Non-district

Cox 296, Grassfield 319, Granby 374

Christian Fletcher from Cox shot a 2-under-par 69 and was the medalist at Sewells Point Golf Course in Norfolk.

Southeastern District

Hickory 338, Lakeland 345

Hickory’s Paul Fulfer was the medalist, shooting a 76 at Suffolk Golf Course.

Field hockey

#757Teamz Top 15

#11 Princess Anne 1, #12 Grassfield 0

Julia Philips scored with an assist from Sydney Raguini. Sophia Michelli made seven saves.

Eastern District

Granby 8, Manor 0

Brianna Carrasco, Lyric Jones, Kameron Creamer, Kalista Burrus, Zyonna Mack and Miya Bartlett all scored for the Comets.

Boys soccer

Private schools

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 13, Portsmouth Christian 0

Brooks Carmody, Miles Clarke, and Kellan Shearin each scored two goals.

Boys volleyball

#757Teamz Top 15

#2 Granby d. Norcom, 3-0

(25-16, 25-7, 25-20)

The Comets were led by Will Findlay with nine aces and Cameron Diaz-Cruz with five kills.

#7 Maury d. Manor, 3-0

(25-13, 25-5, 25-20)

Keegan Anuar, Jonas Stafford and Zach Mendoza combined for 21 aces. Stafford totaled 20 assists.

#9 Kecoughtan d. Warwick, 3-1

(25-23, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20)

Hunter Lively had 25 assists, four digs, one ace and two blocks. Gavin Holbrooks added 18 kills, 10 digs and two blocks.

Girls volleyball

#757Teamz Top 15

#4 Norfolk Academy d. Beach Breakers, 3-0

Peyton McGee led the Bulldogs with 10 kills and Kinsley Flores added seven. Bela Cancado had 20 digs.

#14 Maury d. Manor, 3-0

Freshman Caroline Challoner led the Commodores with 10 assists and five aces. Kenzie Levensalor and Katie McNabb also made their debuts, adding eight kills for the Commodores.

Eastern District

Granby d. Norcom, 3-0

(25-20, 25-11, 25-21)

Sophomore Maddie Montez had 11 digs while juniors Sai Bhasin and Cheyenne Avery had eight digs and five kills each.

Private schools

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy d. Atlantic Shores Christian, 3-0

(25-14, 25-11, 25-15)

Marin McGowan led the Saints with 16 kills, seven aces and two blocks.

Peyton McGee and Sydney Petersen had eight kills each, with Charleston Hart adding seven, and Bela Cancado scooped 22 digs. A tough schedule is partly responsible for the Bulldogs’ early success, as Norfolk Academy (7-2) has lost only to Northern Virginia’s Langley High and St. Catherine’s of Richmond.

Kellam’s loss paved the way for Grafton to move into the top spot. The Clippers stayed undefeated, including a win over a tough Bruton squad. In the 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-16) victory, the Clippers’ Kenzie Smith totaled 14 kills and six blocks, while Alana Washington had 10 kills, six aces and two blocks. Ally Burke contributed 27 digs and Kaylie Klemm had 25 assists.

Grafton also shut out Lafayette 3-0, as all four of the Clippers’ wins have come in Bay Rivers District matches.

Cox defeated First Colonial to move up to No. 3, while FC dropped to No. 12. In the Falcons’ 3-1 win, June Culicerto and Avery Osler finished with 16 and 13 kills, respectively.

Bruton joins the poll this week, checking in at No. 15.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Grafton (4-0), 2

2. StoneBridge (7-1), 3

3. Cox (3-0), 7

4. Norfolk Academy (7-2), NR

5. Kellam (2-1), 1

6. Woodside (4-0), 5

7. Menchville (3-0), 6

8. Greenbrier Christian Academy (11-0), 8

9. Cape Henry Collegiate (3-0), 11

10. Hickory (2-1), 9

11. Tabb (4-1), 14

12. First Colonial (5-3), 4

13. Great Bridge (2-0), 10

14. Maury (1-1), 12

15. Bruton (3-1), NR

Teams to watch: Ocean Lakes (5-3), Western Branch (2-1), Summit Christian (2-1), Hampton Roads Academy (2-0).

The most significant mover in the 757Teamz Top 15 last week was Denbigh. The Patriots edged previous No. 5 Gloucester 3-2 (29-27, 14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-8) and entered the rankings at No. 6 this week.

