Warriors roll past Grassfield

Published 9:26 pm Monday, October 14, 2019

The Nansemond River High School football team grabbed a 49-10 win over Grassfield High School Friday.

The Warriors went to 5-1 with the strong win on the road. Nansemond River was able to use its powerful rushing attack once again to control the game.

In the first quarter, the Warriors held a slim 12-10 lead. A kick return for a touchdown allowed Grassfield to score its only touchdown of the night, but aside from that, the Warriors were able to limit Grassfield’s offense to only three points.

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“We did exceptionally well except for that one kick return,” Warriors Coach Justin Conyers said. “The team stayed focused after that, and we didn’t let that get us down.”

The Warriors went on to score 37 points in the remaining three quarters, which included a 22-point third-quarter effort. Once again, the rushing attack of X’zavion Evans and Brent Stratton combined for more than 250 yards and proved to be too much for their opponent. Evans carried 16 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns. Stratton carried 11 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. Nolan James went 6-13 with two touchdowns and an interception. Patrick Batiste led the Warriors in receiving with three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Nansemond River will have yet another big showdown on its schedule against Oscar Smith High School this Friday night. It was important for the Warriors to get a strong win over Grassfield to assure their focus was in the right place.

“Our coaching staff and players do a good job of focusing on what’s in front of us,” Conyers said. “Each opponent is critical to us reaching our goals, especially with us playing in the region that we play in.”

With Oscar Smith heading to Nansemond River Friday night, the Warriors are more than happy for another opportunity to show that they can win the big games.

“It’s going to be fun, but we are going to have to go out there and play mistake-free football,” Conyers said. “They are a well-coached team, and they are athletic. We are going to have to make sure we stay disciplined.”