LIVE Game Blog of Region 5A Finals: #4 Maury (5-1) at #3 Deep Creek (6-1)

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We are almost set for kick-off here at Nathan T. Hardee Stadium in Chesapeake for the Region 5A Football Championship with the host Deep Creek Hornets (6-1), the No. 3 seed, welcoming in the visiting No. 4 seed Maury Commodores (5-1) from Norfolk.

Maury beat Deep Creek back in 2019 in the regional quarterfinals. Both teams won by counts of 20-7 in the regional semis just a week ago; Maury ousting top-seeded Salem of Virginia Beach, while Deep Creek beat Cox, also of Virginia Beach.

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

 

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Maury begins at its own 29 following an 8-yard kickoff return by Casey Jones. Their first play from scrimmage is a run with Demonte Dunlap, good for 4 yards.

Lamontae Wilson and Caleb Sadler are ready for the jet sweep on 2nd & 6 with Ahmarian Granger. It only gains 3. On 3rd & 3 from their own 36, the Commodores go to the air with Granger finding his target, sophomore Peyton Jones, for six yards to move the sticks. Then it's Dunlap, who came to Maury from Norcom last summer, and he powers ahead of 9 yards into Deep Creek territory.

Nathaniel 'Booga' Knox breaks off an 11-yard run. Then the Commodores get to the Deep Creek 35 after another run of about 3. An injured Creek lineman is being looked and it and it appears to be senior Jacob Dezern, who played a key role in last week's regional semifinal triumph over Cox.

Like the push Maury is getting up front on this opening drive, creating lanes for the trio of Granger, Dunlap and Knox. Of note - - sophomore center Isaiah Whitehurst, who began the season on junior varsity, has come along nicely moving up to the varsity level.

 

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That PAT being no good could be turn out to be key moving forward. The Hornets return the ensuing kickoff 11 yards to their own 16. Their first play from scrimmage is a productive one with QB Anthony Barnes finding freshman Ethan Wilson for a completion worth 14 yards. Barnes sells the option really well, keeps it and the d-line bites down on the back, but he picks up 7.

Junior d-lineman Jayden Hargett is ready on 2nd & 3, though, and drops Elijah Blueford for a loss of 1. On 3rd & 4, Maury jumps offsides. That gives Deep Creek a fresh set of downs.

 

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A real demoralizing turnover for Deep Creek, which had something cooking on its first drive after going to their playmaker Jones over the top as he beat the freshman corner covering him. Maury wastes no time trying to go for a big strike after the turnover as Ahmarian Granger - playing more at QB than Eric Gibson to this point - finds Demonte Dunlap for a 32-yard completion into Deep Creek territory.

Credit Commodores Head Coach Dyrri McCain for using Dunlap out of the backfield to leak out and utilize his skills in the passing game as well. Dunlap gains 11 yards on the run to the Deep Creek 30 and Hornets Head Coach Andre Twine uses a time-out to settle his guys down.

 

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Maury was on the move, and after an encroachment penalty on Deep Creek, the Commodores got up to the 19-yard line. Ahmarian Granger's pass over the middle looked like a decent one, but Jones made a stellar play.

 

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Not what Deep Creek needed to see, and Demonte Dunlap's 29-yard kickoff return Maury up with excellent field position following the safety, at the Hornets 31.

 

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Ahmarian Granger juked out a defender once he got to the second level of the defense and it was all over from there. Granger has 43 yards rushing on five carries, plus two completions good for 38 yards. He's looking more and more like one of the state's most versatile talents in the Class of 2022 with each viewing.

 

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A rare miscue from Jalen Jones, dropping a screen pass he catches 9 times out of 10. The Hornets start their third series of the day, one that they absolutely must get points out of in my opinion, from their own 16 following the short kickoff return from junior Antoinne Fair.

Deep Creek will line up with trips to the right side, and it's clear Andre Twine is going to take his chances with his passing game and receivers against the Maury DB's.

 

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Can that spark the Hornets? They sure hope so. Will need the running game to balance out of the pass at some point, though.

 

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On the big 3rd & 7 to begin the second period, it's Jackson Lott coming up with a tackle for loss as he makes his second splash play of the half with Elijah Bluford losing a yard. Deep Creek is forced to punt.

