NORFOLK — It was a nail-biting Class 3 Virginia High School League state semifinal that Lake Taylor coach Hank Sawyer is all too familiar with.
With time expiring in the fourth quarter, quarterback Kevin Adams heaved a 27-yard pass into the end zone that Magerald Clark hauled in for the deciding score, lifting the host Titans to a 27-21 victory over Magna Vista.
“I came out the play before that with an injured shoulder and couldn’t let my teammates down,” Clark said. “I was crying on the ground, but I got back in and caught it.
“I couldn’t even believe I caught it. I’ve got the ball in my hands — looking at it — and then I see my teammates dancing up and down.”
Lake Taylor moved into next Saturday’s championship game at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium in Lynchburg. The Titans will face Kettle Run of Nokesville, which ousted Liberty Christian Academy 29-28.
Lake Taylor’s Keon Johnson leaves behind a trail of Magna Vista defenders to score a touchdown during Saturday, December 6, 2025, afternoon’s class 3 semifinal football game in Norfolk. (Stephen M. Katz / The Virginian-Pilot)
Magna Vista (12-2) had tied it at 21 with 2:48 remaining. With a chance to put the game away from the Magna Vista 31, the Titans turned the ball over on downs midway through the fourth quarter after moving the ball just two yards. Magna Vista QB Simeon Moore first connected with Tyler Martin for a 37-yard strike.
Six plays later, on fourth-and-10 from the Titans’ 25, Moore found Asantee Scott for a 19-yard pass. Ethan Dukes punched it in for the tying touchdown two plays later.
“They never gave up, and we never gave up,” Sawyer said. “If you research all seven of our state semifinals, they’ve ended like that — drastic and right down to the end.”
Unfazed, the Titans (12-2) coolly marched down the field 54 yards in 12 plays to set up Clark’s catch.
“I knew when I saw the ball leave, I said ‘he’s gonna catch it.’ And he did,” Sawyer said.
Magna Vista had struck first on the third play of the game when Tyler Martin hauled in a pass from Moore and dashed down the left side 56 yards.
The Titans then overcame mistakes on the offensive end in the first quarter. With first-and-goal to go from the Magna Vista 5, Keon Johnson lost a fumble on a rushing attempt. Their next possession resulted in a turnover-on-downs at the Magna Vista 12, and then, after pinning the visitors deep in their own territory, the Titans lost another fumble near midfield following a bad snap.
They pulled level midway through the second quarter when Adams found Casaun Hesson on a crossing route and the senior receiver scampered 15 yards into the end zone.
Lake Taylor forced a punt with less than four minutes remaining until halftime and had a chance to take a lead into the break with five seconds remaining, but Adams’ 27-yard field-goal attempt was blocked.
Four plays into the second half, Johnson ripped a 61-yard run down the right side to lift the Titans to a 13-7 lead, following a missed point-after kick.
“When I fumbled right there on the goal line (in the first quarter), it kind of hurt me, but my team had my back,” Johnson said. “So I had to step up as a captain and get them back in the game.”
Moore connected with Scott for a 19-yard scoring strike midway through the third quarter to briefly give Magna Vista a 14-13 lead.
Johnson then powered a 70-yard touchdown rush less than three minutes later to set up a dramatic finish. Johnson, who also converted the two-point run after that score, finished with 269 yards on 17 carries.
“It means a lot to me to have kids that still believe in me,” Sawyer said. “The critics were calling for me to go home, get in the backyard and sit on the porch. As long as I can make a difference, I wanna be here with them, so it means everything just to get back to the finals.”
The Titans have now reached a state title game for the seventh time in Sawyer’s historic career, winning championships in 2012, ‘14 and ‘19.
“They’re resilient and just hungry,” Sawyer said. “They want to be successful, and while walking that path of life, they know every step that we take is to help make them better men.”
