VIRGINIA BEACH — Following a loss to Green Run that he felt should have been a victory, Kempsville coach Daryl Cherry said his team needed to figure out its identity.
The No. 12 Chiefs responded Friday night with 41-12 thumping over host Landstown. Kempsville was led by junior tailback Robert Hughes Jr., who rumbled for four touchdowns.
“We were trying to work some things out,” Cherry said. “Trying to figure out who we are on defense, who we are on offense. We had a tough loss last week, and when you have a loss like that — an emotional loss — you’ve got to get back to playing football and just go try to go 1-0 each week.”
Kempsville (3-3) fended off two Eagles scoring opportunities in the first quarter, blocking a 28-yard field-goal attempt following an 11-play opening drive. On Landstown’s ensuing possession, Kempsville cornerback Jahlen Batty hauled in an interception in the end zone on a threatening pass by Anthony Turner.
Hughes capped an eight-play drive to open the scoring with an 11-yard dash for the Chiefs to start the second quarter. Turner pulled Landstown to 7-6, hooking up with Aiden Ross for a 21-yard touchdown strike, but the extra-point kick sailed wide.
The following kickoff provided near-heroics as Batty busted through the heart of the Landstown coverage for a 75-yard return into the end zone, but offsetting penalties resulted in a retaken kickoff. Three plays later, Hughes burst down the left sideline 51 yards to give the Chiefs a 14-6 cushion with a little more than three minutes remaining until halftime.
Turner then steered Landstown (2-4) down the field on a nine-play drive, punctuated with a 4-yard TD throw to Zion Mullen. After a failed two-point attempt, the Eagles trailed 14-12 at the break.
Turner finished 14-for-22 passing for 206 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the opening half.
“I told them the biggest thing is to just keep grinding because right now we’re making little mistakes,” Cherry said of his halftime talk. “But how are we going to perform in the second half? Last week, we didn’t perform in the second half. So, I asked them, what kind of team do you want to be in the second half?
“They said, ‘Coach, we want to come out here and dominate.’ So, all right — we can’t talk it, we’ve got to show it.”
His team responded by reeling off 27 unanswered points, beginning less than three minutes into the third quarter when QB Josh Hawley connected with Aushawn Miles for a 19-yard scoring pass. Less than two minutes into the fourth, Camir Croom sped through the Eagles’ coverage for a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown.
“Everybody on offense is a playmaker,” said Hughes, who added a pair of late fourth-quarter TD runs. “We just came out in the second half and did what we (were) supposed to do in the first half.”
He finished with 132 yards on 16 carries.
“Nothing without my line,” Hughes said. “I’m grateful for them. This performance is not possible without them.”
The Chiefs limited their opponents to 5 total yards in the second half.
“It was a slow start, but the guys finished strong,” Cherry said. “We’re trying to work on being a first- and second-half team — today we were able to play a complete game.”
Added Hughes: “We’re going to keep working and get back to the basics. We’ve got Ocean Lakes next week.”