Four other teams make their season debuts this week. Indian River (2-1) settled in at No. 8 on the strength of a 3-1 win over then-No. 10 Hickory. Against the Hawks, Jaden Norman, Jashtan Brown and Francisco Lloret combined for 35 kills, and Dawkins Rombaoa tallied 39 assists for the Braves.

Ninth-ranked Kecoughtan (2-0) throttled Peninsula District rival Menchville 3-1. Gabe Rumburg and Gavin Holbrooks both contributed 10 kills for the Warriors, while Hunter Lively provided 32 assists. Rumburg also had six aces and seven digs. Tenth-ranked Landstown knocked out Salem with a 3-1 victory, led by James Gonzalez’s 39 assists and four kills.

No. 11 Western Branch (3-0) also entered the poll but has yet to play a ranked team.

Kempsville won twice last week, knocking off Princess Anne and Bayside, as the Chiefs retain the top spot. Against the Cavaliers, the Chiefs were led by Trent Beeson with 14 kills, Wyatt Strawbridge with 13 kills and seven aces, and Quinn Riley with 19 digs. In a 3-0 win over Bayside, Riley had 18 digs, with John Applegate and Rylan Patterson adding nine kills each.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Kempsville (3-0), 1

2. Granby (2-0), 2

3. First Colonial (3-0), 3

4. Kellam (1-1), 4

5. Grassfield (3-0), 6

6. Denbigh (5-0), NR

7. Maury (1-1), 7

8. Indian River (2-1), NR

9. Kecoughtan (2-0), NR

10. Landstown (2-1), NR

11. Western Branch (3-0), NR

12. King’s Fork (1-0), 12

13. Great Bridge (1-0), 14

14. Hickory (1-1),  10

15. Menchville (3-1), 13

Teams to watch: Cox (2-1), Churchland (1-0), Warwick (2-1), Heritage (2-2).

Mia Clarkson recorded a shutout as Norfolk Academy topped First Colonial 2-0 last week. Sydney Huddleston had a goal in that game and also scored in a 3-2 win over Assumption, a Louisville team that came into the matchup ranked seventh in Kentucky by MaxPreps.

Tabb is 3-0 and has outscored opponents 21-0.

Two Hampton Roads players fired in five goals apiece last week. Gloucester’s Reese Miller also had an assist in a 10-0 rout over Kecoughtan, while Elizabeth Trant’s performance powered Poquoson to a 7-1 victory over Maggie Walker.

Caitlin Outlaw totaled four goals and an assist to help Nansemond River knock off Cox 3-0 and topple Lakeland 7-1. The Warriors, however, fell to Trinity Episcopal of Richmond 3-2 Saturday.

Great Bridge’s Lexi Curtis scored the winner off a feed from Bella Steckline as the Wildcats edged crosstown rival Grassfield 1-0. Goalie Cam Johnson notched three saves in the shutout, and Olivia Young chipped in with three defensive saves.

York has jumped out to three straight wins to start the season, with Natalie Moss and Gracie White recording a hat trick in wins over Lakeland and Colonial Heights, respectively.

This week, Cox continues its tough schedule to open the season as the Falcons travel to Norfolk Academy on Tuesday and Collegiate School of Richmond on Friday.

Great Bridge and Kellam square off in a key non-district tilt at the Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Norfolk Academy, 2-0, 1

2. Tabb, 3-0, 2

3. Nansemond River, 3-1, 3

4. Gloucester, 5-0, 5

5. First Colonial, 0-1, 4

6. Great Bridge, 2-0, 7

7. Cox, 0-1, 6

8. Catholic, 1-1, 8

9. York, 3-0, 11

10. Poquoson, 2-1, 9

11. Princess Anne, 0-1, 10

12. Grassfield, 2-1, 12

13. Western Branch, 1-2, 14

14. Kellam, 1-2, 13

15. Menchville, 1-0, not ranked

Dropped out: Grafton.

Field hockey

Great Bridge’s Lexi Curtis scored and goalie Cam Johnson registered a shutout in the Wildcats’ 1-0 victory over Chesapeake rival Grassfield.

Norfolk Academy’s Sydney Huddleston and Mia Jones each scored goals and Mia Clarkson recorded the shutout in goal as the top-ranked Bulldogs beat then-No. 4 First Colonial.

York’s Natalie Moss scored three goals to lift the Falcons to a 4-2 victory over Lakeland.

___

Boys volleyball

First Colonial’s Bo Sawyer had 40 kills and 15 digs, Zia Peterson added 36 kills and 12 digs and Nate Duff had 56 assists in the Patriots’ marathon 3-2 victory over Ocean Lakes.

