Oscar Smith WR Quinta Funderburk (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

School’s back in session and reality has come home to roost at Oscar Smith.  Coach Morgan and the Tigers have some work to do and you can be certain that the boys will be working extra hard this week. 

The good news for Oscar Smith is that they won’t see another team like Pickerington Central until they get deeper into the playoffs this fall, assuming that Oscar Smith takes their usual role as regional frontrunner.   Pickerington Central of Ohio is nationally ranked and was playing in front of a partisan home crowd.  It is much like the advantage that Oscar Smith had when they hosted Venice High School of Florida at this point last year. 

Central can tout the star power of their players.   Safety Eilar Hardy has already verbally committed to Notre Dame.    Cornerback Tamani Carter has been offered by Air Force, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Stanford and Kent State.   There’s really no one else on Oscar Smith’s regular season schedule that has that kind of college recruitment going on. 

It’s not as though Smith fell flat.  They performed well on a national stage against a highly ranked team.  J.J. Williamson was 17 for 29 and 352 yards passing.  Quinta Funderburk had seven receptions for an astounding 224 yards and two touchdowns (that’s 32 yards a catch!).   The run defense for Pickerington was stellar as they held J.C. Coleman to only 39 yards on 15 carries. 

Smith could have played better on special teams.   They gave up way too much in terms of field position and put their defense in unenviable positions most of the afternoon.   Still, midway through the third quarter, Oscar Smith only trailed 23-20.  The game was in their grasp.  The momentum moved away from our Tigers when Eilar Hardy ripped off a 55 yard touchdown run and the Pickerington Central Tigers never looked back. 

The final score of 36-20 was a bitter pill for Oscar Smith.  Beginning today, they’ll be back to class in more ways than one.

All in all, Oscar Smith got a lot of benefit from playing in a nationally televised game at a college facility far away from home.  From here, the rest of the season is all too familiar.   It should take a while before any of the Tigers take an opponent lightly, not that they did in this case.  Upcoming games against Indian River and Kings Fork will be approached like games against nationally ranked competition, and that won’t bode well for the Braves and the Bulldogs. 

Will the rest of the Southeastern District see Oscar Smith as the Black Knight with a chink in his armor?  Many schools won’t have the personnel that Pickerington Central did, but you can bet that every coach on the schedule watched the game yesterday looking for holes in Oscar Smith’s schemes and execution.

Oscar Smith hasn’t lost a regular season game since their November 3, 2006 tilt against Hickory.  Knowing Oscar Smith’s coaching staff, work started last night on a plan that will remedy yesterday’s miscues. 

- Andy Hilton

Oscar Smith Head Coach Rich Morgan (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

It’s not unfamiliar territory for Oscar Smith.  They finished the 2008 season ranked in the top 10 nationally and that notoriety carried them into the 2009 season.  With Blue Chip All-American Quarterback Phillip Sims at the helm, the Tigers carried a top 10 national ranking all of last year.  That team opened the season with a home game against Venice, Florida that aired on ESPN.  This year, the challenge will be greater.

This year’s Oscar Smith squad gets the challenge of hitting the road and playing one of Ohio’s top prep teams.  They’ll play the game on national television, but this time they won’t have the friendly confines of their home stadium to do it in.  They get to play in 102,000 seat Ohio Stadium.  The Horseshoe.  Home of The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Oscar Smith will also have to face this task without Phillip Sims for the first time in four years. Sims has gone on to the University of Alabama.  In his place will be junior quarterback Jaylin “J.J.” Williamson.  Williamson will not only play his first varsity game today, but he’ll play in front of a hostile crowd, out-of-state, in a major venue, against a nationally ranked team.  Talk about a trial by fire.

Pickerington Central is the top team in Columbus, Ohio and has won their division each of the past four years.  The Central Tigers lost in the second round of last year’s playoffs to the eventual State Champions.  That sounds eerily similar to Oscar Smith’s story.   Oscar Smith has won the Southeastern District each of the last six years and lost in the State Semifinals last year to eventual State Champion Thomas Dale High School.

The style of the two teams are contrasting.  Pickerington Central runs a multi-formation offense that is lead by two quarterbacks and relies on one main back for the running attack.  Their line is big and strong.   Oscar Smith on the other hand, will rely solely on Williamson to lead the way.   Williamson has numerous offensive weapons at his disposal including a receiver corps that’s no less than five men deep.   BCS recruit Quinta Funderburk will lead the way for Oscar Smith this year, and at 6-5 210, he provides a tall, rangy target.  

