Heritage rides Gurley’s ‘shirttails,’ joins Peninsula trio in region finals
Heritage coach Scott Woodlief knows plenty about quarterbacks. A QB in his playing days for Hampton and Kecoughtan, Woodlief has seen his signal-caller, Derrick Gurley Jr., become the hottest on the Peninsula at the moment.
So here’s Woodlief ’s assessment of the position as four Peninsula schools prepare to vie for two region championships today:
“When you’re a quarterback, you’re going to get the good and bad of it,” he said. “When you’re winning, everyone is riding your shirttails, and when you’re losing, you’re not doing enough.”
Gurley is doing plenty these days for Heritage (7-5), which plays Lafayette (10-2) and surging quarterback Hayden Oleksy for the Class 3 Region A title at 1 p.m. at Wanner Stadium.
Liam Francisque has arguably been the best quarterback on the Peninsula this season. He leads Warhill (12-0) into a battle of unbeatens with Phoebus (12-0) for the Class 4 Region A championship at noon at Darling Stadium.
Phoebus will turn to freshman Maurikus Banks, who will be starting for the first time in high school because senior Adonis Stowers injured an ankle in the Phantoms’ 56-8 win over Hampton
a week ago in the region semis.
DerrickGurleyJr.,Heritage: Gurley is a four-year starter for Heritage who never quite achieved stardom during
acareerthatincludestheequivalent of a full missed season because of the COVID stoppage and a shooting at the school. He is making up for it in a big way during the Hurricanes’ six-game win streak.
In the No. 5-seeded Hurricanes’ playoff victories of 44-14 over No. 4 Grafton and 23-6 at No. 1 Hopewell, Gurley, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound senior, has passed for 262 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 239 yards and a score.
Inserted late in the season at safety — and on the punt-coverage and kickoff-return teams — he has netted 28 tackles in the past two games.
“People might question playing your quarterback so much, but right now we’re in a position where we need Derrick Gurley on the field all of the time,” Woodlief said. “He’s very emotional and I think playing defense gets rid of that extra adrenaline.”
Athletic receivers Sterling Anderson (39 receptions, 781 yards, seven TDs) and Zach Ray (29 receptions, 533 yards, five TDs), with whom Gurley (1,513 yards passing, 14 TDs) has developed strong chemistry, no doubt agree. Woodlief said Gurley is not a 4.5-second 40-yard dash speedster, but has “enough speed to get the job done” with his terrific arm.
“I really think he’s the only quarterback in the Peninsula District with a strong enough arm to keep up with Sterling Anderson’s speed,” Woodlief said. “He’s finally coming into his own.
“We’re riding Derrick Gurley’s shirttails right now and he’s taking us to the next level.”
Hayden Oleksy, Lafayette:
Oleksy, a 6-1, 160-pound senior, doesn’t have the passing numbers through 12 games this season (1,180 yards) like he did in 2022 (1,500 yards), but he hasn’t had a receiver the caliber of Old Dominion recruit Jaylen Pretlow. Since the return of Elijah Matthews, out half the season with an injury, Olesky’s numbers are on the rise.
He threw for 102 yards in a 41-7 win over Lake Taylor in the region semifinals, with touchdowns of 23 yards to Matthews and 38 yards to Nazeer Wolmart. In the Rams’ run-oriented Wing-T attack, passing yards are mostly a bonus, and coach Andy Linn lauds Oleksy for bringing everything necessary to the offense.
“He understands our system, he protects the ball and he’s a good runner,” Linn said. “He might not have a cannon or thread the needle with his passes, but he always puts the ball where it needs to be.”
Gurley might be the hottest Peninsula QB, but Francisque has been that area’s most prolific in 2023. He completed 67% of his passes in the regular season, when he threw for 2,037 yards and 25 scores with just five interceptions.
Those are extraordinary numbers for a player who had never played quarterback on the high school level, starring previously
Liam Francisque, Warhill:
as a safety (where he made all-state) and running back. Lions coach Jerome Rhodes said Francisque’s willingness to change and grow has been the key.
“The surprise is that Liam has taken to (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Todd Price’s coaching, has remained patient as a passer and not reverted to running often,” Rhodes said. “Liam is very physical, and we were concerned he might try to play quarterback that way and try to run over people.
“But he has shown the patience to read plays, make a variety of passes and has developed a great chemistry with his close friend, Taylen Eady,” a wide receiver who had 752 yards receiving and 12 TDs in the regular season.
With Stowers sidelined for the remainder of the season by the ankle injury, the Phantoms are breaking in a new starting quarterback deep into the playoffs for a second consecutive year. But in a little more than two quarters against Hampton, Banks, 6-0 and 188 pounds, completed 5 of 7 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns while scrambling for a 22-yard touchdown.
“He’s not afraid of the moment,” Phoebus coach Jeremy Blunt said. “He’s poised in the pocket, understands our system and has the ability to use his feet.
“He has a bright future.”