If the season ended today ...

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY ... With one week remaining in the regular season, here’s a look at VHSL power ratings in both divisions in the Eastern Region. ____

Division 6

1. Oscar Smith 31.7

2t. Bayside 30.7

2t. Woodside 30.7

4. Grassfield 27.8

5. Landstown 27.1

6. Cox 26.8

7. Maury 26.7

8. Kempsville 25.8

Keep in mind: Salem and First Colonial are on the outside looking in. The SunDevils play Tallwood and FC plays Cox.

Most intriguing possible match-up: Woodside’s wing-T offense vs. Cox’s option attack.

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Division 5

1. Phoebus 32.0

2. Lake Taylor 28.6

3. Great Bridge 28.3

4. Churchland 27.7

5. Norcom 27.4

6. Hampton 27.1

7. Bethel 25.3

8. Lakeland 25.2

Keep in mind: Booker T. Washington is on the outside looking in, but the Bookers would gain some major points with a victory over Norcom on Friday.

Most intriguing possible match-up: A wounded Hampton team – with three losses vs. Great Bridge’s high-flying offense.

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Ocean Lakes 35, Cox 34

Thourogood, DiNardo lead the way

While there were dozens of other players involved in Ocean Lakes’ 35-34 overtime win over Cox Friday night, it was impossible not to be riveted to the performances of the teams’ quarterbacks.

The Dolphins’ Lafonte Thourogood and the Falcons’ D.J. DiNardo put on a duel for the ages ... and not with their passing. Operating from completely different styles of offenses, they combined for 359 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

Thourogood, a junior running a no-huddle offense out of the shotgun, had 184 yards and four TDs on 19 carries, while DiNardo, a senior, gained 175 yards and scored three TDs on 29 carries from an option offense.

Thourogood was seemingly a step away from breaking a touchdown on every carry. While three of his scores came from 1 yard out, his 57-yard burst in the third quarter typified how dangerous he was.

The play started as a keeper up the middle on third-and-1. Thourogood appeared to be stuffed at the line of scrimmage, but plowed through several Cox defenders, broke free, then raced away from the Falcons.

DiNardo was nearly unstoppable in his own way. His timing, balance and decision-making on the option resulted in him making tough gains in short-yardage situations and enabled him to rip off runs of 14, 48, 13 and 15 yards against one of the area’s top defenses.

Ocean Lakes coach Chris Scott raved about his quarterback after the game.

“There is not a better leader when the game is on the line than Lafonte Thourogood and he proved that tonight,” Scott said. “He fought for every single inch and every single yard.

“He’s our leader and he carried us.”

But Scott also had high praise for DiNardo.

“Cox came to play tonight, they’re a playoff team with one of the best high school players around in D.J. DiNardo,” he said. “When I was a player here at Ocean Lakes and his father (Jimmy) was coaching me, D.J. was running around here and you just knew he was going to be a great player.

“He led them all night and kept making big plays, chewing up the clock and running the ball.”

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Never any doubt Cox would go for 2

In the overtime period of Friday night’s 35-34 loss to Ocean Lakes, 10th-ranked Cox scored on the very first possession. Rather than kick a point-after and sit back to see what the No. 2 Dolphins would do if they scored when they got the ball, Falcons coach Bill Stachelski went for the two-point conversion.

Cox ran an option play, with DiNardo pitching to Devaul Peterson around right end. Peterson was tackled short of the end zone.

Ocean Lakes responded with a 1-yard touchdown run by Thourogood. Willem Van Reesma then converted the PAT to break a 34-34 tie. End of upset bid.

Stachelski expects he’ll get some criticism for his gamble, but was convinced he did the right thing.

“As far as I know, we’ve never been in an overtime game,” he said. “We just figured if we could get them on the two-point play, we’d have a shot. We felt the longer it went in overtime, the less chance we’d have, just because of the offense they have.”

The logic was undeniable. Momentum had already swung in favor of the Dolphins, who were on their way to piling up 441 yards of total offense.

Ocean Lakes wiped out a 28-14 fourth-quarter deficit on a 16-yard TD run by Cameron Watson and a 10-play, 72-yard drive in the final three minutes that ended with Thourogood plowing in from the 1 for the tying touchdown with just 38 seconds left in regulation.

“If it was a bad call to go for the two points, then it is on us as coaches,” Stachelski said. “We had some success running that particular play. It was a pre-determined decision.”

The call was consistent with how Stachelski had approached the entire game as the Falcons took a number of risks in an attempt to offset the Dolphins’ superior talent.

In the first quarter, Cox converted a fourth-and-inches from the Ocean Lakes 6-yard line rather than attempt a chip-shot field goal. DiNardo picked up the first down with two yards on a quick snap. On the next play he scored from the 4.

Later in the period, Troy Ruediger ran 14 yards for a first down on a fake punt from the Cox 31. That led to 5-yard TD run by Peterson.

