HAMPTON — You’ll rarely find a coach less given to overconfidence or overstatement than Hampton High’s Woodrow Wilson. So, when Wilson looked over to the Phoebus sideline before Thursday’s game at Darling Stadium and said, “I think we’ve got something for them tonight,” it was telling.
The Crabbers backed up his word with a 43-7 rout of the Phantoms as unexpected in scope as it was (of late) rare. It was Hampton’s first win in the series in 11 meetings dating back to the 2016 season, when the Crabbers’ most recent was by an also one-sided 44-0.
Perhaps more important, the outcome set up a de facto showdown for the Peninsula District championship next Thursday at Darling between the Crabbers (6-1, 4-0), No. 12 in the 757Teamz Top 15, and No. 3 Warwick (5-2, 4-0), as the No. 7 Phantoms (3-3, 2-2) saw their eight-year string of PD titles end.
“I’m proud of my kids and know what they can do,” Wilson said afterward when asked about his pregame optimism.
What they did in short order in turning a “Great American Rivalry Series” selection into a blowout to begin the third quarter was impressive. Although they outplayed Phoebus in the first half, mistakes limited the Crabbers to a 16-7 halftime lead.
Mighty mite Casey Lassiter (94 yards rushing), listed at 5-foot-5, 140 pounds, broke the game open with a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 23-7 on the Crabbers’ second touch of the second half. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff., Lassiter, named the game MVP, forced a fumble at the end of Mhakyi Hill’s 19-yard reception.
Davion Perry scooped it up and ran 39 yards to give the Crabbers a 30-7 lead. Perry would add two interceptions to perhaps the worst half in a brilliant career for Phoebus junior quarterback Maurikus Banks, an Old Dominion recruit. Perry atoned for key first-half drop with a 22-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Chapman that made it 37-7 in the third quarter.
Banks’ best moment came late in the first half, when he completed passes of 21, 23 and 23 yards, the latter to Hill for a touchdown that cut the Crabbers’ lead to 16-7 at intermission. Hampton should’ve led by much more, but mistakes cost the Crabbers two would-be touchdowns early.
The first came on their first offensive touch, when Abraham Taft passed on a flanker reverse, only for a wide-open Perry to drop the ball on what surely would’ve been an 84-yard touchdown reception. Chapman (160 yards passing, two TDs) had an apparent 22-yard touchdown run, courtesy of a spin and juke, nullified by a hold.
But numerous penalties aside, the Crabbers were better from the start. They took an early 2-0 lead when Gavin Kay rushed Banks, forcing an intentional-grounding safety that gave the Crabbers the lead for good.
Their early dominance paid dividends on a 10-play, 71-yard touchdown drive culminating in Chapman’s 2-yard touchdown run and his jump-pass to the 6-foot-7 Kay for two points to make it 10-0 late in the first quarter.
Chapman’s completions of 23 yards to Lassiter and 57 yards to Montrell Harrison set up his 9-yard TD pass to the 6-4 Taft to make it 16-0. Although the Phantoms retaliated with the touchdown and hung tough through intermission, the night was almost all Hampton.
“We’ve been doing nothing but waiting on this moment to show them what we’ve got,” Perry said. “It means everything to win.”
