Blog LIVE Blog - Bayside (6-3) at Tallwood (5-4)

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Greetings from Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach as the Lions (5-4) here on Senior Night play host to the visiting Bayside Marlins (6-3) - winners of 6 of their past 7 games - with both jockeying for playoff positioning in Region 6A.

In fact, in Tallwood's case, they have yet to clinch a playoff berth. The Lions are in with a win or a loss from either Kelllam to Princess Anne or Grassfield against Nansemond River. As for Bayside, the Marlins will be a #4, #5 or #6 seed depending on tonight's results. It'll be their 10th straight playoff appearance.

The officials are at midfield for the coin toss and we'll have updates, stats and more throughout the night + follow via Twitter @ hatfieldsports

 

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It'll be Tallwood kicking off from the 50-yard line to start as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Bayside before the coin toss moved the ball up 15 yards. I'm quite sure Marlins Head Coach Jon White is not a happy camper about that, and we'll see if the Lions - with freshman Matt Ward - can take advantage by booting the ball into the end zone.

 

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Tallwood tries a quick kick and it's nearly recovered, but Bayside's Devin Hicks gets on it before Ricky Harleston can at their own 25-yard line.

The first run for Bayside from scrimmage with Dajon Bowman goes nowhere as Josh Lucas and Brandon Hodapp of the Lions are there to bring him down immediately. A quick pass to Nick Young picks up a few yards, but holding backs Bayside up further. On 3rd & 17, it's Khamran Laborn catching the out pattern from QB Tajae Pollard for a gain of 12.

Bayside will punt it away on 4th & 5.

 

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Malik Johnson somehow gets the punt away for Bayside and it's a good one of about 33 yards to avoid disaster, where return man Shy Banks is driven backwards for a loss of 3 by Devin Hicks.

Tallwood begins at their own 30 for their first possession of the night at the 10:22 mark. After losing two yards with Tyion Pollard, the Lions go to the air on 2nd & 12 and draw a pass interference. Tallwood attacked the side where Byron Perry checked out due to an equipment issue. Khamran Laborn - an offensive standout for the Marlins - came in and the Lions went his direction with WR Isaiah Edwards to pick up the flag on the pass from QB Sebien Stone that was nearly hauled in for a huge gain.

 

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On 3rd & 10 from their own 43, Tallwood QB Sebien Stone delivers a strike to WR Isaiah Edwards, who hauls it in as DB Khamran Laborn breaks on the ball (and nearly deflects it or picks it) and he gains 14 into Bayside territory.

The Lions are on the move now after converting another third down.

 

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Tallwood really took advantage of the tight end over the middle of the field that series with four completions by Stone, good for 47 yards. Bayside's secondary, which is without injured corner Abraham Evans and saw Perry check out on that series, left some Lions receivers with too much space in the passing game.

 

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Bayside nearly has disaster on the ensuing kickoff, but Devin Hicks is able to keep Tallwood from hopping on that pigskin.

A 20-yard holding penalty put Bayside back inside its own 20. Quarterback Tajae Pollard nearly hits Malik Johnson on what would've been a long TD, but the pass is just a hair too far for his intended. The Marlins are set to punt it away.

 

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Thanks to the people in the booth here for pointing that late switch out to me.

 

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Excellent block by Tallwood's Khairee Abdullah - who in my opinion is the best linebacker in the Beach District - to help spring Banks free to the house.

After watching the return on replay, it appears the punt return was actually a 65-yard TD.

Tallwood is playing with a sense of urgency, while Bayside has come out flat and they're hurting themselves with penalties (4 of them for 55 yards thus far).

 

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Trying to get something going offensively, Bayside decides to go for it on 4th & 7 from their own 47 and RB Dajon Bowman runs power and it's a 19-yard run into Tallwood territory. But for the second time of this opening quarter, a near miss on what would've been a TD as Malik Johnson cannot haul in a pass from Tajae Pollard in the end zone.

