Blog LIVE Game Blog - Warwick (2-0) at Kecoughtan (1-1)

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Greetings from Darling Stadium on this hot and humid Thursday night. While the NFL season kicks off tonight with the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs play host to the Detroit Lions, we have Peninsula District football action with temperatures above 90 degrees - and the heat index at triple-digits.

It's the Warwick Raiders at 2-0 taking on the 1-1 Kecoughtan Warriors.

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

Before we begin, a quick review of our write-up and Predictions earlier on the V.I.P. Board...


Warwick (2-0) at Kecoughtan (1-1) . . . After dropping seven straight in the series from 2012-18, the Warwick Raiders have beaten Kecoughtan in each of the past four meetings, which includes an 8-7 escape in October of 2021. Since allowing a touchdown on the opening kickoff at Grassfield to begin the season, Warwick has outscored its foes 95-0. Kecoughtan was on its way to a 2-0 start before allowing Granby to put together an 80-yard touchdown drive in a span of 1:33 late in the fourth quarter in a 26-24 loss last Thursday. It will be a long night for the Warriors defense, unless they find an answer for Warwick QB Eduardo Rios Jr., who is completing nearly 84% of his passes through two games.

Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 34-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 24-12

 

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Kecoughtan pieces together a fairly solid opening drive on offense. They move the chains twice - on 2nd & 9 with a pitch out to Malachi Marion - as well as on 3rd & 6 from their own 47 on a pass interference penalty on the Warwick Raiders.

But they are forced to punt it away on 4th & 14 from their own 45 after a tackle for loss is made on third down by I'Ziah Emery, their hard-hitting linebacker.

Warwick begins at their own 40 with 7:54 to go in the first period following a 17-yard punt return by Messiah Delhomme, a 1st Team All-State performer as a sophomore and Region 4A Defensive Player of the Year.

 

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An Ian Bacon run of 11 yards on 2nd & 8 moves the Warwick offense into Kecoughtan territory. A bad snap results in a loss of 14 and puts the Raiders back in their own territory, facing 2nd & 19. On 3rd & 18 a play later, it's Julio Carrecter hauling in a pass from QB Eduardo Rios Jr. for 11 yards.

That makes Warwick Coach Corey Hairston leave the offense on the field to go for it on 4th & 7 from the Kecoughtan 44. But the Warriors are sound in coverage and it's an incomplete pass. That gives the Warriors the ball at their own 44 with 5:26 to go in the first quarter.

A 19-yard punt by Kecoughtan following a 3 & out gives Warwick the ball back for their second series from their own 40 with 3:56 to go in the opening stanza.

 

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That Julio Carrecter diving grab for 26 yards to take the ball from the Warriors 48 to the 22-yard line was really crucial. It came after gains of 8 by Keon Batts on a slant pattern reception and 4-yard run from Ri'jon Hammond that moved the chains.

Despite a 15-yard penalty during the series, Warwick was able to work it to a manageable 3rd & 10 from the Kecoughtan 22. Carrecter made a grab worht 7, but a personal foul penalty on Kecoughtan as the play was concluding gave them a fresh set of down at the 8-yard line.

 

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Kecoughtan is looking at a 2nd & 9 from their own 21 to begin the second period. That Warwick defensive front of Adonus Watson, Antwone Vasquez, Duwuane Skipwith and John Turner is giving Kecoughtan problems. Also in that rotation with a couple of assisted tackles was Christian Corbin, wearing No. 53.

 

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A second straight 3 & out series for the Kecoughtan offense means the Warriors are punting it away on 4th & 7 from their own 23 with 11:14 to go in the second quarter. Fortunately, they are wise enough to punt it away from the electric Messiah Delhomme. It is downed at the 34 of Warwick.

I'Ziah Emery at linebacker is really coming up and laying the wood defensively for Warwick. In the previous two games - wins over Bethel and Grassfield - he was credited with 19 total tackles and five for loss. It feels like he's a strong candidate to be All-Region 5B this season.

A block in the back penalty on Warwick during the return will actually back them up 10 yards to their own 24.

 

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After offsetting penalties are called, Warwick goes to the running game with Ri'jon Hammond to set up the pass. Eduardo Rios Jr. throws a beautiful strike on a go route for 39 yards to No. 7, that's Mike Alleyne, and he's brought down at the Kecoughtan 20.

A time-out is called with 9:58 to go in the first half after the Raiders connect on that vertical shot. Rios is 5 of 6 for 91 yards through the air so far to go with his touchdown run. Again, coming into tonight, he was completing 84% of his pass attempts. His accuracy is really elevating this offense and taking it to another level so far in 2023.

