Blog LIVE Game Blog - Oscar Smith (5-2) at King's Fork (7-0)

[matthew328826]

Greetings from Suffolk as it's a pleasant 65-degree Friday night in October with light drizzle and hopefully not too much rain forthcoming. It's a Southeastern District showdown as the Oscar Smith Tigers (5-2) visit the unbeaten King's Fork Bulldogs (7-0).

Below is our Preview with Predictions. We'll have updates here + on Twitter @hatfieldsports


Oscar Smith (5-2) at King’s Fork (7-0) . . . Back in 2017, the Oscar Smith Tigers and King’s Fork Bulldogs squared off in a much-anticipated battle at the end of the regular season. King’s Fork halted Oscar Smith’s 99-game Southeastern District winning streak that night with a 29-23 triumph, but now the Tigers stand in the way potentially of the Bulldogs finish with the best regular season mark of any team in the league as well as accomplishing their first ever 10-0 finish.

Just last year, turnovers doomed the Bulldogs at home against the Tigers as they fell 52-21. Oscar Smith intercepted four passes, plus got two special teams scores in erasing a 21-17 lead in the second quarter to score the game’s final 35 points. Just two weeks ago, Oscar Smith had a thrilling finish, where they beat rival Indian River 27-21 thanks to a touchdown pass on the final play from freshman QB Lonnie Andrews III (39 of 71 for 926 yards, 11-3 TD/Int. ratio) to sophomore wideout Travis Johnson (24Rec. 529Yds. 7 TD’s). That combination is really clicking now, and just this week Andrews picked up his first offer from Boston College out of the ACC.

Two of the best running backs in all of Tidewater square off, both from the Class of 2025, as JaVon Ford (107Att. 954Yds. 18 TD’s; 20Rec. 240Yds. TD) is the engine to the Bulldogs attack, looking to break some school marks set by Deshaun Wethington before he graduates, while Oscar Smith counters with Brandon Nesbit (102Att. 607Yds. 9 TD’s). Nesbit sustained an injury in the game vs. Indian River and having him effective is extremely critical to their ground attack.

King’s Fork sophomore QB D’andre Artis Boone (82 of 140 for 986Yds. 15-4 TD/Int. ratio) is performing well in guiding Coach Anthony Joffrion’s offense as a full-time starter. He has a host of players that can catch the ball in Darryl Wilson, Denosh Rodgers, Jahmel Mackey and Zydar’eyus Wynn. That quartet has accounted for 65 receptions, nine of which have gone for scores. Off the edge for the Tigers on defense, Jerrod Wilson will be looking to harass Artis-Boone and make a spark play that can ignite his team. So far, the Oscar Smith defense is giving up 17.7 points per game, a tad more than the 13.6 PPG being allowed by the Bulldogs. The secondary, with junior Jahmari DeLoatch one of the coveted prospects on that unit from the Class of 2025, will have to wrap up well and not let King’s Fork’s speedsters get behind them for big plays.

In trying to make the Tigers one-dimensional and get them off the field on third down, the King’s Fork defense will look to a handful of guys, such as Joshua Pittman (20 TFL, 9 sacks, 4 FF), Nazman Gates (7 sacks) and Brandon Jeune (52 tackles, 11 TFL). Their defensive backfield with Malachi Nixon and Kaevon Blanding being a couple of the highlight names ought to be confident against a Smith offense that is known to test teams vertically.

Although it feels like Smith has found its stride after a close win over Indian River and lopsided 35-7 triumph over Deep Creek, one should not under estimate the talent on this King’s Fork roster. The Bulldogs have won a couple of hard-fought games themselves, beating both Nansemond River and Indian River in double-overtime, so the moment shouldn’t be too big for them against a program that owns them historically with a 17-1 record all-time.

Matt Hatfield Says – King’s Fork 26-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 28-21

 

[matthew328826]

King's Fork will get the ball first as Oscar Smith kicks it off, and of note, I did not see Tigers Head Coach Chris Scott in pregame. Nor do I see him on the sideline. So my guess is that Lafonte Thourogood, the Assistant Head Coach, assumes the interim Head Coach role tonight.

The Bulldogs start at their own 7 after not fielding the kickoff right away.

