Bayside stuns G. Run behind freshman QB

By John Streit Correspondent

VIRGINIA BEACH

Deion Stitt was supposed to be merely a player in Green Run's Dejor Simmons show.

Bayside's freshman quarterback took his first snaps for a team picked to finish sixth in the Beach District, where the Stallions are among the favorites.

Poised in the pocket and featuring a strong, accurate arm, Stitt led the Marlins to three unanswered touchdowns Friday night, stunning No. 4 Green Run 21-17 at Green Run High School.

"You got to be focused. You got to play it like you played it before, even though it was my first game," said Stitt, who replaced starter Leonard Mitchell after the Marlins' second series.

"I was kind of scared in the beginning, but after the kickoff it was like a regular game. You just got to play."

Stitt was as methodical as he was efficient, burning the Stallions secondary for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He was 9 for 11.

His favorite target was wideout Anthony Cooper, who reeled in Stitts' 60-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to give Bayside its first points.

Cooper's 15-yard reception with 3:59 left in the fourth proved to be the game-winning score.

"I have a lot of confidence in (Stitt)," Bayside coach Darnell Moore said. "We have a lot of things to work on, but he's going to give you the best he can every time.

"He's a smart kid."

But before Stitt and Cooper's first connection, Bayside's offense looked listless as its defense did little to stop Simmons.

Before that pass, the Marlins mustered only 18 first-half yards while Simmons amassed 139 yards on 10 carries.

Simmons struck first after breaking off a 52-yard run that set up his 1-yard score just

2:36 into the game. After Charles Smith's 35-yard field goal, Simmons broke through the belly of Bayside's defensive line for a 46-yard score that made it 17-0.

But Bayside capped a clock-eating, 67-yard drive to open the second half with a Lamar Jordan touchdown run that cut Green Run's lead to 17-14.

An offense that once looked unstoppable suddenly looked one-dimensional and sloppy as penalties continually stifled Green Run's rhythm.

Simmons went all but silent in the second half, rushing for just 46 yards on 10 carries.

"We had to make the adjustments," Moore said.

"We were running a zone scheme and letting (Simmons) cut back. (In the second half) we slanted a guy into the gap and brought another from the outside, so that took care of that."