Blog LIVE Game Blog - Lake Taylor (3-0) at Maury (1-1)

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Greetings from Powhatan Field in Norfolk. It's Lake Taylor (3-0) at Maury (1-1) in an Eastern District showdown on this comfortable 65-degree night.

We'll have updates here and via Twitter on @hatfieldsports.

In the meantime, check out our Preview below...

GAME OF THE WEEK in NORFOLK:

Lake Taylor (3-0) at Maury (1-1) . . . After dropping ten straight in the series, Maury has won two of the past three meetings with Lake Taylor, prevailing by a count of 49-7 in 2019 and 48-12 last year with a 27-14 loss to the Titans sandwiched in between. Lake Taylor breezed through its first three foes of Norcom, Currituck (NC) and Norview by a combined count of 144-28, pitching a pair of shutouts. The likes of Tarreon Washington-Jacobs (527 yards, 6 TD’s rushing), WR Elijah Washington (16Rec. 302Yds. 5 TD’s) and TE Justin Edwards each found the end zone twice in the 41-0 shutout of Norview.

Can Maury handle the running game of Lake Taylor? New Bern (NC) ran the ball 57 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-14 win over the Commodores two Fridays ago. The Commodores saw their stud linebacker, Nathaniel ‘Booga’ Knox suffer a preseason injury in their scrimmage against King’s Fork. If the First Team All-State performer is unable to go, then it’ll be up to sophomore Dylan Goad and freshman Ike Simmons, who already holds a Virginia Tech offer, to step up in his place. There are also two former Titans on the Maury defense in senior DB Syncere Hawkins and edge rusher Aaron McDaniel that will play pivotal roles.

Even with one of the best running backs around in Duke commit Peyton Jones, it’s clear that the Commodores want to test the Lake Taylor secondary by throwing the ball. Their passing game, headed up by senior Mario Miller, completed 11 of 15 passes for 243 yards and 5 TD’s in a 66-0 shellacking of Granby. The Commodores had 52 points before half-time in that contest, including scores on defense and special teams.

Lake Taylor will have many of their key players go both ways, and from a defensive standpoint, getting solid play from those outside of their mainstays in Washington-Jacobs, Washington and UVA commit Anthony Britton is going to be important. Maury doesn’t depend on just one player in the passing game, so look for Dyrri McCain’s bunch to spread the ball around to Delaware commit Kelvin ‘K.T; Seay, juniors Da’Vontae Floyd, Fred Johnson and Josh Powell, plus sophomore LeBron Bond. How well the Lake Taylor secondary, headed up by Aquan Ballard, Titus Holte and Khamarie Trueblood, holds up is going to tell a lot.

This has the makings to be a high-scoring battle. For Maury to get an outcome similar to last year, they will need their defensive front to break down the Lake Taylor o-line and harass new Titans QB Jamir ‘Sporty’ Freeman (33 of 50 for 563 yards, 10 TD’s), who has been effective both with his legs and arm to this point.

Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 35-27
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 30-14

 

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Immediately following the 16-yard kickoff return by Duke commit Peyton Jones, the Commodores go to the air and find paydirt.



Andrew McClung, an excellent kicking weapon for Maury, booms the kickoff into the end zone. So Lake Taylor begins at their own 20, trailing 7-0 with 11:41 to go in the opening period.

 

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Lake Taylor begins with a 4-yard completion from Jamir 'Sporty' Freeman to Aquan Ballard. On 2nd & 6, the Titans are flagged for an illegal procedure. Marquis Drew- Rogers rushes 7 yards to bring up 3rd & 8, but rolling to his right on the next down, the pass by Freeman is incomplete near the sideline with Leslie Hines bearing down with pressure on him from the edge.

The Titans punt it away on 4th & 8 and it's not that good of a kick as Maury takes over at the Lake Taylor 38 with 9:57 left in the opening quarter. The Commodores smell blood early here.

 

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Maury's second series of the night probably will be considered a disappointing one for Coach Dyrri McCain. They go 3 & out, and on the first two plays, the Titans decline a pair of Maury penalties. On 3rd & 10, QB Mario Miller sees the pocket collapse with junior stud Elijah Washington and UVA commit Anthony Britton getting him for a loss of 2.

Instead of going for it on 4th & 12 from the 40, McCain opts to punt and McClung makes him look smart for doing so as he pins the Titans at their own 1. Lake Taylor has to be extra careful here.

 

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On the first play of series No. 2 for Lake Taylor form their own 1, senior running back Tarreon Washington-Jacobs nearly goes 99 yards. Lavontay Bond made a touchdown saving tackle for the Maury defense. That kept the run to 33 yards.