The difference between the two may ultimately be size vs. speed.   Oscar Smith might not be able to penetrate the Pickerington Central offensive line the way they’d like to without running around the size that Central will present.   Central may try to bull their way through Oscar Smith’s defense.   On the offensive side of the ball, Oscar Smith may find that they can utilize their speed to elude Central’s defense.   That’s if Williamson can efficiently distribute the ball and keep mistakes to a minimum. 

If Pickerington Central doesn’t knock Oscar Smith in the teeth with physical play early on, expect Smith to maintain their swagger and gain more confidence as the game goes on.  If Oscar Smith is in the game late, they could easily find a way to win it.   Pickerington Central’s best chance at a win may be an early round knockout.

Oscar Smith vs. Pickerington Central, 4PM today on ESPNU

- Andy Hilton

QB Zach Tarpey (Photo: Larkin Taylor Stone/Dukes Dispatch)

0-10 last season.  1-9 or worse the past four seasons.  No winning record since 1987.  The Peninsula District hasn’t exactly been kind or forgiving toward the Gloucester Dukes, who despite having the largest student body in the district, continuously fail to compete against their competition.

Head coach Sonny Merchant hopes that this is the year that all that starts to change.

“Last year was really disappointing, but I think this year is going to be better.  One of the things we have going for us is having a lot of guys back who have been here since I took over two years ago,” Merchant said.

Merchant is 1-19 in his two years at Gloucester, and 10-40 in his career.  Building an experienced program has been his top goal.  Although the school has a large student population and is the only high school in the county, the Dukes struggle to get players to come out for the team.

“Those guys, the senior group, and a lot of the juniors actually; when I came in we didn’t have a lot of kids so a lot of younger guys got a lot of playing time.  They’re getting it as sophomores and freshmen.  That’s the good thing. That will help us execute, being more experienced we know what we’re doing.  Things won’t get in our heads as much because of the experience factor,” Merchant said.

Merchant has also made more of an emphasis on offseason weight training and conditioning, hoping that his team will be in better shape to match up and be able to go the distance against district opponents.  “We’re still at a disadvantage; we’re not bigger, we don’t have the team speed, but we’re probably always going to be that way,” Merchant said.

“But again, the experience of running what we run, and our guys having time together helps.  Execution wise, we have to be really good with the execution of our offense because it can help us slow down some of the faster defenses we face and help put us on a more level playing field. It will help us control the ball and keep games under control,” said Merchant.  “We need to be in a position at the end of the game to be close.”

Merchant and the Dukes plan to run the triple option again this year, so the scheme is not changing, but the talent running it has. Some personnel shifts have been made and there are some new faces, but there is still a lot of experience.

The offense is lead by senior quarterback Zach Tarpey (6-0 200) who is entering his second year as the starter, and after receiving varsity playing time as a sophomore, he enters the season as one of the more veteran quarterbacks in the district.  Seniors Shamar Marsh (5-7 190) and J.B. Bennett (5-9 180) will carry the bulk of the load at running back.  Brandon Petty (SR 5-8 190) and Deon Harris (SR 5-10 225) will also see some carries.  Senior wide receiver A.J. Hamilton (6-1 175) will be the top target when the Dukes go to the air.  Seniors Carlos Pollard (6-1 270) and Brandon Minter (6-0 235) will anchor the offensive line and pave the way for the running game.

“We don’t have the one real stand out star like other teams do, it’s a team effort for us,” Merchant said.  “It’s going to take them all working together.  We don’t have that one guy who can run around and make things happen for us, and they know it.  It’s a mature group.”

On defense, senior defensive end Robert Ellison (6-3 180) was a great player for the Dukes last year and will provide a strong pass rush.  Marsh, Bennett, and Harris will start at linebacker and play both ways.  Ryan Thompson will start at middle linebacker in the team’s 3-5-3 scheme.  Malcolm Breckinridge (6-1 180) will be the teams top corner.  Says Coach Merchant, “we have some big returning guys who should garner votes for us in all district.”

The defensive experience will help Gloucester stay away from giving up the big plays that they have in years past.  “That’s been the killer for us in closer games,” Coach Merchant said.  “One or two big plays; those mistakes come from younger players being in the wrong alignment or assignment.  I think we’ll take those away with our discipline.”