Granby’s Gabe Sol recorded 13 kills to help the Comets rally from a 16-9 fourth-set deficit during a 3-1 victory over Maury.

Kempsville’s Trent Beeson (14 kills) and Wyatt Strawbridge (13 kills, seven aces) paced the top-ranked Chiefs’ offense in a 3-1 win over Princess Anne.

Tallwood’s Eric Jak recorded 16 kills and 24 digs to pace the Lions in a five-set victory — 15-12 in the final set — against Ocean Lakes.

___

Girls volleyball

Grafton’s Kenzie Smith totaled 14 kills and six blocks, while Alana Washington had 10 kills and six aces in a victory against Bruton.

First Colonial’s Teagan Emdadi registered 13 kills and Kaiyah Hiles contributed 40 assists as the Patriots topped Ocean Lakes 3-1.

Menchville’s Emma Wade, a junior, had 21 assists in a victory over Warwick to give her 1,000 during her high school career.

___

Golf

First Colonial’s Jake Chavis shot a 1-under-par 69 in a win against Tallwood and Bayside at Kempsville Greens Golf Club.

Landstown’s Tyler Holloway was the medalist with a 67 in a loss to Kellam at Red Wing Lake Golf Course.

Deep Creek freshman Demi Mahiai shot 70 at Bide-A-Wee to win the medal in a loss to Nansemond River.

The caller was a guy he did not know, but his former football coaches at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach sure did.

It was Bryan Stinespring, who quickly pitched Mapstone to consider taking on a unique adventure in a few months. How would he feel about being part of a new college football team? The question was directed to Mapstone when due to some injuries and other circumstances, he was nearly ready to permanently shut the door on his gridiron days.

Stinespring changed his mind.

“It was a very random event,” Mapstone said. “Coach Stinespring called me (during dinner) and, three days later, I was here on a visit. I knew instantly when I got here, I knew this was the place I needed to be.”

On Sunday, Mapstone and 61 others who had similar conversations with Stinespring in recent months will be on the sidelines at Salem Stadium to play the Roanoke College Maroons’ first organized football game in more than 80 years when they host Hampden-Sydney’s junior varsity team.

All this comes just 15 months after Roanoke College announced that the school had reached its goal of raising the $1.2 million necessary to re-establish the football program as well as a cheerleader team and marching band. They will be in action as well on Sunday.

If this sounds like a quick turnaround, in comparison to other football startups in this century, it is. When Old Dominion announced in June 2005 that it was reviving its football program that was discontinued in 1940, the Monarchs did not hire coach Bobby Wilder until February 2007, and the first game was not played until fall of 2009, although the program’s first class of recruits were signed, and redshirted in 2008.

The time span was not as long at Christopher Newport, which announced it was starting its football program in December 1999. Still, the Captains did not take the field until the start of the 2001 season.

Stinespring, who was introduced as the Maroons’ first head coach on Nov. 20, 2023, said he talked to people who were involved with the establishment of both teams, but he and his superiors decided Season 1 needed to provide the rosters of players who have taken this leap of faith to at least get a limited season of experience.

Stinespring’s ties to Virginia, especially the southwestern part of the state, made him one of few people who could probably get things together in such a tight window of time. In addition to the 26 seasons he served as an assistant coach under Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, Stinespring is a native of Clifton Forge in Alleghany County and followed his time in Blacksburg with coaching stints at Delaware, ODU and Maryland. He was serving as the associate head coach at VMI when he accepted the Roanoke College job.

While Stinespring was taking care of building his staff and roster, the college was taking care of the external operation. A new locker room and weight-training facility was built inside the school’s Bast Center. And dates for home games were set aside at Salem Stadium.

“Coach Stinespring could be coaching anywhere with the background he has,” said Roanoke athletic director Curtis Campbell, who began his job a month after the football program was announced and made the decision to hire Stinespring. “The fact he chose to be the head coach when that position was offered means a lot.

“Where we are currently, the number of students we’ve got and the support we have for the program is due to Coach Stinespring, his work ethic and the staff he put together.”

Last Sunday, the Maroons took their first team photo. That was followed by one last intrasquad scrimmage before the first game week commenced. The person in charge of the operation could not have been happier and already considers his time at Roanoke as the highlight of a coaching career that has spanned more than three decades.

“This is exactly what we wanted, and this is exactly what we believed in from the moment this was announced,” Stinespring said. “The Roanoke Valley has been fantastic to us and the players have really bought into what we’re doing. That’s why they’re here.

“It wasn’t because there was a tradition or that there was an existing locker room. It was because they believed in what could take place here.”

