Blog LIVE Game Blog - Region 5B Semis: #4 Warwick (10-1) at #1 Maury (11-0)

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We'll be Blogging LIVE from Powhatan Field in Norfolk with kick-off set for 7 PM EST on Friday, November 22, 2024 as the defending Class 5 State Champion Maury Commodores (11-0) put their 26-game winning streak on the line against the visiting Warwick Raiders (10-1), the No. 4 seed in the Region 5B playoffs.

Updates can be found here + via Twitter or 'X' this evening @hatfieldsports

 

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Warwick will be kicking off to start things with Maury returning it 32 yards to their own 37 courtesy of Hezekiah Faison.

Maury's first play from scrimmage is a creative scramble from QB Au'Tori Newkirk, who darts 14 yards to the Warwick 49. Tayshawn Branche runs it for 6 to get to the Raiders 43. Jahvon Wiggins catches a quick screen and moves ahead 13 yards to the 30. They then lose a yard on a screen with Trayshawn Henry and Dakota Brodus making a tackle. But on 2nd & 11, Branche runs for 5 and then he gets 9 yards to move the sticks on 3rd & 6.

After a 3-yard run with Branche, it's South Carolina commit Kendall Daniels - known for his prowess on defense and actually chosen 1st Team All-Eastern District on offense at tight end - lining up in the backfield and catching a pass from Newkirk in the flat. He glides into the end zone along the sideline with ease.

Quite a start for Dyrri McCain's Commodores.

 

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Warwick's first possession begins at their own 17 with 9:01 to go in the first quarter. Maryland commit and LB Carlton 'C.J.' Smith makes a stop for a loss of 1. On 2nd & 11, they try to run to the left side again and it's a couple of Commodores defenders ready to limit RB Cam Glenn to a gain of 1.

Williams didn't appear ready for the snap on 3rd & 10 and Leslie Hines is there to quickly drop him for a loss of 6. So Warwick's first drive is not a productive oen -- going 3 & out and the punt gives Maury great field position.

It's a very chilly, windy night and the Commodores have it at Warwick's 41 with 6:47 to go in the opening stanza.

 

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Leon 'Fatman' Clark runs for 8 yards to bring up 2nd & 2, but before the Commodores can move the chains, a holding penalty brings them back to the 41.

Runs of +5 and +4 by QB Au'Tori Newkirk, with a solid wrap up on by Warwick d-lineman Du'Wuane Skipwith, sets up a 4th & 1 from the Raiders 32 with 5:31 to go in this opening quarter. Warwick will burn a time-out, trying to get a cruical stop and shift momentum.

 

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Out of the time-out, Maury QB Au'Tori Newkirk is very smart to move run up under the center and appear to sneak it ahead on 4th & 1, but before snapping, Warwick jumps offsides. A costly penalty there by the Raiders.

Newkirk then takes some time in the pocket and the whole field opens up to the near side for him to scramble 9 yards out of bounds to the Warwick 18. Right now the Commodores are doing a really nice job of spreading out this usually stingy Warwick defense.

Another different formation look by the Maury offense pays off with a 17-yard run up the middle by sophomore halfback Tayhsawn Branche, who is really emerging as a threat in this attack.

 

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Warwick begins its second offensive series from their own 32 with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The Raiders absolutely must get a quality drive going here, otherwise the defending Class 5 State Champs could run away with this one in a hurry.

First pass of the night for QB Saeed Williams Jr. is almost intercepted by safety Hunter Collins Jr. as it bounces off his hands. Looked like that might be a play to the tight end over the middle, but the communication was not there for the Raiders. A run up the middle by Cam Glenn only gains a yard, so it's another unenviable 3rd & 9 situation for the visitors from Newport News.

The pass for Williams in the flat area to Keon Batts is not hauled in, so once again Warwick goes 3 & out.

LeBron Bond, an electric Indiana Hoosiers commit, waits back around the 33-yard line for the Raiders punt. It sails out of bounds at the 35 of the Commodores with 3:28 left in the opening frame.

 

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Christian Corbin and the Warwick defensive front do a good job of keeping Maury RB Leon 'Fatman' Clark from gaining anything on 1st & 10 for the third possession of the night by the Commdores. Jaylen Jordan then sacks QB Au'Tori Newkirk as the pocket collapses around him.

Newkirk scrambles for a first down to the 49, a gain of 19 on 3rd & 17, plus Warwick gets called for a personal foul with a late hit as he scooted out of bounds. What a bad break for the Raiders, who thought they were about to get off the field defensively. A bad snap results in a loss of 15 for Maury, so now they're suddenly facing 2nd & 25 from their own 49 instead of 2nd down inside the Warwick 40.

 

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Maury QB Au'Tori Newkirk scrambles for 10 yards on 3rd & 23. Coach Dyrri McCain is deciding to go for it on 4th & 13 from the Warwick 39 with under a minute to go in the opening period and Warwick must come through with a stop here, or else this one won't be a close ballgame.

For the first time tonight, Newkirk's pass is incomplete, thrown over the head of intended target Kendall Daniels.

