Blog LIVE Game Blog - Bethel (5-3) at Hampton (6-3)

[matthew328826]

Greetings from Darling Stadium on this Halloween Night, where the Hampton Crabbers (6-3) play host to the Bethel Bruins (5-3) in a key Peninsula District matchup.

We'll have updates here tonight + on Twitter or 'X' @hatfieldsports

Below, you can see our Prediction & Snapshot Preview on the game...


Bethel (5-3) at Hampton (6-3) . . . This Halloween matchup will have some playoff implications for each with the Crabbers trying to secure the No. 2 seed in Region 4A and the Bruins aiming to be no worse than the No. 6 seed in Region 5B. Tailback Amari Pryear (1077 yards, 18 TD’s rushing) has raised his level of playing during Bethel’s four-game winning streak. His o-line with Seveon Gilbert, Xavier Tisdale, Caleb Smith, TJ Ricks and Ethan Wiggins are creating nice running room. Sophomores at QB in Derek Fisher and Jayden Short at WR give them two more weapons on offense to keep defenses honest.

To deny Bethel of its best season since finishing 8-3 overall in 2012, the Crabbers will need to tackle a lot better on defense than they did in last week’s 49-0 loss to Warwick. One game prior, sophomore QB Marcus Chapman connected 11 of 15 passes for 215 yards and 5 TD’s for Hampton in its 40-point triumph over Menchville. Junior WR/DB Casey Lassiter could be an x-factor in this one for the Crabbers on either side of the ball. Lassiter had three takeaways against Heritage, including a pick-six, and he found the end zone four times vs. Denbigh.

Matt Hatfield Says – Bethel 23-21
Coach Ed Young Says – Hampton 23-21

 

[matthew328826]

Bethel begins with the ball at their own 21 instead of at their own 39 due to an illegal block in the back penalty on the opening kickoff. The Bruins need just two plays to get a first down as QB Derek Fisher's 8-yard completion to RB Amari Pryear brings up 2nd & 2, where the Crabbers get called for encroachment. Pryear pushes ahead for a short gain of 3 on first down, but then a tackle for loss with a couple of Crabbers on the read option play involving Fisher keeping it makes it 3rd & 9.

Bethel looks for a deep shot down the field that almost turned into a 65-yard scoring strike, but the wide receiver dropped it on a beautifully thrown ball by Fisher.

After the punt, Hampton's first offensive series begins at their own 42 with 9:59 showing on the first quarter clock.

 

[matthew328826]

Sexton Grissett II runs on the first play from scrimmage for Hampton and picks up four yards. Sophomore QB Marcus Chapman complets his first pass of the night to the near sideline to Davion Perry. On 3rd & 1, the Crabbers are able to move the sticks because of a Bethel penalty, offsides.

Hampton ends up getting hit with a holding penalty and they are faced with 3rd & 18, where Chapman delivers a pass on the money to Perry on a crossing pattern. Perry gets to the outside on the far side and gains 39 yards to put them in the red zone, at the Bethel 13.

 

[matthew328826]

An easy QB draw with Marcus Chapman scoring the game's first touchdown. The tall and athletic triggerman for the Crabbers is in great position to continue the legacy of standouts at the position when you think about Ronald Curry, Tyrod Taylor, Marques Hagans and David Watford.

Bethel starts at their own 37 with 7:23 to go in the opening quarter for their second offensive possession of the night.

 

[matthew328826]

A 15-yard penalty on Hampton - we believe a personal foul - puts Bethel on the other side of the 50. However, it's short lived because the Hampton defense steps forward with a couple of strong plays. Da'Javon Saunders is in on a tackle for loss, and then on 3rd & 11, Davion Perry nearly intercepts the Derek Fisher pass.

On the punt return, the Bruins get called for a personal foul as they drilled the return man for Hampton who was calling for a fair catch.

