by Louis Harrison
Monacan 37, L.C. Bird 22
Going into Friday’s game, L.C. Bird had not lost to Monacan since 1998. The Chiefs were able to overpower the Skyhawks on their home turf winning 37-22.
There was plenty of star power in the game, as Bird boasts the top running back in the area, C.J. Donaldson, while Monacan has a four-year starter quarterback in Syour Fludd, and perhaps the area’s second best rusher, Korey Bridy.
L.C. Bird held the lead in the second quarter as quarterback Marcus Banks took off on a wild 90-yard touchdown run, making the score 14-10. However, Monacan would answer with two rushing touchdowns by Birdy which pushed the Chiefs ahead 24-14 at the halftime break.
During a third quarter, the only outburst was a Bird score that narrowed the lead to 2. Donaldson would score his second touchdown of the game and add a two-point conversion to cut the deficit.
The fourth quarter, however, would belong to Monacan. A big defensive play by Juan Branch in the form of a forced fumble gave the Chiefs a short field, and Bridy pounded the ball home for the third time to make it 31-22. Minutes later, Bridy took off on a 61-yard scamper to seal the game for the Chiefs.
The game featured two 200-yard rushers, Bridy finished with 203 yards and four touchdowns. Donaldson finished with 201 yards and two scores of his own.
Monacan improves to 8-0, and they will face Midlothian next week. L.C. Bird dropped to 5-3, giving them their first three-loss season since 2006. They’ll host George Wythe on Friday before entertaining Cosby for homecoming and to finish up the regular season.
Thomas Dale 41, Hopewell 6
The Thomas Dale-Hopewell game was one may had marked on the calendar as the game of the week and expected to be a close battle. Thomas Dale refused to have any of that talk. They overwhelmed Hopewell with a strong running game and a staunch defensive effort, winning 41-6 in an unexpected blowout.
Over the course of the season, the Knights’ strength has been the ability to run the football on a consistent basis. They opened the game with two rushing touchdowns, one from Chris Tyree and the second from Elijah Burns. Though Tyree left the game with an injury, Burns and Collin Holmes shouldered the load easily.
The Knights’ offense would continue to shine as senior quarterback John Pierce got in on the act, late in the third quarter throwing a touchdown to A.J. Chavis. That gave them a 21-0 lead. The Knights would cruise the rest of the way, scoring three more touchdowns before the final gun.
Leading the Knights were Holmes, who finished with 140 yards and a touchdown, and Burns, who completed the game with 122 yards and two touchdowns. The Knights’ defense played very well, holding Hopewell to season low in both points and yards.
Thomas Dale improved their record to 6-2, scoring a big-time victory. With two games left on the docket, they’ll play Granby at home for senior night this Friday.
With a disappointing loss, Hopewell fell to 6-2. Things don’t get any easier for the Blue Devils, as they face 8-0 Dinwiddie this Friday.
Meadowbrook 27, Matoaca 10
Matoaca hosted Meadowbrook for their annual homecoming game Friday night. The Warriors came in riding high off a victory over Colonial Heights, while the Monarchs were searching for offensive answers after scoring just six points in their previous two games.
Meadowbrook was able to keep their own playoff hopes alive while eliminating Matoaca with a 27-10 win.
The Warriors would take advantage of a slow Monarchs start as Jarrod Mosby caught a 46-yard touchdown pass giving them a 10-3 lead early in the first half. The Monarchs would put all the pieces together as quarterback Greg Fong-Wilson rushed for a touchdown, giving them a 12-10 lead. That proved to be the turning point of the game. Right before halftime, Fong-Wilson would throw a 37-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 9.
Meadowbrooks’defense shut Matoaca’s offense down in the second half allowing no scoring and causing a fumble. The Monarchs would seal the game as running back K.J. McNeil returned a punt return for a touchdown, followed by Darius Saunders two-point conversion. Brett Hall was key defender, finishing the game with a team-high eight tackles, a sack, and pass break-up. Connor Adams recorded five tackles, two of them for losses.
Fong-Wilson wnt 6-for-8 in passing, gained134 yards and threw for two touchdowns. McNeil tallied 218 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
The 3-5 Monarchs will go on the road to face Petersburg before their season finale against Hopewell.
