Blog LIVE Blog of Region 6A Finals: Oscar Smith 29, Thomas Dale 7 - FINAL

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Greetings from Beard-DeLong-Easley Field. We are about to kick and we'll have updates here + on Twitter @ hatfieldsports

Before we get going, let's take a look at the Preview that ran earlier...

 

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From the Preview earlier on VaPreps....

Region 6A Finals: #3 Thomas Dale (9-3) at #1 Oscar Smith (11-1) . . .

This is the third playoff meeting between these two teams. The most memorable meeting of course came in 2009 when Thomas Dale knocked off a defending State Champion Oscar Smith team 20-17 during a State Semifinal that went to overtime played under brutal weather conditions. That Knights team, coached under the late great Vic Williams, went on to win the state title the very next week. Meanwhile, Oscar Smith would win its second state title in 2011, but they got another crack at Dale in 2015 when they handled the Knights 21-3.

Oscar Smith is playing in the regional title round for an unprecedented 16th consecutive time. They are 8-7 in those region title games with all seven defeats coming at the hands of Beach District schools: Bayside, Landstown, Ocean Lakes and Salem. The Tigers are coming off a 20-16 escape of one of those teams, Landstown, in last week’s regional semis. As for schools outside the Beach District, the Tigers have fared quite well in going 4-0.

Heading up the Smith attack is sophomore QB Ethan Vasko, who has thrown for 2599 yards and a remarkable 39-5 TD/Int. ratio after arriving from Currituck High in North Carolina. There’s no shortage of talent around him with RB Tyvon Norfleet (810 yards, 12 TD’s), WR Romon Copeland Jr. (43Rec. 13TD's; 352 yards, 6TD’s rushing) and wideouts Raymond Hall and Amonte Jones. Keeping the pocket clean around Vasko will be important for an offensive line anchored by senior Mitavis Edwards, junior Marquis Kimble and promising sophomore Maarten Woudsma.

Thomas Dale simply waxed the previous Region 6A Champ, Ocean Lakes, on the road to the tune of 36-6. That followed up a 55-28 win over Grassfield, another team Oscar Smith is quite familiar with being that they hail from the Southeastern District. Notre Dame commit Chris Tyree has not put up the kind of numbers we’d expect from him, mainly due to injuries, although he showed some signs of being closer to full strength in last week’s triumph. Versatile athlete Jasiah Williams, a University of Richmond commit, has flourished in a dual-threat QB role for Kevin Tucker’s Knights, accounting for 1531 yards and 24 touchdowns from scrimmage, including a 7-TD effort against his old team, Dinwiddie.

Dale has had five 100-yard rushing performances this year, and in order to beat Oscar Smith, you need both dimensions of the attack working. Certainly junior RB/WR DeAngelo Gray (35Rec. 832Yds. 8TD’s; 73Car. 528Yds. 5TD’s) will be a focal point of the game-plan along with Tyree and Williams, too. The Oscar Smith defense is allowing only 7.9 points per game and yet to give up more than 16 in any contest. Old Dominion commit Malcolm Britt is the face of their defense from the linebacker spot, but there are several others that get in on the act.

Up front, Caleb Jones was a constant force getting after the QB vs. Landstown, while Jah’Ke Hilliard, a junior that Head Coach Chris Scott raves about, has had his coming out party this year. Although it’s probably easier to move the ball on these Tigers by air than ground, don’t sleep on the secondary because Copeland, Trey Duke, Maurice Freeman and Ricky Thompson all have the necessary athleticism to match up in this one. The Dale defense will be counting on highly coveted junior DE Bryce Carter (6 sacks) and LB Judah Jones, who ironically enough began his career wearing the Oscar Smith uniform.

Matt Hatfield Says: Oscar Smith 26-18
VHSL-Reference.com Says: Oscar Smith 22-13
Coach Ed Young Says: Oscar Smith 28-21

 

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Oscar Smith's first series begins at their own 28. After a couple of first downs with Ethan Vasko and Romon Copeland moving the chains by ground, a tackle by Thomas Dale's Shamus Jones limiting Tyvon Norfleet to just 2 yards on a carry brings up 3rd & 8. From the Dale 43, the Tigers go to the air and Vasko's pass is incomplete. Coach Chris Scott decides to punt. It goes out at the 30 of Dale.

So the Knights start at the 30 with 9:52 to go in the opening quarter. An important stand for them on defense out of the gate on the road.

 

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Oscar Smith was content to play the field position and we see why. With a defense that has yet to give up 20 points in a game all year, they have faith and confidence in them. It showed as the first two runs for Notre Dame commit Chris Tyree gained only a total of 2 yards. The 3rd & long was incomplete from QB Jasiah Williams.

