Game Blog: Warwick 21, Woodside 6 - FINAL

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Greetings on this rainy, chilly Tuesday night in March (who would've envisioned this right?) as the Woodside Wolverines get set to take on the Warwick Raiders from John B. Todd Stadium in Newport News for the season opener for each squad.

Woodside has won 11 straight meetings. In 2019, both of these teams had considerable success and advanced in the postseason. In fact, by eliminating Hampton, Warwick achieved its first playoff win in 29 years that season. Meanwhile, Woodside, with a suffocating defense, reached the regional semifinals in 5A and came within a stop of reaching the regional title game on Thanksgiving weekend.

Watch Game Replay via Newport News Schools TV Channel Here:


We'll have updates for you throughout the evening here on the Blog as well as on Twitter @ hatfieldsports

 

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Woodside's ball to start at their own 26. Wolverines with Tayvon Tyler at QB (younger brother of Army's Tyhier Tyler, who once starred for the Wolverines) with the first play from scrimmage and it's a run for no gain. Then Bryce Phipps rushes for 7 yards. But on 3rd & 3, we have the game's first turnover.

 

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Corpening - who just got his first offer from Maryland earlier this week - comes up with the takeaway. Now let's see if the Raiders can capitalize.

 

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Not much happens for Warwick on its first series, even with golden field position, as the Raiders are called for three false start penalties. Derick Nixon had the best play on the series with his QB keeper good for 6 yards on 3rd & 25. The Raiders punt it away.

On the punt return, Warwick is called for their 4th penalty - a personal foul - and that pushes it up 15 yards following the 5-yard punt return by Avery Scott of the Wolverines. However, Woodside gives it right back on their second fumble in a span of 4 minutes, 8 seconds. Warwick recovers with Kemari Thorne.

 

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Warwick's offense was going backwards, but the Wolverines cough it up on the punt return. Wolverines Head Coach Danny Dodson has to be beside himself with all these fumbles so far. But Warwick must take advantage of one of these here.

 

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Warwick burns a time-out with 2:58 to go in the opening period facing a 4th & 3 from the Woodside 4. They've gotten some decent runs up the middle with QB Derick Nixon and RB Bryce Buchanan. The drive (or drive's restart, depending on how you look at it) began though with a quick completion for 5 yards to Kysaun Jones.

Corey Hairston, Warwick Head Coach, is not kicking the field goal and instead going for it...

 

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Warwick finally scores on the 3rd turnover of the opening stanza for Woodside. The Wolverines defense with Avery Scott, Koa Naotala and Nasir Spriggs held tough for much of this quarter with Warwick threatening in their end for much of the way.

 

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Warwick's defense has figured out the Woodside run game, at least thus far, as the Wolverines lose yardage on three straight plays from scrimmage following the first touchdown of the night.

Kenyon Thorne, Kyere Watson-Hubbard and Marlen Wilson all made stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Woodside punts and Warwick begins at the 43-yard line of the Wolverines with 20 seconds left in the opening period.

 

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Woodside has come out sluggish and will have to lean on its defense to keep them in this game until the offense straightens things out. Warwick has a chance to continue the momentum, and wouldn't be surprised to see them take a shot or two down the field with their passing game as the Wolverines crowd the box and the ground attack.

 

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An impressive throw and catch for Warwick as QB Derick Nixon finds WR Elijah Smith on 3rd & 18 for 19 yards down to the 32 of the Wolverines. Just a few plays later though, the Raiders go from the 22 of Woodside all the way back to the 38-yard line. How? Literally they had four straight penalties (three false starts and an illegal procedure), but Danny Dodson of Woodside declined the last one since the play was a loss of 1.

Warwick goes for it on 4th & 12 from the 33 of the Wolverines. The Raiders pass is nearly picked off by Woodside's Avery Scott. That incomplete means a turnover on downs.

So Warwick has failed to go up double-figures, leading 7-0 with 8:24 till half-time. We'll see if Woodside can get a big play as their longest gain from scrimmage has been 7 yards so far.

 

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Warwick's defense is feasting right now. Aidan Adair makes a solid hit, and following a holding penalty from Woodside, the Wolverines are in more trouble. Kenyon Thorne and Marlen Wilson combine for a sack, costing the Wolverines 11 yards. Wolverines QB Tayvon Tyler has been running for his life this whole first half.

Not a great night for football... both teams getting penalties and negative plays throughout this half.

Woodside faces 3rd & 33 from their own 10 and they are content to run it for a gain of 4 with Avery Scott.

However, on the punt, the Wolverines get swallowed up at their own 1, unable to get the kick off as Kenyon Thorne drops them for a loss of 13.

 

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Warwick kept that one out of shotgun instead of the tight formation and Nixon squeezed his way through there for a touchdown.

Woodside goes 3 & out on its next series, completing a pass with Tayvon Tyler to Adryan Payne for 5 yards. They've only had one play from scrimmage the whole night go for more than 5 yards. That was a 7-yard run by Bryce Phipps.

Up 13-0 with 2:49 to go in the first half, Warwick takes over at the 48 of Woodside. Check that, their own 37 following a 15-yard penalty. Raiders have 12 of those flags for 90 yards tonight.

 

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Penalty pushes Warwick back to the 35 of Woodside with 27 seconds left in the 2ndQ. Then it's Koa Naotala with a sack of Derick Nixon and time runs out for the Raiders.

 

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We'll add up some numbers and give you the half-time figures of note in just a little bit.

 

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Your half-time numbers...

