CHESAPEAKE — Lord Heru completed all 15 of his passes, three for touchdowns, and ran for two more scores as No. 9 Indian River routed No. 11 Granby 55-0 Friday night in a season opener at the Braves’ stadium.
Indian River scored touchdowns on every possession except the game’s last, when the clock ran out. The Braves’ defense held the Comets to negative-30 yards rushing on 28 attempts.
Indian River coach Brandon Carr said, “It showed tonight what we had been working on in summer camp, but there’s still a lot to clean up. We left a lot of things out there that we can be really better at.”
The Comets might argue.
Down 41-0, Granby had minus-15 yards of total offense until a 41-yard completion to the Indian River 8 on the second quarter’s final play. In that half, the Braves amassed 14 first downs and 257 yards of offense.
Jason Preston, Tre Pugh, Elijah Boggs, K’maii George and Reshard Pope scored TDs for the Braves.
The Comets’ Semaj Lyons had 75 yards on three catches, accounting for most of Granby’s 81 yards passing.
Pugh ran nine times for 85 yards, Preston had six catches for 67 yards, Boggs had four receptions for 44 yards, and Heru had 37 yards on three carries.
— Reported by Charlie Baumgardner
Rough night at the top of the polls
The last time Maury and Oscar Smith lost on the same night, Barack Obama was still president.
That run ended Friday night as the No. 1 Commodores and No. 2 Tigers, both defending VHSL state champions, lost to teams outside Virginia.
Cardinal Gibbons 24, No. 1 Maury 20: The Commodores’ 30-game winning streak is over as the Crusaders held on for an opening-night victory in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The back-and-forth affair lived up to its billing. Maury led 10-7 in the second quarter after a Charlie McCoy 33-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 80-yard scoring drive keyed by quarterback Domo Everette’s 34-yard scramble midway through the second quarter.
The Crusaders responded as Xavier Hasan returned the ensuing kickoff 94-yards for a touchdown. McCoy added another field goal, and Maury trailed 14-13 at halftime.
The Crusaders pushed the lead to 17-13 on a third-quarter field goal, but Maury rallied. Going for it on fourth-and-12, the Commodores scored on a 45-yard touchdown pass for a 20-17 lead with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
Cardinal Gibbons regained the lead on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 6:23 left. Both defenses stiffened before Maury had a final shot. The Commodores moved to the Crusaders’ 33 late in the fourth quarter and went for the end zone, but the pass down the middle was intercepted to clinch the game.
Gonzaga College High School (D.C.) 17, No. 2 Oscar Smith 0: The Tigers struggled early in Washington, and it cost them.
Oscar Smith had a punt blocked early in the first quarter, leading to Gonzaga’s Jason Lindsay scoring from a yard out.
Gonzaga added a short touchdown run late in the first half for a 14-0 halftime lead. The Eagles added a second-half field goal for the final total.
Gonzaga gave the Tigers their first shutout in an opener since Warwick defeated them 9-0 in 1999.
No. 10 Lafayette overcomes penalties, Packers
Josh Simpson scored on two long touchdown runs as Lafayette opened the season with a 40-14 victory at Smithfield in a Bay Rivers District game.
Simpson took a handoff on the Rams’ first possession and broke a 75-yard touchdown run, giving Lafayette an early 7-0 lead.
The game remained close in the first half as both teams’ offenses struggled in the opener. Lafayette’s offense was hampered by numerous holding penalties, but the Rams (1-0) led 13-0 at half.
Lafayette pushed the lead to 21-0 in the third quarter as Tyree Wilson scored on a 26-yard run. The Rams looked in control after Wilder Charles hit Jael Love on a 69-yard touchdown pass for a 27-0 lead.
But the Packers started a comeback late in the third quarter, putting together a scoring drive capped by Kyle Buggs’ 1-yard run.
Smithfield (0-1) gained more momentum after Dennis Robinson picked off a Rams pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown with 7:19 left in the game, cutting the lead to 27-14.
The momentum shift was short-lived as Simpson struck again with a 52-yard touchdown run, putting the game out of reach.
Other games
No. 14 Poquoson 27, York 6: Cody Little scored two touchdowns, leading the Islanders to a Bay Rivers District victory in a season opener.
Heath Reynolds and Owen Cupp also scored for Poquoson. Logan Turner had a 42-yard interception return for York’s only score.
“We played well,” Poquoson coach Elliott Duty said. “We moved the ball, found our groove defensively and played physically.”
Lake Taylor 59, Heritage 0: Magerald Clark opened the game with an 85-yard kickoff return and the Titans cruised in a nondistrict season opener.
Kenon Johnson had two first-quarter touchdown runs as Lake Taylor led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Titans kept piling on, taking a 57-0 lead at halftime.
Bethel 53, Patrick Henry 0: Alex Lewis threw three first-half touchdown passes as the Bruins jumped out early for a season-opening nondistrict victory over the Patriots of Ashland.
Derek Fisher had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown along with a 66-yard touchdown reception. Kasyn Campbell had two touchdown receptions.
Norfolk Christian 20, Hampton Roads Academy 0: Evan Field rushed for two touchdowns as Norfolk Christian, a varsity club team, improved to 2-0 with a shutout of the Navigators — all of whose players were making their varsity debuts. EJ Dobratz threw a touchdown pass to Isiah Banks, and the Ambassadors’ Carson Zook picked off a pass.
Greenbrier Christian Academy 50, Fuqua 0: Tucker Basnight ran for 251 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries as the Gators (2-0) routed the Falcons from Farmville in eight-man play. Tyson Moravec was 9 of 12 for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and Conner Isenberg caught four passes for 96 yards and three TDs. Defensively, Isenberg intercepted a pass, and Brady Countiss and Jordan Fentress had multiple sacks.
Atlantic Shores 48, Roanoke Catholic 16: The Seahawks traveled west and evened their record at 1-1.
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Friday night’s scores
757Teamz Top 15
Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.) 24, #1 Maury 0
Gonzaga College HS (D.C.) 17, #2 Oscar Smith 0
#9 Indian River 55, #11 Granby 0
#10 Lafayette 40, Smithfield 14
#14 Poquoson 27, York 6
Nondistrict
Lake Taylor 59, Heritage 0
Bethel 53, Patrick Henry (Ashland) 0
Private schools
Atlantic Shores Christian 48, Roanoke Catholic 16
Fork Union Military Academy 26, Catholic 21
Greenbrier Christian Academy 50, Fuqua 0
Norfolk Christian 20, Hampton Roads Academy 0.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 46, Isle of Wight Academy 0