As for his goal this season, Merchant hope that his team’s experience and off-season workouts will enable the Dukes to stay competitive in Peninsula District games.  “I think we’ll be a more disciplined and better conditioned team that can put up a better longer fight”

He also hopes to avoid injuries because the team has very little depth, which goes with experience, size, and ability at the skill positions.  “I think this team will have a better offense year, put more points up, and control ball better,” Merchant said.  The key is to not give up big plays and on offense control the ball better.”

 While Gloucester has a more disciplined and more mature group, they still lack the skill to compete with the Peninsula District’s top teams.  Gloucester can hopefully win a few games, and continue to develop young players in hopes of soon securing that elusive winning season.

- Kellen Owings

Indian River's Geno Hawkins and Corwin Cutler (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

Lake Taylor lost last week.  That probably stuck in their craw.  With one game down and one loss on their record, the Titans weren’t going to stay down for long. 

Indian River, on the other hand, is a team looking for a fresh start.  Coming off of a year where they finished 0-10, the Braves were anxious to get into a new season and prove that they have what it takes to win.  It will have to happen another night. 

Lake Taylor punished the Braves with their ground game on offense, kept the Braves defense on the field and never let up.   The Indian River defense held tough for a long time and kept the Lake Taylor offense out of the end zone for a good part of the first half.   Linebacker Torrein Edwards (SR 5-11 190) broke the ice by picking off a Corwin Cutler pass at the Braves’ 10 yard line and running it into the end zone untouched.  

Lake Taylor Linebacker Bryan Mebane (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

As the game wore on, Darrion “Booty” Walton’s yardage piled up.   Lake Taylor Quarterback Donavan Powell (SO 6-2 185) aided the attack with his skill as a dual-threat quarterback.   When Walton wasn’t toting the rock, Powell was either taking the ball upfield on his own or dumping it off to his receivers in short, efficient passes.  Lake Taylor led 35-0 then tacked on a safety when Torrein Edwards struck again, blocking Indian River’s punt in the end zone. 

From there, Indian River was forced to kick off to Lake Taylor and the Titans ran out the clock.  Final score: Lake Taylor 37, Indian River 0.

Indian River’s schedule gets no easier as they face Oscar Smith on Saturday, September 11 at Oscar Smith at 3pm.   Lake Taylor plays Kecoughtan at 7pm next Friday night on the Peninsula. 

- Andy Hilton

Coach Stan Sexton (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

They may have two straight undefeated seasons and two straight Group AAA Division 5 championships, but Phoebus Phantoms’ coach Stan Sexton is focused on only one thing: the next game.  Sexton, who is undefeated as a head coach at Phoebus, has his group focusing on one game at a time, with little worry about a third straight state championship.

“First thing is, we’re not thinking about that (an undefeated championship season) right now at all.  We’re thinking about playing Gloucester this week,” Coach Sexton said.

“The big thing is with teenage kids, you can’t look ahead.  We have to look at what were faced with now, and right now our focus is playing the best we can against them and coming home with a victory.”

Coach Sexton says that the Phantoms aim to open it up more on offense this season.  While the team doesn’t intend to go away from the power running game they are known for, they want to counter defenses from stacking the box by airing it out more.

QB Eric Enderson (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

Charged with that task on offense is junior quarterback Eric Enderson (6-1 190).  Enderson beat out Jordan Roby, a transfer from Hampton, for the starting nod.  Enderson is used to high pressure situations, being an All-State kicker last year, who won three games for the team with kicks.  That grace under pressure should lend itself well to being the starting quarterback for a State Championship team.

Joining Enderson on offense is senior tight end Dequan Romero (6-1 215), a dangerous tight end and two way player.  Junior wide receiver Romond Deloatch (6-5 205) provides a big target in the passing game, and proved throughout the preseason that he can be a big weapon.  Running back Tyree Lee (SR 5-9 180) will replace Colby Goodwyn at running back, but he won’t miss a beat as the Phantoms continue to reload at the position year after year.  Receiver and returner Breon Key (SR 6-2 175) is an explosive playmaker and center Justin Williamson (SR 6-3 215) will anchor the offensive line.

The Phantom’s defense will continue to be a staple of the team and is coming off a season in which they allowed 6.1 points per game and forced six shutouts.  Romero will continue to wreck havoc on opposing quarterbacks, which is what he does best, posting 30 sacks last year.  Linebacker Caleb Taylor (SR 6-0 230) is back healthy after missing most of last season with a knee injury.  Says Coach Sexton, “So far in preseason he’s shown he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s as good as he was before, which is a big time player on defense.”

