Lake Taylor at Phoebus . . . The history between these two programs is well-documented. From 2002-12, the Titans and Phantoms squared off six times in the playoffs with Phoebus winning every encounter – three of which were decided by six points or less – until the 54-0 demolition Lake Taylor put on in 2012. They renewed their out-of-district rivalry in 2017, where Phoebus came to Norfolk and won 25-7 thanks to some big plays from Barry Hargraves.
In last year’s defensive struggle, Lake Taylor pulled ahead for good with 17 seconds left on a QB keeper touchdown run from Jeff Foster to pull out a 21-17 win at Darling Stadium, a place that had been a house of horrors previously for Head Coach Hank Sawyer. That will be the site of this matchup here, where both teams have lofty expectations as each came up just a touchdown short of winning the State Championship at Liberty University in Lynchburg last December.
For Jeremy Blunt and the Phantoms, they want to make Foster uncomfortable with their fierce defensive line that features Josiah Silver and Austin Gilliam, a tandem that combined for 27 sacks a season ago. Behind them is the Peninsula District Defensive Player of the Year in Corey Wilson at linebacker, and a host of new faces in the secondary, where one of the key names to know is Hampton transfer Jahden Jackson. First and foremost, the emphasis must be to corral Titans punishing running back Malik Newton, who rushed for 1993 yards and 31 touchdowns as a sophomore.
The Lake Taylor offensive line – featuring Isaiah Thompson, Tyrique Tucker, Tremaine Baker, Patrick McEachin and Devante McBurrows from left to right – looks to be a strong point and allow Newton to be as effective, if not better, in 2019. There are some unknowns to a degree as to who’ll step up for Lake Taylor at receiver and Phoebus in the secondary, though a potential x-factor can be at tight end with Ikeem Wright.
Wright was the Region 4A Defensive Player of the Year at linebacker as a junior and will be one of the main defenders trying to bottle up the Phoebus ground game along with Tucker from his nose guard spot and OLB Dallas Spruill. The Phantoms have two next-level players to hand the football off to in Jaylen White, a Naval Academy commit, and junior Anthony Turner, who has been offered by UVA and showed flashes in the head-to-head meeting last September.
A dual-threat, Phoebus QB Chris Daniels will have to be more accurate than what he was in the last meeting, where he completed only 3 of 21 passes for 76 yards and a score. Without Hargraves, the go-to guy may very well be budding sophomore Kymari Gray, who scored in the State Final back in December. With Javon Harvey now at ODU, Lake Taylor now turns to Raylyn Manley to be the top cover corner and that matchup is another that should be interesting to follow. The Titans have to get penetration because Phoebus has enough athletes to break off a big play or two in one-on-one situations.
Phoebus was on its way to winning until Foster engineered an 11-play, 71-yard drive in under three minutes. Newton was held in check to 91 yards on that night, and it’s hard to ask the Phantoms to duplicate that defensive performance. Then again, Phoebus figures Daniels can have a much more efficient outing this time, and if they win the Time of Possession battle without getting behind on early miscues, the Phantoms should like their chances. At this point, the safer pick seems to be Lake Taylor with a couple fewer question marks to answer entering this opener.
Matt Says: Lake Taylor 20-17
VHSL-Reference.com Says: Lake Taylor 23-21
Coach Young Says: Lake Taylor 21-20 (OT)
