Blog LIVE Blog - Indian River (7-0) at Oscar Smith (7-0)

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Greetings from Beard-DeLong-Easley Field in Chesapeake for the '757' High School Football Game of the Year for the regular season. The Indian River Braves (7-0) are at the Oscar Smith Tigers (7-0) in a matchup of two dominant football teams allowing just seven points per game on the campaign.

Both squads with regional and state title aspirations - Smith currently ranked No. 2 in Class 6 and Indian River rated No. 4 in Class 5 - have won every game thus far by double-figures. It's a rainy Saturday afternoon, but that hasn't kept the fans away as this place is packed, as usual, for this Chesapeake showdown.

Indian River is looking for its first win over Oscar Smith since 1998. The Tigers look to show they still remain the top dog in the Southeastern District.

Photo by Greg Bishop

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Indian River has won the toss and elected to receive.

 

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Indian River's Demetri 'Speedy' Payne with a 31-yard kickoff return to start, taking the Braves to their own 40 to begin. Rodney Jones had the tackle for Smith on the special teams play.

An illegal shift on the Braves puts them back 5 yards - 1st & 15 from their own 35 - wiping out a dump off pass to LaMareon James in the flat that was sniffed out for no gain by BriQuan Harrell. The pass by Dominique Brooks on 1st & 15 is too high for his intended target, James. Now 2nd & 15.

On 2nd & 15, Brooks gets it away to avoid a sack, incomplete. Morgan State commit T.J. Tucker came free up the middle on a blitz from his linebacker/safety spot. An illegal procedure on the Braves makes it 3rd & 20 from their own 30.

 

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A huge completion there for the Braves.

 

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It looks like Coach Glenwood Ferebee and the Braves offensive coaches (QB's Coach T.J. Lee, OC Marcus Ferebee, etc.) are looking to attack the Tigers on the edges, in the flats, with their passing game. That could hopefully open up the run and some shots down the field.

 

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There are so many receiving options for Indian River - LaMareon James, DeSean Cromwell, Tyrell Spruill and others - that it's going to be a challenge for the Oscar Smith defense, as stout as it is, to cover them all.

 

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A great job by Moore bounce it back outside to the right after getting stopped initially to the left (and his o-line sealed them off like a wall). On the 1st & Goal play from the 5, he muscled his way up to the 1 for a tough gain of 4 yards.

 

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Near disaster for Oscar Smith on the ensuing kickoff following the Indian River touchdown as they initially muff it, but Romon Copeland beats Demetri Payne to the ball.

Oscar Smith starts at their own 12 with 7:36 left in the opening period.

 

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Acevado is generously listed at 5-foot-5, 149 pounds, but he is all heart and hustle. The Tigers need him to play giant in all three phases today.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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On 1st & 10 from the Indian River 23, Acevado runs for 3. On 2nd & 7, it's Auburn commit Cam Kelly at QB getting sacked for a loss of 1 by Morgan State commit Charles Dixon, one of the hard-hitting linebackers for the Indian River Braves.

A crucial 3rd & 8 now for the Tigers at the IR 21.

 

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So much for the defensive battle and weather affecting the offenses right? Coach Scott Johnson, OC Rod Johnson and the rest of the Tigers players and coaches have to be pleased with their response, thanks in large part to the explosive 68-yard run from Acevado to set things up.

Kelly put the ball on the money for Kenny Etheridge - who made just his 2nd touchdown catch of the year.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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On the ensuing kickoff, I'm a little puzzled why Indian River's Ah'Shawn Moore - their stud linebacker and bruising ball carrier in certain situations today - decides to fair catch the ball at the Braves own 11. He had some daylight in front of him to gain a good 10-15 yards or so on the return.

So Indian River takes over at their own 11 with 4:40 left in the opening period in a 7-all tie.

The first play is a 2-yard run by Carmello Sweat up the middle, stopped by Deondre Davis. Linebacker Malcolm Britt runs QB Dom Brooks out for a 1-yard run. But on 3rd & 7 - the Braves get another big conversion.

