By Soren Rutherford and Joe Short
Hermitage 21, Thomas Dale 19
In a game that went down to the wire, Hermitage made a late fourth-quarter stand to take victory from a Thomas Dale team that came in having allowed no points from their opponents.
With 2 minutes remaining, Hermitage fullback Carlos Alexander scored the game-winning touchdown. That followed a 50-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Dale quarterback Jasiah Williams to Jordan Branch with 7 minutes to go.
The Knights ended the first quarter with a promising 13-0 lead thanks to touchdowns from Chris Tyree and DeAngelo Gray. Hermitage came back in the second quarter with two straight scores to lead at the half, 14-13.
Hermitage’s Nigel James led the way with 203 rushing yards including an 8-yard touchdown run. James provided the Panthers with several sparks during the game, including a drive where he averaged over 10 yards per carry.
The Panthers’ passing game had its moments too, as quarterback Malik Myers made a handful of key passes, including a 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver Julian Jackson and a 40-yard dart to tight end Marcos Torres that put Hermitage on Thomas Dale’s 20-yard line in the third quarter.
On defense, Torres snatched an interception.
Thomas Dale (2-1) has a bye week before taking on Petersburg Sept. 27.
Huguenot 16, L.C. Bird 7
L.C. Bird struck first in Friday night’s contest, but was unable to hold off Huguenot.
The Falcons won against the Skyhawks for the first time in 11 years.
Quarterback Quentin Elliott passed to Ramon Brown for a 23-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Skyhawks’ lone score of the game.
In the second quarter, Huguenot kicker Jason Chavez booted a 27-yard field goal, then quarterback Darnell Mason took it up the gut on a quarterback keeper for a 9-7 lead the Falcons would not relinquish. Mason also threw a 10-yard TD in the third quarter.
Defensively, Brown intercepted a pass, and Dominic Gray registered a sack.
“We got beat by a good Huguenot team,” L.C. Bird coach Troy Taylor said. “Addie Hayes, their new coach, has done a great job with their program.”
“We had a lot of good senior leadership on the field this Friday,” Taylor said. “We’ve a very young team this season, and seniors like Elijah Rivers, Quentin Elliott, Dom Gray and Tyson Pledger really did a good job with that.”
With the loss, L.C. Bird dropped to 0-2 on the season. This is the third time they’ve started 0-2. The last time was 2004, and prior to that, 1981.
Next week, L.C. Bird will take on George Wythe (Richmond), which has won only two games since the start of the 2004 season.
Varina 55, Matoaca 13
Matoaca faced what may have been their biggest test of the young season last week.
The Warriors had early momentum and led 13-7 halfway through the second quarter.
Both Matoaca scores came on big plays: one from the offense and the second on special teams.
Troy Lewis hauled in a 70-yard touchdown from Marcus Dreher. Lewis broke tackles and used his speed to break away from Varina defenders.
Matoaca’s special teams has had a strong presence in the past two games. A game-winning field goal by Aidan Redmon and two blocked kicks against Powhatan last week spilled over into this week.
DeMeco Mason blocked a Blue Devils field goal attempt, and Devin Bailey was there to perfectly execute the 65-yard scoop-and-run for the score.
From that point, Varina went on to score 48 unanswered points. The Warriors’ offense was unable to put anything together to answer a very athletic Blue Devils team.
“Early down success and drive consistency is key to succeeding in future games….” Matoaca coach Jay Parker said.
Of note, two Matoaca starters [Gage Simmons and Jordan Robinson] did not play against Varina.
The Warriors (1-1) host J.R. Tucker on Friday in their home opener. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Highland Spgs 47, Meadowbrook 0
The Springers romped, dominating Meadowbrook. Highland Springs improved to 3-0 on the season, while the Monarchs fell to 0-3.
After making the postseason five of six seasons from 2012-2017, Meadowbrook has now lost 14 straight games. After a bye week, they will host Matoaca Sept. 27.