 

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King's Fork is in the midst of a nice opening drive to begin this game. They've converted a couple of different third downs - a 3rd & 11 from their own 17 on a quick bubble screen to Eri Staton Jr. as well as a 3rd & 4 from the 31 with Darryl Wilson hauling in the pass from QB D'andre Artis-Boone over the middle for seven yards.

During the drive, they've fed their beast in the backfield, JaVon Ford, quite a bit, too. His first six runs have racked up 29 yards. His best burst came on the fifth attempt for 19 yards up the middle.

However, the drive ends up stalling at around the 32-yard line of Oscar Smith due to a trio of penalties, two being holding calls and one a false start.

On 4th & 13 from the 32-yard line of King's Fork, it's sophomore Malik Williams bringing down Artis-Boone on a sack for a loss of seven.

 

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Surprised King's Fork didn't try to pooch punt it as they let a 16-play drive that took 8:31 off the clock come up empty. The very first play, the Tigers get speedster Jamauri 'Bam' Knox, who went down with a serious knee injury late last year, involved on a screen that netted them 25 yards into Bulldogs territory. They then used the tight end Jordan Raynrer for a pass play of 8 yards before going to Brandon Nesbit for a run play.

King's Fork needs to respond in a positive way here, beginning at about their own 32 with 2:02 left in the opening stanza.

 

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Two plays with JaVon Ford - one on a run and one on a screen - get them back to the line of scrimmage following a false start penalty. Then on 3rd & 10, it's QB D'Andre Artis-Boone throwing his first incomplete pass as it is picked off by Jaden Dabbs. Prior to that, Artis-Boone was 7 of 7 for 40 yards passing, hitting five different receivers.



All the momentum with the visiting Tigers from Chesapeake, who have 58 yards of offense on just four plays from scrimmage.

Five King's Fork penalties for 30 yards compared to none for Oscar Smith so far telling us a lot in this one.

 

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Just when King's Fork thought it had Oscar Smith stopped with back-to-back pass breakups by Malachi Nixon and Kaevon Blanding to bring up 4th & 13 from the Bulldogs 20, it's freshman QB Lonnie Andrews III showing outstanding poise. Andrews doesn't see anybody get open, he rolls to his right and scrambles for a 15-yard first down run.

Excellent job by Andrews because on the play before he threw a good ball to WR Travis Johnson on an inside pattern - what looked like a slant - and Blanding just made a better play. Instead of forcing the issue and it get picked off or fall incomplete to swing momentum, he made a really good decision to keep it and get to the sideline.

A couple of penalties on the Tigers back them up a bit, facing 3rd & Goal from the 15 of King's Fork, with 10:51 to go in this second quarter.

 

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Big stand by the King's Fork defense, especially the secondary with Kaevon Blanding, Zachary Walton and Malachi Nixon, as they kept the Oscar Smith receivers in check. In fact, cooupled with the Bulldogs pass rush that made Lonnie Andrews III have to speed up his throws, they knocked them out of the red zone to the 25-yard line following an intentional grounding penalty.

So King's Fork takes over at its own 25 with 10:40 till half-time, trailing 6-0 and still very much alive in this one when it coudld've been a lot worse.

 

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After moving the ball into Oscar Smith territory. thanks to some nifty catches from Denosh Rodgers and Darryl Wilson Jr., the Bulldogs see a 3rd & inches from the Tigers' 43-yard line become 3rd & 8 following a holding penalty. They end up pooch-punting it away on 4th & 8 from the 50.

Worst part of that whole sequence for King's Fork was that it would've been a first down on the catch inside the 40. Now, Oscar Smith can bleed some clock, taking over at their own 30 following the short 20-yard punt with 6:02 to go in the first half.

 

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Oscar Smith has not done very much offensively at all in this first half if you exclude that opening possession. They're keeping things conservative with this freshman QB Lonnie Andrews III and understandably so, not trying to take a big risk that blows up in their face.

However, on 3rd & 9 from their own 44, they go to the air and his pass is intercepted by Malachi Nixon, who intercepts it at the Bulldogs 49 and returns it 11 yards into Smith territory with 3:43 to go in the half.

Now, it is beginning to pour pretty heavy here in Suffolk.

