Dominque Patterson churned out 127 yards and three touchdowns to cap off a domineering afternoon of Nansemond-Suffolk Pop Warner football, as five youth Saints teams opened their season with defeats of host Cavalier Manor (CM) on Saturday afternoon. Patterson’s Junior midget team grabbed a 28-0 victory, and the flag, mighty mite, Jr. Pee-Wee and Pee-Wee squads all won.

Justin Davis started off the day by scoring the only touchdown in a 7-0 flag victory, but Noah Johnson had to bail out the Mites. After he scored on a 40-yard dash in the first quarter, the Spartans raced to a 13-7 lead as the clock ticked down to two minutes. But Johnson broke loose around the left end and burned another 50 yards for the deciding touchdown.

&uot;I was just hoping I wouldn’t get hit,&uot; he said. &uot;I wanted to go all the way.&uot;

C.J. White crashed through the line for a seven-yard score to close out the first half in the Jr. Pee-Wee game, and the Saints took possession a few minutes into the third quarter. T.J. Gay gained six yards, and White hurried around the left end for a 28-yard gain to reach the CM eight. Ryan Davis made it to the five, and Gay got around the right side untouched for a 12-0 lead, which would be all the points the Saints would require.

&uot;I think we did pretty well,&uot; White said. &uot;We didn’t block on some plays, but we didn’t fumble much.&uot;

John Eaton snared the opening kickoff in the Pee-Wee game, and Curtis Hanson and Darius Miller combined for 42 yards on the next two plays. A false start penalty knocked the Saints back five yards and Miller was tackled for a two-yard loss, but he took a delayed handoff from Hunter Bossleman on the next play and rank for a touchdown. Bobby Lamm got the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The Saint defense held, and got a first down on the CM 35. Dion Quick ran 11 yards, and Lamm got seven more. Quick got three more yards, and Hanson made it to the eight. Another false start put them back on the 13, but Lamm broke for four yards, and Hanson raced down the left sideline for the touchdown and a 13-0 lead.

Again, the ball went over on downs, and Miller took a reverse from Quick to run 16 yards to the CM 15. Cody Everhart and Quick made it to the eight. Another penalty cost the Saints five yards, but Quick got them back on a rush, and a face-mask penalty got the Saints up to the four. Three plays later, Lamm ran up the middle for a touchdown, and Miller grabbed the PAT for the final score of a 20-7 victory.

In the day’s fifth and final contest, Rich Brummett fired up the Saints with an interception at the CM 45 on the opening drive. Patterson ran 21 yards around the right end and Derek Bennett 17 up the left to reach the seven. Patterson then lurched through the line, and, with one defender on his back and another around his waist, fell over the goal line. He had a much easier time on the PAT, racing through untouched. His second touchdown came on the strength of a Hunt Odom block to up the lead to 14-0 at halftime.

The Saints downed the opening kickoff of the second-half on their own 38, and Patterson and Bennett combined for 18 yards on the next four plays to reach the CM 44. Then Patterson charged for his longest run of the afternoon, burning down the left sideline and bouncing off two defenders along the way for his third score. Bennett finished out the scoring with a 13-yard rush early in the fourth quarter.

Over at John Yeates Middle School, the Bennetts Creek and Inner-City Suffolk teams opened their respective seasons against one another. BC came out on top in Junior Pee-Wee, Pee-Wee, Junior Midget and Midget competition, while the Steelers took the Mighty Mite game.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com