Warriors Turn Around in Time for 21-7 Win
For the first half of Kecoughtan's battle with Menchville at Todd Stadium Saturday, the Warriors were facing an extra group of opponents - themselves.
Time and again, Kecoughtan (3-1) would get a drive going, and even score, only to have its accomplishment wiped out by a yellow penalty flag. That, combined with a lackluster offensive performance in the first half, left things knotted at 7-7 at the half.
"I don't know what it is," said Warrior coach Glenn Tidwell. "(The team) tends to play at a certain level, and moving forward is the biggest thing we need to learn how to do."
Fortunately, they did so in the second half, as the defense held the Monarch offense to three first downs and zero points, while Anthony Dorsey and Deontae Bracey crossed the goal line to complete a 21-7 victory.
"We didn't change anything," Tidwell said of his second half speech. "We just told them how we were going to go."
Things didn't go well for the Warriors at first. Less than three minutes into the contest, Dorsey snuck through the line for a 42-yard touchdown run, only to have it waved off by an illegal procedure penalty. On Menchville's next possession, Henry Booth hit Clifton Richardson with a 23-yard pass to reach the Warrior 21, and runs by Booth, Stefon Malone, and Xavier Reid got Menchville to the three.
The Warrior defense held, but the offense managed to reach only the 13, forcing a punt to midfield. A few minutes later, Booth tossed a 33-yard strike down the right sideline to a wide-open Malone, who hit the endzone for a 7-0 lead.
Dorsey, who had completed only a single pass to that point, took back to the air. His aim was true, as he hit on his next five passes to reach the Menchville 14. He then faked a handoff, scurried through the left side of the line, bounced off a tackler, and stepped onto pay dirt to tie things up.
Kecoughtan got the ball back, but again became its own worst enemy, as a 44-yard Hail Mary from Dorsey to Jace DePriest was nullified by a holding penalty as the half ended.
The second half didn't start much better for the Warriors; three plays in, Dorsey was picked off by Trey Steele near midfield, and Erin VanNorman rolled 44 yards to the Warrior five. But the Warrior defense held again, and Menchville missed a field goal, giving the Warriors possession at the 20.
Once again, they got off to a rough start - this time, however, the ending would be a bit happier.
Josh Morris ran to the 27, and Bracey got the ball on second down. As he made his way through the defensive line, someone ran up behind him and knocked the ball from his hands.
It arced all the way to the 40, where three Menchville players reached for it. Before any of them could corral the ball, Bracey came out of nowhere to fall on it and regain possession.
"I just said, 'Oh snap!'" Bracey said. "I saw nobody get on the ball, so I ran down and recovered it. I got in the pile and tried to rip the ball out and came out with it."
Finally, the Warriors started to capitalize. Though another holding penalty knocked them back to the 42, Dorsey soon weaved his way to the 16, and Morris got to the three. Dorsey charged through the middle to give his team its first advantage of the afternoon.
The Warriors were on another roll as the fourth quarter started, as Bruce Bailey and Bracey churned out 27 rushing yards to reach the Monarch 18. But as Bracey made it to the 12, a tackler knocked the ball from his hands, and Dylan Goodill recovered for Menchville.
Neither team could generate a first down over the next few drives, but William Tate nearly put the game away for Kecoughtan with three minutes left, rumbling 45 yards to the Monarch five. Bracey scored on the next play, and Robert Lopez ended Menchville's slim hopes by sacking Booth on the next drive.
Kecoughtan goes to Denbigh next Saturday, while Bethel hosts Menchville.
Bethel Rolls Past Dukes, 34-7
Heading into his team's game against Gloucester Saturday at Darling Stadium, Jontel Evans knew that Bethel (3-1) needed something special.
A win wouldn't be enough - after getting trounced by Phoebus two weeks before and barely slipping past Warwick the previous weekend, the Bruins didn't just need to win to prove they were still among the Peninsula District elite - they had to have a sizable victory.
Evans made sure they got it, rushing for two scores and catching a pass from Aris McGlone-English for another to give Bethel a 21-7 halftime lead (the Dukes had scored on their opening drive with a Ray Harris carry). Raymond Bradley carried for another touchdown in the second half, and Maurice Henry caught a 30-yard strike from McGlone-English for the Bruins' final tally in a 34-7 win.
"A lot of people have been sleeping on us, saying we're not as good as last year," Evans said (the team took second in the district in 2007). "We wanted to come out and produce on both sides of the ball. It was very important to get a convincing win to send a message to everyone not to sleep on us."
In other action, Phoebus (4-0) turned in its third consecutive shutout, beating Warwick 48-0. The Phantoms host Heritage next Friday.
