Blog LIVE Game Blog - Region 3A Semis: #5 Hopewell (6-3) vs. #1 Phoebus (10-1)

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Greetings from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. You're thinking 'Huh?!?' Yeah, I'm going to LIVE Blog this one from my hotel as I'm handling some ODU Men's Basketball radio Play-by-Play duties. Yet, I'm watching on the YouTube feed as the top-seeded Phoebus Phantoms (10-1) take on the fifth-seeded Hopewell Blue Devils (6-3) in the Region 3A Football Semis over at Darling Stadium in Hampton.

Updates will be provided her and via Twitter @hatfieldsports

Stay tuned!

 

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Phoebus playmaker Kymari Gray returns the opening kickoff 59 yards to the Hopewell 28, where the Phantoms will start with 11:48 to go in the opening quarter.

Gray had two pick-sixes in the first half in the playoff win over Hopewell back in the spring.

But the first snap is an errant one, recovered by Ah'daryall Hite, junior defensive lineman of Hopewell. The Blue Devils now take over at the Phoebus 42. Crazy couple of plays out of the gate.

 

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Hopewell did a nice job of keeping things simple on that opening drive with QB Mason Cumbie at the controls. They got it in the hands of backs Kesean Henderson and Kentrell McDaniels, who had a 14-yard run, as well as WR Cortaz Cheatham, who ad a 6-yard reception.

Phoebus now needs a quick response, otherwise some doubt might creep in about what happened in 2017 when they fell 7-6 as a No. 1 seed at home at Darling on a Saturday to a Ricky Irby coached Blue Devils bunch.

 

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Kymari Gray returns the ensuing kickoff about 26 yards to the Phoebus 27. Gray hauls in a quick pass that loses 2 to bring up 2nd & 12. The Phantoms have it off to Ty'Reon Taylor, their star running back, who gains 5. On 3rd & 7 from their own 30, the Phantoms see QB Mark Wagner sacked by Carmello Crawford, a junior free safety who flew upfield to get to the signal caller rolling to his right.

After a time-out and punt, Hopewell begins its second series at the 50 with 6:27 to go in the opening frame.

 

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Mychal McMullin, the junior defensive lineman who anchors the Phoebus defense, makes two key stops in a span of three plays. The biggest one came on 3rd & 3, sacking Hopewell QB Mason Cumbie for a loss of 3. However, on 4th & 6, the Phoebus defense is called for encroachment, bringing up a 4th & 1 from the 41.

Kesean Henderson pushes forward for 2 to move the sticks on 4th down. But on the next play, it's McMullin sacking Cumbie for a loss of 5. A good tackle by Kaleb Tillery on a short Hopewell pass brings up 3rd & 12.

A holding on the Blue Devils brings back what would've been a 42-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up double-digits. Tough break for Hopewell there.

 

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Hopewell punts it away on 4th & 26 from their own 44 as Henderson gains 2 following the holding penalty.

Kymari Gray hauls in the punt and returns it 10 yards up to the Phoebus 30, where he's caught by Sadarion Hertsch.

Phoebus starts its 3rd series with 2:05 left in the opening quarter. Gray fumbles the ball on a sweep, resulting in a loss of 12. Then Mark Wagner's pass intended for Jalen Mayo is off the mark, quickly bringing up 3rd & 22 from their own 18. Donald Gatling hauls in a Wagner pass for 13 yards, but it'll be well short of the first down as freshman corner Major Preston stops him right away.

No return on the punt, which lands at the 48 of Phoebus. That's where Hopewell will have it for their third offensive possession with just 33 seconds left in the opening period.

 

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Hopewell begins the 2nd quarter with it 2nd & 10 at the Phoebus 48 after no gain on a pass completion to end the opening period.

 

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With 11:08 to go in the second period, an INT is made by Phoebus DB Kymari Gray, victimizing Hopewell QB Mason Cumbie on 3rd & 7 from the 45. Gray returns it about 17 yards up to the 40, though a personal foul or illegal contact penalty (couldn't tell which) on the return will back the Phantoms up a bit to their own 17.

