Stingy Dukes post shutout in opener
It’s the event no one seemed to want, but it’s time to play
Peninsula District football play got underway on Friday night, late even by the standards of this COVID-19 season, but welcome nonetheless, particularly for Gloucester.
The Dukes got a big night from Malakyi Cooke, who ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a 19-0 win over Heritage.
Linebacker Kenny Akes led a defense that swarmed to the ball in numbers, limiting the Hurricanes to 91 yards in posting the shutout.
The Dukes, who enjoyed their first winning season in 32 years in 2019, got off to a methodical but efficient start in their quest for another one. They drove 59 yards on nine plays to score after taking the opening kickoff, running the ball eight times.
Cooke showed a glimpse of things to come by running 13 yards off right tackle on the first play from scrimmage. Gloucester’s next big gainer was for 31 yards, 16 of them on a run by Xavier Washington and the next 15 courtesy of a personal foul.
That set up quarterback Jordan Mumford’s 6-yard keeper that gave the Dukes a 7-0 lead. The Gloucester drive consumed the first 5 minutes, 59 seconds of the game.
The Dukes were unable to increase the lead prior to halftime because two long touchdowns were called back by penalties. The first was an illegal shift on Mumford’s 57-yard pass to Washington, and the second was for offensive interference on a hookup for 42 yards by the same pair.
Tripp Roady made the big defensive play of the second half for the Dukes, intercepting a pass and returning it from midfield to the Heritage 26. Cooke covered those 26 yards on three runs, the final one up the middle for 12 yards to increase the lead to 13-0 late in the third quarter.
A poor punt snap by the Hurricanes set up Gloucester’s final touchdown, a 9-yard run by Cooke in the fourth quarter.
Heritage’s defense — led by freshman safety Charles Lyons and sophomore end Savion Frazier — was competitive throughout. Freshman quarterback Derrick Gurley and senior running back Zahnique Cooke paced a Hurricanes offense that improved with each quarter.
The Hurricanes drove to the Dukes’ 5 late in the game, but failed to score when Akes tackled Zahnique Cooke for no gain on fourth-and 1.
ATLANTA — It’s the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want.
Certainly not the players, who scoffed at the notion of playing an exhibition game in the midst of a pandemic.
The city of Atlanta, picked as a replacement for original host Indianapolis, didn’t seem so thrilled with the idea, either.
The mayor urged fans to stay away from an event renowned for wild parties and packed streets.
Police scheduled 12-hour shifts and canceled off days in an attempt to crack down on any events that could lead to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
But the league pressed forward, eager to improve its bottom line and its brand by televising the popular midseason showcase around the world.
The NBA’s best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at mostly empty State Farm Arena, where only a limited number of invited guests will be allowed to watch in person.
“All-Star is part of our league. It’s no different than all the other games we play,” Commissioner Adam Silver said. “It begins and ends with the fans. This is an event the fans love to see. They love to see the players come together.
“But,” he quickly added, “nothing comes without controversy in a pandemic.”
The league’s biggest stars, led by LeBron James, would have preferred getting some much-needed time off during the six-day break.
James even went so far as to call it “a slap in the face” to players who had little time to recover from last year’s interrupted season, which was completed in a central Florida bubble, and are still dealing with burdensome protocols intended to stifle the coronavirus as much as possible (but still weren’t enough to prevent the postponement of 31 games in the first half ).
Now that it’s game on, James is trying to make the best of the situation, using the All-Star platform to carry on with his efforts to expand voting rights — a fitting gesture with the game being held in a state that was one of the focal points of the 2020 election.
“Look what we made happen, what our voices made possible,” the Lakers star says in a 51-second ad that was set to air for the first time during the game. “And now, look what they’re trying to do to silence us, using every trick in the book and attacking democracy itself.
“Because they saw what we’re capable of, and they fear it.”
Some things to watch for in Sunday’s All-Star Game:
Team LeBron vs. Team Durant: This will be the fourth straight year to feature a format where the two top vote-getters served as captains and drafted their teams from the All-Star selections.
James has handled the duties all four times, going 3-0 in his previous stints — including last year’s 157-155 thriller in Chicago. Nets’ Kevin Durant got the nod for the first time, though he won’t be able to play in the game because of an ailing hamstring.
James used the top draft pick on two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captained the squad that went against Team LeBron the last two years. They are joined in the starting lineup by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic.
Durant selected Nets teammate Kyrie Irving with his first choice, rounding out the starting lineup with 76ers’ Joel Embiid. 2020 All-Star MVP and Clippers leader Kawhi Leonard, Wizards’ Bradley Beal and Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.
“I just try to pick players that can complement one another,” James said. “It’s the All-Star Game, so there’s going to be some shenanigans out there. But for the majority of the game, we’re going to try to play the right way and come out with a win.”
Mad skillz: With only one night to get in all the events, two competitions will be held shortly before the All-Star Game tipoff.
The Skills Challenge, a test of ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, will feature Doncic, Portland’s Robert Covington, Chris Paul of the Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis, and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic.
Taking part in the 3-point shooting contest are Curry, Tatum, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine of the Bulls, and a pair of Utah guards, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
Conley was a replacement for Phoenix star Devin Booker, who can’t participate because of an injury.
High flyers: The Slam Dunk showdown will take place at halftime between Portland’s Anfernee Simons and a pair of rookies: New York’s Obi Toppin and Indiana’s Cassius Stanley.
I’ve been watching a lot of dunks the past couple of days,” Toppin said. “I’m going to try to do some stuff that hasn’t been done yet in the dunk contest.”
He got a few tips from his father, who was a well-known streetball player in Brooklyn.
“I talked to him about some of the dunks,” Toppin said. “He’s basically telling me which ones are a little crazy.”