Game Blog of Class 5A Championship: Green Run 50, Kempsville 8 - FINAL

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Greetings from Green Run High on this 50-degree Friday night in November after Thanksgiving. It's #2 seed Kempsville (11-1) at top-seeded Green Run (12-0) in a re-match of last year's Region 5A Championship.

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Below, it's our mini preview of the game...

CLASS 5

Region A

#2 Kempsville (11-1) at #1 Green Run (12-0)

Note – Excluding a forfeit win in the spring of 2020-21, Kempsville has not beaten Green Run on the field since 2012, marking 11 consecutive losses on the field. One of those bitter defeats for the Chiefs came in last year’s Region 5A Final, where they saw a 17-7 third quarter lead evaporate in a 21-17 loss, despite out-gaining the high-octane Stallions 343-258 on the night. If the Kempsville defense can clamp down on Green Run QB Kevin White (4123 total yards, 55 TD’s accounted for), the Beach District Offensive Player of the Year, and keep the Stallions passing game in check, they will have a great chance to taste their first regional title since 1983.

Matt Hatfield – Green Run 21-20
Coach Ed Young – Green Run 18-16

 

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Green Run came out firing on its first play. It's 56th total TD accounted for by White, the Menchville transfer, on the season. For Young=Stieff, it's his 14th TD catch of the 2022 campaign.

 

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Boy, did Kempsville need that response to silence the home crowd. The Duke commit responded with a huge return to get the Chiefs ignited.

 

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Green Run's offense goes 3 & out on its second series after nearly hitting a big shot through the air again with Kevin White. Credit Ryley McIntosh, who came to the Chiefs from Ocean Lakes, for breaking up the completion. On the next two plays, runs from White and Damari Palmer get just three yards total.

Green Run's punt goes about 34 yards as they boot it away on 4th & 7 from their own 38.

Kempsville begins their second possession at their own 32 with 10:08 to go in the opening period.

 

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You expect Kempsville to keep it on the ground here with bruising ball carrier NaiQuan Washington-Pearce, who earlier on this drive moved the sticks.

 

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Major credit to the Green Run defense - keyed by Tyler Baker, Caleb Turner and Kaevon Blanding - on that possession to get the ball back to their offense and to allow White to quickly strike with the explosive Young-Stieff. With so much of the defense's attention on playmaker Keylen 'Brodie' Adams on the outside, it has enabled Young-Stieff to take the top off of the Kempsville secondary with his home-run ability.

Kempsville does not want to get in a track meet and would prefer to slow this game down and play it between the tackles rather than on the edges, where Green Run is simply exceptional and often superior.

 

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Kempsville's second possession begins at their own 31-yard line. They run it with Justin Joyner for no gain as they sniff it out well. But on 2nd & 10, it's Darius Johnson breaking off a 10-yard run before being tripped up by Milton Ferguson.

Facing a pivotal 3rd & 5 from their own 46, QB Noah Lee drops back to throw and then scrambles with a lot of daylight, gaining 24 yards down to the Green Run 30. His ability to escape pressure will be very important tonight

 

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Not much acceleration from NaiQuan Washington-Pearce, the bulldozing running back for Kempsville. He's been held to 12 yards and five carries, appearing to still be favoring his foot a bit from an injury he sustained earlier in the season. But also give props to the Green Run defense for bringing multiple hats to his big body.

Consecutive runs with Washington-Pearce, including on 4th & 3 from the 24 of Green Run, comes up short of moving the sticks. Zakai Hall has been solid from his linebacker spot and up front they aren't getting pushed off the ball by that Chiefs o-line.

An illegal sub backs Green Run up 5 yards and then it's sophomore tailback Damari Palmer giving them some breathing room with a run of 8 to set up 2nd 7 from their own 25 to take a shot.

 

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Green Run has connected on deep shots with tremendous accuracy tonight and White is performing at a different level, one that certainly should keep him at or near the top of the conversation for Class 5 State Player of the Year honors.

 

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With 8:35 to go until half-time, Kempsville is facing an enormous 3rd & 6 from their own 34, trailing host Green Run 21-8.

Their running game is being kept in check thus far and the last play was a 4-yard screen to Darius Johnson. That was their first pass attempt or completion of the night. A basic run up the middle manages just a yard as Kion Saunders meets Darius Johnson right away, Kempsville is forced to punt it away.

The Chiefs get a generous hop on the punt that ends up landing at the Green Run 20 with 8:02 to go in the first half. Green Run may be thinking for the killshot here as another long TD through the air from White to any of his dynamic receivers would further demoralizing the visiting Chiefs, struggling mightily to cover in space down the field.

 

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This has been a remarkable performance in the first half from White as the Kempsville defense cannot get off the field on third down at all.

 

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This offense looks unstoppable right now. So whoever sees this team in Class 5 moving forward - perhaps Maury in the State Semis, and if they get through that the most likely candidates seem to be Highland Springs or Stone Bridge - they have their work cut out for them slowing down this passing game. Plus, White has the speed to get to the next level of the defense and go the distance.

