LIVE Game Blog: King George 41, Hampton 33 - FINAL

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Greetings from Darling Stadium on this first Saturday of September 2024, where the Hampton Crabbers (1-0) play host to the visiting King George Foxes (0-1).

The weather was not looking too good earlier with periods of moderate to heavy rain, but thankfully it has stopped and we are ready for kick-off.

It's 74 degrees and cloudy.

Follow updates here on the Blog and via 'X' or Twitter @hatfieldsports

Here was our writeup on the game in the Tidewater Predictions Preview...


King George (0-1) at Hampton (1-0) . . . When the King George Foxes and Hampton Crabbers hooked up on the gridiron for the first time ever in 2023, it was not that close of a ballgame. King George steamrolled the Crabbers, 42-13, on their way to a fourth consecutive unbeaten regular season. Of course, that King George team featured two stud receivers in Mekhi White (Maryland) and Chanz Wiggins (Virginia Tech).

Brooke Point ran for 289 yards in last week’s 36-33 toppling of the Foxes. Meanwhile, Hampton edged Woodside, 25-19 in double-overtime, thanks to Casey Lassiter’s game-winning 10-yard TD run. With the weather forecast not pretty and calling for rain, Hampton might need some tough running from Lassiter and sophomore QB Marcus Chapman in order to extend drives.

Matt Hatfield Says – King George 28-20
Coach Ed Young Says – King George 26-12

 

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Hampton begins with the ball at their own 32 with 11:54 to go in the opening period. Sophomore QB Marcus Chapman complets his first pass of the day for a gain of 5 to Montrell Harrison. Operating out of trips left, the Crabbers decide to pitch it, but it's a loss of a couple. Charles Johnson, one of the mainstays on the recent stellar Foxes teams that had unblemished regular seasons, made the tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

A short completion to Davion Perry on 3rd & 7 won't be enough for a first down for the Crabbers. They go 3 & out and punt it away.

Hampton gets called for a penalty on the punt return, giving the Foxes generous field position at their own 49 with 9:33 showing on the first quarter clock for their first possession of the day.

 

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King George has a good drive working with the running game behind Simeon Battle, who broke off a 16-yard run to move the chains on 2nd & 7. Montrell Harrison sacks Foxes QB Dylan Koch on his first drop-back to throw following five consecutive runs by Battle to begin the game,

However, on the next play, it's Koch connecting with Charles Johnson for a tunnel screen that he took to the house with ease.

 

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Class of 2025 talent and reigning All-Region 4B performer Charles Johnson has come to play for the visiting King George Foxes, folks.

Not only does Johnson have a 35-yard TD catch, but as Hampton burns a time-out with 2:53 to go in the opening quarter before 3rd & 11 from the KG 27, he's got 5 total tackles (4 solo) with 2 behind the line of scrimmage. Coming off the edge from that outside 'backer spot, he's giving them fits.

However, the Hampton offense is getting small chunks through the passing game when QB Marcus Chapman has time as he's connected on his first four attempts for 27 yards to three different receivers.

 

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Excellent pitch and catch for the Crabbers as NahMari Boyd was wide open on the inside slant pattern. Marcus Chapman is a perfect 5 of 5 through the air for 54 yards.

King George begins their second possession at their own 30 with 2:42 to go in the openign stanza.

 

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Charles Johnson runs for two yards to bring up 4th & 8, which becomes 4th & 3 from the 39 when the Crabbers get hit for an encroachment penalty.

Coach Vern Lunsford of King George opts to leave the offense on the field and for good reason since a punt doesn't help much and a field goal is too far.

The Foxes are unable to get it complete. Dylan Koch's pass was out of the reach of wideout Ky'Mani Carpenter, who had a 14-yard reception earlier on the series.

So Hampton takes over at their own 39, trailing by a point with 11:06 till half-time.

 

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Hampton got a nice 9-yard run from Sidney Johnson on 2nd & 10 to put them in 3rd & short. However, the drive comes to a halt before it can really get going as Marcus Chapman throws his first incomplete pass. He was looking for Casey Lassiter on the near side.

Trying to get King George to jump offsides on 4th & 1, the Crabbers end up taking a delay of game penalty before punting. On the return, Hampton gets hit with a face-mask penalty and an illegal procedure infraction, which gets accepted. But then the Foxes give the 5 yards back with an encroachment flag.

Hampton then has the punter field the low snap and the referees say his knee hit the ground before he got the kick off, so it's a loss of 17, but even worse, King George takes over at the Crabbers 31 with 9:08 until the break.

 

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This Ky'Mani Carpenter has caught my eye for King George as well. Good size at about 6-1, 175 pounds... and now gets a chance to make his mark since the Foxes no longer have those outstanding pass catchers in Mekhi White and Chanz Wiggins, both playing College Football on Saturdays.

