Blog LIVE Game Blog - Nansemond River (2-0) at Oscar Smith (3-0)

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Greetings from Beard-DeLong-Easley Field at Oscar Smith High School, where tonight it's the Tigers (3-0) playing host to the visiting Nansemond River Warriors (2-0).

We'll have updates all evening long for you here on the Blog and via Twitter or 'X' @hatfieldsports

Before we get to that, my 757 Saturday Sports Talk Podcast partner on CoVA Sports TV, Coach Ed Young, and I disagree on who wins this one tonight...


Nansemond River (2-0) at Oscar Smith (3-0) . . .

A year ago, the Warriors of Nansemond River rolled up 475 total yards with 242 through the air and 233 on the ground on its way to beating Oscar Smith 42-28. It ended a 19-game losing streak in the head-to-head series with the Tigers, who hadn’t lost to Nansemond River prior since 2002. A couple of players that found the end zone for the Warriors in that game, such as Taivon Douglas and Josiah Johnson, will be on the field in this one, but the same can be said for Oscar Smith, which got a 90-yard kickoff return to the house from Buffalo commit Alvin ‘Trey’ Jones that night to go with his 51-yard scoring reception.

We’ve got ourselves a nice quarterback duel here between Nansemond River’s Tyrell Grant Jr. (36 of 48 for 393 yards, 6-1 TD/Int. ratio) and Oscar Smith sophomore triggerman Lonnie Andrews III, who has connected on 27 of 48 passes for 397 yards and a 4-2 TD/Int. ratio. Each has a host of supporting weapons in the playmaker depart with Melvin Brown over 200 yards rushing already, while Oscar Smith’s thunder and lightning combo of Brando Nesbit and Ty’jae Curtis has produced 430 yards on the ground with 8 TD’s.

Xavier Gresham and Calvin Holloway have combined for seven sacks for a Warriors team that is becoming more and more physical on each side of the ball. They’ve given up just 21 points through two wins, over Bethel and Deep Creek. Meanwhile, the Oscar Smith defense has yielded 22 points with a recent shutout of Great Bridge and they have playmakers at each level, including two highly regarded DB’s already headed to the next level in Jahmari DeLoatch (Cincinnati) and Jaden Dabbs (Army).

For Nansemond River to beat Oscar Smith for a second straight year, it’s going to require their offensive line keeping the pocket clean for Grant and keeping the Smith receiving talent on the perimeter, such as Jones and big-time junior talent Travis Johnson, at bay.

Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 30-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Nansemond River 28-24

 

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It's a pleasant 75 degrees and partly cloudy as the sun begins to set on this comfortable Thursday night.

One injury note - - Oscar Smith will be playing without its star-studded Class of 2026 wide receiver Travis Johnson, who pulled his hamstring in practice on Monday, he told me prior to kick-off.


It'll be Oscar Smith ball to start at their own 34 after a fair catch on the opening kickoff. The Tigers run it with Brandon Nesbit on four straight plays, gaining 8, 3 and 4 yards before he's droppd for a loss by LB Xavier Gresham.

On 3rd & 7, the first pass of the night is incomplete. Oscar Smith booms a 50-yard punt down to the Nansemond River 3, where they'll start with 9:36 to go in the opening period.

 

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Nansemond River's offense goes 3 & out as Melvin Brown and the ground attack can't do much to dig out from inside their own 5. Credit Tigers sophomore DT Izayiah Bray (5-11, 285) for making the tackle for loss that helped get the Warriors off the field.

The punt for Nansemond River goes just 21 yards, giving Oscar Smith generous field position at the Warriors 25 with 7:23 to go in the opening period.

 

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Oscar Smith gets close to scoring as they convert their first pass completion of the night on a basic swing pass on 3rd & 7 with Lonnie Andrews III finding Brandon Nesbit for a gain of 12 down to the Nansemond River 10. Just a few plays later, it's Nesbit almost reaching in the end zone for a touchdown, but he fumbles it and Jeremy Lyons of the Warriors scoops it up at the 3 and races back to the 25.

Nansemond River proceeds to get stuffed on three straight play,s including a sack from freshman Lennox Williams.

The Warriors trot out their kicker, Mason Mills, to try a 45-yard field goal and it's blocked. Looked like Army commit Jaden Dabbs made the block and it's recovered by Jahmari DeLoatch, the Cincinnati pledge, for Oscar Smith at their own 41.

A holding penalty along with a sack by Nansemond River's Xavier Gresham, who is all over the place on defense right now, brings up 3rd & 30. Lonnie Andrews III proceeds to hit 6'3" junior Charles McGlown on a sideline pattern for 28 yards. The Tigers then, right around midfield, convert the 4th & 2 with Brandon Nesbit as we tick under a minute to go in the opening period.

 

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Strange might be an understatement.

One thing we have learned and that is Brandon Nesbit is the workhorse tonight for the Tigers offense, especially without Travis Johnson. Nesbit already has 11 carries for 33 yards to accompany his 12-yard pass reception.

Lonnie Andrews will have to make some plays on the move scrambling if some of the receivers don't get open as well.