Warwick's third possession will be at their own 39 with 42 seconds to go in the opening period. Carlton Smith absolutely stones RB Cam Glenn for no gain. They go to the air on 2nd & 10 to end the opening stanza and on the outside corner Matt Williams makes a really fine play in coverage to prevent the completion.

 

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Statistically, this one has been one-sided in the early going. Warwick can change that in one play, though. It won't be this one, though.

Looks like a pair of Commodores - junior LB Isaiah 'Ike' Simmons and DE Ari Watford, a Clemson commit, were two of the defenders that I believe brought QB Saeed Williams Jr. A great stunt call from DC Mike Privott and the Commodores to make that play and get off the field yet again.

Maury's next series starts at their own 35 with just over 11 minutes to go in the second quarter. Tayshawn Branche rips off runs of 10 yards and then 7 yards to get them over midfield. However, Christian Corbin gets to QB Au'Tori Newkirk, who ends up just getting rid of it and an intentional grounding call backs the Commodores up back to their own territory. A comeback route to Kendall Daniels gains 11 on 3rd & 20, but a Warwick player loses his cool and gets called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

So instead of Maury having to make a decision on 4th & 9 - to go for it or punt - now the Commodores have it in Warwick territory with a fresh set of downs.

 

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Tayshawn Branche breaks off a long run that would've gotten Maury in the red zone, but a holding and then a false start penalty puts Maury in a 3rd & 12 situation. As Au'Tori Newkirk scrambles to his left, it's Raiders LB I'Ziah Emery applying the pressure and forcing the pass to be incomplete.

The Commodores are lining up to punt it away on 4th & 12 from the Warwick 40, but the Raiders will burn a time-out just to make sure they're aligned properly with 8:19 to go in the half so that Maury does not catch them napping on a fake.

Charlie McCoy punts it down to the Warwick 10 with 8:07 to go in the second quarter.

 

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Warwick is trying to establish the run out of an RPO (run/pass option) set, but Maury's defense is not having any of it as LB Dylan Goad stops Cam Glenn to a gain of just two yards.

Saeed Williams throws an incomplete pass that is almost picked by Trevon 'Speedy' Cannon, a William & Mary commit. Before 3rd & 8, the Raiders get called for too many men on the field. That penalty makes it 3rd & 13 from their own 7. Alex Lewis hauls in the first completion of the night by Williams, though it's not enough for a first down as the gain is 10 yards out of bounds to the far side.

On 4th & 3, Warwick's punt is blocked - looks like by MarQuaveon Morris - and recovered by Ari Watford at the Warwick 8 with 6:57 to go in the first half. The Warwick run defense stays strong for a couple of plays to make 1st & Goal from the 8 become 3rd & Goal from the 6. However, Maury is able to capitalize on the blocked punt, thanks to the combo of Au'Tori Newkirk and Kendall Daniels...

 

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The screen was there for Kendall Daniels and Maury was more than willing and able to take it to increase their lead.

Warwick's latest series starts at their own 26 with 5:34. Sophomore corner Matt Williams gets a takeaway and his INT is returned to the 5 of the Raiders. They're thinking about making this a runaway.

 

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Maury is playing on a Championship level right now in all three phases and as long as they stay in synch they have a great opportunity to eventually make this win streak they're on reach 30 games and culminate with a perfect season at James Madison University next month.

Warwick right now is just looking for something, anything positive, because this game is not anything like their fierce battle with Peninsula District rival Phoebus from 20 days ago.

 

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Maury tries an onside kick, but the Raiders are able to recover, yet trail it by 28 midway through this second quarter.

Warwick tries a jump-ball pass to WR Keon Batts, one of their smaller and shiftier receivers, and it's incomplete. On 2nd & 10 from their own 43, QB Saeed Williams Jr. gets drilled on a blitz by Commodores DB Trevon 'Speedy' Cannon and his pass falls incomplete.

Operating out of Cover 2, the Commodores are able to sack Williams with MarQuaveon Morris for a loss of a yard. The defense is simply smothering Warwick's offense, searching for answers in this one.

The punt lands at Maury's 20 with 4:04 to go in the first half, and the Commodores know that if they're able to score before the break it can lead to a running clock margin for them to put this one away.

 

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After a rare incomplete pass, the Maury offense connects through the air for a first down pass worth 14 yards as QB Au'Tori Newkirk finds Eli Moss. Shortly thereafter, the Commodores get Warwick's defense in a bind because on 2nd & 1 they have to watch out for Newkirk's scrambling ability (10 rushes for 54 yards), yet he finds WR Jahvon Wiggins - now healthy after missing almost all of last season because of injury - for a tunnel screen that gains 16 into Raiders territory.

Terius Brown makes a really good tackle to bring up 3rd & 13 for the Commodores. The pass is incomplete. So believe it or not, even with a 28-0 lead, the Maury offense has not simply torched the Warwick defense. It has been a matter of timely conversions, establishing the run and hitting key screens, plus taking advantage of opportunities helped set up by their own defense and special teams units.

On the punt return, Warwick gets called for a personal foul that backs them up to their own 13 with 46 seconds remaining in the first half.

