Four teams for four quarters
Published 10:23 pm Thursday, September 17, 2015
All four Suffolk high school football teams compete on the same evening for the first time this season, with King’s Fork High School on the road for a big Southeastern District showdown and the other three schools playing host tonight.
King’s Fork (2-0) at Indian River (2-0) – 7 p.m.
Last season: Braves 33, Bulldogs 6
King’s Fork raised the bar last year with its best regular season record ever, 8-2, but one of those losses came at the hands of Indian River High School, which the Bulldogs had defeated the previous three years.
“You always want another shot at someone when you lose one,” KF coach Joe Jones said. “They may be one of the best teams we play all season.”
The Braves experienced a resurgence last year under former Lakeland High School coach Glenwood Ferebee, going 8-4.
Possibly even better this year, Indian River benefits on offense from senior quarterback Tyre Givers-Wilson, junior wide receiver Devon Hunter, senior running back Tyain Smith and senior wide receiver Kyren Best.
Defensively, the Braves are impressive with senior linebacker Tavante Beckett, senior linebacker and I.C. Norcom High School transfer Omar Butler and senior linebacker Jaquan Yulee, who transferred from Lakeland last year.
The Bulldogs will be without junior offensive/defensive linemen Austin Williams and Phillip LeClair due to injury.
Virginia Episcopal (1-1) at Nansemond-Suffolk (2-1) – 7 p.m.
Last season: Saints 43, Bishops 14
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy continues to sample the competition present in its new division of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association, Division III.
The Saints are 2-0 against Division III opponents this season, and tonight they face Virginia Episcopal School, fresh off a 35-14 road win over The Covenant School.
“They’re improved,” NSA coach Lew Johnston said of the Bishops, noting they have the same coach back and some good players. But he added, “I feel like if we play up to our level, we should have a good game.”
Nansemond-Suffolk’s defense will need to keep an eye on Bishops senior running back George Battle, who has averaged 7.6 yards per carry this season, with 50 carries for 379 yards and six touchdowns.
Johnston plans to pack the box in an effort to slow Battle down and force Virginia Episcopal to throw, which he said it does not do very much.
NSA senior linebacker Daniel Griffith, recovering from a hamstring injury, will play some for the first time this season.
Deep Creek (1-1) at Nansemond River (1-1) – 7 p.m.
Last season: Warriors 24, Hornets 0
Nansemond River High School coach David Coccoli hopes his team enters the rest of the season better prepared after a bye week where he focused on things it needs to fix.
“We turned the ball over several times against Oscar Smith, and we had 32 missed tackles and we shot ourselves in the foot way too much,” he said, noting 120 yards given up with penalties. “We need to correct some things.”
The Warriors have had a chance to, and now they face the Deep Creek High School Hornets, who went 0-10 last season.
“They’re a different football team than they were last year,” Coccoli said. “They won last week against Wilson (High School), and they played Grassfield (High School) real tough.”
He identified Hornets junior Dangelo Mullen-Morrison and sophomore Damion Everette as good tailbacks and put a spotlight on junior Jaylen Jefferson.
“He’s the one that makes them go,” Coccoli said. “He’s a pretty good athlete back there at quarterback.”
Oscar Smith (1-0) at Lakeland (0-2) – 7 p.m.
Last season: Tigers 48, Cavaliers 7
Lakeland High School is going from a tough Southeastern District test last week against host Western Branch High School to possibly the most difficult district test of all — Oscar Smith High School.
The Tigers have not lost to an SED opponent since Nov. 3, 2006.
“I feel confident and the kids feel confident,” Cavaliers coach Kevin Knight said after noting his team has practiced well this week. When it comes to the opponent, “We don’t worry about the name.”
The Tigers feature experience behind center, with junior quarterback Shon Mitchell, who has effective receivers, including junior Larry Chapel, sophomore Shy’keem Hussey and senior Kevin Todd Jr.
Junior running back Khalik Perry and senior running back Kourtney Johnson bolster Oscar Smith on the ground.
“We’ve definitely got to establish the run and protect the ball,” Knight said. “If we can run the ball and run the ball well, hopefully we can come out with a win.”
Lakeland freshman offensive/defensive lineman Jayree Hardy will be back from injury.