Thursday night football highlights: Late 70-yard INT return sparks No. 7 Salem in victory over Kempsville
Isaiah Lovgren broke a tie with a 70-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter Thursday night, propelling No. 7 Salem to a 28-14 Beach District victory at Kempsville in the season opener for both teams.
The SunDevils’ Willie Moore gained 166 yards on 20 carries, including a 22-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to virtually seal the victory.
The teams went back and fourth in the first quarter, combining for 266 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
Tyron Kellam’s 40-yard touchdown run on a pitchout and Max Clatterbuck’s first PAT gave the Chiefs a 7-0 lead. But Salem quarterback Jason “Scooter” Williams ran for a 70-yard first-quarter touchdown, cutting the lead to 7-6.
Christopher (C.J.) Spence threw a 32-yard TD pass to James Releford, and Clatterbuck’s second point-after made it 14-6. But the SunDevils replied with a drive, and Williams’ 1-yard keeper and 2-point conversion pass to Kasir Patterson pulled Salem even at 14.
The teams combined for 101 yards of offense in a scoreless second quarter.
Kempsville, which alternated two quarterbacks, finished a scoreless third quarter with a second-and-6 at the Salem 23. But Salem pressured Josh Hawley, who threw toward the middle of the field. Lovgren grabbed the pass at the 30 and scored untouched.
After Kempsville went three-and-out, Moore ran 7, 24 and 22 yards on successive plays to give Salem a two-touchdown edge.
Williams had 67 yards on seven rushes. For Kempsville, Robert Hughes ran 23 times for 74 yards and Releford made three catches for 58 yards.
— Reported by Charlie Baumgardner
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He said it
“It’s all about adjustments. We had some first-game jitters for the guys. We went into halftime, made some adjustments and pitched a shutout in the second half.” — Salem coach Mark Hall III.
Storylines
Braves rally on the road: Indian River scored on a 63-yard pass play with 1:23 left in regulation, then stopped a fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line in the second overtime for a 37-31 victory at Varina.
The Blue Devils, ranked among the Richmond area’s top four teams in a pair of polls, led 15-7 at halftime and were in front 24-17 when the Braves recovered a fumble with 2:55 left in regulation. Each team scored in the first overtime and Indian River scored again to start the second OT before sealing the victory on the fourth-down stop.
Indian River avenged a 13-0 home loss to Varina last season.
Crabbers win in OT: Casey Lassiter’s 10-yard touchdown run on Hampton’s first offensive play of the second overtime gave the Crabbers a 25-19 victory over Woodside at Darling Stadium.
Hampton scored first in the first overtime, taking a 19-13 lead on quarterback Marcus Chapman’s 1-yard run. But the extra-point try was no good because of a bad snap.
The Wolverines tied the game at 19 on Tayshawn Campbell’s 7-yard touchdown run. But the second overtime ensued when the Crabbers blocked the extra-point attempt.
Bruins’ ‘D’ stands up: Jaemarree Parker scored two touchdowns and the Western Branch defense pitched a shutout against Menchville in a 28-0 victory at Todd Stadium. Parker scored in each half and Derrick Cook tossed a touchdown pass and Ky’Nique Baines added a rushing score.
The Bruins led 13-0 at halftime.
Marlins’ QB shines: Ethen Doscher threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in Bayside’s 50-0 victory Princess Anne.
Doscher tossed scores of 14 (Tychaun Clark), 40 (Seven Washington), 8 (J’Lahni Spears) and 14 yards (Halim Hardnett), and Jadon Hines added a 61-yard interception return as the Marlins scored 48 points in the second and third quarters.
Amir Lyde and Zavion Guidry added rushing touchdowns of 7 and 8 yards, respectively.
Extra points
Luke Ashcraft threw two touchdown passes to Gunnar Austin, and Dawson Fisher, Tristan Arvizo and Dayvon Williams-Rodriguez each ran for a score in Kellam’s 34-14 victory over First Colonial.
Norcom used a pair of 19-point spurts to dispatch Grafton 46-14. The Greyhounds led 19-0 three minutes into the second quarter, and after the Clippers pulled within 27-14, Norcom scored the game’s final 19 points.
Gloucester scored a touchdown in each half and turned in a sterling defensive effort in a 13-2 victory at home over Kecoughtan. The Dukes — winner of three games last season and one in 2022 — had not held a team out of the end zone since 2021.
Thursday night’s scores
757Teamz Top 15
#5 Green Run 54, Tallwood 0
#7 Salem 28, Kempsville 14
#8 Indian River 37, Varina 31 (2 OT)
#11 Cox 38, Landstown 0
Beach District
Bayside 50, Princess Anne 0
Kellam 34, First Colonial 14
Peninsula District
Gloucester 13, Kecoughtan 2
Hampton 25, Woodside 19 (OT)
Non-district
Deep Creek 22, Currituck County (N.C.) 3
Norcom 46, Grafton 14
Nottoway 41, Jamestown 18
Southampton 38, Colonial Heights 35
Warhill 68, Manor 0
Western Branch 28, Menchville 0
Windsor 35, Arcadia 27
Northumberland 36, Surry County 6
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