 

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This was a stellar job by Rios, following a Warwick penalty of illegal use of hands costing them 10 yards, to scramble to his left and keep the play alive until Alleyne got open in the back corner of the end zone.

Kecoughtan's fourth offensive possession will begin at their own 16 with 8:51 to go. As important as avoiding a 3 & out is not turning it over and giving Warwick a short field to work with here.

 

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It's another 3 & out for the Kecoughtan offense as QB Knowell Smith rolls to his left and is stopped for no gain by the Class of 2025 DB stud Messiah Delhomme. A run up the middle with James Vinnie gains 4 before I'Ziah Emery is tackled. On 3rd & 6, Smith's pass is incomplete. That has Kecoughtan punting it away with 7:21 to go in the half.

Well, scratch that, following an encroachment penalty on Warwick, the Kecoughtan offense will stay on the field here for 4th & 1 from their own 25 and perhaps attempt to go for it...

 

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Trying to quarterback sneak it for the first down on 4th & 1 from their own 24, the Kecoughtan offense gets dropped backwards for a loss as Antwone Vasquez makes the great stuff for the Warwick defense.

Warwick goes to Ri'jon Hammond on four consecutive runs - gaining 5, 14, 3 and 1 - to bring up 3rd & Goal from the 1. The Kecoughtan defensive front is making it a challenge here, headed up by Keyshawn Murphy.

 

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Everett Saunders returns the ensuing kickoff for Kecoughtan 15 yards to begin their fifth possession at their own 43. After a false start, the Warriors dump it off with Knowell Smith to Malachi Marion for 6 yards. Then Smith scrambles for 6.

Even though the pass on 3rd & 3 is incomplete, the Warriors are able to get Warwick to jump offsides from midfield to get a fresh set of downs.

 

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My goodness, Kecoughtan had a potential walk-in 45-yard touchdown pass, but QB Knowell Smith is unable to connect with an open Ernest Jones in the seam.

On the next play, Malachi Marion makes a defender miss on a 45-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown... BUT... a penalty on the Warriors brings it back.

Those two plays, back-to-back, are certainly demoralizing for Jeff Super's bunch, which nearly came into this one at 2-0 before that two-minute drill Granby put together at home at Powhatan Field gave them a big comeback win.

Two plays later, Kecoughtan is facing 3rd & 15 from midfield with 2:58 till half-time. Warwick is certainly thinking about getting the ball back, scoring and having a 28-0 lead at the break, knowing they get the ball first to begin the 2nd half.

 

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With their fifth offensive possession of the night, Warwick has it at their own 25 with 2:39 till half-time, plenty of time to add to their 21-0 lead. Ian Bacon gains 8 yards and he's starting to sizzle (see what I did there?) through the ground game to complement Ri'jon Hammond. A good stop of Bacon to limit him to 1 on 3rd & 2 by Ernest Jones.

Out of a time-out with 1:34 to go, the Raiders will use QB Eduardo Rios Jr. to scoot to the Warwick sideline on the far side and he moves the sticks with a pick up of 5.

 

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After starting 6 of 7 for 121 yards passing with a touchdown, Warwick QB Eduardo Rios Jr. has seen his last five pass attempts result in incompletes. Three of those hit receivers right in the hands, too.

So on 4th & 10 from their own 39. the Raiders go to the trick bags and Messiah Delhomme has an open receiver on a fake punt pass, but he's unable to connect with his intended target.

Kecoughtan gets a golden chance to get on the board here with 1:02 till intermission, from the Warwick 39.

 

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John Turner sets the tone for the Warwick defense right before the half with Kecoughtan in Raiders territory at the 39. Both he and Duwune Skipwith break down the protection for Kecoughtan as they drop back to pass. Turner sacks Knowell Smith for a loss of 6. The next two plays are incomplete passes.

With 17 seconds to go in the second period, looking at 4th & 11 from the 40 following a neutral zone infraction, Kecoughtan will try to get one heave in or near the end zone.

Pressure on fourth down by Antwone Vasquez forces an errant throw by Smith, incomplete. Warwick takes over at their own 40 with 10 seconds to go in the half. The Raiders now get a shot for a Hail Mary potentially.

It is intercepted by Juh'Saun Credle of Kecoughtan, who makes a nice effort, for the defense.

 

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So since surrendering a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the season at Grassfield, the Warwick Raiders have outscored their foes 116-0 the past 10 quarters of football. Not too shabby for the Newport News program under the direction of Corey Hairston aiming to make some serious noise in Region 5B after winning the Region 4A crown a season ago.

Some half-time numbers in a bit... stay tuned!