Two key plays extend the drive for the Titans. On 4th & 4 from their own 40, a fake punt is converted thanks to Khamrie Trueblood getting just enough to move the sticks. A few plays later on 3rd & 8 from their own 46, junior 6'8" WR Elijah 'Moss' Washington makes a tippy-toe catch along the sideline for a gain of 9.

Big 4th & 3 from the Maury 38 coming up for the Titans here.

 

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The Maury defense jumps on 4th & 3, so Lake Taylor moves up 5 yards to the Maury 33 and more importantly it's a fresh set of downs as this lengthy drive continues. They move the sticks again on the running of Marquis Drew-Rogers and Tarreon-Washington Jacobs.

Quarterback Jamir 'Sporty' Freeman has been solid, but misses an open Justin Edwards on a post pattern in the end zone, instead trying to get it to Aquan Ballard over the middle. On the next play, he dumps it off to Washington-Jacobs and he gets 6 on a screen to bring up 4th & 5 from the Maury 16.

 

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The Titans go for it to start the 2nd period, but the pass is incomplete as Sporty Freeman is unable to connect with Elijah Washington on the inside slant. Credit the coverage to Lavontay Bond on the play. No pass interference and from my vantage point in the box, it was one of those where it could've been called and you understood or it not get called and you understand. Very close.

The Commodores start their third series at their own 16 with 11:55 to go in the second quarter, leading 7-0.

Amazing, Maury has run just 4 plays from scrimmage to the 20 or 21 b y the Titans. So Hank Sawyer has to like the Time of Possession advantage and controlling the ball, but the scoreboard does not favor him.

 

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A bad snap lead to a loss of 4 for Maury, but on 2nd & 14 from their own 12, the Commodores strike for another long gainer as QB Mario Miller hits Josh Powell on a nifty screen design to net 30 yards near their sideline. However, a couple of penalties make things tough for the Maury offense. It wipes off a nice catch by Da'Vontae Floyd.

Miller throws it to Fred Johnson near the Maury sideline, except he is out of bounds. On the next play, it's 3rd & 12 following a Titans penalty and Miller lofts one deep down the middle of the field, but Lake Taylor DB Aquan Ballard makes a terrific interception.

Lake Taylor takes over at their own 25, trailing 7-0 with 9:09 to go in the second quarter.

 

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The Titans get a 9-yard completion from Jamir 'Sporty' Freeman to Justin Edwards, but a 15-yard penalty brings the Titans back. A couple plays later on a key 3rd & 9 from their own 24, they get it to Edward and he picks up 15 to move sticks.

The third and fourth down conversions have been critical for the Titans this evening. They've also bounced back pretty well from near misses.

Lake Taylor is definitely trying to hit the long pass down the sideline with Elijah Washington, covered by Lavontay Bond. On one, Washington drops a pass he normally catches. The next time he draws a pass interference. On the one after that, Bond makes a pretty play on a pass breakup.

But on 3rd & 7 from the Maury 43, the Titans go back to Edwards and he makes another clutch grab worth 13 yards.

Maury will burn a time-out with 5:49 until half-time.

 

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New right tackle Keyontae Arrington (6-8, 330) - who once played at Maury, went to IMG Academy and now wears #54 for Lake Taylor - is absolutely man-handling the Commodores defensive front. The Class of 2024 has big-time potential and certainly bolsters an already good Titans line.

Using the running of both Marquise Drew-Rogers and Tarreon Washington-Jacobs, the Titans get a 1st & Goal from the 2. Washington-Jacobs finishes it off with a score.

 

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Interesting move by Hank Sawyer to go for 2, but I don't fault him with the way they've been running the ball effectively - - 21 rushes for 101 yards.

Maury will take over with 1st & 10 from their own 29 with 2:57 before the break and definitely wanting to add to their lead to wrest momentum away.

 

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Lake Taylor's defense has stepped up when it has needed to tonight and a big tackle for loss by Chuck Fisher brings up 3rd & 12 for the Maury offense from their own 27. Instead of just running the ball and being content with a 7-6 lead at the break, Dyrri McCain and company will stay aggressive with their passing game.

Josh Powell pulls in a pass from Mario Miller to gain 24 yards on 3rd & 12. Da'Vontae Floyd follows with a 19-yard reception to the Lake Taylor 30. The fast-paced approach is now working for the Maury passing attack suddenly.

Following an 8-yard completion to Powell, the Commodores go to Fred Johnson, running up the sideline and close to going in for a touchdown, but it is ruled a fumble on a big hit from Tarreon Washington-Jacobs. It is recovered by Titans DB Khamarie Trueblood.