A pitch from QB Mark Wagner to RB Ty'Reon Taylor gains 5. Jayire Blizzard almost intercepts Wagner on 2nd & 5 as it's incomplete. Out of an empty, five-wide set, it's Blizzard finding Gray for a gain of 4. But Phoebus will have to punt it away on 4th & 1 from their own 26.

Hopewell takes over at their own 20 following an excellent with 9:40 remaining in the first half.

 

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The Phoebus defense forces a quick 3 & out. Jalen Mayo breaks up a Mason Cumbie pass on 1st & 10. Patrick Scott is hit by Kaleb Tillery and a couple of Phantoms defenders on 2nd down. Then the secondary comes up big with Darius Matthews breaking up the long pass down the field. Hopewell will punt it away, clinging to a 7-0 lead.

Question is can Phoebus get the offense ignited? The Phantoms start their next series at their own 49 with 8:44 to go in the second quarter.

 

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Khatoine Taylor wraps up Ty'Reon Taylor of Phoebus for a gain of 1. On 2nd & 9, it's Taylor running for 2 as he's hit by a couple of defenders, including big lineman Kavel Perry-Graves. A pass in the flat intended for Keyontae Gray of Phoebus is incomplete.

Hopewell will take over after the punt from their own 15 with 7:10 left in the first half in what has become a defensive battle for the most part.

 

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Emerson Hurd makes a great tackle for loss of 4 on Kemonte Venning to bring up 2nd & 14 for Hopewell. Donald Gatling tackles QB Mason Cumbie following a run of 6. Kaleb Tillery and Hurd bring Kesean Henderson down for a major loss of about 11. That forces Hopewell to punt it away from their own 6.

The punt will land at the Phoebus 40 with 4:42 to go in the second period. The Phantoms absolutely must take advantage of this field position and get to the break squared up at 7-apiece. A golden opportunity here.

 

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A nifty jet sweep by Keyontae Gray gains 12 for Phoebus down to the Hopewell 28. Kymari Gray, his brother, hauls in a pass from Mark Wagner for 6 yards. Wagner keeps it for a 6-yard run before Blizzrd stops him at the Hopewell 16.

Kavel Perry-Graves hits Ty Taylor for a loss of 1. On 2nd & 11, Wagner's pass is knocked down by Blizzard to bring up another third down situation - likely a passing one - for the Phantoms offense.

 

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Elijah Brown tackles Kymari Gray short of the first down sticks on a pass by Mark Wagner on 3rd & 11. The Phantoms will use their second time-out with 2:34 remaining in the first half before a 4th & 1 from the Hopewell 7.

Wagner sneaks up the middle for 3 to the Hopewell 4. Kevin Hicks appears to bring Ty'Reon Taylor down for a loss of 1 on 1st & Goal, but a personal foul / horse collar call will aid the Phantoms and put them at the 2.

 

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The Phantoms execute when they need to right before the half to even things up.

 

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On 1st & 10 from their own 22 following the ensuing kickoff, Hopewell fakes the trap and Mason Cumbie throws it right to Elijah Brown, who drops the underneath curl pass. But Kesean Henderson blasts through the Phoebus defense with a powerful 20-yard run up to the 42.

With three receivers to his right, Cumbie fakes the hand off and gains about 4 up the middle. Anthony Reddick makes the stop and he's one of the underclassmen for the Phantoms I like a lot in terms of prospects.

Christopher Thomas makes a sack of Cumbie on 3rd & 9 and Phoebus uses its final time-out with 29 seconds before the break.

Henderson gains 7 on a run to end the half.

 

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Some half-time numbers forthcoming...

