By Joe Short and Soren Rutherford
Matoaca 22, J.R. Tucker 3
In their home opener, the Matoaca High Warriors put on a showing in all three phases of the game.
In so doing, they elevated their record to 2-1.
Their defense wreaked havoc all night. Troy Lewis and Ricarlos Taylor forced turnovers to help hold their opponents to just a field goal.
The Warriors’ special teams unit continued its streak of having a big presence in games, as Dominic Sharper caused a fumble on the 7-yard line on a kickoff, and Noah Viars recovered it. That led to quarterback Marcus Dreher running it in for the score on the next play.
Dreher completed 13 of 22 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown – a 50-yarder to Daquan Vann – and ran 23 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns, the latter a 10-yard run.
“This is the best game he’s had so far,” Matoaca coach Jay Parker said about Dreher. “He used [his]athleticism to be effective passing and rushing.”
Another offensive star of the night was Vann, who hauled in 10 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Aidan Redmon made a 27-yard field goal and converted one of two extra point attempts.
Parker had praise for the home field fans.
“It was a good home opener. I don’t normally look up there, but this time I did. The student section and band were out there, the stadium was full,” he said. “They really showed up and helped us.”
This coming week Matoaca will hit the road again, visiting Meadowbrook (0-3) at 7 p.m. Friday.
L.C Bird 42, George Wythe 6
In a game littered with penalty flags, L.C. Bird was flagged 25 times. Despite that, the Skyhawks pulled through against George Wythe for their first victory of the season.
In the first half, Bird put on a dominant performance, including a 72-yard touchdown run by Elijah Rivers, a 3-yard scamper by Ramon Brown and a 61-yard touchdown run by Trevor Shultz.
In total, nine first-half touchdowns were called back, but the Skyhawks still led 21-6 at the half.
Defensively, the Skyhawks were just as commanding, with linemen Tyson Pledger and Jaden Casey and defensive end Kristopher Trinidad each recording sacks.
Defensive back Quinton Elliott – whose brother, Jalen Elliott, is a captain and safety for Notre Dame University – pulled down an interception.
For George Wythe, two fumble recoveries in the first half were bright spots. The Bulldogs scored on a 10-yard pass play after a fumble recovery. That made the score 14-6 with 7 minutes left in the second quarter. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Despite having fumbles in the first two quarters of the game, the Skyhawks’ offense had an entirely different story to tell in the second half.
Brown scored two more times in the second half – runs of 6 and 8 yards – and ran for a team-high 114 yards.
Tyler Henderson also got into the mix by returning two punts for a total of 84 yards. One of those returns set up a 27-yard scoring pass from Elliott to wide receiver Daylan Gregory, which gave Bird a 36-6 lead.
The Skyhawks defense continued playing well in the second half, as linebacker Dorien Wade and lineman Tyreak Reid each recorded two more sacks.
For the game, Bird’s offense totaled 306 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, and the defense made 10 tackles for loss.
“I was proud of the coaching staff and the kids staying together during the game,” Bird coach Troy Taylor said.
The Skyhawks’ penalties could be attributed to having a young roster: just 16 of the 58 team members are seniors.
On Friday, L.C Bird (1-2) plays Midlothian at Dutchman Field. George Wythe (0-3) will face off with Cosby, who pulled out a big win against Huguenot.
After trailing 14-0 at the end of the first, the Bulldogs won the game 42-20.
TDHS
Thomas Dale (2-1) had a bye last week and hosts Petersburg (2-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.
