The Next Leg of Hill's Journey
Warwick’s Patou Griggs (left) congratulates Courtney Hill in the closing moments of their team’s 46-16 defeat of Menchville on Friday. Hill rushed for 161 yards and scored four touchdowns in the win. Photo by Jason Norman
For nearly a year, Courtney Hill might have been a little unsure about his gridiron prowess. A broken leg cost Hill most of his junior year, and when he came back for Warwick's last few games, he only played on the defense.
Coming into the first week of 2009's season, Hill needed a quick boost in his confidence - and a big win for his team, in the same Peninsula District as state powerhouses Phoebus and Hampton, wouldn't hurt much either. Fortunately, on Friday evening at Todd Stadium, both things came to pass.
Hill rushed 10 times for 161 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Raiders charged past Menchville, 46-16. He was also part of a defense that almost completely shut down the Monarchs for the last three quarters.
"I came back and worked hard in the weight room in the off-season," Hill said. "I feel like I'm back to normal."
The Monarchs struck first, marching down the field on their opening drive and capping things off with a 29-yard strike from Henry Boothe to Clifford Richardson. Warwick couldn't move the ball, and Menchville quickly regained possession.
About halfway through the first quarter, the Monarchs punted, and Warwick got the ball at its own 37. Two plays later, Hill bolted 55 yards down the right side of the field to tie the score.
"My line executed the block right, and I followed right behind them," he said of the play.
Richardson opened the second half by running 13 yards to the Raider 44, and Xavier Reed got to the 27. Six more runs and a false start penalty against Warwick pushed the Monarchs to the nine, but they only made it a yard over the next two plays, and a last-second deflection by Rashard Whitlow knocked a touchdown pass away from Justin Jones, forcing Menchville to settle for a field goal and 10-7 lead. That's when Warwick took over.
Devell Swelling returned the ensuing kickoff 17 yards to the Raider 39, and Ellis Butler got outside and the down the left sideline, all the way to Menchville's 24. Darnell Robinson hauled to the 13, and Hill charged untouched up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point missed, leaving Warwick up for the first time, 13-10.
Menchville couldn't get a first down, and a badly shanked punt gave Warwick possession at the Menchville 15. It took Hill all of one play to make up the difference, upping the lead to 19-10.
Boothe completed four straight passes to reach the Warwick 22, but a tackler knocked the ball from Doug Jackson's hands, and Albert Webb fell on it for the Raiders. Hill ran consecutive 14-yard rushes to reach midfield, and Butler got to the Monarch 27. Lamonte Williams took an option around the left end to reach the seven, and Hill scored two plays later to end the half ahead, 26-10.
Warwick recovered an attempted onside kick to start the second half, and a pass interference penalty moved them up to the Menchville 32. Hill rushed to the eight, then caught a lob from Williams in the left corner of the end zone for a 33-10 lead.
After Menchville missed a field goal, Butler rushed seven yards to his team's 27, and a face-mask penalty got Warwick to its 47. A late hit penalty got Warwick to the 16, but the Raiders were bitten by the penalty bug, as a touchdown run by De'Andre Bethea was called back for an illegal shift. But two plays later, Swelling jumped across from a yard out for a 40-10 lead.
With a minute left in the third quarter, Hill ran 13 yards to the Menchville 26. On the next play, he lunged through the line, and three Monarchs tackled him.
However, Williams had secretly kept the ball, bolted down the right side, and outrun the entire Monarch defense for his team's final score. Boothe rushed nine yards for Menchville's last touchdown on the final play of the game.
New Raider head coach Juan Jackson grabbed his first win - after over a decade of assisting at Warwick and Denbigh, he went to Princess Anne before coming home before this season.
"It feels absolutely great, coming back on the Peninsula where I coached for 15 years," Jackson said. "We're very young up front, but the younger guys are stepping up. (Hill) certainly stepped up his game. He's been working really hard."
The Raiders will have a tough task next Saturday when they host Booker T. Washington, which pulled a major upset over Western Branch on Thursday. Menchville will go for its first win Friday at Wilson.