 

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James turned up field on the catch and showed his speed/athleticism, but also can't say enough about the job Payne did on the block to give him some room.

Brooks is off to a superb start - 4 of 6 for 106 yards through the air. Three of those completions have gone for at least 24 yards.

 

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Tigers are in business potentially. And a quick correction, this drive begins at the IR 45-yard line.

 

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Oscar Smith's first play on their second series is a quick pass with QB Cam Kelly hitting Romon Copeland, but LaMareon James - also starting in the secondary today - sends him back for a loss of 6. They then give it to Aaron Acevado and he picks the 6 yards back up on a run. An encroachment penalty moves Oscar Smith up 5 yards, though only briefly. A pass on 3rd & 5 doesn't gain a yard.

Kelly calls a time-out with 6 seconds left in the opening period when it appears that the Tigers would go for it... now lining up to punt it away.

 

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Indian River with 14 plays for 116 total yards (108 passing)
Oscar Smith with 9 plays for 103 total yards (88 rushing)

As the numbers tell you, the Braves want to pass it today and Oscar Smith looks to establish the run before they throw.

 

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To begin the 2nd quarter, Oscar Smith takes a shot towards the end zone the Tigers draw a penalty with LaMareon James covering Brandon Brock. It's pass interference on Indian River, moving Smith half the distance to the 15-yard line of the Braves.

Photo by Greg Bishop

On 1st & 10 though, it's a read option that goes bad for the Tigers as QB Cam Kelly is dropped for a loss of 12 by the Braves menacing linebacker (and we mean that in a good way) Ah'Shawn Moore. Kelly then has an incomplete pass and comes limping off the field with 10:54 to go before the half as the Tigers face 3rd & 22 from the IR 27. That's not good news at all.

 

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Bri'Quan Harrell is now in at QB for the Tigers. So that means we now have two former Western Branch Bruins starting QB's in the balgame - Harrell for Smith and Dom Brooks for Indian River. I don't mean this in any disrespectful way at all towards Western Branch, but if anyone is wondering why they are sitting at 0-8 right now and not playing in a big game, that's partially why.

Harrell tries to escape the pressure with Ben Smiley - the UVA commit and stud d-lineman for Indian River - breathing down his neck. He just tosses it out of bounds and is called for intentional grounding. It looks like Oscar Smith will be punting away on 4th & 35 from the Braves 40-yard line.

 

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A 20-yard punt by Oscar Smith's Tyler Smith. So Indian River's 3rd possession will begin at their own 20 with 10:28 left in the 2nd quarter.

Even though Cam Kelly hasn't been playing full-time at defensive back, seeing him go out probably gave Indian River an extra pep in their step and they won't be shy about attacking down the field vertically with their passing attack.

But the Braves are called for their 4th illegal procedure / illegal shift of the half. That's something they need to get corrected before it bites them.

 

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A taunting penalty of 15 yards is called on Indian River that Oscar Smith elects to enforce on the kickoff, so the Braves will kick it off from their own 25. If I'm Oscar Smith HC Scott Johnson, and I know this sounds like hindsight, I might've been tempted to take that option on the PAT try as the extra point was barely through on a muddy, wet field by Braves kicker Thaddeus Blackburn, who has done a nice job this year for them.

The kickoff is fair caught by Jordan Armstrong at his own 41 with 10:12 left in the first half.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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Another injury note as Oscar Smith RB/DB Aaron Acevado is being looked at on the sideline by a Tigers trainer. Acevado is important in all three phases - running the ball, defending in the secondary and on returns.

Smith begins the series by running the ball between the tackles with T.J. Tucker (Morgan St. commit) and his 3 tough runs gain 11 yards, including moving the chains on 3rd down. But then on 1st & 10 from the IR 48, it's his future college teammate Charles Dixon (Morgan St. commit) making a stop for a loss of 2. On 2nd & 12, a pass is dropped by a Smith receiver.

