Malachi Nixon’s 73-yard interception return for a touchdown capped a dominant first half for No. 9 King’s Fork, and the Bulldogs held on to defeat Churchland 26-13 Friday night in Portsmouth in the opener for both teams.
The host Truckers were penalized for taunting before the opening kickoff, which King’s Fork returned to the Churchland 27. After a Bulldogs penalty, Darryl Wilson Jr. ran 32 yards for a touchdown.
De’Andre Artis-Boone’s 24-yard TD pass to Denosh Rodgers with 6:41 left in the second quarter capped a 70-yard drive and began the Bulldogs’ decisive flurry.
Artis-Boone threw a 31-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to Jahmel Mackey with 1:43 to go before the half, and Nixon’s pick-six and Javon Ford II’s second PAT gave King’s Fork a 26-0 lead with 19 seconds remaining before intermission.
“I just jumped the ‘out’ route I knew was coming, and good blocking got me in the end zone,” Nixon said.
After two personal fouls on King’s Fork, the Truckers gave their fans a thrill on the final play of the first half. King Hall swept left, looked like he would be forced out of bounds but reversed field to the right for a 31-yard touchdown.
Though the Bulldogs couldn’t add to their lead, the Truckers couldn’t pull back into contention despite Dontavious Booker’s 2-yard touchdown run with 11:12 remaining.
“To not score in the second half was frustrating,” King’s Fork coach Anthony Joffrion said. “We will work on finishing games.”
– Reported by Gary Lassiter
Norcom uses turnovers to control Grafton
Tyrell Grant threw three touchdown passes as No. 15 Norcom defeated Grafton 38-14 in Portsmouth in the season opener for both teams.
The Greyhounds capitalized on turnovers by the Clippers to build a 38-point lead.
Grant completed 11 of 20 passes for 223 yards and found different receivers with each of his scoring throws. His team led 25-0 in the second quarter.
Matthew Outten accounted for most of the yardage on Norcom’s first drive, carrying the final 11 yards for a touchdown to cap a 62-yard possession.
After Grafton recovered a fumble at the Norcom 18, Frederico Staton Jr. nabbed the first of his two interceptions, taking it 84 yards for a touchdown.
Grant and Joedee Shelton connected on a 93-yard touchdown after the Clippers fumbled away an opportunity at the Norcom 3-yard line. Outten’s 23-yard reception gave Norcom its final TD in the third quarter.
It looked like Norcom might post a shutout until Grafton’s Owen Seaford ran 2 yards for a touchdown in the final minute. The Clippers quickly got the ball back and made it 38-14 on Luke Bryant’s 27-yard TD pass to Seaford.
The late touchdowns frustrated Greyhounds coach Anthony Hawkins.
“We need to continue to work on improving in all phases of the game in this coming week,” he said. “That was uncharacteristic of Norcom football.”
Norcom outgained Grafton 297-107 in offensive yards and held the Clippers to five first downs.
– Reported by Charlie Baumgardner
Who is the 757Teamz MVP?
Poquoson’s Baker Green only needed a quarter to earn this award.
Green had four touchdowns in the first quarter — that’s not an error, all in the first quarter — helping the Islanders roll to a 56-7 home victory over Southampton.
Green scored on runs of 66 yards, 15 yards, 32 yards and 16 yards.
Storylines
Indian River’s defense isn’t enough: The 12th-ranked Braves’ defense matched up well against Richmond powerhouse Varina, but the Blue Devils earned a 13-0 victory in Chesapeake.
Varina (1-0) took a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter when Linwood Johnson hit DaMari Carter on a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Varina looked like it would pull away in the second half, moving inside the Braves’ 5-yard line. Indian River rose up and stopped the Blue Devils, and they missed a field goal.
Varina got the ball back and started driving again, getting to the 5-yard line. Indian River stopped them three times, but on fourth down, Johnson scored on a 5-yard run and Varina took a 13-0 lead.
The lead was too much for Indian River’s offense, as the Braves were picked off twice late in the fourth quarter.
Warwick dominates in opener: No. 5 Warwick fell behind by a touchdown when Grassfield ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. The Raiders rolled from there, beating the Grizzlies 53-7 in a non-district game in Chesapeake.