Which defense can make the necessary tweak to seize control in this game?

 

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We might have ourselves a shoot-out developing here at Darling Stadium as both offenses are getting chunks at will.

On the 51-yard pass connection deep down the field to Casey Lassiter, QB Marcus Chapman showed off great arm strength. He's been quite impressive in this first half, and most of all, I like that after he runs with power behind his blockers that pushed the pile forward during an 11-yard TD run, he goes over to his linemen and gives them some high-fives along the bench area.

Meanwhile, the King George defensive backfield / safety play has to make some adjustments or else Hampton will continue to take some vertical shots down the field in this one.

 

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Simeon Battle breaks off a 51-yard kickoff return on what was a nice boot by the Hampton kicker. It gives King George wonderful field position at the Crabbers 45 with 7:02 to go in the half. At the rate we're going, both teams could find the end zone again before we get to intermission.

Walter Reger makes a tremendous jump-ball catch over a smaller defender worth 26 yards on 3rd & 11 to move the Foxes down to the 20 of the Crabbers. Dylan Koch is putting the pigskin right where he needs to in this first half more times than not. Hampton will have to generate some pass rush or it will be a matter of trying to match these Foxes score for score. Their secondary is having a hard time holding up as well.

 

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King George's coaches are doing a fine job of mixing both Charles Johnson and Simeon Battle in the right spots with the run game to complement an attack known in recent years more for airing it out. Battle has 10 rushes for 47 yards and Johnson has 6 carries for 13 yards, a pair of scores, plus a couple of grabs on screens worth 38 yards.

More concerning than the pass rush and secondary right now for Hampton's defensive coaches is that they've seen the Foxes slip out of a couple of tackles. That's not the norm or standard for the Crabbers on that side of the ball.

 

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Daniel Grigsby and Brian Ivey get home to the quarterback for sacks for the King George defense. Ivey's came on 3rd & 16, dropping Marcus Chapman for a loss of 5.

A 16-yard punt return by Walter Reger gives King George the ball at the Hampton 36 with 30 seconds till intermission. That is plenty of time to get in scoring range for a field goal try or at couple of shots towards the end zone.

 

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Ky'Mani Carpenter just blew right by the corner and King George went over the top of the defense for another aggressive pass play.

Hampton will take a knee from their own 34 to go to half-time down by a couple of touchdowns.

 

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Stats at the Half:
King George 27:
Dylan Koch - 6-10 for 141Yds. 2-0 TD/Int. ratio
Simeon Battle - 10Car. 47Yds.
Charles Johnson - 6Car. 13Yds. 2 TD's; 2Rec. 38Yds. TD; 5 Tackles, 2 TFL
Ky'Mani Carpenter - 3Rec. 77Yds. TD
Walter Reger - 1Rec. 26Yds.
Daniel Grigsby - 1 Sack
Brian Ivey - 1 Sack

Foxes - 27 plays for 193 total yards (6-10 for 141 yards passing; 17 rushes for 52 yards); 3 penalties for 15 yards; 0 turnovers

Hampton 13:
Marcus Chapman - 6-8 for 105Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio; 4Car. 0Yds. TD
Casey Lassiter - 1Rec. 51Yds.
NahMari Boyd - 2Rec. 45Yds. TD
Montrell Harrison - 2Rec. 8Yds; 2TFL, Sack
Sidney Johnson - 3Car. 9Yds.
Devan Anthony - 6 Tackles (4 Solo)
Sexton Grissett II - 6 Tackles (3 Solo), 0.5 TFL

Crabbers - 20 plays for 101 total yards (6-8 for 105 yards passing; 12 rushes for minus 4 yards); 6 penalties for 50 yards; 0 turnovers

 

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We begin the second half with King George gaining possession. It's Ky'Mani Carpenter adding to the hidden yardage in the return game for the Foxes. His 25-yard kickoff return gives the Foxes the football at their own 49.

This is prime position to take a couple of shots down the field, and based on what they've done to the Hampton DB's who have not consistently gotten their head turned around and in proper place to make a play on the ball in flight, some more long gainers may be in their future.

 

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King George is getting basically whatever they want in the passing game this afternoon.

Conversely, the defense has clamped down better on the run and you see more players on that side of the ball communicating pre-snap to get the right spot alignment wise to guard against what Hampton likes to do offensively.

The Crabbers are struggling to move the ball forward, outside of a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Foxes.

Jacob Plew provided the coverage on the 4th & 3 incomplete pass. So King George takes overar at midfield with 7:46 to go in the third quarter and a comfortable lead.

 

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A simple draw play and the Foxes saw Simeon Battle go off to the races.