A solid punt return is wiped out for Maury on an illegal block in the back penalty. So the Commodores are pushed back to their own 21, but still comfortably in front by a count of 15-0 with 11:08 to go in the first half.

 

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Demonte Dunlap hit the hole with a burst, made a head-bob and a move, then was off to the races. Maury's speed and home-run hitters, in particular Dunlap and Granger, have brought their A-game in this one. Deep Creek is in a fog and not been able to recover from the two miscues - the bad snap that resulted in a safety as well as the fumble. Most of all, their defense cannot solve Maury's offense and speed in space.

 

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Deep Creek is on the move offensively and the big question is can they finish the drive? Jalen Jones has a healthy punt return of about 35-40 yards. Quarterback Anthony Barnes scrambles for about 8 and then he finds Tariq Hailes on a quick screen that nets 27 yards. Dajon 'Dae Dae' Evans made a touchdown-saving touchdown tackle for Maury.

A couple plays later on 3rd & 4, the Maury defense jumps offsides. That'll bug Head Coach Dyrri McCain and defensive coordinator Mike Privott, who was a standout player at Lake Taylor before going on to Louisville and then Norfolk State. It's the second time they've jumped offsides on 3rd down in this half.

But the Maury defense continues to get multiple hats on the ball in the run game. Brings up a monumental 4th & 1 from the 3 as QB Tony Barnes is limited to only a yard with at least three Maury defenders stopping him immediately.

 

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Mike Privott, Maury's d-coordinator, was ecstatic to see his guys come up with that huge stand inside the 5. The Commodores maintain their 22-0 lead before the break and can possibly try to play keep away before the break with their own offense.

 

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Instead of just using clock and being content with a 22-0 lead, Maury Head Coach Dyrri McCain is looking for a potential knock-out punch before the break. His offense is humming and getting it done with both the ground attack and passing game. They get a couple of solid runs from Ahmarian Granger to move them up to about the 18, then run it with Demonte Dunlap for 4 more. That allows them to bring Eric Gibson in at QB and he finds Granger for 8 yards.

Gibson hits Nathaniel 'Booga' Knox on a screen that gains 25 yards, into Deep Creek territory. Dunlap adds 17 more on a run and now the Hornets are on their heels defensively with Maury at the 28.

 

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Dunlap had the presence of mind to take the run outside and cut it back inside and basically jogged the last 5 of it into the end zone.

A 10-play, 95-yard drive in 4:04 for Dyrri McCain's Commodores. Just old-hat for the reigning Class 5 State, but with a new cast of characters. Impressive display to say the least.

Jalen Jones returns the ensuing kickoff to Deep Creek's 34, where they will begin with 1:56, hoping to get some kind of scoring opportunity before the break. It'll be Deep Creek ball to begin the 2nd half as well.

 

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New quarterback in for Deep Creek in Ethan Wilson, who's much shorter than usual starter Tony Barnes. Not sure if Barnes is hurt or what the deal is. A bad snap results in a loss of 16 for Deep Creek, following an incomplete pass. On 3rd & 26, the Hornets go nowhere with Elijah Buford as he's met by multiple d-linemen.

Maury is smaller up front on the defensive side of the ball, but quick, active and alert in reading their keys and you can tell they've done their film study. Demonte Dunlap with a 26-yard punt return for Maury to the Deep Creek 49 with 1:16 till intermission.

 

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A near INT by Jaylen Arnold for Deep Creek on 3rd & 16 on a screen pass by Eric Gibson. On the two previous play, it was an incomplete and two Hornets defenders converging on Gibson for a sack.

Luca Weber initially bobbles the snap, but the Norfolk State commit is quick to pick up the ball and boot it away with no return, out of bounds at the 25 of the Hornets with only 10 seconds on the clock.

That was the first 3 & out forced by the Deep Creek defense all day. Maury should take a 29-0 lead into the break, unless the Hornets hit some miracle play.

 

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Looks like we'll get a re-match of the 2018 State Semis with Maury and Highland Springs, only this time the meeting will take place in Norfolk at Powhatan Field by ODU. Highland Springs won that encounter a few years ago in Richmond by a running clock margin of 71-28.

Some more numbers at the break forthcoming...