 

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A very workmanlike drive for King's Fork, using RB JaVon Ford to set up a quick pass over the middle and a great job by Mackey to hold on to the ball after taking a big hit. Then they reward their workhorse in Ford to finish off the drive.

Most importantly, the PAT by Jean Pierre-Bile - who kicked the game-winning field goal in their double-overtime win over Suffolk rival Nansemond River earlier this season - makes the PAT.

Oscar Smith takes over at their own 33 with 1:15 to go in the second quarter.

 

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Some half-time numbers shortly...

 

[matthew328826]

Stats at the Half:

King's Fork 7:
D'andre Artis-Boone - 13-15 for 77Yds. 0-1 TD/Int. ratio
JaVon Ford - 17Car. 80Yds. TD
Denosh Rodgers - 4Rec. 34Yds.
Eric Staton Jr. - 2Rec. 17Yds.
Darryl Wilson Jr. - 3Rec. 10Yds.
Brandon Jeune - 3 Assisted Tackles

Bulldogs - 38 plays for 152 total yards (23 rushes for 75 yards; 13-15 for 77 yards, 1 interception); 1 turnover; 6 penalties for 40 yards


Oscar Smith 6:
Lonnie Andrews III - 5-13 for 43Yds. 0-1 TD/Int. ratio; 1Car. 15Yds.
Brandon Nesbit - 3Car. 25Yds. TD
Jamauri 'Bam' Knox - 3Rec. 34Yds.
Jordan Rayner - 1Rec. 8Yds.
Romaro Copeland - 8 Tackles (6 Solo), TFL
Jerrod Wilson - 4 Tackles (3 Solo), TFL

Tigers - 18 plays for 88 total yards (5 rushes for 45 yards; 5-13 for 43 yards, 1 interception); 1 turnover; 4 penalties for 25 yards

 

[matthew328826]

Oscar Smith's first possession of the third quarter starts at their own 32. The Tigers go 3 & out. Brandon Nesbit is dropped for a loss with Cameron McDaniel knifing into the backfield, then it's Josh Pittman halting him for no gain. On 3rd & 12, it's Zach Walton making a splendid pass breakup on what could've been a long completion for the Tigers offense.

The Tigers punt it away with just a net of 13 on the punt as King's Fork takes over at the 43-yard line of Oscar Smith with 10:29 to go in the third period.

 

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King's Fork breaks off a long run with JaVon Ford, breaking free for 35 yards to the 11-yard line of Oscar Smith. However, an incomplete along with a minimal and no gain to bring up fourth down.

Surprised Coach Anthony Joffrion is not going for the field goal on 4th & 13 from the 14-yard line. D'andre Artis-Boone floats the pass towards the back corner of the end zone, just out of the reach of his intended target Zydareyus Wynn.

So Oscar Smith takes over at its own 14 with 8:17 to go in the third quarter, only trailing 7-6 instead of 10-6 or as much as 14-6.

 

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Oscar Smith goes Wildcat formation with Brandon Nesbit and it yields some success, inlcuding a 23-yard run. However, a couple of sharp hits from the King's Fork defensive front brings up 3rd & 4 from the Tigers 48, where a bad snap.

Then King's Fork goes to JaVon Ford, and he's in his Beast Mode bag... a la Marshawn Lynch, Najee Harris, or whatever stud running back you can think of that comes to mind. He runs right and he has become a problem for the Oscar Smith defense.

 

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Oscar Smith comes up big with one of their best offensive possessions of the night, using the running game out of Wildcat with Brandon Nesbit, with much of it to the right side, to set up the passing game and Jamauri 'Bam' Knox.

Knox gets wide open down the middle from his slot spot and the Tigers take advantage.

 

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Momentum is swining towards Oscar Smith, and though JaVon Ford has been terror running the football tonight, the Tigers see junior defensive lineman Jordan Rayner step forward with a couple of cruical tackles for loss to set up a 3rd & long for the King's Fork offense.

When the Bulldogs need a key completion, it's ZyDareyus Wynn rising to the occasion with a clutch catch. Wynn had to come off the field as it looked like he might've sustained a shoulder injury on a hard hit at the end of that play.



The officials actually put 7 seconds back on the clock and Ford runs for three yards to bring up 2nd & 7 from the Smith 43 as we begin the final period of regulation.