Stinespring said while he built his first roster, he focused on finding players and coaches that would establish the kind of culture he envisioned.

“Now we want to make this (program) our own,” he said. “All of us have been in different places, and some things worked here, and other things worked there, but how do we want to do it at Roanoke College? We started with a blank slate and built it all from scratch.”

𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.

𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞—𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔! #WinTheOUTS | #2024FirstUp | #AllAboard25 pic.twitter.com/jw05nNOh0E

— Roanoke College Football (@RoanokeFB) August 31, 2024

Officially, the 2024 Maroons are a club team and will only be facing three JV opponents (future ODAC rivals Hampden-Sydney, Shenandoah and Bridgewater), the Fork Union Military Academy post-graduate team and the club football team at George Mason.

Two of those games will be played on the road. Stinespring said he wanted to take the show on the road so the players, coaches and support personnel will understand the different experiences a team has when it gets on a bus and plays in another stadium.

His inaugural coaching staff includes a group of assistants with a distinct Virginia flavor. Associate head coach and defensive coordinator Mike Giancola grew up in Northern Virginia and had been at ODAC power Bridgewater for the past seven seasons. Recruiting coordinator and offensive assistant Tony Spradlin grew up in Salem and played football for the hometown Spartans. Defensive line assistant Ben Boyd is a longtime high school coach in the Roanoke Valley. Safeties coach Darren Venable is a Ferrum College graduate and offensive coordinator who played in the ODAC’s lone non-Virginia member school — Guilford.

Finally, there’s special teams coach Gerard Johnson, who grew up in the Richmond area and will be a lead recruiter in that part of the state. However, he spent his college years playing at both Norfolk State and Old Dominion, where he was a teammate of legendary quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

“A lot of the draw here will have to do with Coach Stinespring, the staff he’s put together and the way he’s running things here,” said Johnson, who left his head coaching position at Caroline High School to join the Maroons’ staff. “That’s going to separate us from a lot of the other schools in our conference. … Coach Stinespring is setting a standard for how we’re going to do things here, and that’s going to draw a lot of interest.”

The majority of the first Maroons’ squad are freshmen and a few sophomores, who are from the central and southwest parts of the state. But Johnson is confident there will be plenty of players in the years to come sporting a 757 area code on their cellphones.

Mapstone is the lone Hampton Roads resident on the 2024 roster. Stinespring said the first time he made a recruiting trip to the Tidewater area was in 1994. And whether he was at Virginia Tech, JMU or any of his other jobs, the trips to that part of the state remained constant.

“Obviously, that’s probably the furthest point that we will go to recruit,” Stinespring said. “But the quality of coaching and student-athletes there is terrific, and we have to find a way to make Roanoke College an option for them.”

So how will Roanoke fare on Sunday? Stinespring said that’s the least of his concern. Instead, he feels like what has happened in the past 15 months has already made the 2024 campaign a success.

“We just need to improve each week,” Stinespring said. “There’s three things that are going to be a concern. How strong are we going to be as a bunch of 18-year-olds, how conditioned we are and how experienced we get?

“… Anything else above that is just icing on the cake.”

Mapstone won’t argue this point with his coach. Despite knowing his new teammates for less than two months, the bonds are already there, he said.

“I think we’ll be a surprise,” Mapstone said. “It’s hard to start from nothing. But with coaching staff we have, and the support from the city, the school — everybody — has been encouraging. We’re going to do great things. I’m certain about it.”

#757Teamz Top 15

#1 Maury 20, Wise 14

Wise 0 7 7 0 – 14

Maury 0 13 7 0 – 20

M – Bond 25 pass from Newkirk (kick failed)

M – Bond 2 pass from Newkirk (McCoy kick)

W – Wedge 1 run (Fuentes kick)

W – Wedge 3 pass from (Fuentes kick)

M – Simmons 17 run (McCoy kick)

#2 Phoebus 23, Highland Springs 7

Phoebus 7 7 6 3 – 23

Highland Springs 0 0 7 0 – 7

P – Roberts 1 run (Knight kick)

P – Diggs 9 run (Knight kick)

HS – Harvey 9 fumbled punt return (Anderson kick)

P – Roberts 22 pass from Banks (run failed)

P – FG Knight 40

#4 Oscar Smith 54, Norcom 16

Norcom 2 14 0 0 – 16

Oscar Smith 14 14 7 19 – 54

OS-Bradley 83 kickoff return (Hernandez kick)

N-Safety, punter Stanton tackled in end zone after blocked punt

OS-Nesbit 46 run (Hernandez kick)

N-Shelton 1 run (Sholtz-Jones run)

OS-Curtis 1 run (Hernandez kick)

N-Johnson 32 pass from Shelton (run failed)

OS-Wallace 2 run (Hernandez kick)

OS-Nesbit 1 run (Hernandez kick)

OS-Johnson 25 run (kick failed)

OS-McGlown 36 pass from Andrews (Hernandez kick)

OS-Pearson 21 interception return (kick failed)

Individual leaders

Norcom: Nakeem Sholtz-Jones 13 carries-42 yards.