The punt did not go well for them either...

 

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Ah, yes. There's the aggressive Chris Scott we all know and love (well, some of us... he's not beloved by all... Tiger Nation definitely loves him these days). Actually like the move there to reward Thompson and see if you can get Dale in point-chasing mode and out of character.

Dale begins their second series at their own 35 with 6:46 to go in the opening quarter and they need to wrest some momentum away from the home crew quickly.

 

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Thomas Dale's second drive was able to move into Oscar smith territory, thanks to a Jasiah Williams 15-yard run on a QB keeper play by the University of Richmond commit. But a backwards lateral by Williams to Tyree on 2nd & 10 from the Smith 40 lost 6 yards. Then on 3rd & long, the Smith defense was able to keep Williams from breaking to the outside again for a long run.

At some point, the Knights are going to have to establish the passing attack - which is 0 for 2 out of the gate - to loosen up this Tigers defense. Getting Tyree or DeAngelo Gray involved in a quick pass / screen game would help a bunch.

Oscar Smith begins at their own 11 with 3:25 left in the opening quarter after the latest Dale punt. A delay of game penalty, then a Tyvon Norfleet 9-yard run brings up 2nd & 6 from the 15. That's where QB Ethan Vasko rushes for 9. That gives him 32 yards on the night on the ground. A long run of 18 by Norfleet has them near midfield.

Vasko does his best Bryce Perkins impersonation - from today's UVA game if you watched the Cavaliers snap the 15-game losing streak in their series with rival Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Cup earlier - and he dashes 33 yards down to the Dale 25.

 

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Sophomore triggerman Ethan Vasko has yet to complete a pass for the Tigers, but he has 6 rushes for 66 yards.

 

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Coach Kevin Tucker and company had to be thrilled to see that as it remains a one-score game. But what they don't like is that play has stopped with 10:52 to go in the second period as Chris Tyree is being looked at following a 1-yard loss on the ensuing possession.

Fortunately, Tyree is back up before a 2nd & 11 play.

 

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Well the defenses are digging in as each gets stops and forces the other to punt. Have to give some love to Thomas Dale senior DB Shamus Joens, who has 6 solo stops and made a nice play a moment ago on a screen pass on 3rd down for the game's first completion by Tigers QB Ethan Vasko to Justin George, only gaining 6.

A big completion from Vasko to George was called back on a holding penalty. So far tonight, the Dale passing attack is 0 for 5. They have 30 yards rushing on 10 attempts. A fourth straight punt coming up for the Knights.

Oscar Smith's fifth possession will be coming from midfield - where Romon Copeland just fair caught a punt - with 6:13 until half-time. On the previous possession, Dale got flagged 15 yards for interfering with the catch.

 

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Sure wish I knew who jersey No. 53 is for Thomas Dale because he's been making plays for the Knights. The latest comes on 4th & 7 to keep Tigers QB Ethan Vasko from moving the chains on a scramble. Some of the delay handoffs and screens the Tigers have gone to haven't fooled the Dale defense on bit. Problem is the Dale offense can't catch the Tigers napping on defense.

The Knights take over at their own 15 with 2:17 before the half and Kanati McCarthey - a name I haven't blogged all year - makes a sack of Jasiah Williams, sending him backwards for a loss of 7. Then when ODU commit Malcolm Britt stops Williams for a minimal gain, Coach Chris Scott of Smith uses a time-out to stop the clock. He'd like to get the ball back and add to their 8-0 lead. They've controlled field position and that leaves just 1:57 on the clock, plus Smith has one more time-out. Dale hasn't used any of its time-outs.

 

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Even though it didn't work - missing by just a few inches - I like the creativity from Thomas Dale on 3rd & 15 from their own 10. They go with the reverse pass as Antonio Goins nearly connected with DeAngelo Gray for a huge gainer around midfield.

Romon Copeland fields the punt at the Dale 42 and right there to bring him down for a loss of a yard is Shamus Jones. That's his 9th stop by my count in this first half alone - all solo tackles, too. The Smith passing game hasn't been clicking tonight and they are just 3 of 8 for 24 yards as these receivers haven't gotten consistent separation from the Dale secondary.

 

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That completion for a touchdown may prove to be the spark the Smith passing game has been searching for as they head to the half. Not long before that, Vasko found Keyvon King - a running back that hadn't hit a long gain on his first five rushes - for a 23-yard completion along the sideline. At first glance, it appeared he might have been out of bounds, but that was on the far side, Dale's sideline, and I'm in the pressbox up on the Smith side, so I would not declare that with a great amount of certainty or confidence.