That gives the Crabbers fine field position, at their own 40, with 5:40 left in the opening stanza. The Crabbers insert Sidney Johnson in the backfield and he breaks off runs of +11 and +5 to put them at the Bethel 44. Bruins Coach David Porter will burn a time-out with 4:54 left in the opening period, sensing the importance of getting a stop here to avoid falling behind two scores.

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton tailback Sidney Johnson has had a couple of nice cuts on runs and he's up to 21 yards rushing on his first three carries of the contest. Sophomore QB Marcus Chapman misses his intended target in the flat on 2nd & 5. Crucial third down play now upcoming.

A good open field tackle by Bethel's Jaden Williams on Hampton's Sexton Grissett II, who received the option pitch from Chapman. He only gains 1 and it sets up 4th & 4 from the Bruins 31. But just when Bethel had an opportunity to get a stop, they get drawn offsides AGAIN. That will move the chains for Hampton.

 

[matthew328826]

Marcus Chapman has already accounted for 90 total yards - 70 through the air and 20 rushing - with a couple of TD's.

Things go from bad to worse for Bethel as they nearly watch Hampton recover the kickoff. Instead, the Bruins get to it at their own 7 with 2:30 left in this opening quarter.

 

[matthew328826]

Bethel continues to hurt itself with self-inflicted wounds. That includes a personal foul penalty, moments after their best play from scrimmage on the night - - a 10-yard run from Amari Pryear.

Faced with a 3rd & 22 after a sack, Bruins sophomore QB Derek Fisher takes off for a nifty run of 14. Fisher could've twisted it and gone outside to get closer to the sticks. A delay of game penalty, followed by a below average punt, puts Hampton at the Bruins 28-yard line with 26 seconds to go in the opening period.

Crabbers Coach Woodrow Wilson has to love the possibility of delivering the knockout punch here in the first half.

 

[matthew328826]

Another throw by Marcus Chapman right in the vicinity of his wide receiver and it's NahMari Boyd bobbling it and hauling it in for the score.

Truly danger time for the Bruins now.

 

[matthew328826]

Amari Pryear breaks off a 26-yard run for Bethel to close out the first quarter, but Hampton is in full control right now.



Bethel does need to capitalize with a score on this series to gives themselves any chance of a comeback. With the size the Bruins have on the right side of the line, I would think they may try some different things in their run package - counters, powers, misdirection and even a toss here or there - to see if they can exploit a Hampton front that is considerably smaller.

 

[matthew328826]

It's clear that Amari Pryear is the main source of offense for Bethel. The adjustment for Hampton's defense? Perhaps another defender from the secondary level in the box area to dare the Bruins to have to beat them over the top instead of with a dynamic ball carrier.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bethel sophomore linebacker Jaden Williams is shaken up on the play and that's a key loss if he's unable to return.

Hampton begins its fourth possession at their own 5 with 11:40 to go in the second quarter.

 

[matthew328826]

After a 1-yard run, Hampton goes to the air on 2nd & 9 and to break up a long completion it's Bethel sophomore DB Jeremiah Kelly making a solid play on the ball.

On 3rd & 9, the Bruins get hit with a costly defensive pass interference penalty. A few plays later, it's QB Marcus Chapman running ahead for 3 yards on 3rd & 1 to move the chains.

Another third down to have to covert for the Crabbers as it's 3rd & 4 from their own 39 after the Bethel defense seems to stand firm enough. But the Crabbers come through with a run up the middle by Sidney Johnson for 6.

Darren Andrews and Odell Pinkney combine to sack Chapman for a loss of 4. That's where the drive bogs down because after going 3 / 3 on third downs with one of those conversions because of a penalty, the Crabbers are unable to get a long completion on 3rd & 19 from their own 36. Punting time.

 

[matthew328826]

Bethel's fifth series starts at their own 48 with 4:57 to go in the second quarter and a false start backs them up 5 yards. Don't love the formation with three receivers stacked to the far side. It hurts the blocking for their run game with the first and second down plays; losing a yard then gaining just one. But on 3rd & 15, the Crabbers get called for a holding that will turn it 3rd & 5.