Oscar Smith: Brandon Nesbit 9 carries-112 yards, 2 TDs; Lonnie Andrews 7 carries-109 yards, 7-14-120 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INTs; Ken’Morris Watts 2 receptions-46 yards.

#11 Cox 47, Bayside 9

Bayside 7 0 2 0 – 9

Cox 6 11 9 21 – 47

C – Jefferies 8 run (kick failed)

B – Kyron Brown 23 run (Diabagate kick)

C – M. Palmerton 6 run (Palmerton run)

C – FG Widhelm 19

B – Safety, Palmerton downed in end zone

C – Mack 9 run (Widhelm kick)

C – Safety, Bayside snap out of end zone

C – M. Palmerton 2 run (Widhelm kick)

C – Jefferies 18 run (Widhelm kick)

C – J. Palmerton 28 interception return (Widhelm kick)

Benedictine 31, #15 Western Branch 13

Benedictine 0 14 7 10 – 31

Western Branch 7 0 6 0 – 13

WB – Jaemarree Parker 24 interception return (Brady Miller kick)

B – Ryker Cook 76 run (Cole Draucker kick)

B – Roddney McWilliams 33 pass from Carson Lambert (Draucker kick)

WB – Parker 54 interception return (conversion failed)

B – Cook 5 run (Draucker kick)

B – FG Draucker 43

B – Cook 30 run (Draucker kick)

TEAM STATS Ben, WB

First downs 6, 9

Rushes-yards 24-152, 30-64

Passing yards 41, 96

Comp-Att-Int 2-8-2, 10-18-1

Penalties-yards 6-65, 2-10

Punts-avg. 4-34, 6-33

Fumbles-lost 0-0, 2-1

Beach District

Kempsville 51, Princess Anne 0

Kempsville 13 24 14 0 – 51

Princess Anne 0 0 0 0 – 0

K – Hughes 1 run (run failed)

K – Galloway fumble recovery in end zone (Clatterbuck kick)

K – Mingo 34 pass from Spence (Clatterbuck kick)

K – Hatton 35 interception return (Clatterbuck kick)

K – FG Clatterbuck 30

K – Kellam 46 pass from Hawley (Clatterbuck kick)

K – Hughes 52 run (Clatterbuck kick)

K – Hughes 18 run (Clatterbuck kick)

Atlantic Shores 48, Catholic 0

AS – Higgins 40 punt return (Weaver kick)

AS – Higgins 25 pass from Lance (Weaver kick)

AS – Sibley 76 pass from Lance (Belford pass from Lance)

AS – Weaver 6 run (Weaver kick)

AS – Forbes blocked punt recovery in end zone (kick failed)

AS – Forbes 50 interception return (Weaver kick)

AS – Williams 24 interception return (no PAT)

757Teamz Top 15

#1 Maury 20, Wise (Md.) 14

#2 Phoebus 23, Highland Springs 7

#4 Oscar Smith 54, Norcom 16

#5 Green Run 49, Kellam 0

#7 Indian River 56, Lakeland 3

#9 Lafayette 68, Booker T. Washington 0

#10 Granby 79, Kecoughtan 0

#11 Cox 47, Bayside 9

Benedictine 31, #15 Western Branch 13

Beach District 

Ocean Lakes 51, First Colonial 7

Kempsville 51, Princess Anne 0

Landstown 18, Tallwood 13

Peninsula District

Menchville 35, Heritage 0

Non-district

Smithfield 14, Churchland 13

Colonial Heights 14, New Kent 13

York 21, Gloucester 6

Great Bridge 34, Norview 6

Matoaca 35, Warhill 0

Bruton 39, Nandua 0

Private schools

Atlantic Shores Christian 48, Catholic 0

Greenbrier Christian 57, Fuqua 0 (eight-man football)

Roanoke Catholic 34, Isle of Wight Academy 26

Field hockey

#757Teamz Top 15

#1 Norfolk Academy 3, Assumption (Kentucky) 2

Sydney Huddleston, Sallie Clarke Roberts and Cooper Cutchins scored for the Bulldogs against a Louisville team that’s ranked seventh in Kentucky by MaxPreps.