Raiders quarterback Eduardo Rios Jr. threw for more than 150 yards and three touchdowns. Saeed (JR) Williams had two touchdown receptions, while Julio Carrecter added a TD reception and returned a punt for a score.
Ri’jon Hammond, a transfer from Woodside, led the Raiders’ rushing attack with 150 yards.
“We challenged our kids throughout the week, our offensive and defensive lines, our wide receivers and our quarterback,” Warwick coach Corey Hairston said. “They rose to the occasion.”
Hampton looks strong against Woodside: Hampton dominated offensively and defensively in defeating Woodside 31-6 in their Peninsula District game at Todd Stadium.
Veteran quarterback Khaioz Watford led the way by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Jamari Lumpkin and Viquan Newton had the TD receptions.
Lumpkin made a tackle in the end zone for a safety, as did Devon Anthony. The Crabbers scored on three safeties.
“We played really well,” Crabbers assistant coach Andre McGlone said. “The young guys had some jitters and we made some mistakes early, but we got things figured out.
“The kids played hard, and that’s all we ask, is that they give 100 percent effort.”
Young Warriors hold on for win: Kecoughtan broke open a close game by scoring the final 16 points in its 23-6 win over Gloucester at Darling Stadium. Quarterback Knowel Smith’s short touchdown run gave the Kecoughtan an early 7-0 lead that held up to halftime.
The Dukes turned a bad snap into a long touchdown run by their punter to pull to within 7-6 in the third quarter. But the Warriors pulled away on two touchdown runs by Malachi Marion and a safety.
Warhill duo leads Lions in opener: No. 11 Warhill rode big nights from running back Jaedyn McAdoo and quarterback Liam Francisque to a 49-8 win in a non-district game at Manor.
McAdoo returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and had touchdown runs of 35, 18 and 2 yards. Taylen Eady added two touchdowns, while Mark Hayes had another.
“I thought we played really well,” Warhill coach Jerome Rhodes said. “Our quarterback (Francisque) threw for almost 200 yards in his first start and added another 50 on the ground.
“We had a few mistakes — that happens in the first game — but we played disciplined most of the game and now it’s on to (next opponent) Matoaca.”
Warriors’ offense delivers in opener: No. 13 Nansemond River got numerous big offensive contributions in beating Bethel 41-21 in a non-district game at Nansemond River.
Quarterback Alkendric Overton threw for more than 200 yards and Melvin Brown ran for more than 100. Demonta Bassett scored twice for the Warriors, and Immanuel Ezeogu led the receiving corps with more than 65 yards.
“We beat a quality opponent tonight,” Warriors coach Alonzo Ricks said. “There are always things you can do better from the first game, but we played pretty well.”
He said it
“We’re a young team and it was our first game, so we were sloppy at first. But we got better throughout the game, and that’s what I feel we’ll do throughout the season.”
Kecoughtan coach Jeff Super, talking about his Warriors during their victory over Gloucester. He could have been talking about most Hampton Roads teams on opening night, as many coaches talked about first-game jitters and young players.
Extra points
Tristen Williams scored three touchdowns, including a 55-yard interception return, during Norfolk Christian’s 34- victory over Manteo of North Carolina.
Will Foley scored four touchdowns — two on receptions from Cooper Tyszko — as Norfolk Academy defeated Currituck of North Carolina 46-21.
Friday night’s scores
757Teamz Top 15
#3 Oscar Smith 39, Hermitage 19
#5 Warwick 53, Grassfield 7
#9 King’s Fork 26, Churchland 13
#11 Warhill 49, Manor 8
Varina 13, #12 Indian River 0
#13 Nansemond River 41, Bethel 21
#15 Norcom 38, Grafton 14
Peninsula District
Hampton 31,Woodside 6
Kecoughtan 23, Gloucester 6
Non-district
Bruton 41, Northampton 3
Granby 49, Denbigh 7
Jamestown 24, Nottoway 5
Petersburg 14, Booker T. Washington 6
Norview 11, Smithfield 10
Poquoson 56, Southampton 7
Private schools
Atlantic Shores 48, Isle of Wight Academy 6
Norfolk Academy 46, Currituck County (N.C.) 21
Catholic 29, First Flight (N.C.) 22
Norfolk Christian 34, Manteo (N.C.) 6
North Cross 15, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 13