 

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Mr. Dunlap is a steal for Bobby Rome, former Granby High standout QB who went on to play at the University of North Carolina. Looking like an FBS / FCS player today.

 

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Stats at the Half:

Maury 29:
Demonte Dunlap - 284 all-purpose yards; 10Car. 197Yds. 3TD's; 1Rec. 32Yds.
Ahmarian Granger - 2-4 for 38Yds. 0-1 TD/Int. ratio; 7Car. 56Yds. TD; 1Rec. 8Yds.
Eric Gibson - 2-5 for 33Yds.
Nathaniel 'Booga' Knox - 1Rec. 25Yds; 1Car. 11Yds; 3 Tackles
Jayden Hargett - 5 Tackles, TFL
Demetrius Johnson - 4 Tackles
Dajon 'Dae Dae' Evans - 3 Solo Tackles

Commodores - 28 plays for 329 total yards (19 rushes for 258 yards; 4-9 for 71 yards passing, 1 intercept); 1 turnover; 3 penalties for 20 yards.


Deep Creek 0:
Anthony Barnes - 4-7 for 112Yds; 5Car. 11Yds.
Jalen Jones - 1Rec. 39Yds; 3 Solo Tackles, INT
Elijah Bluford - 9Car. 13Yds.
Alec Young & Jacob Dezern - 3 Tackles apiece

Hornets - 24 plays for 113 total yards (4-7 for 112 yards passing; 17 rushes for 1 yard, 1 lost fumble); 1 turnover; 1 penalty for 5 yards.

 

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Deep Creek begins the 2nd half at their own 27. Their running game is bottled up on consecutive plays. Keith Anderson, a junior d-lineman, makes one of those stops.

Nathaniel 'Booga' Knox and Jackson Lott combine to drop QB Ethan Wilson for a loss of 1 on third down. The Hornets go 3 & out and punt it away with junior Dylan Holbach.

A block in the back eliminates a punt return for Demonte Dunlap that would've added to his all-purpose count. Maury starts at its own 25 with 9:12 to go in the third period.

 

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Maury keeps the pressure on with its offense. A quick screen from Ahmarian Granger to Nathaniel 'Boogga' Knox gains 25 yards to midfield. While Knox is held to no gain and Granger is dropped for a loss of 4 by Jaylen Arnold, the Commodores don't flinch in a 3rd & 14 situation. Granger dashes 45 yards, inside the Deep Creek 10.

Just a few plays later, the Commodores are in the end zone on a run from Knox.

 

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That was an easy 8-play, 75-yard drive in 5:36 for the Commodores.

You can start to look ahead to a Highland Springs - Maury showdown, featuring the past five State Champs in Class 5, coming up in a week in Norfolk. Has the makings to be a classic.

 

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The rout continues as Maury is flexing its muscles on this afternoon. One thing they will want to clean up is the kicking game on special teams, where they have a quality kicker in Luca Weber, but he's had three missed extra points today with two of them blocked.

Deep Creek's Ethan Wilson is dropped for back-to-back losses, including a sack from Demetrius Johnson - the 2019 Eastern District Defensive Player of the Year - as the third period comes to a close.

 

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That 1972 encounter with E.C. Glass came in the State Semis, by the way.

 

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Maury gets the ball back at the Deep Creek 35 following a 25-yard punt return from freshman Da'Vontae Floyd. Penalties and negative plays back the Commodores up to - believe it or not - 2nd & 50 from their own 25. Eric Gibson completes a short pass for 3 yards to Peyton Jones, then finds sophomore Kelvin 'KT' Seay for 18. The Commodores punt it away on 4th & 29.

Deep Creek takes over at their own 18 after no return. The Hornets lose 12 with another negative snap. Deep Creek can't generate anything offensively here. They have minus 4 yards on 27 attempts, whereas they've not attempted a single pass in this 2nd half after going 4 of 7 for 112 yards through the air before intermission.

Looks like Deep Creek will punt it away now on 4th & 3 from their own 25 with under three minutes to go.

 

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Sets up Maury hosting Highland Springs - in a re-match of the 2018 Class 5 State Semis - next Saturday at Powhatan Field in Norfolk.

Quite a performance for a Commodores squad that graduated 19 seniors from their 2019 state title winning team.

More to come later...