The Maury fans did not like the fumble call as they thought Johnson was down on the play.

 

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Big momentum shift back towards Maury after Tarreon Washington-Jacobs rips off a first down run to the sideline on 3rd & 3, a false start pushes Lake Taylor back and they decide to throw. As Jamir Freeman does, the pocket collapses and Josh Bowe causes a fumble.

Maury has it at the Lake Taylor 8 with 36 seconds till intermission. They definitely need a score here to give them a confidence boost.

 

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We have some really exceptional WR prospects from the Class of 2024 in this matchup - the aforementioned Elijah Washington of Lake Taylor and Da'Vontae Floyd, who has been starting since his freshman year. Floyd is going to win more than his fair share of jump ball opportunities.

 

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Lake Taylor gets two solid gains on their fifth series of the night before the break - a 7-yard run from Marquise Drew-Rogers, then a 14-yard reception by Justin Edwards on a pass by Jamir Freeman.

Both times Lake Taylor uses a time-put to save some time. With about 8 seconds to go in the half, Freeman tosses a screen to Tarreon Washington-Jacobs, who gains 13 and from our view opposite the far sidelined, it looked like he got out of bounds. If not, the clock should've stopped with a second left. It did not.

Coach Hank Sawyer was none too pleased with that and gave the officials and earful as they exited the field. That could've given his team a jump-ball chance from the 35-yard line before the end of the half.

Nonetheless, a very competitive and exciting half of football, maybe the best I've seen live to this point in the young 2022 High School Football season.

HALF - Maury 13, Lake Taylor 6.


It'll be Lake Taylor ball to begin the 2nd half and we'll have some stats shortly...

 

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Stats the Half:

Maury 13:
Mario Miller - 8-13 for 181Yds. 2-0 TD/Int. ratio
Josh Powell - 3Rec. 62Yds.
LeBron Bond - 1Rec. 60Yds. TD
Da'Vontae Floyd - 3Rec. 34Yds. TD
Fred Johnson - 1Rec. 25Yds.
Peyton Jones - 2Car. Minus 3Yds.

Commodores - 18 plays for 174 total yards (8-13 for 181 yards passing, 2 TD's; 5 rushes for minus 7 yards, 1 lost fumble); 1 turnover; 8 penalties for 51 yards


Lake Taylor 6:
Jamir 'Sporty' Freeman - 9-15 for 90Yds.
Tarreon Washington-Jacobs - 13Car. 78Yds. TD; 2Rec. 19Yds.
Marquise Drew-Rogers - 9Car. 48Yds.
Justin Edwards - 5Rec. 58Yds.
Elijah Washington - 1Rec. 9Yds.

Titans - 41 plays for 204 total yards (9-15 for 90 yards passing; 26 rushes for 114 yards rushing, 1 lost fumble); 1 turnover; 5 penalties for 40 yards.

 

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Lake Taylor begins the 2nd half with the football at their own 27. But from the very start, Maury's defense sets a tone with senior defensive lineman Nasir Spruill making a tackle for loss on RB Tarreon Washington-Jacobs. The next two plays are incomplete passes.

That forces Lake Taylor to punt for just the second time on the night and it's a much better kick for Khamarie Trueblood. Josh Powell is knocked out of bounds at Maury's 34-yard line, where they begin their first offensive series of the third period at the 10:47 mark.

Getting Peyton Jones and the ground game going would help the Commodores a great deal.

 

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Maury hits Da'Vontae Floyd on a screen, but a hold brings it back from being a nice pickup for the Commodores. They go to the ground game with Peyton Jones, who spins away from the first defender, but not the second. It's a 6-yard gain, his longest of the night, nonetheless.

Tarreon Washington-Jacobs sees a potential pick-six go right through his hands and then on 3rd & 10 it's Khamarie Trueblood able to deflect a pass intended for LeBron Bond. So a different kind of 3 & out for the Maury offense right after Lake Taylor's.

Andrew McClung is on to punt it away for Maury.

 

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Andrew McClung's punt hung up in the wind and only netted 16 yards for Maury. Lake Taylor starts their second drive at the 50.

The Lake Taylor running game has been bottled up to start the 2nd half, thanks in part to Nasir Spruill and the Maury LB's on defense. On 4th & 4 from the Commodores 44, they go to Elijah Washington and he makes a catch worth 7 to move the chains.

 

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Two plays after a holding penalty pushes Lake Taylor back from the Maury 47 to their own 49, the Titans are faced with 3rd & 20. They have a favorable matchup with Elijah Washington down the sideline against Lavontay Bond, who has done a good job tonight, but appeared to be cramping for a couple plays. Jamir Freeman is unable to get it to an open Elijah Washington. So the Titans punt it away.