Bethel will use its final time-out of the half with 3:43 to go in the second quarter prior to the 3rd & 5 play from the Crabbers 47.

 

[matthew328826]

Bruins sophomore QB Derek Fisher ad-libs on 3rd & 5 and scrambles for 16 yards to keep the drive going. Now the running game is taking over with Amari Pryear breaking off chunks of +5, +3 and +9 to get them in the red area.

A crucial 3rd & 3 from the Crabbers 12 is converted with Fisher operating the read option wonderfully, getting +4 and then moving half the distance to the goal on a Hampton penalty. Even with the stacked receiver formation to one side - now the near - the Bruins have enough momentum to keep it going and finish this off with their two-pronged ground attack now as Fisher is complementing Pryear.

 

[matthew328826]

Amari Pryear and Derek Fisher have combined for 125 yards rushing on 19 attempts. So far, the passing game has gone just 1 of 3 for 8 yards.

Hampton is a bit more balanced, but the Crabbers will have to figure out a way to stop the ground attack of the Bruins if Bethel doesn't put themselves further behind the sticks with penalties.

Sidney Johnson is helped off the field after the ensuing kickoff, which was a pretty decent one for the Crabbers, who have it at their own 37 with 50 seconds to go in the half. Interestingly enough, Hampton has all three time-outs left, too.

 

[matthew328826]

Some half-time numbers to come soon... stay tuned!

 

[matthew328826]

Stats at the Half:

Hampton 21:
Marcus Chapman - 7-12 for 103Yds. 2-0 TD/Int. ratio; 5Car. 15Yds. TD
Sidney Johnson - 7Car. 43Yds.
Davion Perry - 4Rec. 56Yds.
NahMari Boyd - 2Rec. 48Yds. 2 TD's
Devan Anthony - 6 Tackles (4 Solo)
Da'Javon Saunders - 3 Tackles, TFL

Crabbers - 29 plays for 172 total yards (7-12 for 103 yards passing; 17 rushes for 69 yards); 10 penalties for 93 yards; 0 turnovers


Bethel 14:
Derek Fisher - 1-3 for 8Yds; 8Car. 32Yds. TD
Amari Pryear - 11Car. 93Yds. TD; 1Rec. 8Yds.
Odell Pinkney - 6 Tackles, 0.5 Sacks
Larry Dove - 4 Tackles, Sack
Aaron Hall III - 3 Tackles
Kwan Jackson - 3 Tackles

Bruins - 22 plays for 133 total yards (1-3 for 8 yards passing; 19 rushes for 125 yards); 8 penalties for 64 yards; 0 turnovers

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton begins the third quarter with the football and at their own 41. They insert WR/DB Casey Lassiter into the backfield and his first three runs yield positive results - - gains of +9, +15 and +3.

Jaden Bryant sticks with QB Marcus Chapman on the read option on 3rd & 4, stopping him to no gain. However, for the third time tonight, Bethel gets called for encroachment. That's a killer for the Bruins.

Two plays later, it's Chapman threading the needle over the middle to Davion Perry, who hangs on to make a tough catch in traffic worth 18 yards to the goal-line.

 

[matthew328826]

Sophomore QB Marcus Chapman has now accounted for 4 TD's - 2 passing and 2 rushing - in directing this Hampton offense, now feeling a lot better about itself after the sluggish end to the second period.

Now can Bethel respond to keep this thing interesting and tight? The Bruins will have it at their own 20 with 7:49 to go in the third period.

 

[matthew328826]

Bethel goes 3 & out on offense during its first possession of the third quarter with the pass protection breaking down on 3rd & 13 from their own 17.

The punt is less than stellar and Hampton will have it at the Bruins 42 with 6:40 to go in the third quarter.

The Bethel defense continues to struggle to get off the field on third down. Sidney Johnson's run on 3rd & 1 is good enough to gain 3 yards. From there, a handoff to Casey Lassiter results in him going the distance with the Bruins failing to wrap up...