LB Justin "Boombox" Lyles (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

Breon Key will start at linebacker and Tyree Lee will play corner.  Anthony Haste (SR 6-3 190) and Justin “Boombox” Lyles (JR 5-11 225) will also provide some big hits at linebacker.  Senior Deshawn Arnold (6-1 185) will also start at corner.  All in all, the defense brings back eight starters and once again has the chance to be an outstanding unit.

There isn’t much on the recruiting front now that the season has started.  Romero has already committed to UNC and Taylor to UVA.  Tyree Lee is drawing interest from East Carolina and Marshall.  Williamson, as well as lineman Jonathan McLean (6-3 235) and Corey McKoy (5-10 275) are also getting looks from some 1-AA and D2 and D3 schools.   More interest will come as game film from this season becomes available.

While Coach Stan Sexton and his players may be taking it one game at a time, most of their opponents have the Phantoms circled on their schedules.  The coach knows it too, saying, “The only prediction I have is that we’re going to get the best from everyone we’re going to play.  So we got to be ready to play.”

Phoebus will be ready to play.  And if they play up to their potential, and listen to the old adage of “one game at a time,” their last game could once again be with a State Championship on the line.

- Kellen Owings

QB David Watford (Photo: Dan Trevino)

Hampton Head Coach Mike Smith is old school.   That’s one way to put it when a man is entering his 40th season as a head coach and has a 408-64-2 record.  All of Smith’s coaching has been done at Hampton High School.   Mike Smith IS Hampton Football.

The Hampton football program is in good hands.   Smith knows how to teach the Xs and Os.  His quarterback, David Watford, is a good student of the game.  Watford (SR 6-2 180) has matured into quite a quarterback.   He’s already gotten the vote of approval from University of Virginia Head Coach Mike London.   Watford will be on his way to Charlottesville after giving a verbal commitment to the Cavaliers.   There’s other talent on this Crabber team too.

Offensively, Hampton will get the job done on the ground.  Supporting Watford’s passing game is Daquan Charity (SR RB 5-10 175), Kavon Bellamy (JR RB 6-0 200) and workhorse Dallas Cogdale (JR FB 6-2 220).  Cogdale is a beast of a runner.  There’s not much east-west to his game, but with his size and strength, Cogdale can run over smaller defenders.  Get him to the second level of the defense and look out!  In fact, last year Cogdale was moved from linebacker to defensive tackle because of his size and strength.   Cogdale will go both ways again this year.

The O-Line is led by Trei Banks (SR 6-2 315).  The rest of the line lacks some of the size of Banks, but makes up for it in quickness and precision.  That line will its work protecting Watford and opening holes for bruising backs like Cogdale and the swift of foot like  Bellamy and Charity.  

Hampton moves the ball downfield via the pass as well.  Wide Receivers Jamall Brown (JR 6-1 180) and Daquin Moore (SO 6-3 180) will be primary targets this year.  The strength of Hampton’s running game will open up the pass and that will only make things easier for David Watford.

Defensively, Hampton benefits from a bevy of skilled players.  The linebacking corps is headed by Charity, Bellamy, and Lydell Washington (SR 5-10 205).  The D-Line is keyed by Cogdale and Terrence Mack (SR 6-0 205).   The line is small at Hampton but don’t feel sorry for them… see their speed on the field first. 

The secondary is capped by Brown and Moore, who both double as wide receivers and safeties.   Depth could be an issue for Hampton this year, but Coach Smith claims to have his Crabbers in the best condition ever, which he’ll need for a winning season and a playoff run. 

Outside of the recruitment of David Watford who’s already committed to Virginia, the recruitment of players has been a little quiet overall.  A few schools have shown interest in Cogsdale already, even though he’s just entering his junior year.  The seniors, Washington, Mack, Charity and Bellamy should garner lots of interest by the end of the sesason. 

This Hampton team is not one that’s going to intimidate their opponents the moment they step off the bus.   For the most part, they lack prototypical size as far as college prospects are concerned.  Still, this team wins.  What makes the difference?  40 years of coaching from Mike Smith.  

- Andy Hilton

Dominque Marsh led the Bookers to a 30-7 win (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

It was a close game for three quarters.  Western Branch hung tough with the speedy Bookers for three quarters.   Booker T. Washington players have named themselves “The Greatest Show on Turf”.  The game was quite a show as the Bruins stifled Booker T. for most of the game.   In the fourth quarter, the Bookers came alive. 