That King George offensive line - from left to right of David Smith, Jonathen Cook, Dawson Thir, Marco Tirman and Jahkir Shelton - has kept the pocket clean for QB Dylan Koch. He's been sacked only once. With the Hampton defense so concerned about the pass, it created the opportunities for that run play with it being two-down territory for them.

 

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Hampton badly needed a score there and the special teams unit strikes with Casey Lassiter, who had the winning touchdown in the 2nd OT of last week's season-opening win over Woodside.

But they can't quite match King George because of the PAT getting blocked by Simeon Battle.

The Foxes appeared to do some shifting with its personnel before blocking that kick. It paid off to deny the Crabbers another point.

 

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Sophomore lineman Gene Jones Jr. (6-4, 255) has caught my eyes as a potential prospect in the years to come for Hampton. He's been in on a few tackles with force today, one beringing up 3rd & 11 for King George from their own 37. That's when the Foxes go back to the air and it's Jacob Plew hauling in the pass from Dylan Koch for 15 yards to move the chains.

On a crossing pattern, Charles Johnson has daylight in front of him to pick up 18 yards down to the 30 of the Crabbers.

It's easy to see why Johnson has offers from Delaware, ECU, JMU, ODU, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and West Virginia among others on his sheet.

 

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Hampton's defense holds firm for one of its first stops of the day, preventing a King George pass completion on 4th & 13 from the 33. The Crabbers take over with 1:08 left in the third quarter, trailing by 22.

At this point, the Crabbers pretty much have to abandon the running game and rely on the arm of Marcus Chapman. His mobility will need to come into play, too, though.

Davion Perry slips on a second down heave in his direction, otherwise he would've likely picked up 30+ on the reception.

With pressure bearing down on Chapman from Daniel Grigsby, who drills him as he throws, the pass is intercepted by Owen Price. The INT is returned to the Crabbers 35-yard line, where the Foxes have it with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.

 

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An offensive clinic for a Foxes team that probably feels it should be 2-0 and will still very much be heard from as the season rolls along.

 

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Casey Lassiter, who returned that kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown earlier, makes a brilliant play to jump a pass over the middle and return it 56 yards down to the King George 34 with 11:09 remaining.

The Crabbers must cash in with points, being a touchdown, on this series to have any hopes of mounting a legit comeback.

Davion Perry on the flag route to the sideline hauls in a beautifully thrown pass by Marcus Chapman worth 29 yards down to the KG 5.

Chapman looks to have room to run on a QB keeper, but then is drilled by Jordan Washington for a gain of just a yard.

 

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Do the Crabbers have a magical rally in them? Well, even if they don't, this tenth grade QB Marcus Chapman has shown me enough to believe he is a player they can build around and a prospect that can eventually play at the next level without any question.

 

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A real smart play call by King George to begin this latest possession, which started at their own 36 with 10:02 remaining in regulation. They go trips left - three receivers to that side - and it's a delay handoff going in the other direction. Simeon Battle gains 10 to move the chains.

Xavier Whisenant for the Hampton defense reads the screen pass well to limit Walter Reger to a one-yard gain on the catch. Gene Jones Jr. makes another play in the trenches, knifing through for a tackle for loss. On 3rd & 12, the pass by QB Dylan Koch goes to Daniel Grigsby - a defensive standout today who makes his first catch of the afternoon - and he's limited to a gain of 2 as Casey Lassiter comes up to get a good stick on him.

Hampton fields the punt at their own 23 with 6:42 to play.

... We have seen stranger things happen. The King George defense now needs to step up and it might require blitzing an extra defender or two that hurries QB Marcus Chapman.

 

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The first rush attempt of the day for Montrell Harrison gains 11 yards to move the chains for the Hampton Crabbers, who follow that up with a 23-yard pass play to Davion Perry. The DB's are giving Perry way too much room to operate on those post and slant routes.

After an incomplete pass, the King George defense burns a time-out before the Crabbers have it 2nd & 10 from the Foxes 44 with 5:56 to play.

 

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Sidney Johnson gains 9 on a run play for Hampton, but then it's A'Mari Moss of the King George defense dropping RB Lavonte Chapman for a loss of 1. Offense stays on the field for a monumental fourth down that is essentially the game for the Crabbers.

NahMari Boyd gets leveled on a reception by King George's Ky'Mani Carpenter. However, he gets 3 yards on the catch on 4th & 2. That extends the drive.

Then Marcus Chapman finds his guy Davion Perry over the middle in stride... and he's off to the races.

 

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On the ensuing kickoff, a brain fart by the King George return man, who lets it roll all the way down inside the 5, scoops it up and is tackled by a couple of Hampton Crabbers before he is stopped at the 12.

