Blog Game Blog - Bayside 24, Tallwood 8

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Greetings from Haygood Road in Virginia Beach, where the Homecoming Parade has started outside of Bayside High School as the host Marlins (2-3) take on the visiting Tallwood Lions (2-3) in a matchup that'll have playoff implications.

Tallwood, out of Region 6A, is looking to grab one of the final eight slots as they snapped a three-game losing streak a week ago with a shutout of Kempsville. Meanwhile, Bayside, which moved down to Region 5A this year, ended its three-game losing skid a week ago when Princess Anne missed a field goal at the end and the Marlins held on for a 14-12 victory.

A year ago in the regular season finale, Tallwood built a 21-0 second quarter lead before Bayside scored 19 unanswered, but their potential game-tying two-point conversion was stopped with under a minute to play.

We'll have updates here, via Twitter @hatfieldsports and via Twitter from my colleague Reese Becker at @ReeseBecker

 

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Bayside will be receiving the ball first. This might be the nicest Saturday of the season to this point. And we are underway just a few minutes early...

 

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Bayside begins at their own 48. Their first play is a quick 2-yard screen from QB Dasharn Wright to Ge'lill Jones. On the next play, they take a shot, intended for Devin Jones deep down the field and Tallwood is flagged for pass interference.

From the 35 of the Lions, the Marlins go to the air again and Nick Young picks up 6 yards. Then the Marlins go to the ground game with Aeron Williams, who runs for two apiece on the next two plays, including moving the chains on 3rd & 2.

 

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A much better start for Jon White's Marlins here at home than a year ago at Tallwood when they spotted the Lions a 21-point lead. How will Tallwood respond?

 

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Tallwood's first drive starts at their own 35 with 8:46 to play in the opening stanza. Gunner White's first run from scrimmage only picks up a yard, stopped by hard-hitting LB Kevin Jenkins and 2021 DL Dalan Middleton (name to watch). But Bayside picks up an offsides to make it 2nd & 4.

Jenkins nearly picks off the first pass of the day for Tallwood sophomore QB Carlos Lamoso, and if he did, it might've been a pick-six. The Lions dodged a bullet there. On the next play, White moves the chains with a gain of 5.

Tallwood then goes to the air with a 10-yard completion from Lamoso to Devin Eaton. That near miscue has turned into a nice drive all of the sudden for the visiting Lions.

 

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Another catch from Tallwood's Devin Eaton - resulting in a 16-yard gain on a slant - has Tallwood inside the Bayside 30. Then they go to Gunner White on a screen that adds 8 to put them in the red zone.

A pass interference on Bayside in the end zone puts Tallwood at the 9-yard line of the Marlins.

 

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A very gutsy move by John Kepple, Head Coach of Tallwood, to go for the 2-point conversion, even after a false start penalty back to the 7-yard line of the Marlins instead of the 2. Eaton was wide open, and he's a guy hurting this Bayside secondary in a big way right now.

The Marlins could've possibly gone up 14-0 if they get that pick-six, but can't dwell on it and must answer back.

 

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Great gadget play dialed up by HC Jon White and OC Jaquan Glover as they go with the double pass - Dasharn Wright to Ge'lill Jones, then finding their most explosive receiver in Nick Young down the field.

 

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Neither coach is afraid to go for 2 or go for it on 4th down in this game.

 

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Well-played first period so far. Might finally have my most competitive game in person since late August when Lake Taylor edged Phoebus on a field goal at the end on a steamy Saturday at Darling Stadium.

 

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The Tallwood defense made somewhat of a stand as a Marlins penalty forced them backwards and out of the red zone, yet Mendoza comes through with is first field goal of the year.

 

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Biggest run of the day for Tallwood's Gunner White comes on his 8th carry - 23-yard burst right up the middle on 3rd & 3 from their own 47.

Bayside Coach Jon White calls time-out as early it was the pass defense with a couple of breakdowns and now they allow the workhorse running back or the Lions to gash them. Let's see what kind of adjustment they make.

 

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Facing 3rd & 8 from the Bayside 15, the Lions go to the air with Carlos Lamoso hitting Thomas Nattania for a gain of 7. Nattania had a solid performance in last year's win on Senior Night for Tallwood.

On 4th & 1, Bayside jumps offsides. The errors continue to add up for the Marlins and allow Tallwood to continue their drives.

 

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A self-inflicted wound on Tallwood's end as they are whistled for false start on 3rd & Goal from the Bayside 3, backing them up 5 yards. The pass by Lamoso in the end zone is incomplete.

Looks like Tallwood is going for it and not trying the field goal to take an 11-10 lead with 5:57 till the break.

But Bayside comes back with a flag - pass interference (could've maybe let that one go in my eyes) to give Tallwood a 4th & Goal from the 4.

 

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From my spot in the box, couldn't tell who was in on the fumble force and recovery for Bayside, at their own 1 on 4th & Goal. Did look like Kevin Jenkins, Dalan Middleton and Jermain Smith were all around the play. We'll get confirmation later.

 

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Bayside goes 3 & out and the one positive for them was they didn't commit a game-altering turnover or have a punt blocked.

Tallwood takes over at the 50 - a loss of 3 on the punt return as Nick Young and Devin Hicks sent the return man backwards 3 yards - with 3:16 to go until the break and the Marlins lead it 10-8.

 

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Correction - that's the 2nd takeaway for the Bayside defense as they got that fumble recovery on the goal-line. They've stepped up in the second quarter.

That INT by Jalen Miller was just the 3rd for the Bayside defense in six games. They haven't been the ball-hawking group in the past few years that their secondary was known to be when they had standouts like Demetrious Nicholson (UVA), Quin Blanding (UVA), Anthony Cooper (UVA... see a trend here?), Jamez Brickhouse (ODU) and others.

