Granby’s turnaround continues with rout of No. 14 Lake Taylor

In the shocker of Friday night’s games, Granby dismantled No. 14 Lake Taylor 41-2 in a game that included a combined 216 penalty yards.

It was a 180-degree turn for both programs compared to last season.

The Comets, who have made the area’s most dramatic improvement this year under first-year coach Kendal Jefferson, improved to 5-1 after going 0-9 without an offensive point in 2022. The Titans, with longtime coach Hank Sawyer and state championship pedigree, fell to 2-4 after their 11-2 finish last year.

Christian Post threw three touchdown passes, and Taevon Ricks, Drevyon Tharrington and Damon Cuffee each scored two TDs.

Granby took control with three touchdowns in about three minutes late in the first quarter, and the Comets’ defense held Lake Taylor to 94 yards.

Ricks’ 24-yard catch capped a four-play, 52-yard drive for the first points. After Lake Taylor went three-and-out, each team lost a fumble, but the Titans yielded theirs at their 4-yard line. Tharrington scored from there, making it 14-0.

After Lake Taylor fumbled away a handoff, Granby capitalized on Post’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Cuffee. Those two then connected for a 38-yard score in the second quarter.

Two touchdown receptions in the second half — Tharrington’s from Ricks for 28 yards and Ricks’ 16-yarder from Sincere Bullock — closed Granby’s scoring. Brock Johnson made all four of his PAT kicks.

Lake Taylor’s only two points came when the Comets snapped the ball too high and out of the end zone in punt formation for a safety in the third quarter.

Cuffee had three catches for 101 yards. Post was 6 of 14 for 175 yards — about 29 yards per completion. Tharrington ran for 50 yards on 10 tries.

Titans quarterback Jamir “Sporty” Freeman, back from a three-game disciplinary sanction, had 28 yards on 18 carries. He completed only 5 of 23 passes for 50 yards. Granby’s Shaineek Wright intercepted him twice.

— Reported by Charlie Baumgardner

#757Teamz Co-MVPs

Quarterbacks need good receivers and good receivers need quarterbacks. It’s the reciprocal relationship that makes a passing game work.

No. 3 Green Run’s duo had it working Friday night. Co-MVPs K’Saan Farrar and Jayden Anderson combined for three touchdowns as Green Run defeated Bayside 28-14. Anderson caught a 44-yard touchdown reception from Farrar in the first quarter. The pair hooked up for a 65-yard strike in the second quarter. In the third quarter, they broke a 14-14 tie with a 19-yard touchdown pass. Farrar added a final touchdown pass to Keylen Adams in the fourth quarter.

He said it

“Before the first half ended, we ran that same exact play and I threw an interception. (The second time), I knew the second post was going to be wide open and Travis finished the job.”

– Oscar Smith quarterback Lonnie Andrews III on his game-winning touchdown pass to Travis Johnson against Indian River

Storylines

Kempsville stops Landstown: The Chiefs used a 94-yard kickoff return as a spark and dominated Landstown 48-7 at Kempsville.

After Landstown cut the lead to 13-7 midway through the first quarter, Ryley McIntosh took the ensuing kickoff at the 6-yard line and returned it for a touchdown.

The Chiefs forced a punt and started moving the ball. On third down at the Eagles’ 38, Cade Eidson was scrambling to the left and fired a deep pass that ended up in the hands of Sawyer Whitmore for a touchdown.

Ty’jae Curtis finished with four touchdowns. Eidson threw two touchdown passes, including a 63-yarder to Xavier Clark.

Avir Johnson caught a 5-yard pass from Zack Ruello for Landstown’s lone score.

Menchville making run toward playoffs:

The Monarchs scored two touchdowns before the half and defeated Woodside 26-7 at

Todd Stadium.

Amir Harrison rushed for touchdowns of about 40 and 15 yards before the half, giving Menchville a 20-7 lead.

Jah’Bhyrant Briggs had a 28-yard touchdown run for the only score in the second half.

Ja’mere Librun-Peterson opened the scoring in the first quarter when he returned a Woodside fumble 5 yards into the end zone. But on the ensuing kickoff, Jaron Crittenden returned the ball 86 yards for a touchdown for Woodside’s only score.

Obedjae Policarpio and Briggs both intercepted passes for the Monarchs.

Ocean Lakes dominates in second half: The Dolphins scored 23 unanswered points after halftime en route to a 30-7 victory at home over Princess Anne.

The Dolphins (4-3) have won three straight games.

RJ Gatling, who scored Ocean Lakes’ first touchdown on an 8-yard run, broke a 7-7 tie in the third quarter on a 4-yard touchdown run. The Dolphins broke the game open when Sin’Cere Bracey went off tackle for a 97-yard touchdown run. After Austin Cox’s 37-yard field goal, Ocean Lakes capped the scoring with a Devin McGill 20-yard touchdown catch from Noah Colon.

AJ Martin scored on a 43-yard touchdown run for the Cavaliers (0-7).

Bruins have monstrous second half: Bethel scored 41 secondhalf points en route to a 51-7 victory over Gloucester at Darling Stadium.

Victor Romain returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. Amari Pryear had three touchdowns for the Bruins. Avion Pryear had a pick-six for Bethel. Christopher Stephens scored on a short pass from Adon Chenault.

Will Turner scored on a catchand-run play for the Dukes’ only touchdown.

Kellam wins Beach thriller: Luke Ashcraft threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Ellis with 2 seconds left to give Kellam a 28-26 homecoming victory over Tallwood. The pass was tipped four times in the end zone, but Ellis emerged with it to send the Knights into celebration and the Lions (3-3) into frustration.

The Knights (3-3) have won back-to-back games by two points after a one-point loss to Ocean Lakes.

Extra points

„ Deep Creek climbed to .500 with a 28-7 victory over Chesapeake rival Western Branch. The Hornets (3-3) have won three of their past four games, while the Bruins fell to 2-4.

„ Trailing by seven at halftime, Smithfield held Grafton to a field goal in the second half and went on to gain a 28-23 Bay Rivers District victory at home over the Clippers. That left both teams at 3-3. Grafton’s Jaden Brown scored two touchdowns, including a 90-yard kickoff return. But the Clippers couldn’t answer sufficiently when the Packers achieved a TD apiece in the third and fourth quarters.

„ Portsmouth Christian’s Collins Redd scored three touchdowns, rushed for 189 yards and blocked an extra-point attempt ina 28-26 non-conference victory over Nandua, an Eastern Shore public school located in Onley.

„ Top-ranked Maury and No. 5 King ’s Fork stayed unbeaten with blowout victories. The nationally ranked Commodores (6-0) blanked Manor 83-0, and the Bulldogs (6-0) topped Grassfield 68-21.