Disputed calls cap second week of Bay Rivers games
The second week of the Bay Rivers District season featured two dramatic finishes: one, a huge upset, and the other a disputed goal-line stand. The controversial ending came in Warhill’s 13-7 win at New Kent (1-1).
New Kent coach John McCauley thought his team, trailing 13-7, had tied the game in the final 10 seconds when quarterback Joey Campbell completed a pass to Isaiah Singleton at the goal line from the Warhill 6. McCauley said Singleton had both feet in the end zone when he made the catch, but was told by officials the ball hadn’t crossed the plane.
So, as time ran down, Campbell ran the ball from the 1, so close to the goal line a Trojans lineman raised his hands to signal a touchdown. But the line judge did
not and, as Warhill coach Jerome Rhodes ran onto the field and toward the officials’ huddle, the outcome hung in limbo.
Rhodes was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and a Warhill assistant coach was ejected. But the officials ruled that Campbell did not cross the goal line and, because the penalty on Rhodes was a dead-ball foul after time expired, the
game was over and Warhill (2-0) won.
McCauley insists his players crossed the goal line on both plays. However, Jim Mayhew, commissioner of the Peninsula Football Officials’ Association, says he watched video of the final plays and thinks his officials made the right calls because there was no conclusive
evidence either Trojan crossed the goal line.
Smithfield upsets York
Players from the recently-minted Class 4 basketball state championship team were key as Smithfield (1-0) rallied for two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions in the final 4:21 to beat defending district champion York 29-28. York (1-1) appeared poised to run its district winning streak to 11 games when it took a 28-13 lead with 7:09 to play in the third quarter on Anthony Artis’ 67-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Packers, 3-7 last season, closed the gap to 28-21 with 4:21 left on quarterback Cade White’s pair of 2-yard runs — one for a TD and the other for two points. White (200 yards passing, two TDs) threw 39 yards to Chris Gundy (140 yards receiving, two TDs) for a 39-yard touchdown on a slant with 1:03 remaining.
Then two of the players from Smithfield’s basketball state champs stepped up to clinch the victory. Moments after Tristan Baker caught White’s pass for the go-ahead two points, basketball reserve Jabarie Thomas intercepted a York pass to give
DeVondre Bazemore a victory in his first game as the Packers’ head coach.
“This sets the tone for the program and shows the guys what we’re capable of,” Bazemore said.
Extra points ...
The Bruton-New Kent game scheduled for Friday has been canceled, as has Bruton’s game against Lafayette on March 20. Bruton, with about 20 players and numerous injuries, will look to heal before finishing the season with games against Jamestown (March 26) and Windsor (April 2). … With Warwick and Woodside coming off of a quarantine, they face each other to open their seasons at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in a PD game at Todd Stadium. … The Bethel-Kecoughtan game scheduled for Friday at Darling Stadium was canceled when Kecoughtan went on COVID quarantine and there are no plans reschedule. … Menchville snapped two long losing streaks with its 20-14 win over Bethel on Saturday. The Monarchs had lost 24 consecutive games to the Bruins and had not won a Peninsula District opener in their past 18 tries. “This win just confirms that the program is taking the needed steps to change the culture and mindset of Menchville football,” Monarchs coach Rodney Taylor said.