Maury takes over at their own 9 with 4:45 to go in the third period for their second series of the half. They go 3 & out, even after getting a gain of 6 by Duke commit Peyton Jones because a false start pushes them back 5 and it's incomplete on third down.

Tarreon Washington-Jacobs fair catches the Andrew McClung punt, meaning Lake Taylor's third series of the half will begin at the Maury 44 with 3:27 to go in the third quarter.

 

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Maury's defense comes up with another strong stand to force a second consecutive 3 & out by the Lake Taylor offense. The second and third levels of the defense tackled well on a couple of screen passes, in particular corners Da'Vontae Floyd and Lavontay Bond.

Surprised the Titans didn't try to establish the run to set up the pass on that series. The defenses have certainly controlled things, which is not like this series in recent years where the winning team generally scores 40 to 50-plus points.

 

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To change the rhythm and the pace of this one, Maury Coach Dyrri McCain has decided to put the ball in the hands of arguably his best football player - Peyton Jones - out of Wildcat formation and it is working well thus far. Jones busts off runs of 24 and 11 yards into Lake Taylor territory.

The Titans have to adjust with Maury on the move at the LT 45.

 

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Lake Taylor's defense has clamped down effectively on the Wildcat runs with Peyton Jones. Maury sandwiched in a quick pass over the middle from Mario Miller to Josh Powell for 6 yards. On 3rd & 4, it's Jones being stopped for no gain. However, Lake Taylor two-way standout Tarreon Washington-Jacobs is helped off the field with an injury and that is not good news for Titans fans.

Maury will leave the offense on the field here for 4th & 4 from the Titans 39.

 

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Give Maury a lot of credit - Lake Taylor has made them work for it here in the 2nd half and the Commodores have answered the call. Miller now is up to 230 yards passing and 3 TD's, two of which have gone to Floyd.

On the 2-point pass, it's Kendall Daniels to Fred Johnson. That's a 2025 talent to a 2024 prospect, both of whom will have plenty of scholarship offers before it's all said and done. Johnson has already pulled in a few... and Daniels flashed some impressive skills defensively in the off-season from his safety spot. Daniels has 9 total tackles tonight as well.

 

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A tad surprising, Dyrri McCain goes for an onside kick after the Maury score - with it being just a two-score difference - and Lake Taylor recovers. That gives the Titans pretty good field position at their own 42. Jamir Freeman hits Justin Edwards for an 11-yard completion into Maury territory. The Maury defense responds, forcing three straight incomplete passes.

It looks like the Titans will punt it away with 10:34 remaining in the contest rather than go for it... and the one that has me a bit perplexed is how Lake Taylor has completely abandon the run, even though Maury begin the half doing a very good job stopping it...

Of course, Washington-Jacobs getting dinged up and leaving the field before that last score might have Hank Sawyer thinking about keeping one of his key playmakers healthy.

 

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Instead of going for the knockout punch with the pass game, Maury turns to the run with junior Melvin Lowe, receiving the handoff from Peyton Jones, their Wildcat QB for this formation. Lowe gains 5, then loses 1 on a stop by Khamarie Tureblood.

Maury then goes for a big strike on 3rd & 6 as Mario Miller hits Fred Johnson for a 48-yard completion down the seam. That puts the Commodores in business at the Titans 22.

 

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In the first half, the key third and fourth down conversions were by Lake Taylor. Here in the second half, it has been Maury getting those.

The Commodores have now put 21 unanswered points on the board.



It was only a matter of time before Peyton Jones got going, too.

 

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Washington is a freak, and along with the right tackle Keyontae Arrington we mentioned earlier, college recruiters will be flocking to Lake Taylor next year.

Those college coaches can also head down the road about 10 minutes and check out tons of talent over at Maury as well.

No quit in the Titans and the Commodores have grown in a game where they have played without one of their defensive leaders in Nathaniel 'Booga' Knox, who sustained that injury in the preseason.

 

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The Lake Taylor defense comes up with a 3 & out, thanks to some firm hits from Elijah Washington and Chuck Fisher. With 4th & 8 from the Lake Taylor 48 - and the wind at their back - Dyrri McCain knows the smart move is to punt it away with Andrew McClung. That is what he does and it's a touchback.

On the next play with the Titans trailing by 14 with 5:21 to go, it's Maury defender Syncere Hawkins - formerly a member of the Titans - intercepting Jamir 'Sporty' Freeman. His return is to the Lake Taylor 27 with 5:09 to go.

 

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