 

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Best player on the field? Yeah, it's that guy wearing No. 5 for the host Commodores.

What a performance in this first half.

 

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More numbers to come after my bathroom break... stay tuned!

 

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Stats at the Half:

Maury 35:
Au'Tori Newkirk - 9-14 for 84Yds. 3-0 TD/Int. ratio; 11Car. 55Yds.
Tayshawn Branche - 9Car. 61Yds. TD
Leon 'Fatman' Clark - 7Car. 20Yds.
Kendall Daniels - 3Rec. 31Yds. 2 TD's; INT TD return
Jahvon Wiggins - 2Rec. 29Yds.
Eli Moss - 2Rec. 20Yds.
Ari Watford - 1Rec. 5Yds. TD
Carlton 'CJ' Smith - 4 Tackles, TFL

Commodores - 42 plays for 205 total yards (9-14 for 84 yards passing; 28 rushes for 121 yards); 8 penalties for 65 yards; 0 turnovers


Warwick 0:
Saeed Williams Jr. - 1-9 for 10Yds. 0-2 TD/Int. ratio
Alex Lewis - 1Rec. 10Yds.
Julio Carrecter - 2Car. 7Yds.
I'Ziah Emery - 11 Tackles (7 Solo)
Xavier Carter - 5 Tackles
Jaylen Jordan - 4 Tackles, Sack

Raiders - 19 plays for 8 total yards (1-9 for 10 yards passing, 2 intercepts; 10 rushes for 8 yards); 7 penalties for 64 yards; 2 turnovers

 

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Even though the running clock is chewing up lots of time to begin this third quarter, Warwick is in the midst of its best drive of the night.

It was jump-started by a slant with WR Julio Carrecter getting separation and gaining 43 yards down to the Maury 30. Not long after that, a key 3rd & 6 from the 26 saw QB Saeed Williams Jr. evade the rush and scramble for 10 yards into the red zone. On 3rd & 8 from the 13, the Raiders strike with a fade in the corner of the end zone to Julio Carrecter to break up the shutout and stop the running clock.

 

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Maury is now back in that up-tempo rhythm offensively and even converted a fourth down moments ago as they've made it difficult for the Warwick defense to sub out players as well as get set with their alignment. Tayshawn Branche had one of the key catches to go with Jahvon Wiggins, Eli Moss and Indiana commit LeBron Bond.

However, the Warwick defense is able to get off the field with Maury turning it over on downs via an incomplete pass on 4th & 13 from the 43-yard line of the Raiders with 2:28 to go in the third period.

 

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Maury's offense is still going full throttle right now as they hit a 33-yard pass shortly after the 2nd INT of the night by Kendall Daniels. It's QB Au'Tori Newkirk finding Damon McDaniel Jr., who hits the 'B' button on the video game controller with a pretty spin move to get free of defenders. They then get it to LeBron Bond to move inside the 10.

Commodores have 3rd & Goal from the 2 to begin the fourth quarter after a pair of runs from William & Mary pledge Leon 'Fatman' Clark running the rock...

 

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All Maury in this one... thinking about another TD to get that running clock margin back restored.

 

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So Maury got stopped on 4th & Goal with QB Au'Tori Newkirk trying to squeeze through for a rushing TD, but the Raiders defensive front with Christian Corbin at tackle and I'Ziah Emery at linebacker made sure to keep him out of the end zone.

No running clock after the defensive TD by Carlton Smith because of the missed PAT. That's a reporter's worst nightmare in a 34-point game, I must tell you!

The Raiders hit a long gainer with Cam Glenn's 31-yard run into Maury territory... but a loss of 23 on a bad snap puts them back on the other side of the 50 with 8:54 to go.

 

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Warwick is facing 4th & 40 from their own 29-yard line with 8:32 to go, trailing Maury 41-7.

They punt it away. Maury ends up going for it on 4th & 5 from the Raiders 47, but the pass is incomplete with 5:35 to go.

 

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Isaiah McDaniel is able to break up the pass by Warwick on 3rd & 18 and the Raiders are forced to punt it away again. Maury takes over at their own 29 after the punt goes out of bounds with 4:24 to play.

The Commodores are likely headed for a day after Thanksgiving date with King's Fork, which leads Nansemond River 28-14 in the fourth quarter right now, in the Region 5B Finals here at Powhatan Field in Norfolk.

Omari Meredith recovers a Maury fumble, the first giveaway of the night by the Commodores. Prior to that play, they were +4 in the turnover margin category on the night,.

That gives Warwick the ball at the 24 of MHS with 4:19 left.

 

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A pass in the end zone on 4th & 8 from the 10 by Warwick is incomplete as Alex Lewis tried on multiple occasions to get it to Dakota Broadus against the second-string Maury defense, but the Commodores come up with a red zone stand.

Maury takes over at their own 10 with 3:12 to play, and I can't help but think if the kicker had made that PAT earlier this game would've probably ended about 25 minutes ago...

 

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The defending Class 5 State Champs showed they are dominant yet again, and arguably the best in all of VA, regardless of classification.

More to come later... stay tuned!