafayette 25-22, 25-20, 25-14

Grafton (21-4): Sophia Beaudoin (6 kills, 19 digs), Rachel Blitt (11 kills, ace, 4 digs, 5 blocks), Haley Sutton (11 digs). Lafayette (12-10): Abby Orem (15 kills, 12 digs), Julia Howard (23 assists, 8 digs).