The first quarter was scoreless, then Western Branch struck first, taking the lead 7-0.   Booker T. Washington answered quickly and tied the score at 7 before halftime.   At that point, both teams were confident, in spite of Western Branch losing their star running back Josh Marriner to a leg injury.   Later in the game, the injury was diagnosed as a broken right leg near the ankle.

Western Branch yielded a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the third quarter, but only trailed 15-7 going into the fourth.

The steady offensive attack of BTW wore down the Bruins.  A designed quarterback run by Booker T. Washington Quarterback Dominique Marsh put them up convincingly at 22-7 in the fourth quarter.   From there, the Bookers recovered a fumble and subsequently scored again on a Marsh TD pass to Lafayette Smallwood.   BTW converted the two-pointer to go up 30-7 and hung on from there.   Final score: Booker T. Washington 30, Western Branch 7.

Photos from the game are coming soon.   Keep an eye on the Facebook page for recruit757 and be sure to click “Like” on the page so you can get regular updates on your Facebook wall.  

- Andy Hilton

Photo: Charlie Skees/recruit757

The 2010 Lakeland football teams will have to overcome more adversity than any other team in the Hampton Roads area.  Earlier this summer, a few short days before Lakeland began summer practices, one of their teammates, senior starting wide receiver/defensive back Tyquan Lewis was viciously, senselessly and tragically struck down, another local victim of a shooting, becoming another of the already much-too-long list of promising budding stars who were stolen from the world for no reason.

Unbelievably, the Cavaliers continued on this summer, holding summer camps and preparing for the season despite having indescribable pain due to the loss of their brother, teammate and friend weighing down on their hearts.

No matter how their season turns out, Lakeland should already hold as much pride in themselves as if they had won a State Championship merely for suiting up after having to deal with such a horrifying incident.

Coach Glenwood Ferebee has done a fantastic job getting his team ready to go after their tumultuous summer, and the team has a very solid base for excitement since, even though they have a plethora of young players, they only missed out on the playoffs on the final Friday of the season.  They will look to build on that success this year and, hopefully, seal the deal and punch their ticket to the playoffs.

“[Practices] have been going pretty good.  We had the loss of Tyquan Lewis so the kids have been down a little bit, but they’re starting to pick it back up.  What I expect for this season is to build on last season.  We don’t want to regress, we always want to get better.  We’re going to shoot for 7-3, 8-2, 9-1 [and try to return to the playoffs],” said Ferebee.

On both sides of the ball, Coach Ferebee expects continuity from last season, keeping a firm running game to wear down opposing defenses, and maintaining aggressiveness through their own defensive schemes.  He did add that they would throw a new ripple into their offense, but not stray too far from their scheme last year.

“[On offense], we are going to throw the ball a lot more this year than normally because our quarterback [senior Walter Boykins] is actually back, and he had a pretty good season towards the end of the [year] last year,” continued Ferebee, “so we are going to build on that.  Of course, we still have a powerful running back, we still can run the football as effectively as last year, but we don’t want teams stacking the box against us this year.”

As for players drawing college interest, Ferebee listed senior receiver Jaquan Demiel (5-9 160), as the main player getting scouted, as he already has offers from Hampton University for track.  Ferebee believed football offers would soon follow for the speedy Demiel.  Other than Demiel, Ferebee also mentioned senior safety Denzel Brown (6-2 180) as a potential candidate for recruitment by the end of the season.

Other than their college recruits, Ferebee believed that sophomore Raekwon Johnson (5-7 205) will be one of the biggest impact players on the team, and Johnson has already shown flashes of brilliance during Lakeland’s scrimmages.

“Raekwon Johnson is going to be a special player.  He played as a freshman last year, and I want to say that he finished the season with about 400 or 500 yards on very limited carries.  The past two scrimmages he’s averaged about 150 [yards] a game, and one of the [scrimmages] was against Lake Taylor.”

No matter what their record shows at the end of this season, the Lakeland Cavaliers will be praised as champions, as they seek to glorify their fallen teammate, who will not be on the field physically, but will be alive in the hearts and memories of every player and fan in the stadium come the first game.

“[Tyquan Lewis] is the theme for this year.  We are going to play this season dedicated to him,” said a somber Ferebee.

Lakeland will have to rally around each other as a team and a family in order to overcome such a devastating loss, but with their amount of dedication as well as their level of talent, the Cavaliers should have no problem in qualifying for the playoffs this season.

