HAMPTON — Hampton rallied from an early 14-point deficit and moved closer to its first Peninsula District title in nine years by beating Warwick 21-14 on Thursday at Darling Stadium in their highly anticipated showdown.
The Crabbers (7-1, 6-0 district) moved into first place ahead of the Raiders (6-3, 6-1), who have never won the title in its 60 years in the PD. Warwick entered with the more-heralded defense, but Hampton’s defense — which limited the Raiders to 59 yards and no points in the second half — set its offense up for the go-ahead points.
With the score tied at 14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Crabbers forced the Raiders to punt from their end zone. Hampton gained possession at the Raiders’ 39, where Zion Coles-McFarland, made a nifty cut en route to a 29-yard gain on a trap.
“I transferred from Warwick,” said Coles-McFarland, who ran four times for 40 yards in the second half. “They said I couldn’t play running back, that I was one dimensional.
“I don’t have breakaway speed but you see how far it went.”
Far enough to set up Casey Lassiter for a 6-yard touchdown run that gave the Crabbers a 21-14 lead with 5:09 remaining. Hampton then turned the Raiders over on downs, marking the seventh consecutive time Warwick punted or was stopped.
Warwick’s defense came up big on the first play from scrimmage, as linebacker Avion Rodriguez forced a fumble by Hampton quarterback Marcus Chapman that Terius Brown recovered at the Crabbers’ 29.
Freshman Avione Tucker ran 18 yards for a touchdown four plays later to put Warwick in front by seven points. After the Raiders dropped Chapman a four-yard loss on fourth-and-3 the next series, they regained possession at their own 34.
It took the Raiders just seven running plays to cover the 66 yards to paydirt. A 9-yard touchdown run by Tucker increased the lead to 14-0 with 1:24 to play in the first quarter.
But Chapman, who passed for 110 yards and ran for 38 in the first half, was unfazed. He put the Crabbers back in contention by completing all three passes on a six-play, 70-yard drive capped by Montrell Harrison’s 1-yard touchdown run. Chapman ran for the two-point conversion to make it 14-8 early in the second quarter.
The Crabbers drove 69 yards in six plays to score their second touchdown, a series highlighted by Chapman’s 38-yard completion to Abraham Taft on a slant. Chapman’s 2-yard touchdown run tied the game at 14 with 1:48 left in the first half.
Chapman threw two interceptions that stalled promising drives in the second half but he didn’t panic.
“It was very frustrating and we’d probably have gone downhill after that my freshman and sophomore years,” said Chapman, a 6-2, 177-pound junior. “It was good I was able to stay calm and lead my team.”
Hampton quarterback Marcus Chapman Jr. (10) runs the ball during a game against Warwick at Darling Stadium in Hampton on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. Hampton defeated Warwick 21-14. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)
Chapman, in fact, made the interception that ended Warwick’s final possession.
“It was nice to get one back after throwing two picks,” he said.
That capped a night on which two Warwick quarterbacks combined to go 0-for-12 passing. That they had to pass so many times was a tribute to Gene Jones Jr. and the Crabber front seven that won the battle of the trenches in stifling the potent Warwick running attack.
“We didn’t think they were going to pass a lot so we stepped up our game and (focused on) the run,” said Jones, who committed Sunday to play for the University of Virginia. “This win is amazing, that’s all I can say, it’s amazing.”
