PATS’ COACH RESIGNS
City councilman Harris had guided Denbigh for 11 years
When Marcellus Harris III accepted the position as head football coach at Denbigh, his plan was to lead the program for a long time. By today’s standards, he achieved that goal with his 11 seasons at the helm, but consecutive winless seasons in 2017 and ’18 cut his tenure shorter than he would’ve liked.
Harris, a counselor at Denbigh and a Newport News city councilman, said Friday that he resigned recently as the Patriots’ coach. His teams went 33-81 — the highlight being the 2013 season, when he guided the Patriots to an 8-4 mark and the only regional playoff victory in school history.
But the Patriots, who scored a school-record 432 points in 2013, struggled the past two seasons, going 0-10 in each and scoring a total of just 88 points. The closest they came to winning this past season was a 34-33 loss to playoff-bound Gloucester, which secured the win with a 94-yard kickoff return in the final 41 seconds.
“It was a mutual decision between the athletic director, administration and myself,” Harris said of his departure from the football program. “We thought it was probably best to go in another direction.”
Harris said he plans to stay in education and coaching.
“I became a school counselor because education is my passion,” he said. “Coaching is also my passion, my ministry so to speak, and I use football to enhance young people through a sport they’re passionate about.”
Harris was a standout football player for erstwhile Newport News school Ferguson. He went on to play for East Carolina University and, after participating
in training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
Harris called the Patriots’ players a “good group of kids” and hopes the new coach can build a strong support system and winning program for them.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Harris, for the time and dedication he gave the Denbigh football team,” Denbigh athletic director Bryan Weaver said. “He’s a man of character and good heart who treated our football program with respect.”
Three Peninsula District schools are in the process of hiring a new head coach: Bethel, Denbigh and Menchville.
All-state football
A total of nine Peninsula-area players received Virginia High School League all-state honors in Class 4 or Class 5 this week. Lafayette, which finished unbeaten for the fifth time in the past six regular seasons, led the way with five.
Lafayette offensive lineman Elijah Washington, a Hampton University commitment who helped the Rams routinely gain more than 300 yards a game on the ground, was selected to the Class 4 first-team offense. Rams linebacker Trey Canady, who made 146 tackles, and defensive back Mike Rodgers, who nabbed six interceptions and broke up 17 passes, were picked to the first-team defense.
Rams center Ed Coombs, perfect on shotgun snaps this season, made the second-team offense, while teammate Kristian Wilkerson, who had nine sacks and 16 quarterback hurries, was also voted to the second team. Warhill punter Fletcher Whalen, who averaged 40.3 yards per punt, joined them on the second team.
Kecoughtan back Jonathan Melvin was the lone area player to make the Class 5 all-state first team. He ran for 1,112 yards and 14 touchdowns and threw for 350 yards for the playoff-bound Warriors to land the all-purpose offensive spot.
Chandler Perry, a two-way lineman for the Kecoughtan team that reached the Class 5 Region A playoffs, made the all-state offensive line. Bethel sophomore Isaiah Smith, a key receiver and blocker for the Bruins, made the Class 5 all-state
second team at tight end.
Basketball showcases
Six Peninsula-area teams, five of them from the Peninsula District, will participate in boys basketball showcases Saturday. Three are entered in the Martin Luther King Classic at Booker T. Washington High in Norfolk, and the other three will play in the 11th annual VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic’s first session at Green Run High in Virginia Beach.
In the Virginia Preps event, Grafton faces Norfolk Academy at 11 a.m., Menchville plays Oscar Smith at 5 p.m. and Woodside meets Green Run at 6:40. The Menchville-Oscar Smith and Woodside-Green Run game times were changed because the threat of snow north of Hampton Roads prompted some teams not to travel.
The MLK event includes Lake Taylor-Denbigh at 1:30 p.m., Booker T. Washington-Bethel at 6 and Maury-Phoebus at 7:30 in the marquee matchup of the day. Phoebus is ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 2, and Maury is No. 2 in Class 5.
Basketball updates
Peninsula District boys: Phoebus (9-2 overall, 8-1 district) and Menchville (9-2, 8-1) were tied for first going into Friday’s games, with Kecoughtan (8-5, 7-2) and Woodside (7-5, 6-3) close behind.
Phoebus’ Khyree Temple (17.0 points per game) was the district’s leading scorer, followed by Hampton’s Zaiyen Chapman (16.5) and Denbigh teammates Raekwon Britt (15.9) and JaKari Wilkins (15.8).
Peninsula District girls: Hampton (10-2, 8-0) held a two-game lead over Bethel (7-4, 6-2) at the halfway point (PD girls play 16 district games this season) and appears well on its way to defending its crown.
Phoebus’ May Sharif (23.4 ppg) is the district’s leading scorer, followed by Hampton teammates Jayla Hearp (17.9) and Cierra Bell (16.5).
Bay Rivers District boys: Grafton (9-2, 8-1), Tabb (9-2, 7-1) and Smithfield (8-3, 7-1) are in a tight battle. Smithfield’s Tory Robertson (18.2 ppg), Tabb’s Nick Thomas (18.0) and Grafton’s Brandon Bomboy (17.1) have been among the district’s top scorers all season.
Bay Rivers District girls: The leaders are Jamestown (12-3, 10-1 district), Warhill (10-2, 9-2), Smithfield (10-4, 8-3) and Lafayette (11-3, 7-3). Jamestown’s Annette O’Leary is scoring about 18 points per game and Lafayette’s McKenna Eddings 16 per game. Warhill’s Te’Daizhua Jones and Tyra Fannin are scoring about 15 points per game.