Friday football: No. 6 Bayside 28, No. 3 Cox 9

By John Streit

Special to The Virginian-Pilot

VIRGINIA BEACH

Severin Rucker broke loose down the left sideline, high-stepping at full speed to stay inbounds as the Cox running back sneaked past the pylon for a 32-yard touchdown run.

The past two Fridays, an electrifying, late fourth-quarter play like this would have been a crucial boost for the Beach District’s comeback kids.

But this Friday, the big gain went down as the Falcons’ only touchdown against No. 6 Bayside, which engineered another upset to down the third-ranked Falcons 28-9 at Cox High School.

Bayside’s defense set the tone.

The unit applied intense pressure to Cox quarterbacks DJ DiNardo and Troy Ruediger, who were sacked two times each and combined to complete just three passes for 41 yards. Bayside (2-0 Beach and overall) held Cox, which rallied to beat Kellam and Green Run to open the season, to just 182 total yards.

“DiNardo makes things happen for him, so we really tried to get the ball out of his hands and get it to someone else,” said Bayside coach Darnell Moore, whose team toppled Green Run in its opener.

Bayside also forced four fumbles, one of which led to its opening score.

Devaul Peterson lost the ball at his own 34-yard line, and linebacker Henry Coley recovered. After eight plays, freshman quarterback Deon Stitt scored on a 1-yard scamper to give Bayside the lead for good.

Stitt, making his first start, went 11 for 16 passing for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His favorite target was junior Demetrious Nicholson, who caught four passes for 121 yards.

“Tonight, we proved we were so hungry,” said Lamar Jordan, who rushed for 103 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. “We’re very confident, but we’re not getting big-headed.”