Illegal participation is called on Bayside, yet the Marlins leave their offense on the field for 4th & 18 from the Tallwood 43-yard line. Tajae Pollard's deep pass intended for Nick Young is incomplete.

So the Tallwood defense gets a stop. Pollard is just 2 of 8 through the air, though he could easily be 5 of 8.

Tallwood's 2nd series of the night begins with 7.8 seconds left in the opening stanza.

 

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Tallwood is facing 3rd & 7 to begin the second period.

 

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Tallwood has definitely been the more physical team in this first half, plus the Lions have done a nice job of mixing up the run and pass with a host of players - WR Shy Banks, RB Taijon Yorkshire, WR Ricky Harleston and of course RB Gunner White on the TD.

Bayside has to feel very demoralized and they badly need a score before the break or they can start making plans to be the #6 seed for the postseason with a likely re-match from last year's opening round playoff loss to Woodside.

 

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Excellent pass breakup by Tallwood's Taijon Yorkshire to prevent what would've been a long completion by QB Tajae Pollard to WR Nick Young. The Marlins show a little fight back though as Khamran Laborn gains 12 to move the chains and that is followed by an 11-yard hookup with Pollard to Malik Johnson to midfield.

Can the Marlins finish this drive with some points?

 

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Following a sack by Tallwood's Kamari Reynolds, the Marlins get a gift as on 3rd & 15 it appears QB Tajae Pollard is sacked by Kashaun Duncan. However, Duncan is called for a face-mask and that gives the Marlins a fresh set of down at the Tallwood 0.

On 3rd & 17 from the Lions 47, it's Khamran Laborn wide open and he goes 31 yards down to the Tallwood 16. The problem for Bayside has been putting themselves in a big hole on first and second down, then needing to dig out of it on 3rd down.

 

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PAT is good by Moises Luna, the hero from their overtime win over Salem a couple weeks ago with the game-winning field goal. Of those three third down conversions, the big one was the face-mask penalty.

That last series was a flip of the script of how the game was prior to that drive with penalties hurting Bayside and Tallwood capitalizing on opportunities, primarily on 3rd & 4th down.

 

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A 9-yard kickoff return by Taijon Yorkshire gives Tallwood the football at their own 33-yard line with under a minute left in the first half. They go to the air and Isaiah Edwards makes a catch from QB Sebien Stone worth 16 yards, almost at midfield.

Going to their two-minute, hurry-up offense, John Kepple's Lions have been in a rhythm with the passing attack as Stone is 8 of 11 for 89 yards and no turnovers. This is the best he's looked maybe all year as the past few weeks in close losses to Salem, Cox and Landstown - all games they could've won or had a lead in - they struggled to get the air attack working.

A sack by Bayside's Devin Jones - younger brother of former Marlins standout LB Tray Jones (who's now at Hampton University) - will bring up the final play of the half. Tallwood is looking at 2nd & 13 from the Bayside 43-yard line with 1.9 seconds left in the half.

 

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The last play of the half is QB Sebien Stone of Tallwood scrambling for 18 yards before being brought down by Marlins LB Anthony Parker.



Some numbers to come shortly...

 

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Some stats at the break...

Tallwood 21:
Sebien Stone - 8-12 for 89Yds. 1-0TD/Int. ratio; 6Car. 26Yds.
Thomas Nattania - 4Rec. 38Yds. TD
Isaiah Edwards - 2Rec. 30Yds.
Ricky Harleston - 1Rec. 15Yds.
Gunner White - 8Car. 16Yds. TD
Khairee Abdullah - 1Car. 5Yds; 3 Tackles, TFL
Daequan White - 3 Tackles, PBU

Lions - 29 plays for 145 total yards (8-12 for 89 yards passing, no intercepts; 17 rushes for 56 yards); 4 penalties for 30 yards; 0 turnovers

