NEWPORT NEWS — Supreme pain is an apt description of Phoebus Nation, denied the addition of another gem to its glorious football history — a Virginia High School League state-record-tying 52nd consecutive football victory.
Supreme Payne was co-author of the play key to Warwick’s 34-20 victory Saturday over the Phantoms in their Peninsula District game at rain-soaked Todd Stadium.
The Raiders, ranked eighth in the 757Teamz Top 15, clung to a 20-14 lead on the final play of a third quarter highlighted by the third-ranked Phantoms’ 8-minute, 1-second touchdown drive. Momentum seemed to shift even more to the Phantoms (2-1) when lineman Troy Solomona stopped Raiders running back Terius “Downtown” Brown (more on him in a moment) for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Phoebus 16-yard line.
Enter Payne. On the play after Solomona’s stop, Phantoms quarterback Maurikus Banks dropped back to pass as Payne stormed in from the right edge and hit his arm as he threw.
The ball wobbled end-over-end in air the at the line of scrimmage, where Raiders lineman Du’Wuane Skipwith snatched it and ran 9 yards for a pick-six that gave the Raiders a 27-14 lead to start the fourth quarter. Brown soon added a 20-yard touchdown run — modest compared to his TD romps of 54 and 65 yards — increasing the lead to 34-14, and the Raiders’ first win over Phoebus in 27 games (dating back to 2001) was assured.
“All I can say is it’s God — he’s going to get me there,” said Payne, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior who added that he also blocked for Skipwith on his interception return. “I felt good, that made my day.
“It’s a blessing to beat Phoebus. We hadn’t beaten them in a long time.”
Skipwith said, “Shout-out to (Payne). He made the tip. I was just in the right place at the right time.
“I feel that was definitely the turning point in the game.”
Warwick coach Thomas Sykes and Phoebus coach Jeremy Blunt agreed, but Brown’s first two touches were equally important. Given daylight by Christian Corbin and Warwick’s formidable offensive line, Brown (14 carries, 231 yards) used his speed on a couple of nifty cuts to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead midway though the first quarter.
“The holes were so wide-open, I have to give that to my offensive line,” said Brown, who added a 69-yard non-touchdown run in the third quarter. “I knew it was going to be a day.”
With Skipwith and relentless linebacker Tracy Pope leading the defense, the Raiders were every bit as good as their 20-7 halftime lead. But Banks warmed up to start the second half, completing three passes for 34 yards in a 13-play, 87-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyree Diggs with 3:59 left in the third quarter to make it 20-14.
But the Phantoms’ comeback was halted by the heroics of Payne and Skipwith as their win streaks of 51 games and 68 district games became historical facts. The 2008-11 Phoebus teams won 52 in a row, a mark tied later by Riverheads of Staunton.
“I’m proud of the team and proud of the (coaching) staff,” Sykes said. “I want to say shout-out to Coach Blunt, because I would love to be in a position where somebody was trying to break 51 wins for me.”
Phoebus coach Jeremy Blunt prepares Quinlan Hackney before a rare Phantoms defeat, which came Saturday to Warwick at Todd Stadium. TED CALISE/FOR THE DAILY PRESS
Blunt was equally gracious, pain (and Payne) not withstanding.
“It real humbling to see what Warwick did today,” he said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to Coach Sykes, a first-year (head) coach, and those players.
“They really played a great game.”
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/09/27/warwick-upset-ends-phoebus-football-win-streak-at-51-games/