Then on 3rd & 12, the Tigers launch it down the field and it's incomplete. Smith will punt it away from midfield, down 14-7 with 7:07 before the break.

 

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Indian River takes over at their own 17 following the Smith punt with 6:58 to go in the second period.

A LaMareon James catch gets no gain as Ricky Thompson is there to bring him down in space. On 2nd & 10, it's Malcolm Britt with the tackle for loss in coverage on the catch by Tyrell Spruill. Then on 3rd & 11, the Tigers defense gets a big sack from LB Horace Sawyer, sending the Braves back their own 6.

 

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As wild as it sounds, Indian River might be better off taking a safety then trying to punt this away where it is very susceptible to getting blocked or having the Tigers get a touchdown.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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I don't know how he did it, but Blackburn somehow did. But Indian River gets called for their 9th penalty - for 71 yards - as a personal foul, roughing passer, is called. Lincorey Lucas was the one who delivered a huge hit on QB Cam Kelly. The very next play, it's Kani Crite, the Braves d-tackle, nearly ripping T.J. Tucker's face off...

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but Crite grabbed the face-mask of Tucker and the two-way contributor for the Tigers came away woozy. Smith fans are screaming and wanting Crite tossed, which it does not look like will happen.

On 1st & Goal from the 10 - Kelly is almost picked off by Demetri Payne as the ball goes through his hands. A little bit of a head-scratcher as the Tigers go with an outside run on 2nd & Goal from the 10, appeared to be a design, and Kelly is checking out again after the enormous hit from Chantz Baylor.

 

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That was an early Christmas gift for Rasheen Brooks, who is unable to haul it in and was thinking 6.

 

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The kicking game is playing a role in the ballgame today, and don't be shocked to see a kick or punt, or even a return, decide the outcome much like it did in 2015.

Benoit is now 4 of 6 on field goals this season with a long of 43.

 

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Indian River's Demetri Payne takes the ensuing kickoff, that bounces off the shoulder of teammate Ah'Shawn Moore, at about his own 15. He returns it 16 yards, to their own 31, and the Braves will try to get some points before the break to add to their 14-10 advantage.

 

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Boom - another big play from Indian River's offense. They've big-played the Tigers all day.

 

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Indian River can sense it, if they keep this up they can do something they haven't done since 1998 and that is beat Oscar Smith...

 

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Oscar Smith starts at their own 20 with 2:39 before the half following another good kick from Thaddeus Blackburn, who is 3 of 3 on extra points today in the rain and muck.

T.J. Tucker runs for 2 yards and then 7 for the Tigers, who then move the chains on 3rd & 1 via the ground game with Jordan Armstrong. However, with Bri'Quan Harrell in at QB instead of Cam Kelly (who's still shaken up after some of the hits he's taken), Smith appears content to go to half-time down by 11 as they get the ball first to begin the 2nd half.

That pretty much is learned when BriQuan Harrell runs for 3 yards before he is brought down by that fierce Indian River defensive front.

 

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Some numbers at the break...

HALF:

Indian River 21:
Dominique Brooks - 8-11 for 192Yds. 1-0TD/Int. ratio
Carmello Sweat - 3Car. 72Yds. TD
Rasheen Brooks - 1Rec. 85Yds. TD
Tyrell Spruill - 3Rec. 49Yds.
LaMareon James - 2Rec. 41Yds.
Ah'Shawn Moore - 2Car. 5Yds. TD; 4 Tackles, TFL
Charles Dixon - 5 Tackles (all solo), 2TFL, Sack
Chantz Baylor - 1Rec. 15Yds; 4 Tackles (2 Solo)

Braves - 19 plays for 259 total yards (8-11 for 192 pass yards; 8 rushes for 67 yards); 11 penalties for 85 yards; 1 turnover on a lost fumble