 

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Stats at the Half:

Phoebus 7:
Mark Wagner - 5-9 for 31Yds; 3Car. 3Yds.
Ty'Reon Taylor - 5Car. 12Yds. TD
Keyontae Gray - 1Car. 12Yds.
Kymari Gray - 4Rec. 18Yds; 2 Solo Tackles, INT
Donald Gatling - 1Rec. 13Yds.
Emerson Hurd - 5 Tackles, 2 TFL
Kaleb Tillery - 5 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
Anthony Reddick - 5 Tackles (2 Solo)

Phantoms - 19 plays for 46 total yards (5-9 for 31 yards passing; 10 rushes for 15 yards, TD, 1 lost fumble); 1 turnover; 1 penalty for 5 yards


Hopewell 7:
Mason Cumbie - 2-7 for 8Yds. 0-1 TD/Int. ratio; 7Car. 8Yds.
Kesean Henderson - 9Car. 47Yds. TD
Kentrell McDaniels - 2Car. 14Yds.
Cortaz Cheatham - 1Rec. 6Yds.
Khatoine Taylor - 3 Tackles
Kavel Perry-Graves - 3 Tackles, TFL
Carmello Crawford - Sack
Jayire Blizzard - 2 Pass Breakups

Blue Devils - 27 plays for 73 total yards (2-7 for 8 yards passing, 1 INT; 20 rushes for 65 yards, TD); 1 turnover; 3 penalties for 23 yards

 

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Hopewell begins the 2nd half with possession at their own 38. QB Mason Cumbie calls his own number and runs for 5, tackled by Emerson Hurd. Kesean Henderson gains 4 to bring up 3rd & 1. With three receivers to the right, Cumbie keeps it and Jalen Mayo brings him down for a loss of 1.

Instead of going for it on 4th & 2, Cumbie quick-kick punts it and Phoebus will have it from their own 22 with 10:07 to go in the third quarter. Neither passing game has produced much - just 31 yards for Phoebus and 8 for Hopewell - but the Phantoms can get their quick, short air attack working if they just get their timing and pass protection straightened out.

 

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Mark Wagner's first pass of the second half is incomplete. More concerning than the low totals through the air for the Phantoms is they've yet to sustain a ground attack with just 15 yards. More of Ty Taylor in the 2nd half could change that and he gets the carry on second down. But Khatoine Taylor stops him for a minimal gain of just 3 to bring up 3rd & 7.

Wagner's second pass is incomplete, so Phoebus will be punting away on 4th & 7 from their own 25. Hopewell is hoping to tilt field position in their favor here.

 

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A generous roll on a punt that didn't look that solid ends up putting Hopewell at its own 40 with 9:07 to go in the third period. Phoebus took just a minute off the clock. Hopewell wants to shorten the game, so more running by Henderson would seem to be the formula with mixing in of others, like QB Cumbie.

Henderson runs for 4 yards up to the 44, where Emerson Hurd tackles him. Cumbie then rolls to the left and out of bounds just a couple yards short of the first down marker. Before 3rd & 3 from their own 47, Hopewell is called for false start. That could force them to throw instead of run here.

Kymari Gray blankets receiver Kevin Hicks on 3rd & 8 and he breaks up the Cumbie pass at the very last moment. Phoebus declines a holding penalty on Hopewell as the Blue Devils punt it away for the second time in this half.

Phoebus takes over at their own 35 with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team is burning much clock with the quick 3 & outs.

 

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Jordan Bass gains just 1 yard on a sweep as the Hopewell defense with Kesean Henderson is ready. Facing 2nd & 9, Mark Wagner drops the snap from center and is able to get it, but no gain on the play. The Phantoms continue to be sloppy and out of sync offensively.

A big play for Phoebus as Bass hauls in a pass good for 21 yards to the Hopewell 43 from Wagner. That's the longest play from scrimmage of the day for either team, just surpassing the 20-yard run in the second quarter by Henderson.

 

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From the Hopewell 43, a bad snap that bounces to QB Mark Wagner results in him being dumped for a loss of 1. Wagner tries to thread the needle to Keyontae Gray and it's bobbled, resulting in an incomplete to bring up 3rd & 11.

Jalen Mayo thinks he's got a nice completion of 20+ yards, but a holding on the Phantoms - just their 2nd penalty of the afternoon - will bring it back. Henderson then sacks Wagner for a loss of about 3 to bring out the punting unit again with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

 

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Jamarion Chavis of Hopewell fair catches the Phoebus punt at his own 20 with 4:48 to go in the third quarter. So the Blue Devils get stuck in neutral on a couple of plays with an incomplete pass and a 2-yard run before a penalty backs them up 5.

