POQUOSON — The Poquoson Islanders rolled in their football opener Friday night, scoring 35 points in the first quarter, and finishing the evening with a 56-7 win over Southampton at Poquoson Middle School.
Senior running back Baker Green put on an offensive clinic in the first quarter, with five carries, 141 yards and four touchdowns, as Poquoson stormed to a quick 21-0 lead. Green’s first score, on the Islanders’ first play from scrimmage, was for 66 yards on a sweep left as he outsprinted the Indians to the end zone.
They would be Green’s only carries of the game. Coach Elliott Duty substituted freely throughout the game, getting repetitions for younger players, which are well-needed for his smallish squad.
“Depth becomes a problem, especially in a smaller school like ours, with only 32 (players),” saidDuty, whose team could contend for the Class 2 state title. “But it was good to execute well. I thought we blocked really well on the first few series.”
Khaleo Smith followed with an 82-yard interception-return touchdown from a Zayden Pope pass. Green would follow with three rushing touchdowns of double-digit yardage.
Ryan Burke caught a 17-yard pass from Eli Tyndall to open the second-quarter scoring, and Smith busted up the gut for a 14-yard rushing TD just before halftime. Smith added a 21-yarder for Poquoson’s lone second-half score.
There were two bright spots for Southampton. Punter Aaron Braid uncorked a high kick that traveled 50 yards in the air before rolling another 33, making for an 83-yard punt which backed Poquoson to its 2-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Pope and Xavier Tyler combined on a textbook post pattern route for a 34-yard score.