#3 Nansemond River 3, #7 Cox 0

Brylee Johnson and Caitlin Outlaw scored one and two goals, respectively, in a notable victory for the Warriors.

Oakton 7, #10 Princess Anne 1

A Northern Virginia team outplayed the Cavaliers.

#13 Kellam 2, Cape Henry Collegiate 1

Carleigh Porter scored the Knights’ goals.

Boys soccer

Private schools

Cape Henry 2, Collegiate 2

Cape Henry captain Cam Delaney struck first off an assist from sophomore Rett Krueger. Junior captain Graham Campbell netted the second goal for the Dolphins. Peter Hartman and Shaan Agarwal scored goals for the Cougars of Richmond.

Girls tennis

Private schools

Cape Henry 9, Catholic 0

The Dolphins, who won the VISAA Division II title last year, shut out the Crusaders.

Collegiate 9, Norfolk Academy 0

The Cougars from Richmond, annually one of the best teams in VISAA Division I, shut out the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools favorites.

Hampton Roads Academy 8, Walsingham Academy 1

The Navigators won a Peninsula TCIS showdown against the Trojans.

Boys volleyball

#757Teamz Top 15

#9 Cape Henry d. Peninsula Catholic, 3-0

(25-20, 25-17, 25-15)

Trent Parker, Logan Seith and Ethan Jenkins had five kills each. AJ Sweeney had six kills and 11 digs, while Andrew Corcoran totaled four kills and nine digs.

Non-district

Denbigh d. Churchland, 3-2

(17-25, 25-19, 25-12, 21-25, 15-7)

The Patriots outlasted the Truckers.

Girls volleyball

#757Teamz Top 15

#8 Greenbrier Christian Academy d. Denbigh Baptist, 3-0

(25-15, 26-24, 25-15)

Katelyn Balka and Logan Turchetta had 11 and nine kills, respectively. Audrey Countiss controlled the middle for the Gators. Vivi Tucker and Allie Dahlman led their defense with nine digs and 18 assists.

Private schools

Hampton Roads Academy d. Veritas, 3-1

(23-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-21)

Middle blocker Kate Lasley had eight kills and three blocks for the Navigators. Setter and right-side hitter Lexi Trudeau totaled seven kills and 12 assists.

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy d. Christchurch, 3-0

(25-7, 25-17, 25-16)

The Saints breezed past the Seahorses.

Norfolk Academy d. Norfolk Christian, 3-0

Peyton McGee led the Bulldogs with 10 kills and Vivi Deans had five kills and four blocks.

Last season, the Commodores beat the Pumas by nearly three touchdowns. Maury went on to win the Class 5 state title, while Wise won 12 in a row to win the Maryland 4A state title.

On Friday night, it was a little bit different as the Commodores, ranked No. 1 in the 757Teamz Top 15, had to survive a last-second Hail Mary to the end zone to beat Wise 20-14 in the season opener for both teams.

“It helped us last year when we faced these situations. This is just another test for us. It lets us know that we’re not invincible and we need to get better,” said Maury coach Dyrri McCain. “We saw a bunch of guys who were trained to be ready for this moment, and we finished.”

Maury survives 20-14 over Wise pic.twitter.com/TcgKmRcWGO

— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) September 7, 2024

The Commodores took an early lead when Indiana commit LeBron Bond scored on a 25-yard pass from Au’Tori Newkirk, but the extra point failed. They added to their lead a short time later when Newkirk and Bond hooked up again, this time on a 2-yard touchdown pass, to take a 13-0 lead.

“It was fourth-and-1, and I was asking Coach for the ball,” said Bond, who finished with four receptions for 36 yards and two touchdowns. “And he put the ball in my hands and we scored.”

It seemed like the Commodores might run away with the game, but Wise, located in Upper Marlboro outside of Washington, D.C., got an 89-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Eric Wedge to cut the deficit to 13-7 before the half.

The Pumas took the lead in the third quarter on Wedge’s 1-yard touchdown pass to DeCarlos Young and a PAT kick with 4:08 left.

Simmons with the 17-yard TD run.
Maury 20, Wise (MD) 14 (3Q) pic.twitter.com/kT6VjuCE1y

— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) September 7, 2024

But the Commodores regained the lead when Cameryn Simmons scored on a 17-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter.

Wise had two chances to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, including a long heave in the final seconds, but the Commodores broke up the pass in the end zone.