Stats at the Half:

Warwick 13:
Derick Nixon - 6-9 for 65Yds; 12Car. 27Yds.
Bryce Buchanan - 8Car. 19Yds.
Kysaun Jones - 3Rec. 37Yds.
Elijah Smith - 2Rec. 18Yds.
Davion Coprening - 3 Tackles
Aidan Adair - 3 Tackles

Raiders - 29 plays for 111 total yards (6-9 for 65 pass yards, 20 rushes for 46 yards); 0 turnovers; 2 penalties for 17 yards.


Woodside 0:
Tayvon Tyler - 1-2 for 5Yds.
Adryan Payne - 1Rec. 5Yds.
Avery Scott - 1Car. 4Yds; 7 Tackles (5 Solo)
Koa Naotala - 4 Tackles, 2 TFL (1 Sack)
Wil Sanchez - 4 Tackles

Wolverines - 14 plays for minus 25 (1-2 for 5 pass yards, 12 rushes for minus 30 yards, 3 lost fumbles); 3 turnovers; 2 penalties for 17 yards.

 

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Warwick's Kysaun Jones with a 24-yard return on the opening kickoff of the second half. Raiders start at their own 45. Following a 5-yard run from QB Derick Nixon and no gain, the Raiders are looking at 3rd & 5 from midfield. Woodside gets called for encroachment.

A 4-yard pass to Jones and then Warwick's run game is stopped by the likes of Koa Naotala, then Clarence Bushrod. Warwick will punt it away.

Woodside takes over at their own 11 with 8:03 to go in the 3rd period.

 

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A first down - for the first time tonight for the Wolverines - as Woodside goes forward with a 10-yard run from Bryce Phipps. The drive doesn't advance much further, though. Woodside turns it over.

Kenyon Thorne recovers the fumble for Warwick. It's their fourth takeaway of the evening. The Raiders take over at the 16 of Woodside. A run for 2 yards by Bryce Buchanan, then a catch underneath by JMU commit Messiah Russell brings up 3rd & 3 for the Raiders. Koa Naotala comes through unblocked and drills Nixon on 3rd down for no gain.

Warwick will try a field goal.

 

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Wild play... and good job by the refs not to blow it dead. Nixon alertly goes after the ball and runs it in for a TD.

So the Raiders cash in on the Woodside turnover with more points and they appear primed to snap the 11-game skid to their Newport News rival.

That play reminded me of a memorable playoff game from years ago with Lake Taylor and Monacan...

 

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However, one play later, Warwick takes a shot and it's Woodside's Darrio Cobb making an interception. The Wolverines take over at their own 3. In some ways, that's almost like a punt for the Raiders. Woodside has to be careful not to drop back and it become disaster.

 

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That is exactly what the Warwick defense was hoping for to put this one out of reach. Now they can get the ball back, run some clock and try to get in their beds before 11 PM with a win, possibly even of the shutout variety.

Woodside has minus 9 yards on the night, not looking at all like the team that reached Region 5A semifinals in 2019 and nearly beat an undefeated Salem team in the postseason.

 

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Warwick went backwards on its last series. Didn't matter though because their defense is taking care of business. The Raiders last shutout Woodside in 1998 and they are 12 minutes away from making it happen tonight.

 

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Woodside is able to get its second first down of the night, thanks to a 5-yard run from QB Tayvon Tyler that's aided by a 10-yard penalty from Warwick. But the Wolverines misfire on a couple of pass plays, including one that could've been a TD if Tyler had put just a little less air on it, intended for Adryan Payne around the end zone.

On 4th down, it's Marlen Wilson coming up with the sack for the Warwick defense. The Raiders take over at their own 29 with 11:28 remaining.

 

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This 4th quarter is moving at crawl speed. A sloppy game with LOTS and LOTS of penalties. Warwick is up to 21 infraction for 197 yards. Woodside has been flagged 5 times for 37 yards. Yet, Warwick leads 21-0 as we tick near 8 minutes left in regulation as the Raiders have dominated the line of scrimmage.

On 3rd & 10 from the Warwick 41, Wolverines QB Tayon Tyler scrambles for a gain of 9, getting out of bounds to stop the clock. Then Woodside will use a time-out before a 4th & 1 with 8 minutes left in regulation. This amounts to the last chance for the Wolverines if they have any hopes of a miraculous comeback.

 

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A masterful job by the Warwick defense tonight. As good as I've seen them look in a spotlight game on that side of the ball (the penalties withstanding).

 

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Woodside may have another chance to get on the board as Avery Scott intercepts a pass thrown by Raiders backup QB Eduardo Rios. Then another 15-yard penalty on the Raiders puts Woodside at the 20-yard line of Warwick with 7:03 remaining.

A 15-yard pass by Tayvon Tyler to Adryan Payne, plus a half the distance to the goal face-mask penalty on Warwick as the Wolverines knocking on the door.

 

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Woodside has missed on a couple of pass plays timing wise, otherwise this could be a one-score game. It's hard to blank the Wolverines. The last team to do it was Oscar Smith in the playoffs in 2016. Within the Peninsula District, you have to go back to 2010 Phoebus.

The Raiders have not be crisp offensively, but some of that is the first game, some of it is Woodside's solid tacklers on defense, and the rest of it... the numerous penalties.

Warwick covers the onside kick at the 50 with 6:02 left to play.

 

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Warwick is using the 1-2 punch on the ground of Bryce Buchanan and Dayvon Corpening effectively down the stretch. It's working to move the chains, and more importantly, run the clock under 4 minutes to go in regulation.

Davon Jones delivers a great block on the second run by Buchanan. But Woodside not out of this just yet because on 4th & 8, the Raiders lose 3 yards as Buchanan is dropped behind the line of scrimmage. Credit Markus Watts for the stop.

With 2:37 left, Woodside takes over at their own 36.

 

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Mike Hayden makes the interception for the Warwick defense - their 5th takeaway tonight. That should do it and allow Warwick to salt this one away on the ground.

 

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