Hard to believe that King George once led this football game 41-13 with 6:28 to go in the 3rd quarter!

Hampton now has the Foxes facing 3rd & 11 from their own 11 after Da'Javon Saunders and Devan Anthony (12 total tackles on the day) drop Simeon Battle for a loss of 2. We have 2:58 to go and the home fans are making lots of noise.

 

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Charles Johnson makes a catch on a slant on 3rd & 11, but he's limited to a gain of 5. Montrell Harrison makes a solid tackle in space.

Hampton Coach Woodrow Wilson burns his final time-out before 4th & 5 from the 16 with 2:50 to go.

Unreal that Hampton has a chance to still tie this game and send it to overtime.

On the snap for the punt, the ball takes a hop and one of the Hampton defenders runs into the punter. Oh no shout the Crabbers faithful sitting in the stands at Darling Stadium.

HOWEVER, the Crabbers get a break because they call a penalty away from that on King George, so the two flags offset and they replay the down. What a break and bullet dodged there.

 

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Marcus Chapman and the Crabbers have to be extremely confident they can go 41 yards in just over 2 minutes.

Can they then get the tying 2-point conversion though?

 

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Crabbers start the drive with a 16-yard hookup, Marcus Chapman to Davion Perry on a stop route. Down to the KG 25.

King George has to dial up some type of pressure and get to the QB because their DB's look gassed right now.

It's Montrell Harrison for a catch worth 5 to the sideline and then Sidney Johnson hauls in a pass in the flat area, adding a couple more, but he loses his shoe in the process. Ky'Mani Carpenter tackles him.

It's 3rd & 3 from the KG 18. Chapman goes back to Johnson, but he can't hang on to the ball.

Here's the game - - 4th & 3 from the KG 18 with 1:16 to go.

 

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Marcus Chapman sees pressure come from his right side, avoids the rush, tries to step up and his pass is off the mark.

Heck of an effort though as the Crabbers certainly put some fear into the visiting Foxes of King George, who will be glad to get out of here at 1-1 instead of demoralized at 0-2.

The Foxes can now take a knee.

 

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More to come later... what a wild ballgame!

 

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Final Stats:

King George Foxes 41: (1-1 Overall)
Dylan Koch - 14-23 for 263Yds. 3-1 TD/Int. ratio
Simeon Battle - 23Car. 87Yds. TD; XP Blocked
Ky'Mani Carpenter - 4Rec. 117Yds. 2 TD's; 4 Tackles (3 Solo)
Charles Johnson - 4Rec. 61Yds. TD; 6Car. 13Yds. 2 TD's; 5 Tackles (4 Solo), 2 TFL
Walter Reger - 4Rec. 68Yds.
Jacob Plew - 1Rec. 15Yds.
Gideon Coyle - 4 Tackles

Foxes - 56 plays for 349 total yards (14-23 for 263 yards passing, 1 intercept; 33 rushes for 86 yards); 6 penalties for 40 yards; 1 turnover


Hampton Crabbers 33: (1-1 Overall)
Marcus Chapman - 15-25 for 279Yds. for 279Yds. 2-1 TD/Int. ratio; 5Car. 1Yd. TD
Davion Perry - 5Rec. 101Yds. TD; 5 Tackles (3 Solo)
Casey Lassiter - 1Rec. 51Yds; KR for 94Yds; 3 Solo Tackles, INT, PBU
Montrell Harrison - 4Rec. 18Yds; 1Car. 11Yds; 5 Tackles, 2.5 TFL, Sack
Devan Anthony - 12 Tackles (6 Solo), TFL
Sexton Grissett II - 8 Tackles (4 Solo), 1.5 TFL
Gene Jones Jr. - 6 Tackles, 1.5 TFL

Crabbers - 42 plays for 290 total yards (15-25 for 279 yards passing, 1 intercept; 17 rushes for 11 yards); 7 penalties for 51 yards; 1 turnover

 

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Video Interview with King George Head Football Coach Vern Lunsford:



King George Head Football Coach Vern Lunsford reflects after his team's 41-33 victory over the Hampton Crabbers at Darling Stadium on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Coach Lunsford's Foxes, who came into this year off four consecutive unbeaten regular seasons, responded from a loss to Brooke Point a week ago. However, King George nearly squandered a 28-point third quarter lead, needing a fourth down stop in the red zone to preserve the victory to move to 1-1 on the 2024 campaign.

Up next for King George is a matchup with Riverbend at home on September 13th.

 

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Video Interview with King George's Charles Johnson:



King George standout Charles Johnson chats after his team's 41-33 win over Hampton at Darling Stadium on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Johnson, who scored three touchdowns with two on rushes and the other on a reception, chats about his commitment to play College Football at Connecticut and more.