“It was very big for the program,” Maury defensive back Kendall Daniels Jr. said about the win. “Anything can happen at that moment, but we’ve prepared ourselves for that every day at practice.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com

In the process, the visiting Cadets from Richmond held the Bruins to minus-17 yards on 11 second-half carries and just 160 total yards for the game. Offensively, the Bruins failed to score a point, with both of their touchdowns coming from pick-six interceptions by Jaemarree Parker, whose returns went for 24 and 54 yards.

While the defense kept Western Branch in the game for three quarters, the Bruins could not stop Benedictine running back Ryker Cook. The senior tallied 159 yards and three scores on 21 carries.

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Cook’s first TD came in the second quarter as the Cadet sprinted 76 yards down the right sideline on Benedictine’s first play of a drive. On the Cadets’ next drive, Carson Lambert found Roddrey McWilliams on a perfect 33-yard post pattern to make the score 14-7 after Cole
Draucker’s extra point.

Parker’s second interception return closed the gap to 14-13 in the third quarter, but the Benedictine defense took control and stymied the Bruins’ ground attack.

Backed up to the 3-yard line, Western Branch quarterback Derrick Cook tried to escape a swarming Cadet rush, but his errant
pass was ruled a fumble and scooped by a defender. Ryker Cook followed two plays later with a 5-yard TD burst for his second score of the night.

Draucker tacked on a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-13, and after another stop from the Benedictine defense, Ryker Cook raced 30 yards for his third touchdown, providing an 18-point lead with four minutes remaining.

Western Branch’s Ky’Nique Baines, who led all reported Hampton Roads rushers last week, was held to 40 yards on 15 carries.

After the home players came out of the Oscar Smith “Tiger Cage,” they responded to the fired-up Greyhounds (1-1) with the touchdown.

“We want to play starting play one, and we actually talked a lot about it,” Oscar Smith coach Chris Scott said. “We said, ‘Listen, the blockers are going to allow us to run one back to the house.’ There was a lot of intensity, and then emotions, but just us running our assignments, and that’s when we are at our best.”

Brandon Nesbit scored two touchdowns and gained 112 yards on nine carries for Oscar Smith. Lonnie Andrews III completed 7 of 14 passes for 120 yards and a score and ran for 109 yards on seven attempts.

Despite yielding touchdowns on three consecutive possessions, the Greyhounds stayed competitive in the first half, thanks to a safety and rushing and passing touchdowns by Joedee Shelton.

In the second half, though, the Tigers (2-0) pulled away. Reginald Wallace, Travis Johnson and Charles McGlown provided touchdowns, and Camren Pearson capped the scoring with an athletic, 21-yard touchdown on an interception.

Oscar Smith outgained Norcom in total yards 438-166.

— Reported by Charlie Baumgardner

Falcons dominate Bayside

Max Palmerton and Tyre Jefferies had two rushing touchdowns apiece as No. 11 Cox thumped visiting Bayside 47-9 Friday night in a Beach District game.

Palmerton and Jefferies combined for 146 of 179 rushing yards for the Falcons (2-0). Palmerton’s first touchdown, on a 6-yard rush up the middle with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, and his ensuing two-point conversion run put his team ahead for good.

The Cox defense forced four turnovers and limited Bayside (1-1) to just four first downs and 14 total yards.

The Falcons’ other scores came via a 12-yard scoring run by Jiwan Mack and a 28-yard interception return by Jacob Palmerton.

Cox has outscored its first two opponents 85-9.

— Reported by Darrell Cuenca

He said it

“We had a good week at practice. We just took it one snap at a time — the kids trusted the process and it showed.”

— Cox coach Tyler Noe

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Storylines

Chiefs bounce back: Robert Hughes Jr. scored three touchdowns and Kempsville turned two turnovers into TDs during a 51-0 Beach District victory at Princess Anne (0-2).

Jason Galloway recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score and Jaylen Hatton returned an interception 35 yards for a TD for Kempsville (1-1), which rebounded from last week’s 28-14 loss to Salem in an opener. Hughes scored on a 1-yard plunge in the first quarter and added TD runs of 52 and 8 yards in the third.

Packers survive Truckers: Kyle Buggs threw two touchdown passes and Kinye Martin rushed for 148 yards as Smithfield (2-0) held off Churchland 14-13 on the Packers’ home field.

Buggs finished 8 of 12 for 136 yards with one interception, and both of his touchdown passes went to Ammon Rawlings (four receptions, 115 yards). The Truckers (0-2) trailed 14-0 after the first three quarters, but gave the Packers a scare by scoring 13 points in the fourth.