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton is now closing in on its 12th consecutive win in the head-to-head series as Bethel last prevailed over the Crabbers in 2012 by a count of 17-13.

Bethel's latest drive starts at their own 32 with 4:17 to go in the third period.

 

[matthew328826]

A really nice play call by the Bethel coaches to use the screen game with Amari Pryear and he rumbles 45 yards down to the Hampton 23. Then it's read option time and QB Derek Fisher does the rest, bolting up the middle basically untouched to keep this one fairly close and within striking range.

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton's offense, which started their third possession of the third quarter at their own 23 with 3:30 to go in the period, goes 3 & out for one of the rare times tonight. A jet sweep lost three yards, with Bethel reading it well, then a delay of game penalty quickly made it 2nd & 18. A 10-yard completion by Marcus Chapman to Davion Perry turned it into a mangeable third down situation. However, the 3rd & 8 pass fell incomplete.

Bethel lets the punt roll to their own 38, where they'll go back to work on offense with 1:35 left in the third period.

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton's Lavonte Chapman diagnoses the screen pass this time and limits Amari Pryear to a gain of just 2. Pryear is now having his leg worked on / stretched out with 1:18 to go in the third period.

The Bruins have to find another option on offense besides Pryear and QB Derek Fisher. Amazingly, those are the only two players to attempt a pass, run or make a catch for them in this contest. Quite predictable in that regard.

Meanwhile, Hampton has had seven different players in those columns for passing / rushing / receiving.

Fisher runs for 3 to bring up 3rd & 5, where it's Pryear hauling in a quick dump off pass once he returns for a couple yards.

 

[matthew328826]

That guy wearing #55 - Devan Anthony - may be undersized, but there's no denying his heart and hustle. Going back to the preseason scrimmage at Kempsville, he was all over the place making plays.

Sidney Johnson has a touchdown run called back to due to a holding penalty. One play after that, it's an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 12 fro mthe Bethel 44. Marcus Chapman tries to get the inside slant to a diving NahMari Boyd, but it's incomplete. The Crabbers appear to be punting it away with 10:57 to go.

Antonio Cummings partially blocked the Hampton punt for Bethel. The Bruins take over at their own 25 with 10:47 to play, needing a score on this series to give them any real legit comeback hope.

 

[matthew328826]

Bethel goes 3 & out as they gain just a yard on first down with QB Derek Fisher, who then throws a backwards pass on a screen to Jayden Short, losing seven yards on the play because he loses his footing in controlling the catch. Fisher's vertical shot down the field on third down is out of the reach of his intended target.

Hampton will take over at their own 36 with 9:08 to go in regulation following the punt.

 

[matthew328826]

Sidney Johnson breaks off a couple of quality runs, but the Crabbers are suddenly looking at 1st & 28 from their own 33 following multiple holding penalties. Johnson catches a pass in the flat from QB Marcus Chapman on 2nd & 24, scooting to the sideline for a gain of 21.

On 3rd & 3, Johnson loses a yard as Larry Dove for Bethel makes the stop behind the line of scrimmage.

Hampton Coach Woodrow Wilson will try to take the clock down near the 5 minute mark to puint it away before 4th & 4 from the Bruins 43 with this 35-21 lead.

Pretty nice punt will pin Bethel at their own 12 with 5:12 to go in regulation.

 

[matthew328826]

Defensive pass interference on Hampton wipes away an INT by Davion Perry. That would've been the game's first turnover, believe it or not.

Gene Jones Jr. sacks Derek Fisher for a loss of 4. Bethel gets a screen pass to Amari Pryear that nearly goes for 40+ yards... but a holding penalty brings it back. A short gain and incomplete will make it 4th & long for the Bruins, following an injury time-out with 3:24 to play.

 

[matthew328826]

Hampton moves the chains with a 12-yard run from NahMari Boyd, who absolutely got tattooed by a Bethel defender - believe it was Rashard Kerr - at the end of the play.

The Crabbers are now in position to run the clock out and get their 12th straight in the series.

 

[matthew328826]

More to come later...