 

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Kempsville's play-calling has me baffled. They get a run of 20 yards from Duke commit Quran Boyd, who then adds an 8-yard burst. On 2nd & 2, they try a fade pattern that is incomplete in the end zone. That results in them deciding a fake handoff and keeper with Noah Lee losing a yard. They then go back to NaiQuan Washington-Pearce, clearly not 100%, and he is stuffed on fourth down.

It would make sense to give Boyd the ball since he's got 128 yards from scrimmage on three touches. I'm just saying...

 

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An unbelievable offensive display of fireworks tonight from Green Run.

 

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Running out of adjectives to describe how good Kevin White has been - his ball placement, decision-making, command, accuracy on deep balls, reading of the defense and ability to use his legs to extend plays. Just sensational.

 

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I don't really fault Kempsville Coach Daryl Cherry for trying to get points before the half to thwart any type of momentum, but you do wonder if they went for it there, what about on their previous possession from inside the Green Run 15 on 4th down?

The Stallions have been lethal offensively tonight, and ever since the Chiefs forced a 3 & out on the second possession for Green Run's offense, the Kempsville defense has looked relatively helpless without much of a pass rush to disrupt White's precision and timing from the pocket.

 

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Stats at the Half:

Green Run 36:
Kevin White - 6-7 for 249Yds. 4-0 TD/Int. ratio; 5Car. 75Yds. TD
Tasean Young-Stieff - 3Rec. 145Yds. 2 TD's
Keylen 'Brodie' Adams - 2Rec. 84Yds. TD
Damari Palmer - 7Car. 44Yds.
Jayden Anderson - 1Rec. 20Yds.
Jha'lre Ricks - 6 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
Tyler Baker - 5 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
Caleb Turner - 5 Tackles, 0.5 TFL

Stallions - 21 plays for 364 total yards (6-7 for 249 pass yards, 4 TD's; 15 rushes for 115 yards, TD); 0 turnovers; 3 penalties for 30 yards


Kempsville 8:
Noah Lee - 3-6 for 31Yds; 6Car. 44Yds.
Quran Boyd - 2Car. 28Yds; 80-yard KR TD
NaiQuan Washington-Pearce - 8Car. 19Yds.
Darius Johnson - 5Car. 17Yds; 2Rec. 10Yds.
Nate Clark - 1Rec. 21Yds.
DeZhawn Smith - 4 Tackles

Chiefs - 29 play for 144 total yards (3-6 for 31 yards passing; 23 rushes for 113 yards); 0 turnovers; 0 penalties

 

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Kempsville begins the 2nd half with the football at their own 35. Kaevon Blanding deflects the pass by Noah Lee. On 2nd & 10, it's a run of 3 by Ryley McIntosh. Ditto on 3rd down. So on 4th & 4 from their own 41, what do the Chiefs do? They run it again with NaiQuan Washington-Pearce and he is stuffed.

Really like the job the Green Run defensive backs have done in tackling against the Kempsville ground game, in particular Tyler Baker (who plays like a linebacker more times than not), Kaevon Blanding and Milt Ferguson.

Jha'lre Ricks - a junior linebacker - has been a breakout performer this evening as well, flying all over the field.

 

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So Green Run's offense is stopped for the first time in a long while as the Kempsville defense pushes the back on a penalty, and then DeZhawn Smith makes an emphatic tackle on a catch by Keylen 'Brodie' Adams that some of the home faithful thought was unnecessary roughness and warranted a flag. Nonetheless, Green Run will punt it away on 4th & long.

With 7:31 to go in the third quarter, Kempsville takes over at their own 29. They work it down to the Green Run 44, but on 2nd & 10, QB Noah Lee is sacked by Cameron Thurlow and Larry Giddens. On fourth down, it's an incomplete pass, allowing Green Run to take over at their own 48.

 

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Green Run goes to a power package - a rarity for them - with two linemen in the backfield as extra blockers as they establish the ground game with slick running sophomore Damari Palmer to burn some clock. Karlos Isler and Isaiah Ceus halt the drive when the Stallions go for it on 4th & 8 from the Kempsville 16.

So Kempsville takes over at their own 15 with 8.1 seconds to go in the third period.

 

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Now the defense gets in on the act as the Stallions are celebrating Thanksgiving weekend in style.

 

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This score happens after Kempsville fails to recover the kickoff, in similar fashion to the lapse that Oscar Smith had to open the game against Western Branch.

Chants of 'We Want Maury,' are about to start here at Elisha 'Cadillac' Harris Stadium. If you recall, it was Maury who humbled the Stallions in last year's State Semis on this field on their way to reaching ODU and the Class 5 State Championship.

Should be an interesting re-match on December 3rd, one the Stallions have been waiting for now for 12 months.

 

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More to come later...