Zero tolerance: No. 10 Granby throttled Kecoughtan 79-0 in the Comets’ highest-scoring game in at least two decades. The Comets (2-0) have outscored their opponents 125-0 and dropped the Warriors to 0-2.

Granby had wins of 46-0 and 54-0 last season in the program’s resurgence. Those were the largest margins of victory for the Comets since Granby won 53-0 over Wilson (now Manor) in 2005.

Granby’s victory was the most lopsided among a number of shutouts involving 757Teamz Top 15 teams on Friday night: No. 5 Green Run blanked Kellam 49-0, and ninth-ranked Lafayette shut out Booker T. Washington 68-0.

Seahawk versatility: Atlantic Shores Christian scored touchdowns five different ways — punt return, pass (twice), run, blocked punt and interception return (twice) — in a 48-0 win over Catholic at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.

Chris Higgins scored on a 40-yard punt return and a 25-yard pass, Malcolm Forbes recovered a block punt in the end zone and returned a pickoff 50 yards for a score and Corey Williams took an interception 24 yards for a TD. QB Micah Lance was 11 of 16 for 271 yards and two scores, including a 76-yarder to Josh Sibley.

Lafayette routs Booker T.: No. 9 Lafayette cruised to a 68-0 victory over Booker T. Washington. Baum Hogge threw two touchdown passes and scored two defensive TDs. Jael Love, Nayron Hudson, Breon Stokes, Brayden Smalls, Josh Simpson, Kordell London and Bryce Thompson scored touchdowns.

York dominates second half: York overcame Gloucester 21-6 at Bailey Field.

The Dukes went ahead 6-0 in the first quarter on an interception return. The Falcons came back in the third on AJ Wilson’s 25-yard TD pass to Conner Lawson, then recovered a pooch kick and scored again on Wilson’s screen pass to JeMarcus Tyler, who cut back against the grain for a 45-yard touchdown.

Sebastian Benitez-Marrero, in his first football game, was 3 for 3 on PAT tries as well as kicking off and punting.

Extra points

• Indian River built a 46-point lead after three quarters and cruised to a 56-3 victory over Lakeland. The Braves improved to 2-0.
• Great Bridge scored two first-quarter touchdowns and dominated Norview in a season-opening 34-6 victory in Norfolk. The Wildcats led 20-0 and won their first season opener since 2020.
• In the Beach District, Ocean Lakes opened its season with a 51-7 victory at home over First Colonial and Landstown improved to 1-1 with an 18-13 win over Tallwood.

Saturday

Crabbers fall in thriller: No. 14 Hampton (1-1) lost 41-33 Saturday to King George (1-1) at Darling Stadium as the quarterbacks — the Foxes’ Dylan Koch and the Crabbers’ Marcus Chapman — combined for 542 yards passing. The Foxes made a clinching stop on fourth-and-3 from the King George 18.

Down 41-13, the Crabbers’ Casey Lassiter returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown with 6:11 left in the third quarter. Lavonte Chapman’s 4-yard touchdown run and Marcus Chapman’s two-point conversion run made it 41-27, and Marcus Chapman threw a 33-yard TD pass to Davion Perry to trim the margin to eight with 3:58 to go. Hampton then drove from the Foxes’ 41, but came up empty.

Friday night’s scores

757Teamz Top 15

#1 Maury 20, Wise (Maryland) 14

#2 Phoebus 23, Highland Springs 7

#4 Oscar Smith 54, Norcom 16

#5 Green Run 49, Kellam 0

#7 Indian River 56, Lakeland 3

#9 Lafayette 68, Booker T. Washington 0

#10 Granby 79, Kecoughtan 0

#11 Cox 47, Bayside 9

Benedictine 31, #15 Western Branch 13

Beach District 

Ocean Lakes 51, First Colonial 7

Kempsville 51, Princess Anne 0

Landstown 18, Tallwood 13

Peninsula District

Menchville 35, Heritage 0

Non-district

Smithfield 14, Churchland 13

Colonial Heights 14, New Kent 13

York 21, Gloucester 6

Great Bridge 34, Norview 6

Matoaca 35, Warhill 0

Bruton 39, Nandua 0

Private schools

Atlantic Shores Christian 48, Catholic 0

Greenbrier Christian Academy 57, Fuqua 0 (eight-man football)

Roanoke Catholic 40, Isle of Wight Academy 26

Saturday’s game

King George vs. #14 Hampton at Darling Stadium, 1 p.m.