In any event, Dale's sixth offensive possession comes at their own 28 with 17 seconds to go in the second period.

 

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We'll have some half-time numbers shortly...

 

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Ok, here are the numbers at the break of the Region 6A Finals ....

Stats at the HALF:

Oscar Smith 15:
Ethan Vasko - 5-11 for 51Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio; 11Car. 91Yds.
Tyvon Norfleet - 8Car. 45Yds; 1Rec. 7Yds.
Romon Copeland - 2Car. 11Yds. TD
Keyvon King - 1Rec. 23Yds; 5Car. 6Yds.
Raymond Hall - 1Rec. 11Yds.
Sherrod Covil - 3 Solo Tackles

Tigers - 37 plays for 204 total yards (5-11 for 51 pass yards; 26 rushes for 153 yards); 0 turnovers; 2 penalties for 20 yards


Thomas Dale 0:
Jasiah Williams - 7Car. 21Yds; 0-5 passing
DeAngelo Gray - 1Car. 17Yds.
Chris Tyree - 6Car. Minus 1Yd.
Shamus Jones - 9 Solo Tackles
Antonio Goins - 5 Tackles (4 Solo)
Judah Jones - 5 Tackles (3 Solo)

Knights - 20 plays for 37 total yards (0-6 passing; 14 rushes for 37 yards); 0 turnovers; 2 penalties for 20 yards

 

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To begin the 2nd half, a run of 37 yards by Chris Tyree is wiped off on the first play from scrimmage due to an illegal formation penalty. Even though he looked healthy on that play, it appears to me from the naked eye that he's having a hard time cutting, perhaps still dealing with an ankle / leg injury.

A screen on 3rd & 12 from their own 41 turns out to be a first down gain as Jasiah Williams hits Tyree, the Notre Dame commit. Tyree has trouble accelerating on 2nd & 6 from the Smith 43 following a short completion of about 4 yards from Williams to DeAngelo Gray. Dale has a key 3rd & 3 at the Smith 40 upcoming...

 

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Thomas Dale converts the 3rd & 3 with the QB keeper run from Jasiah Williams. On the next play though, the pitch from Williams to DeAngelo Gray results in a loss of 1. Then it's Chris Tyree getting thrown down by Caleb Jones, who has come on in the past few weeks as a real presence on the middle of that Tigers d-line as a 5-10, 245 pound senior. So due to that, the Knights go to the air on 3rd & 17 and Williams rolls right, firing for Antonio Goins and it's just short, incomplete.

Dale punts it away and Oscar Smith's first series of the 3rd period will come at their own 27 with 5:15 to go in the stanza. That's very demoralizing for the Knights - to chew up that much time and come away empty, with no points.

 

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As my man Jerry the Vendor just said, "Dang, that run by Copeland was reminiscent of John Riggins in the Super Bowl." Not quite in terms of running with Diesel Power, but it sent chills up the spines of Tigers fans similar to Redskins fans (who haven't had that feeling in a long time... since, well, before these players with the Tigers were even born!).

Ok, enough picking on the Redskins for now.

Dale takes over after the kickoff at their own 30.

 

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That's less than 2 yards a pop. Definitely good enough to win in the regular season. Also good enough to win in the playoffs. Strong enough to win a State Championship? Well, the Tigers are hoping so ... as they look to be a quarter and one more win away from getting a date at Hampton University on December 14.

 

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Just now figured out that Bryce Carter, the very talented 2021 defensive end for Thomas Dale wears No. 9 OR No. 53 ... and in tonight's case it is 53. Believe he's also doing double duty at offensive tackle and on the d-line, producing in a big way for the Knights.

However, Dale is unable to move the chains on 3rd & 8 from their own 49. On 4th down, they get stopped. The Knights made a QB switch with Jasiah Williams to Courtney Burrell that last series also.

 

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Just when Ethan Vasko completed his first seven passes to seven different receivers - perhaps making the Thomas Dale fan wonder who the go-to guy is - Copeland strikes with another explosive touchdown. Only 5-8, 165 as the program says... but man, he can go.

 

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6:21 to play - Oscar Smith 29, Thomas Dale 0. Not only does Romon 'Man Man' Copeland score touchdowns of 50-plus yards, the little fella with huge heart can deflect passes on 4th down.

 

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1:58 to play - Oscar Smith 29, Thomas Dale 7. Knights strike with Courtney Burrell's 32-yard TD pass to Antonio Goins to avoid being blanked.

Thomas Dale started to get the passing game going with 73 of their 94 yards through the air coming from the backup Burrell. It's a lot harder to move the ball on the Tigers defense via the ground game than passing, as Dale and quite a few others have found out.

 

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