 

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Surprisingly, the Oscar Smith offense stays on the field for 4th & 10 from the 34 of Nansemond River, where QB Lonnie Andrews III is flushed out of the pocket and just has to get rid of it to avoid disaster. Instead of an incomplete, the officials declare it was a fumble out of bounds, loss of 10 yards.

So Nansemond River's third series begins at their own 44. But the Warriors quickly go 3 & out with Jacoby Marshall stopping wideout Quincy Gilmer on a 3rd & 8 pass reception, dropping him for a loss of 2.

Back to work go the Tigers on offense, from their own 25 with 9:13 to go in this scoreless slugfest.

 

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Just when Oscar Smith gets the offense moving into Nansemond River territory on a 6-yard catch by Tre'shun Bradley, followed by a 12-yard run from Brandon Nesbit, disaster hits the Tigers with a bad snap that is recovered by NR's Jkari Colden. He recovers it at the Tigers 32 with 8:02 till half-time. Huge tilt in field position because the Tigers had advanced to the NR 47.

Heck of a job by Alonzo Ricks Jr. and his coaching staff to get this defense so geeked up for this showdown tonight.

A personal foul penalty on the Tigers puts Nansemond River in the red zone for the first time tonight, at the 17. Can they finish this off with points, whether it's 3 or 7? It's so essential that they do with a golden opportunity here.

 

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Coach Chris Scott of Oscar Smith has to love the splash plays his defense is producing with the offense still trying to figure things out. Jordan Rayner makes a crucial tackle on 3rd & 12.

Faced with a decision out of a time-out with 6:52 to go in the first half, the Warriors decide to leave the offense out there instead of trying a 36-yard field goal. Certainly having the one blocked earlier went into the thinking.

Credit Malik Williams for making the sack on 4th & 12 to give the Tigers the ball back at their own 22 with 6:50 to go in the half.

Will we see any points before half-time? Hard to say... certainly a MUCH different game than the 42-28 Warriors win in Suffolk over the Tigers from 2023.

 

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Literally, the Tigers were getting ready for their eighth play of the drive - all runs - where Brandon Nesbit was gaining chunks of +12, +5, +9, +23 and then they mixed in Reginald Wallace for gains of +12 and +3 before Nesbit had a pick up 13 down to the NR 1.

Crazy to think that Nesbit has 19 rushes for 117 yards and we've yet to see either team score.

What a break for the Nansemond River defense, which was relying almost exclusively on Rajae Jones at times to make tackles at the second level for much of that series. They may have to make a couple of tweaks beore half-time to keep Nesbit in check so that he doesn't get to the linebackers as swiftly.

 

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On 2nd & 15, Nansemond River QB Tyrell Grant - who absolutely torched Bethel and Deep Creek in previous weeks - is looking for just his second pass completion of the night. However, on the outside, it's senior DB Christopher Johnson lighting up the receiver to prevent the connection.

Na'Rod Jarvis and Izayiah Bray combine to sack Grant for a loss of 8. The Warriors punt it away on 4th & 23 from their own 7.

Not a bad punt for the Warriors. Oscar Smith takes over at the NR 45 with 2:59 till half-time. Maybe they'll just try to get a field goal at this point? I say that because bad things have happened when they've gotten deep in the red zone.

 

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Up front, the Nansemond River defensive line is really making it difficult on the Oscar Smith o-line in pass protection. The same can be said conversely for the Tigers defensive front, applying pressure on QB Tyrell Grant of the Warriors.

Lonnie Andrews III gets sacked for a loss of 10 back into their own territory by multiple Warriors. They don't advance any further on second adnd third downs. It forces the Tigers to bring on Silas Stanton to punt it away with 1:15 to go in the first half.

 

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Right when Nansemond River was starting to get its passing game on track behind QB Tyrell Grant with completiosn to junior TaiVon Douglas and senior Karon Madison, the Warriors commit their first turnover of the night. It comes right around midfield.

Grant is intercepted by Oscar Smith junior DB Jayden Covil, younger brother of former Tigers standout and Clemson DB Sherrod Covil.

So the Tigers have a chance to get on the board here before the break -- at their own 48 with 36 seconds to go and two time-outs in their pocket.

A pair of drops by the Smith receivers force a 3 & out in a span of 17 seconds, literally. In fact, it could've gone worse because the officials, from my perspective, missed not one, but two holding penalties by the o-linemen in the trenches.

This has been a mistake-riddled, defensive grudgematch first half.

I'm almost certain there will be more points scored in tonight's NFL game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots on Amazon Prime. Probably scored before this one has any points put up after half-time.

