Thomas Dale 36, Cosby 6
Just when doubt clouded the Knights’ season opener and first few weeks of the season, the Dark Zone arrived. Thomas Dale turned two turnovers into touchdowns, amassed eight sacks, and held Cosby’s standout running back (Joe Hunt-put in if it is?) to just 31 yards on the ground en route to a 36-6 victory.
Quarterback Gabe McCollin finished 6-18 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown toss to A.J. Lazaro. Running back Max Oxendine scored two touchdowns and freshman Chris Tyree had a solid debut, catching three passes and gaining 57 total yards.
Defensive end Shundarius Carter put up a monster first-half performance with 16 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble returned for a touchdown. Junior Dusan Stjepanovic collected three sacks, while Devonte Chandler, Devin Williams, and Malik Purvis grabbed sacks of their own. Purvis, a sophomore, returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
L.C. Bird 49, Meadowbrook 7
For the second straight season, the Skyhawks opened up their football campaign with a lopsided 49-7 victory on their Route 10 rival, the Monarchs.
The Skyhawks have won eight straight season openers, and coincidentally, the last time they lost one was to Meadowbrook.
L.C. Bird was up quickly and struck often, opening a 49-0 lead before the Monarchs answered. Senior running back and ODU-commit Shedrick McCall finished the evening with 143 yards via the ground game and three touchdowns. In the first half, three other offensive touchdowns were scored – one a 24-yard run by Corbin Donaldson, another a 48-yard run by Rakei Pope, and the third – a pass from Marcus Banks to Isaiah Moore for 53 yards. In the second half, Jemourri La Pierre returned a punt 80 yards for touchdown.
Meadowbrook’s lone score was a touchdown toss from Jamon Battle to Jordan Jeter.
Both teams draw tough assignments this week, as L.C. Bird travels down Route 10 this week to face Thomas Dale for the Battle of Chester, while Meadowbrook heads to the west end to face Hermitage, who fell 21-14 to Highland Springs.
Manchester 44, Matoaca 20
During the first half, the two fast-paced offenses traded blows in what looked to be the making of a high-scoring shootout. Quarterback Justin Ford finished the game with 83 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 25 yards on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Jameel Gordon Jr. finished with one passing touchdown, 127 yards through the air, and 31 yards running the ball. This week, Matoaca faces 0-1 Cosby, which is fresh off of a disappointing 36-6 loss to Thomas Dale.
