Despite being played three days late, Monday’s game between Bruton and Tabb lived up to its billing.
The Panthers put up a good fight on the road, but the Tigers were able withstand big plays from Bruton’s special teams unit during a 31-20 win at home.
Bruton’s offense struggled to get rolling Monday evening, but the Panthers were picked up by a pair of big-time punt returns.
The Panthers opened the scoring as Danjie Taylor caught a Stanley Henderson punt and took it 22 yards for a touchdown with 7:02 left in the first quarter.
About three minutes later, Tabb responded as quarterback Wil Marks connected with Leon Souther for a 45-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-6 lead.
Henderson, who has been near automatic for the Tigers, added a 28-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the first quarter as Tabb led 10-6.
Just as the Panthers started the first quarter, Bruton started the second quarter with another big special teams play. This time, Jalen Carr fielded a punt and took it 59 yards to the house to put the Panthers on top 13-10 with 7:59 left in the opening half.
Tabb retook the lead from Bruton with 2:30 left to play in the first half as Rodney Haggins scored on a 5-yard run. However, Tabb’s lead was short-lived as Bruton’s Daniel Jones responded with a 54-yard touchdown run to put Bruton up 20-17 with just over a minute left in the first half.
The Panthers entered the half leading by three points, but were unable to break big plays in the second half.
A quarterback change in the second half provided a spark for Tabb. Alec Kurek entered the game and hit Tyson Jackson for an 18-yard touchdown that put Tabb on top again 24-20 with 4:02 left in the third quarter.
Haggins secured the game for Tabb with an 11-yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the game, giving the Tigers a 31-20 win.
Tabb (3-2) will look to win back-to-back games for the second time this season when the Tigers host Smithfield on Saturday.
Bruton (1-4), meanwhile, is looking to snap a four-game losing streak. While the Panthers have struggled for wins, they have been competitive in almost every game.
The Panthers will host York on Friday in hopes of reversing their losing ways.
Bruton: 6 14 0 0 – 20
Tabb: 10 7 7 7 – 31
First Quarter
B: Taylor 22 punt return (kick blocked), 6-0
T: Souther 45 pass from Marks (Henderson kick), 7-6
T: Henderson FG 28, 10-6
Second Quarter
B: Carr 59 punt return (Malik kick), 13-10
T: Haggins 5 run (Henderson kick), 17-13
B: Jones 54 run (Malik kick), 20-17
Third Quarter
T: Jackson 18 pass from Kurek (Henderson kick), 24-20
Fourth Quarter
T: Haggins 11 run (Henderson kick), 31-20
Bruton; Tabb
First downs: 9; 11
Rushes-yards: 30-124; 40-133
Comp-att-int: 5-11-0; 4-9-1
Passing yards: 64; 135
Fumbles-lost: 2-2; 0-0
Penalties-yards: 4-25; 5-25
Bruton: Daniel Jones (12 car, 97 yards, TD), Jalen Carr (1 rec, 32 yards, 59-yard punt return TD), Ian Gruver (10 tackles, 2 TFL)
Tabb: Rodney Haggins (18 car, 77 yards, 2 TDs), Stanley Henderson (1/1 FG, 4/4 XP)
Hampton Roads Academy dropped its third consecutive game since losing starting quarterback Bryan Hart to a broken hand.
The Navigators saw their 10-7 advantage fade away as Norfolk Academy reeled off 30 consecutive points en route to a 37-10 victory at Lester Grace Field at HRA.
HRA played even with Norfolk Academy in the first half, which ended 7-7. The second half was dominated by Norfolk Academy, however.
Scott Ferguson connected on a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter to give HRA a 10-7 lead that would be carried into the half.
Norfolk Academy’s Landon Porter returned the opening kickoff of the second half 88 yards for a touchdown. On their next possession, the Bulldogs capped off a 64-yard touchdown drive thanks to a Michael Frazier touchdown. The two-point conversion gave Norfolk Academy a 21-10 edge.
HRA started the fourth quarter with a lost fumble the Bulldogs recovered. Norfolk Academy capitalized as Victor Robinson sprung a 54-yard touchdown run.
A late interception return for a touchdown by Frazier capped the scoring for the game and handed HRA another loss.
The Navigators (2-3) will have a short week of preparation before traveling to take on Greenbrier Christian Academy on Friday.
Norfolk Academy: 7 0 14 16 – 37
Hampton Roads Academy: 0 7 3 0 – 10
First Quarter
N: Victor Robinson 35 run (Randolph kick), 7-0
Second Quarter
H: Bailey 23 pass from Leavey (Ferguson kick), 7-7
Third Quarter
H: Ferguson FG 36, 10-7
N: Porter 88 kickoff return (kick failed), 13-10
N: Frazier 2 run (Estep pass from Wentz), 21-10
Fourth Quarter
N: Robinson 54 run (Estep pass from Randolph), 29-10
N: Frazier 54 interception return (Robinson run), 37-10
NA; HRA
First downs: 12; 12
Rushes-yards: 33-207; 35-135
Comp-pass-int: 8-13-1; 9-25-2
Passing yards: 38; 96
Fumbles-lost: 3-0; 3-2
Penalties-yards: 9-54; 7-53
Norfolk Academy: Victor Robinson (8 car, 127 yards, TD), Michael Frazier (7 car, 40 yards, TD, INT, TD)
Hampton Roads Academy: Devone Humphrey (24 car, 95 yards, 3 rec, 20 yards), Chris Leavey (9-25, 96 yards, TD, 2 INT)
Correction: The Tabb game recap has been updated to reflect Alec Kurek throwing a second-half touchdown for Tabb.