 

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Stats at the Half:

Warwick 21:
Eduardo Rios Jr. - 6-13 for 121Yds. 1-1 TD/Int. ratio; 3Car. 6Yds. TD
Ri'jon Hammond - 11Car. 62Yds. TD
Ian Bacon - 5Car. 28Yds.
Julio Carrecter - 3Rec. 44Yds.
Mike Alleyne - 2Rec. 69Yds. TD
I'Ziah Emery - 5 Tackles, 2TFL

Raiders - 35 plays for 205 total yards (6-14 for 121 yards passing, 1 intercept; 21 rushes for 84 yards); 1 turnover; 8 penalties for 75 yards


Kecoughtan 0:
Malachi Marion - 5Car. 23Yds; 1Rec. 6Yds.
Knowell Smith - 3-13 for 0Yds.
Jaymes Saunders - 5 Tackles (4 Solo)
Everett Saunders - 4 Tackles, PBU
Ernest Jones - 4 Solo Tackles

Warriors - 28 plays for 33 total yards (3-13 for 0 yards passing; 15 rushes for 33 yards); 0 turnovers; 6 penalties for 37 yards

 

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That's precisely the way Warwick wanted to begin this 2nd half. One more touchdown, along with a fifth successful extra point, and the running clock will be in effect.

 

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Kecoughtan with another 3 & out - believe the third of the night - as a bad snap on third down results in Karlitos White-Atkins sacking Warriors QB Knowell Smith.

Warwick takes over at the Kecoughtan 43 with 9:42 to go in the third period, smelling a score that can get them the running clock.

 

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Well, no running clock just yet for Warwick as they are stopped on 4th & 3 from the Kecoughtan 4 as the pass is incomplete with 6:42 to go in the third period. The running game led by Ri'jon Hammond has been steady throughout the night, but kudos to Kecoughtan on that series for standing tall in the red zone.

Now, the question is can the Warriors find an offensive spark? It does not appear so as the Warriors go 3 & out again, and even worse, starting QB Knowell Smith takes a nasty hit on a third down run with 5:46 remaining in the third period.

 

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That's the ninth tackle for loss on the night by the Warwick defense. Of course, their special teams has supplied them the 9 points when you think about it - - getting the punter in the end zone for a safety, an extra point after a kickoff return for a score by Ian Bacon.

Warwick now will have decent field position at their own 45 following a 13-yard kickoff return by Bacon.

 

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Delhomme's latest run with a couple of next-level cuts was a thing of beauty. It's easy to see why with his natural instincts and athleticism why he's one of the most coveted prospects in the nation from the Class of 2025. Statistically speaking, this has not been his best night, but at any moment, he can deliver a top-notch play.

Running clock is now rolling here.

 

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Not good news here as an ambulance is here along with a stretcher to take an injured Kecoughtan player to the hospital for precuationary reasons. It is not QB Knowell Smith. I could not quite tell which individual it is, however.

Adonus Watson, defensive lineman for Warwick, makes a great INT and initially it looked like a 36-yard return for a touchdown. However, officials say as he twisted his body, his knee hit the turf and he was down.

That will end our third period.

 

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On 4th & 4 from the Kecoughtan 10, the Raiders lave the offense - with backups - on the field.

Cameron Glenn runs it in for a 10-yard TD. On the PAT, the snap is bad, and the holder - which happens to be starting QB Eduardo Rios Jr. - is able to alertly get it in and run it in for the 2-point conversion.

 

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This one should be over soon enough so that I can catch the 2nd half of Lions / Chiefs, which at last check was deadlocked at 7-all with under six minutes to go in the second period. No Travis Kelce in that one, but it could go down to the wire and should certainly be closer than this contest.

 

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Mike Alleyne with a 34-yard INT return for the Warwick defense to the Kecoughtan 26-yard line and the Raiders could be thinking about adding to its total.

 

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If you're keeping tracking at home, Warwick has now outscored foes 147-7 on the season and racked up 147 unanswered points since giving up that kick return TD to begin the season at Grassfield.

Dominant from start to finish here, and the Raiders look like the No. 3 ranked team in the state in Class 5, only behind for the time being Maury and Green Run.

 

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Postgame Video Interview with Warwick Coach Corey Hairston:



Warwick Head Football Coach Corey Hairston chats after their 52-0 shutout of Kecoughtan on Thursday, September 7, 2023 at Darling Stadium in Hampton.

The Raiders have scored 147 unanswered points since allowing a season-opening kickoff return for a touchdown at Grassfield.

Warwick, which won the Region 4A title a season ago and is now competing in Region 5B, is 3-0 overall on the season. The Raiders will take on Newport News foe Menchville (1-2) at John B. Todd Stadium in Newport News on September 15th.