On 3rd & 13, a wild play as Cumbie is intercepted by Darius Matthews at the Phoebus 48, who returns it about 36 yards before Kesean Henderson strips him and the Blue Devils appear to have possession. The referees are sorting it out to see who will have the football. There were two different flags on the play. This play could turn out to be game-changing in a 7-all battle where the next score might very well determine the outcome.

After sorting it out, it looks Phoebus will have the ball at the 45 of Hopewell as they are backed up following a personal foul with 3:35 to go in the quarter. Maybe a break for the Phantoms. Now it's their chance to cash in on it...

 

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Ty'Reon Taylor is stood up by the Hopewell defensive front. An end around with Kymari Gray only gains 2 as Sadarion Hertsch is able to bring him down pretty quickly. On 3rd & 8, the Phantoms see a couple of receivers jump and it's a false start, putting them back to the 48 of Hopewell. So they've yet to take advantage of another opportunity in Blue Devils territory.

Mark Wagner's pass on 3rd & 13 is too high for his intended receiver. Which probably means punting time, yet again. Hopewell may have dodged a bullet there. The Phantoms will burn a time-out with 1:28 to go in the third quarter.

 

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Hopewell takes over at their own 15 following the Phoebus punt. Mychal McMullin and Jalen Mayo drop Kesean Henderson right away for no gain on a run. Sound form tackle by Donald Gatling on Mason Cumbie to bring up 3rd & 8 as the clock ticks under 30 seconds to go in the third quarter. Then disaster hits for the Hopewell offense courtesy of the passing game.




Basically, Cumbie was trying to avoid the sack, steps up right near the line and slings an unnecessary pass, where Jalen Mayo swooped in and made him pay.

 

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After the kickoff return, Hopewell starts the 4th period on their own 35. A 2-yard loss with the run game as Mychal McMullin comes through unblocked to make a play.

Dropping back, Mason Cumbie takes a big heat and is out of the game now. So the Blue Devils move WR Cortaz Cheatham to QB. However, the Blue Devils are still stagnant offensively and Phoebus is doing a better job up front of shedding the blocks and making stops against the run with Hopewell proving to be one-dimensional offensively.

 

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A huge break for Hopewell as Antonio Cherry recovers the football for Hopewell that is loose on the punt when the ball bounces off the leg of a Phoebus player.

So Hopewell has it, trailing 14-7, with 9:38 to go at the Phoebus 46. Kemonte Venning gains 1 on a run. Emerson Hurd makes the tackle. Mychal McMullin stops Patrick Scott on a run of 1 to bring up 3rd & 8 from the 44 of Phoebus.

Anthony Reddick and Jordan Bass stop Kesean Henderson at the 40 to bring up 4th & 4. A tad bit surprisingly, Hopewell punt this away as the clock ticks under 8 minutes to play. They'll play field position and trust their defense to give them another quality opportunity. The punt goes out of bounds around the 8 and that's exactly what the Blue Devils wanted with 7:44 on the clock.

 

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Ty'Reon Taylor gets to the outside and it's his best run of the afternoon, moving the chains up to the 25-yard line. That was 17 yards on that run. Prior to that attempt, he had just 15 yards on 7 carries. Taylor makes another sharp run, cutting away from a defender on his gain of about 3, but there is an injured player and apparently a penalty on Phoebus that will back them up when play resumes.

Yet, on 1st & 20 from the 15, Taylor shows the speed and next-level abilities as he races nearly 85 yards. Chavis keeps him from finding the end zone at the 27-yard line of Hopewell with 7:10 to go in regulation.

 

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Receiver Kymari Gray is put in the backfield and he runs up the middle for 8 to make it 2nd & 2 for Phoebus at the Hopewell 19. Ty Taylor tries to punch ahead for a couple to move the sticks. He's going to be a yard short.