 

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Stats at the Half:

Oscar Smith 0:
Lonnie Andrews III - 4-12 for 48Yds.
Brandon Nesbit - 19Car. 117Yds. (2 lost fumbles)
Reginald Wallace - 3Car. 16Yds.
Charles McGlown - 1Rec. 28Yds.
Tre'shun Bradley - 1Car. 14Yds; 1Rec. 6Yds.
Jaden Dabbs - Blocked FG
Izayiah Bray - 1.5 TFL

Tigers - 38 plays for 164 total yards (4-12 for 48 yards passing; 26 rushes for 116 yards, 2 lost fumbles); 4 penalties for 48 yards; 3 turnovers


Nansemond River 0:
Tyrell Grant - 4-10 for 23Yds.
Melvin Brown - 6Car. 5Yds.
TaiVon Douglas - 2Rec. 20Yds.
Karon Madison - 1Rec. 5Yds.
Xavier Gresham - 6 Tackles (3 Solo), 1.5 TFL
Rajae Jones - 6 Tackles (5 Solo)
Jkari Colden - 4 Tackles, 0.5 Sack

Warriors - 22 plays for 17 total yards (4-10 for 23 yards passing, 1 intercept; 12 rushes for minus 6 yards); 3 penalties for 20 yards; 1 turnover

 

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Nansemond River begins with the football to start the third quarter at their own 42. Christopher Johnson with a strong play in coverage to break up the first pass. The next one for QB is tipped twice and nearly intercepted. They make it the hat trick with incomplete passes and just 17 seconds are off the clock before they punt it away.

Oscar Smith will begin on offense at their own 35 with 11:35 to go in the third period. Expect a heavy dose of the run game with Brandon Nesbit.

 

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Gains of 2 by Tre'shun Bradley on a quick pass as they get Lonnie Andrews III on the move to his left, and then Brandon Nesbit on a run play brings up 3rd & 7 for the Tigers. That takes the run out of the equation most likely, but they are able spring free with a long gainer by slipping out of a tackle and scoring a touchdown.

 

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Nansemond River tries to take a shot on the first play of its second offensive series of the third period. It results in Tyrell Grant getting intercepted around midfield by Jayden Covil. That's his second INT of the night.

The Tigers have excellent field position, at the NR 35, after his 15-yard return. The Nansemond River defense hangs tough because after a 16-yard connection by Lonnie Andrews III to Charles McGlown, the Tigers are stuffed on 3rd & 1. However, they leave the offense on the field for 4th & inches from the Warriors 26, where magic happens...

 

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Melvin Brown runs one direction and cuts back the other for a pick up of 4, matching his longest of the night. Unfortunately for Nansemond River, it's a pass in the flat on 2nd down that is incomplete. Once again, the Warriors find themselves in a tricky 3rd down situation, from their own 47 with 7:27 to go in the third period.

Tyrell Grant scrambles to the near sideline and loses a yard. Nansemond River ends up punting it away and the Tigers are coming close to blocking it on a couple of different occasions tonight.

The Tigers have it at their own 28 with 7:10 tplay in the third period and now seem to have their offensive mojo back to an extent.

 

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After consecutive run by Brandon Nesbit totaling nine yards, the Tigers try to go to a quick screen on 3rd & 1 from their own 37. Lonie Andrews III and his intended target were not on the same page and it's incomplete.

Coach Chris Scott and his OC Lafonte Thourogood will burn a time-out before the 4th & 1 play from their own 37 with 5:53 to go in the third quarter. This is a MUST stop for the Nansemond River defense you would think.

 

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Brandon Nesbit on the Wildcat direct snap takes the ball and darts 48 yards to the Nansemond River 15. Kudos to Rajae Jones, who is shaken up after the play, for making the TD saving tackle.

What a night for Nesbit, who has 176 yards on 24 rush attempts as that workhorse. Reginald Wallace tries to bounce off tacklers, but Jkari Colden and Jeremy Lyons bring him down in the backfield for a loss of 4.

Tell you what - - with Jones making a bunch of stops as well as 7 total tackles from #10 Travis Freeman, this Warriors defense has really battled this evening. The Tigers might be wearing them down just a pinch, though.

 

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Lonnie Andrews III is definitely one of those dual-threat QB's to watch out for in the Class of 2027 as he's got multiple offers already and really navigated the defense well, with patience, on that play to find the end zone.

Nansemond River may have to abandon the running game for the most part here to try to claw back in this one. Can they give QB Tyrell Grant enough time to attack, though?

 

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A beautiful long pass by Lonnie Andrews III to Tre'shuan Bradley to set up Brandon Nesbit crossing the goal-line for his first TD of the night. And what a beast Nesbit has been to the tune of 26 carries for 184 yards.

The fourth quarter would be a good time for him to rest up for future district battles. Expecting we'll see more of Ty'jae Curtis and Reginald Wallace touch the ball on the ground in the final 12 minutes.

 

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Na'Rod Jarvis, who teamed with Izayiah Bray for the tackle for loss on the play before, is in on a stop on 4th & 2 as they keep Melvin Brown from moving the chains.

This Nansemond River offense put up 88 points in its first two wins and tonight the Tigers have made them look ordinary, or far less than that to be honest.

 

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Heck of a night - especially 2nd half - turned in by QB Lonnie Andrews III without his main WR's like Travis Johnson, Alvin 'Trey' Jones and Breon Dupree.

Tigers will take this one by a running clock margin.

 

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More to come later... stay tuned!