Oscar Smith 10:
Cam'Ron Kelly - 2-5 for 15Yds. 1-0TD/Int. ratio; 3Car. Minus 13 yards
Bri'Quan Harrell - 0-2 passing; 1Car. 3Yds.
Kenny Etheridge - 1Rec. 21Yds. TD
Aaron Acevado - 4Car. 79Yds.
T.J. Tucker - 7Car. 18Yds.
Horace Sawyer - 1Car. 10Yds; Sack
Ricky Thompson - 3 Solo Tackles
Malcolm Britt - 3 Tackles, TFL

Tigers - 26 plays for 113 total yards (2-7 for 15 pass yards; 19 rushes for 98 yards); 2 penalties for 18 yards; 0 turnovers

 

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Oscar Smith fair catches the 2nd half kickoff at their own 22 and out trots Bri'Quan Harrell - not Cam Kelly - at quarterback. Kelly took a couple of vicious hits before the break. On a positive note, Aaron Acevado has returned in the backfield for the Tigers.

 

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The Tigers ran the ball with Aaron Acevado and Romon Copeland, but nothing doing against that tough Indian River defensive front.

It's important that, even with a leading and the rain becoming heavier, the Braves stay on the attack and remain aggressive. If they get too conservative, it leads to miscues and field position can shift in Oscar Smith's favor, much as what happened a few years ago in their wild comeback at Hickory High. It's just as packed - if not more so - today. Huge crowd here.

On 2nd & 15 following a Braves penalty, it's Oscar Smith d-lineman Deondre Davis - the newcomer that transferred in from Texas - sacking Dom Brooks for a loss of 1. They go to the air and Brooks is unable to connect with Ah'Shawn Moore on 3rd & 16.

 

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Oscar Smith's 2nd series of the second half begins at their own 32 following a fair catch on the punt. Ah'Shawn Moore comes free off the edge out of the 3-4 alignment for the Braves with a tackle for loss on Aaron Acevado. On 2nd & 12, the Tigers go to the air and it's another negative play with Romon Ccopeland dropped for a loss of 4 by Rasheen Brooks.

Bri'Quan Harrell's pass on 3rd & 12 is incomplete. So together, Harrell and Kelly have been unable to ignite a sputtering Tigers passing attack today. They are 3 of 9 with 11 yards passing between them as the Braves secondary - perhaps the lone question mark for this talent-laden team heading into the season - has performed exceedingly well.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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Penalties are keeping Oscar Smith in this game.

 

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A special teams mistake could very well put this game away if Indian River can capitalize.

 

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2nd TD of the day for Moore.

Photo by Greg Bishop

 

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Ah'Shawn Moore was ready for this rivalry showdown today. He didn't play in this game the last two years due to being ineligible. He was a backup at linebacker as a freshman to Jaquan Yulee and Tavante Beckett - both now at Marshall. But he's been the best player on the field, in my opinion, with a bunch of next-level prospects out here competing. A two-day difference maker for sure.

 

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Cam Kelly is back in for Oscar Smith, trailing by 18 - their largest deficit in the Southeastern District in quite some time.

Kelly is drilled and fumbles with UVA commit Ben Smiley hitting him on the first play. The Tigers recover the fumble. Aaron Acevado then gets stuffed for no gain by Smiley and crew. However, another 15-yard penalty on the Braves - this time for taunting - gives Oscar Smith a chance, facing 3rd & 3 from their own 44.

As happy as Glenwood Ferebee must be with is team's effort and execution, they are having some undisciplined moments that have kept this score from being more lopsided. Come playoff time, that can bite them dearly.

 

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On 3rd & 3, Oscar Smith loses 3 as this Indian River defense is just smothering today. The Tigers punt and LaMareon James returns it 24 yards, fumbles, though his teammate recovers.

After a couple of impressive runs from Alex Richardson, the Braves get called for their 16th penalty of the contest. They then go to the air and three straight incomplete passes by Dom Brooks - two of which were dropped by a normally reliable and stellar cast of receivers - force the Braves to punt it away.

They only take 1:42 off the clock. Oscar Smith takes over at their own 17 with 1:29 left in the 3rd quarter, trying to stage a big comeback with Indian River up by a count of 28-10.