- Charlie Skees

(Photo: Charlie Skees/recruit757)

This season, they start on a clean slate and are confident that their late season upswing will lead to early, and more consistent, success in this coming season.  Though their schedule features several above-average opponents, including perennial juggernaut Oscar Smith, Head Coach Tracey Parker feels comforted by the fact that if his team plays unified football, they can match up with any team, no matter the difference in wins and losses.

Over the summer, Nansemond River has not changed anything drastically, keeping the traditional pace and tempo as any other summer, which will be good for the psyche of Parker’s team.  The coach did, however, state that the practices have been held with more energy than in seasons past.

“Practices have been normal summer practices, a little more upbeat and up tempo because of the end of last season,” said Parker calmly, “kids are really excited going into this year.  We’ve been working really hard, but again, it’s a matter of putting it on the field.”

Nansemond River Huddle (Photo: Charlie Skees/recruit757)

Outside of Alford, Coach Parker did not pinpoint too many other players receiving college looks, reiterating the vitality of a team effort to the success of a football team.

“We are good by committee.  We are just a [strong] bunch of guys, and we’ve been telling the kids we are as strong as our weakest link.  We are looking to go out and work as a team, on defense we will work as a team, on special teams, and on offense we will play as a team.”

Again, as long as Nansemond River stands united under Coach Parker’s system, they will certainly succeed, and as long as the players give maximum effort and work side by side, every game will be a victory in one way or another.

Coach Parker mentioned that a lot of the players have not gotten much attention due to a lack of exposure, but they are making a concerted effort to get other Warriors recognized by more college coaches.

“We’ve got some other kids getting some looks.  Of course, we are going to send some film out after the first [few] ball games to some people, and hopefully that will solidify an opportunity [to play after high school].”

As for key players for this upcoming season, Coach Parker mentioned Jalen Thrower (SR 6-0 190), a defensive back and linebacker, and Geordan Cross (SR 6-3 220), who plays offensive and defensive tackle, as other candidates to draw college interest by the end of the season.

In order for the Warriors to see a renewed sense of success, even if victories have been elusive during the past few seasons, execution must be precise.  But with playmakers like Alford, Cross and Thrower, amongst many other less recognized yet equally important players, Nansemond River figures to be a strong competitor in all of their games this year.

- Charlie Skees

Heritage Assistant Coach w/ QB Andrew Warren (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

Both teams found the end zone Wednesday night.  For most of the game, it looked like the only points on the board were going to be from a meeting of Heritage’s offense and Denbigh’s defense in the Heritage end zone. 

After a scoreless first half, Heritage was the first team to surrender points.   They fell behind 2-0 after a sack in the end zone.   The two offenses did a decent job of moving the ball downfield tonight, but miscues and missed opportunities were the order of the day.

Heritage moved the ball with a steady diet of Quarterback Andrew Warren handing off to running back Ronald Peden with a little bit of Khalid Abdullah thrown in.   Denbigh mixed it up with freelance runs by Quarterback Allen Simon and pass plays to Tight End Paul Gostomski and Devione Green.   Both teams struggled to punch the ball into the end zone.

Denbigh TE Paul Gostomski (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)

In the first half, big defensive plays stunted offensive drives.  A Patrick Brown interception stopped a Denbigh drive late in the second quarter.   Denbigh’s O’Shea Bryant returned the favor with :53 left in the first half with an athletic pass deflection that essentially killed a Heritage drive.  The second half was more interesting.

With the first possession of the second half, Heritage tried and failed with a fake punt on fourth down.  That gave Denbigh the ball on the Hurricane 37.   On the ensuing play, Andre Watson ripped off a 31 yard run, putting the Patriots on the six.  From there, Watson was called on three more times but couldn’t run it in.  A failed pass to Gostomski on fourth and goal gave the ball back to Heritage on the two yard line.  Two plays later, Heritage QB Andrew Warren was sacked in the end zone by Stetson Williams.  

Heritage later missed a short field goal.   Heritage had more opportunities when Denbigh botched a flea flicker and turned the ball over.   Later in the fourth quarter, Denbigh was stripped of the ball at their own 30 yard line.   Heritage still failed to score.  Devione Greene hauled in a pass on 7 yard slant for a touchdown late in the game and Heritage’s fate was sealed.   Final score: Denbigh 9, Heritage 0.  

- Andy Hilton