In the third quarter, with the Falcons up by 21-14, DiNardo bulled for three yards on fourth-and-1 from the Cox 39. ____

KEMPSVILLE 17, LANDSTOWN 16

Chiefs hold on for key victory

Landstown quickly drove to paydirt on its first drive after the opening kickoff. Jordan Broadnax scored on a right side 37 yard screen pass on fourth and nine, to take a 7-0 lead.

But the Kempsville defense impressively stepped up. Landstown was unable to reach midfield on its next six possessions.

Meanwhile, Kempsville failed to score on two excellent opportunities in the first half. Sam Hutcheson missed a 22 yard field goal and Travis Hughes lost a fumble on a first down play from the Landstown 35.

The Chiefs quickly tied the game on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, when Hughes broke loose for a 73 yard touchdown. Hughes broke two tackles five yads beyond the line of scrimmage, then broke into the open and outraced the Eagles defenders down the right sideline. The run lifted Hughes above the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season.

Kempsville then threatened to score on its next possession. However, the drive stalled at the Landstown 19 and Hutcheson again missed wide left, this time from 36 yards away..

But Hutcheson then came through with two big plays, starting with Kempsville’s next series. Taking over on its own 42 following a Landstown punt, the Chiefs drove to a first down on the Eagles 12. This time, though, when the drive stalled, Hutcheson was good on a 27 yard field goal. That gave the Chiefs a 10-7 lead with 11:55 remaining in the game.

Hutcheson’s second big play came on the kickoff, with a touchdown saving tackle of Antoine Staton on Landstown’s 46.

“Sam’s a tough kid,” said Chiefs head coach David Johnson. “Even after his two misses, we felt like he would have another opportunity because our defense was playing well and I was confident that we could go to him again.”

Landstown then threatened to take the lead, but the drive bogged down when Eagles quarterback Larry Joshua was taken out with an injury to his right leg. His replacement, Donte Sanders, was able to complete one pass for a first down to the Kempsville 24. But the drive bogged down from there and the Eagles’ 41 yard field goal attempt missed short.

Tanner Fiano then helped Kempsville clinch the win with two clutch plays on the next series. First, Fiano kept the drive alive with a 6 yard reception on third and five from the Landstown 44. Then, on second and 10 from the 38, Fiano took the handoff on the end around and raced 38 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown. That put Kempsville up, 17-7, with just 3:30 left.

“The play was designed to go to the left,” Fiano said. “But I saw the defense flowing that way, so I cut to the right. The blocks were perfect, I made a move to the right sideline and was able to break loose.”

Landstown then put together one last attempt to score and draw closer. But Kempsville took over on downs at the Chiefs 27 with 15 seconds left, on a fourth down incompletion.

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LAKE TAYLOR 28, NORCOM 24

A game to remember

Lake Taylor and Norcom will be talking about Friday's game for a long time.

Norcom dominated the game for three quarters but the Titans came roaring back to snatch it away.

"The kids don’t want to give the championship up yet," Lake Taylor coach Hank Sawyer said.

It was a complete team effort that included QB Kevin Swofford being pulled late in the third quarter in favor of a faster Stanley Walls.

But Swofford returned in the final minutes to score the game-winning touchdown.

"I knew I had to get that touchdown in order for us to win," he said. "We thought (running back Derrion Walton) was going to score on the pitch but he didn’t get in. So I had to run it in myself and I called the play. I had to do it because it was so open."

The Greyhounds must forget about that loss and regroup as they prepare for a Booker T. Washington team that has to win to advance the playoffs.

"It's tough to lose any game but we looked at this as a championship game," Norcom coach Larry Archie said. "But all we can do is pick it up from here and get a win next week against Booker T. and hopefully get into the playoffs. We've been fortunate enough to win seven games. We just didn't do it tonight."

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OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

Oscar Smith, Phoebus in the polls

Oscar Smith remained at No. 9 in both the ESPN and Rivals.com polls as the Tigers head into their final regular-season game of the season.

Phoebus moved up three spots in the ESPN poll and six spots in the Rivals.com poll to No. 31 and No. 54, respectively.

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Bruin's success was short-lived vs. Oscar Smith

Rebounding from an 0-3 start in dominant fashion, Western Branch outscored opponents 103-6 the three games headed into last week's road game against Oscar Smith.

So when the Bruins responded to Oscar Smith's opening score - a 3-yard Jaston George score that followed an 86-yard kickoff return from J.C. Coleman - with a touchdown drive of their own, it looked like Western Branch would give the Tigers all they could handle.

While Oscar Smith rebounded to roll over the Bruins 42-6, Western Branch's only scoring drive was a methodical and clock-draining.

But after the Tigers blocked Corey Geiger's point-after attempt, the night took a disastrous turn for Western Branch.

While Oscar Smith scored touchdowns on its next five possession, the Bruins' longest drive amounted to 39 yards. Each of Western Branch's non-scoring drives, which averaged just 19.8 yards per possession, ended with either a punt or a turnover.

- Compiled by staffers Jami Frankenberry, Chic Riebel and Larry Rubama and correspondents John Streit and Dan Coole