Toss to the outside and Kevin Hicks make a huge tackle to bring Taylor down for a loss of 1. It's 4th & 2 and Phoebus will burn some clock here before snapping the ball. Right as they do with the clock ticking under 5 minutes, it's the stop route and Kymari Gray hauling it in, then racing up the field for a touchdown to put things out of reach most likely for the visiting Blue Devils.

 

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Without a consistent passing attack, it's hard to envision Hopewell making up this deficit in the final few minutes. The Blue Devils have done their job most of the day on defense, save for a couple of key plays. Offensively, they've just been unable to come up with clutch conversions, particularly on third down.

The Phoebus defense - nabbing 3 INT's with three different defenders - has really been the story and difference.

 

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A holding on the kickoff return by Hopewell has the ball placed at midfield with 4:44 to go. And they simply don't have the time to keep it on the ground and needs to pick up the tempo with their offense to have a chance of cutting into the deficit.

After being stopped to no gain on a run play, Cortaz Cheatham's first pass down the field is incomplete. However, Cheatham shows some wheels getting to the outside on a 3rd & 10 scramble, picking up 10 to move the sticks. Cheatham has another good run two plays later, gaining 8 on a scramble and Phoebus will burn a time-out with 3:06 to play and Hopewell at the 28 of the Phantoms.

 

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Cortaz Cheatham lofts a pass in the end zone for Elijah Brown and Kevon Pruitt makes a really fine pass breakup. The Phantoms have four pass deflections and 3 INT's, so needless to say their secondary has been the game-changing unit on the field.

Speaking of which... they step up big again.

 

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Following a 15-yard blow to the head penalty on Phoebus, Hopewell is hit for a questionable holding penalty to wipe out what would've been a long gain by Kevin Hicks on a pass from Cortaz Cheatham.

As the clock ticks near just 1 minute to play, Hicks makes another tremendous catch and this time the 31-yard gain will stand on 3rd & long to move the sticks to the Phoebus 38.

The 6'2" junior Hicks makes another impressive catch, fighting and clawing his way toward the pylon for 20 yards. Love the way he's competing out there.

On the final play, it's Cheatham intercepted by Jayden Early in the end zone. Fitting that the Phoebus defense ends it with their 5th INT as that unit really swung things in their favor.

Phoebus outscored Hopewell 20-0 in the final 12:15 of the contest after being deadlocked at at 7-apiece through 36:45.

 

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More to come later...

 

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Final Stats:

Phoebus 27: (Phantoms 11-1 Overall)
Mark Wagner - 7-15 for 71Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio
Ty'Reon Taylor - 11Car. 90Yds. TD
Kymari Gray - 5Rec. 37Yds. TD; 2 Solo Tackles, INT, PBU
Jordan Bass - 1Rec. 21Yds; 3 Tackles
Donald Gatling - 1Rec. 13Yds.
Emerson Hurd - 13 Tackles (7 Solo), 1.5 TFL
Mychal McMullin - 8 Tackles, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
Kaleb Tillery - 7 Tackles
Jalen Mayo - 2 INT TD returns

Phantoms - 37 plays for 171 total yards (22 rushes for 100 yards, 2 fumbles lost; 7-15 for 71 yards passing); 2 turnovers; 8 penalties for 91 yards


Hopewell 7: (Blue Devils 6-4 Overall)
Cortaz Cheatham - 5-10 for 59Yds. 0-2 TD/Int. ratio; 3Car. 20Yds; 1Rec. 6Yds.
Kesean Henderson - 13Car. 59Yds. TD (9Car. 47Yds. TD in 1st Half)
Kentrell McDaniels - 2Car. 14Yds.
Mason Cumbie - 2-11 for 8Yds. 0-3 TD/Int. ratio; 11Car. 20Yds.
Kevin Hicks - 4Rec. 53Yds.
Khatoine Taylor - 5 Tackles (4 Solo), TFL
Sadarion Hertsch - 5 Tackles

Blue Devils - 58 plays for 177 total yards (37 rushes for 110 yards; 7-21 for 67 yards, 5 intercepts); 5 turnovers; 10 penalties for 71 yards