Football: News and notes from Hampton Roads

Big showdown: No. 1 vs. No. 2

OSCAR SMITH (7-1) visits Grassfield (8-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in a rarity: No. 1 vs. No. 2 during the regular season. Both teams are 7-0 in the Southeastern District. Oscar Smith, ranked No. 1 in South Hampton Roads, has won 44 consecutive Southeastern District games and at least a share of the past seven district titles. Grassfield opened in 2007 and is 0-5 against the Tigers.

But the Grizzlies have played Oscar Smith consistently closer than any other team during the past two seasons. Oscar Smith won 28-10 last season and 7-3 and 28-21 in 2009. The Tigers’ seven-point win in ’09 came in the Eastern Region Division 6 semifinals.

Additional bleachers will be added to the Grassfield end zone to accommodate what is expected to be a large crowd. Both schools are selling tickets today through Friday from noon to 2 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children through fifth grade.

Gates open Friday at 5 p.m.

He said it

“They were playing man-to-man and we have athletes, so I just asked (coach Larry Archie) to open up the playbook.” - Norcom QB DaQuan Saunders, who completed all five of his second-half passes – for 98 yards and two touchdowns – in a 27-14 victory over Norview. The Greyhounds trailed 14-0 in the first quarter.

Lakeland’s basic plan worked perfectly

Lakeland’s game plan was simple during Friday’s key Southeastern District game against Great Bridge.

On more than three-fourths of their 55 plays, the Cavaliers’ offense consisted of QB Raekwon Johnson throwing a screen pass to Anaquan Peterson, or faking the throw and taking off in the opposite direction.

The only question was whether the Wildcats could stop it.

The answer was as clear as the plan: No.

“We were going to keep running that until they stopped us,” Johnson said. “And it kept working for us.”

Johnson, a converted running back, finished with 410 all-purpose yards in the Cavaliers’ 54-41 victory. He ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more. Peterson had six catches for 93 yards.

By the numbers

52: Consecutive games won by Phoebus – a state record – before Friday’s 14-9 loss to Woodside. The Wolverines, the Peninsula District’s only unbeaten team, are No. 1 in the latest Eastern Region Division 6 power ratings. Oscar Smith is No. 2.

– Lee Tolliver, Chris Carlson and Jami Frankenberry

South Hampton Roads top 10

The Virginian-Pilot’s South Hampton Roads high school football poll, as voted upon by Pilot football staffers Jami Frankenberry, Larry Rubama, Lee Tolliver, Chris Carlson, Ray Nimmo and Paul Eldert (first-place votes in parentheses, followed by record, voting points and previous rank):

1. Oscar Smith (4); 7-1; 58; 1

2. Grassfield (2); 8-0; 56; 2

3. Ocean Lakes; 7-1; 48; 3

4. Salem; 7-1; 40; 4  

5. Lake Taylor; 6-1; 34; 6 

6. Norcom; 7-1; 32; 5

7. Bayside; 7-2; 24; 7 

8. Lakeland; 6-2; 16; 9 

9. Landstown; 6-2; 15; 8

10. Cox; 5-3; 3; – 

Dropped out: Great Bridge (5-3).

Also receiving votes: Norfolk Christian 2, Great Bridge 1, Hickory 1.