Thwarts a Tallwood scoring opportunity, though.

 

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The Tallwood defense steps up after Bayside crosses midfield and keeps the Marlins from getting in field goal range.

Kevin Jenkins booms a 40-yard punt, downed at the Tallwood 15, on the final play of the half.

 

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Really not sure who feels better - - Tallwood, to only be down a deuce, or Bayside for clinging to a slim lead.

It'll be Tallwood's football to begin the 2nd half, and if they can put together a long drive with Gunner White running between the tackles, that can set the tone for the remainder of the contest. That may not necessarily be easy against a pretty respectable d-line with Thurland White, Dalan Middleton, Chaud Morning and company.

Some numbers to come shortly...

 

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Here are some numbers at the break....

Bayside 10:
Dasharn Wright - 5-11 for 41Yds. 0-0 TD/Int. ratio; 1Car. Minus 10Yds.
Ge'lill Jones - 1-1 for 40Yds; 3Rec. 31Yds.
Aeron Williams - 8Car. 40Yds. TD
Nick Young - 2Rec. 46Yds.
Justice Merritt - 7 Tackles (4 Solo)
Kevin Jenkins - 5 Tackles, PBU
Maleyk Staton - 4 Tackles

Marlins - 26 plays for 115 total yards (6-13 for 81 pass yards; 13 rushes for 34 yards); 0 turnovers; 5 penalties for 39 yards.


Tallwood 8:
Carlos Lamoso - 4-10 for 41Yds. 0-1 TD/Int. ratio
Gunner White - 18Car. 64Yds. TD, lost fumble; 1Rec. 8Yds.
Ryan McLendon - 3Car. 19Yds.
Devin Eaton - 2Rec. 26Yds.
Thomas Nattania - 1Rec. 7Yds.
Demante Boler - 5 Tackles (4 Solo)
Demarco Manela - 5 Tackles, TFL

Lions - (4-10 for 41 pass yards, 1 intercept; 15 rushes for 83 yards, 1 lost fumble); 2 turnovers; 4 penalties for 40 yards.

 

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Tallwood's Ryan McLendon takes the 2nd half kickoff 30 yards to their own 45.

Of note - Bayside's Kevin Jenkins is now kicking off instead of Merrick Mendoza, their place-kicker who apparently has suffered an ankle injury. Jenkins, their leading tackler on the season, is also their punter and made the tackle on McLendon.

The Lions run for 7 with Gunner White, but then he loses a yard as Dalan Middleton drops him. Tallwood Coach John Kepple burns a time-out before 3rd & 3 from the Bayside 49 with 10:25 to go in this 3rd period.

 

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Justice Merritt and Chaud Morning combine to stop Gunner White of Tallwood on 3rd & 3 for no gain.

But Tallwood pulls out the fake punt on 4th & 3...



So Bayside takes over at the Tallwood 48.

 

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Aeron Williams grabs chunks of yards: +7, +8, +5 as Bayside is on the move. Their offensive line with Chaud Morning, Dalan Middleton, Kavaughtay Woods and company are getting better push for Williams as well.

 

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Nick Young continues to show why he's one of the top wide receivers in the Beach District as he's a matchup issue one-on-one against pretty much any corner around. There was a defensive pass interference on Tallwood on that play that the Marlins obviously declined.

Young is up to 4 grabs for 75 yards and a TD. A good mix of run and pass for Bayside on that 8-play, 48-yard drive that took 4:15 off the clock.

 

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This is danger time for Tallwood as a penalty on the ensuing kickoff puts them at their own 21 to start, then they go back to the 16 with a false start. Dalan Middleton brings Gunner White down immediately, then an incomplete pass brings up 3rd & 13.

Bayside has a chance to put this one away...

 

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Aeron Williams rushes for 4 yards on the first play on this second series of the second half for Bayside. Freshman LB Isaiah Coley was shaken up on the play and have to give the Bayside props for being classy and giving him an applause once he got up under his own power and walked off...

2nd & 6 coming up from the Tallwood 40 for the Marlins, who can really distance themselves here in this grind-it-out game with a score if they can finish the drive off with six points.

 

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Bayside moves the chains on 4th & 1 as they use their battering ram fullback Isaiah Brown to pick up a gain of 4 to the Tallwood 31.

You don't see too many fullbacks in High School Football used effectively anymore. Remember the good 'ol days when Phoebus rode Haroon Brown for tough yards between the tackles.

I say good 'ol days and it was only like 2006 lol.

By the way, Bayside is now at the 10 of Tallwood after a catch by Ge'lill Jones and personal foul on the Lions. The refs initially spot it at the 14 incorrectly. Then they spot it incorrectly at the 10. Should've been at the 12. But I digress... *sigh*

 

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Although Tallwood may be able to force the Marlins to a field goal try, they're the ones with some self-inflicted penalties as they committed 3 for 30 yards in the 3rd period and they were all costly ones.

They begin the 4th quarter with a pass interference, too. It's half the distance to the goal as they try to go to Lemar Law, their talented ninth grader.

 

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Just a terrific jump-ball catch by Young in the corner of the end zone and Wright put it right where he needed to for his playmaker to go get it and come down with the pigskin.

Oh, and by the way....

 

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Bayside is now starting to pull away. This score might look a little bit deceiving at game's end, but the Marlins have certainly made the necessary plays to pull away in all three phases today with several different players stepping to the forefront.

 

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Another game much like their win at Princess Anne last week where the Marlins used ball-control, Time of Possession and their physical defensive front really bottled up the Tallwood running game when it mattered most.

In fact, the Lions standout RB Gunner White had 75 yards on the afternoon with only 11 of those coming on 5 carries in the 2nd half.

 

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