Bayside 7:
Tajae Pollard - 6-14 for 77Yds. 1-0TD/Int. ratio; 4Car. 17Yds.
Khamran Laborn - 2Rec. 43Yds; 2Car. 8Yds.
Romel Armstrong - 1Rec. 16Yds. TD
Malik Johnson - 1Rec. 11Yds.
Naquez Saunders & Anthony Parker - 5 Tackles apiece

Marlins - 26 plays for 111 total yards (6-14 for 77 yards passing, no intercepts; 12 rushes for 34 yards); 5 penalties for 60 yards, 0 turnovers

 

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Tallwood gets the ball to start the 2nd half at their own 32-yard line and it's a 3 & out as the Lions fail to get much going with the running game and then the 3rd down pass by Sebien Stone is too far for Taijon Yorkshire in the flat.

Thomas Nattania's punt goes out of bounds 33 yards, so Bayside will start at their own 35 at the 9:55 mark of the 3rd period.

 

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Laborn - younger brother of FSU's Khalan Laborn - is scheduled to take in a visit to UNC this weekend, or so I've heard.

The Marlins are on the move.

 

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The Tallwood defense made it really hard for Bayside to punch it between the tackles when they got in the red zone - credit LB Khairee Abdullah with three strong tackles. Yet, the Marlins made a gutsy decision to go shotgun on 4th & Goal from the 2, Tajae looked to run at first, then when there was no daylight he saw his brother flash open in the back of the end zone at the last second.

Bayside is back in this ballgame and showing some fight after getting down three scores relatively early. Tallwood is also once again in jeopardy of blowing their third double-digit lead in the past four games unless they can halt this momentum by the visiting Marlins.

 

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Tallwood fans can breathe easier though because Nansemond River has beaten Grassfield, meaning the Lions are in the playoffs next week - no matter what happens the rest of this game.

 

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On 3rd & 5 from their own 35 - Tallwood's Taijon Yorkshire is dropped for a loss of 1 by Maleyk Staton, doing a good job of reading his keys on the outside.

A punt by Tallwood goes just 7 yards out of bounds. That means Bayside begins at the 42-yard line of Tallwood, needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie this puppy up after trailing 21-0.

 

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A couple of good runs from Khalan Laborn - now sitting on 54 yards rushing on 5 attempts - got Bayside knocking on the door. On 3rd & 3, Tallwood DE Kasaun Duncan is able to bring down Tajae Pollard on a sack.

On 4th & 8 from the 27-yard line of Tallwood, Pollard had Romel Armstrong wide open in the flat, but didn't see him and he gets rushed out of the pocket, throws to Nick Young, who can't haul it in... even if he did, the refs called holding. Tallwood declined. So the Lions bend, but don't break defensively against a streaky Marlins bunch.

 

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Trying to pound away at the Bayside defense, the Lions burn some clock and do so effectively while moving the chains with hard-nosed RB Gunner White. White had just 10 carries for 22 yards, but he's now up to 55 yards on 14 attempts.

 

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Tallwood punts it away out of bounds, where Bayside will take over at their own 10 with just 3:38 to play.

 

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Bayside's first play is a completion with Tajae Pollard to Malik Johnson for 9 yards. On 2nd & 1, an illegal procedure penalty backs them up five yards.

When it gets to 3rd & 6, the Marlins move the chains on an 11-yard pass out of bounds to Romel Armstrong.

 

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No quit in these Marlins here. On 2nd & 2 from the Lions 25 - Pollard throws to an open Laborn, who is unable to haul it in as it bounces and was nearly picked by a Lions defender on the deflection.

Nick Young moves the chains on a stop route on 3rd & 2 and gets out of bounds.

 

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An absolutely tremendous 90-yard drive orchestrated in 3:12 by Marlins QB Tajae Pollard and his cast of weapons against a usually stout Tallwood defense.

A time-out was called as Jon White and his staff discuss the play here for a potential game-tying 2-point conversion.

 

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Pollard threw it a bit too quick there for an intended target to get set and make a game-tying catch. This turned into a whale of a ballgame.

Onside kick try coming for Bayside, so this one is not over yet.

 

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