 

[matthew328826]

Momentum is swining towards Oscar Smith, and though JaVon Ford has been terror running the football tonight, the Tigers see junior defensive lineman Jordan Rayner step forward with a couple of cruical tackles for loss to set up a 3rd & long for the King's Fork offense.

When the Bulldogs need a key completion, it's ZyDareyus Wynn rising to the occasion with a clutch catch. Wynn had to come off the field as it looked like he might've sustained a shoulder injury on a hard hit at the end of that play.



The officials actually put 7 seconds back on the clock and Ford runs for three yards to bring up 2nd & 7 from the Smith 43 as we begin the final period of regulation.

 

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Continuing to ride JaVon Ford, the Bulldogs eventually see their drive hit a crucial point ith 4th & 6 from the Tigers 29. Ford has 32 rushes for 191 yards. Bubba Anderson comes in to give him a breather. He looks to be stopped short by Malachi White, however, a face-mask penalty moves the Bulldogs into the red zone, half the distance to the goal-line.

The Smith defense continues to fly up and make hard tackles. But after appearing to get a first down on 3rd & inches, the officials - much to my surprise - don't give the Bulldogs a first down. Instead, they say it's 4th & inches and that means Ford rams his way forward for another first down.

They conclude the drive with a TD run from Ford with 6:31 to go in regulation.

 

[matthew328826]

That was a 17-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:38 off the clock. As methodical and old-school as you can get by the Bulldogs tonight. They're going to need that kind of formula to survive the gauntlet that is Region 5B with other undefeated teams like Maury and Warwick as well as city rival Nansemond River.

 

[matthew328826]

Trailing by nine, Oscar Smith needs a couple of scores, and based on King's Fork's last possession, the Tigers must get the first one quickly. Consecutive penalties with an ineligible man downfield, followed by a false start, backs them up to their own 20 befor ethe first snap comes with 6:14 to go in regulation.

Jacolbe Leonard blows up two straight plays, first with a sack of QB Lonnie Andrews III, then batting down a pass to bring up 3rd & 21 from their own 19.

 

[matthew328826]

We've got some late-game drama here in Suffolk as the Tigers hit another unreal play in the fourth quarter with their two underclassmen stars of the future - - Andrews to Johnson. Get used to that connection, Oscar Smith and '757' area code football fans. They dazzled down the stretch against Indian River two weeks ago, and here they are hoping for another chance to get the football.

King's Fork has it after the ensuing kickoff from their own 35 with 5:14 to go, feeling a bit uncomfortable I would think knowing how quickly the Tigers can strike if they get the ball.

 

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From their own 35, the play for King's Fork is simple. Hand it off to JaVon Ford, on his 38th carry. Oscar Smith is ready with Malachi White and Jordan Rayner teaming to stop him for no gain. On the next run though, he takes it with a purpose and vengeance, up the middle for 21 yards to the Tigers 44.

The bad news is that Ford has to come off the field, limping to the sideline. Some fresh legs help them out in the form of Bubba Anderson, who runs for five yards. Not the rain nor the Tigers can keep Ford out for long, though. He proceeds to run for 10 more yards down to about the 12 or 11-yard line of Smith.

With 1:36 to go, the Bulldogs are facing 2nd & 5 from the Tigers 7.

 

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Facing 4th & 2 from the Tigers 4, it's JaVon Ford running from the Tigers 4 with 1:16 showing on the clock after the Tigers used their final time-out.

An amazing night for Ford with 44 rushes for 235 yards and 3 TD's. Keeping him from getting TD No. 4 gives Oscar Smith a chance.

But they have to go 97 yards -- or get in field goal range and try that in these wet conditions.

 

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Lonnie Andrews III runs out of bounds for no gain on 1st & 10. The next two passes are incomplete, including on third down where Andrews tries to roll right and find Travis Johnson, but Kaevon Blanding is there in coverage.

Here is the game - - 4th & 10 from their own 3 for the Tigers with 59.8 seconds left.

 

[matthew328826]

Kaevon Blanding comes from good stock; his dad was a heck of a running back many years ago at Bayside and older brother Quin also starred for the Marlins before setting records at the University of Virginia.

King's Fork can take a knee to get out of here with a hard-fought 21-19 win over the Tigers and stay unblemished on the season.

 

[matthew328826]

More to come later...