Denbigh By A Little, Phoebus By A Lot
Jarmaine Rawls scored two touchdowns as Denbigh slipped past Kecoughtan 21-20 on Saturday. Photos by Jason Norman
Phoebus coach Stan Sexton hugs former charge Todrell Jackson of Warwick on Saturday after Phoebus defeated Warwick 37-0. Sexton coached at Warwick for four years before coming to Phoebus before this season.
It appeared that the game itself didn't want a winner.
Just when it seemed that one team had the contest put away, the other would jump right in. Then the first one would steal it back.
But when the final whistle blew, Denbigh (3-0) had grabbed just enough of the momentum to steal a 21-20 win from Kecoughtan (1-2) on Saturday at Todd Stadium. After four possession changes in the last five minutes, a pair of big Lavon Pearson hits ended the Warriors' chances.
"We stayed with our men on defense, and came out with a win," said Pearson, whose tackles stopped Kecoughtan's last two drives. "It was a gut check."
Jarmaine Rawls got Denbigh on the board first with a six-yard run about seven minutes in, but Adrian Pope tied things up seconds later with a 92-yard kick return. The penalty bug, which wasn't picky about who it chewed on through the day, bit both teams in the second quarter. Denbigh was called for holding four different times, including its first two offensive plays, while Kecoughtan lost an interception for roughing the passer.
After a personal foul knocked Denbigh back to its 35, Allen Simon hit Pearson at the Warrior 27. He misfired twice, but on fourth down, under a blitz, Simon struggled free and threaded a touchdown pass between two defenders to Pearson for a 14-7 lead.
Aaron Matthews took the kickoff 31 yards to the Kecoughtan 46, and Jace DePriest caught a pass at the Denbigh 18. The Warriors could only move six yards closer, but Kyle Lawrence hit a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10.
A holding penalty nullified a long pass from Simon to Tevin Platteborz on the next drive, and the Warriors regained possession near midfield with 43 seconds on the clock. Bruce Bailey hit Pope for 29 yards and Melkim Reaves for 15 more, and Lawrence ended the half with another field goal, leaving Denbigh up 14-13.
Less than a minute into the third quarter, Reaves gave his team its first lead, finding a hole in the right side of the Denbigh line and plunging 55 yards for a 20-14 lead. Rawls carried on his team's next six plays for 66 yards to the Warrior 12, but the drive stalled, and a Kevin Jonas field goal try hit the upright.
A holding penalty and 14-yard loss on a screen pass sack of Matthews ended Kecoughtan's next drive deep in their own territory, and Fitzgerald punted to midfield. Simon, Pearson, and Rawls knocked out double-digit rushes on the next drive, which ended with a one-yard sprawl by Rawls.
That's when things got wild. The Patriot defense held, but Rawls fumbled at midfield to give Kecoughtan back the ball. Two plays later, Reaves fumbled it back to Denbigh.
The Patriots couldn't move the ball, and a badly shanked punt traveled just six yards, giving the Warriors back the ball at their own 36 with 4:46 on the clock. Bailey carried twice to midfield, but a pass slipped through an open Brandon Bacchus' hands on third down.
On fourth, Bailey lobbed a pass toward Pope on the left side of the field, right near the first-down marker. But Pearson and the ball arrived at Pope at the same time, knocking the ball free and giving Denbigh back possession with less than two minutes to go.
Rawls was tackled for a seven-yard loss on the next drive, but the Warriors committed another kicker-roughing penalty on fourth down, apparently giving the Patriots the game. But Rawls fumbled on the next play, and Daishun Jackson recovered for Kecoughtan at the Denbigh 39 with 46 seconds left.
On second down, Bailey faded back, then saw an open spot on the left side and darted eight-yard through it. But the officials said that Kecoughtan coach Glenn Tidwell, who'd darted down the sideline, had bumped one of the men in stripes, and slapped Kecoughtan with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, knocking the Warriors out of field goal range.
With one play left, Bailey hit Bacchus at the 35. But just as Bacchuss turned upfield, Pearson snared him, ending the Warriors' chances.
"You don't always get the ending you want," said Tidwell, who denied touching the official. "We're just going to get back and do a better job of tackling."
His team's 100-plus yards of penalties had Denbigh coach Marcellus Harris worried.
"We need to tighten that up," he said. "We can't have late hits or holding penalties. That'll kill us in the long run; it almost killed us today."
Denbigh battles Hampton at Todd on Thursday night, while Kecoughtan faces Menchville at Darling Stadium on Friday.
Phoebus 37, Warwick 0
Stan Sexton is used to heading to Todd Stadium to watch Warwick go for the gridiron gusto. Saturday was just the first time in years that he'd done so from the opposing sideline.
"It's always tough when you come back and play somebody you've been with," said Phoebus' first-year coach, whose squad defeated his old team 37-0 on Saturday.
"I was very impressed with the way (Warwick) played; they never gave up," said Sexton, who spent four years heading up the Raiders. "They played with a lot of heart and enthusiasm. It's an emotional time for me and everybody involved."
Colby Goodwyn kicked off the first 200-yard game of his varsity career on his team's first play from scrimmage, rumbling 53 yards for a touchdown.
"I was shooting for 180, but I got 200," said Goodwyn, who scored his team's final touchdown from 17 out and set up a Tyree Lee touchdown with a 24-yard run. "I got some great blocking from my line. All it takes is hard work, and we can put up points like this."
A missed field goal and interception ended two Warwick drives inside the Phantom 20. With just over four minutes remaining, the Raiders decided to go for it on fourth down inside the 10, but DeShawn Arnold tackled Todrell Jackson at the Warwick four.
Lee scored twice for Phoebus, and Paul Morant hit Chaz Robinson from 25 yards out for the remaining score.
Warwick plays Woodside at Todd on Friday, while Phoebus comes back to Todd on Saturday to face Heritage.
