757Teamz football report: Oscar Smith’s DJ Etheridge has become a ball hawk
Oscar Smith defensive back DJ Etheridge has come on strong.
In his past three games, the senior has eight interceptions, including three in a win over King’s Fork on Friday night.
“It’s just been hard work, dedication and putting God first,” he said.
Oscar Smith coach Chris Scott said the Tigers — who are ranked No. 59 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 144 by High School Football America — made a change to their secondary before the Indian River game to utilize Etheridge.
“We had been rotating about three or four safeties, and I said, ‘Listen, we’re going up against some quarterbacks here, we need DJ in the backfield because he can fly to the ball and make plays on them,’” he said. “And you can see it. He looks extremely athletic. They’re not accidental tip balls. He’s going up and catching them at high point and then running them back.”
Two weeks ago, he returned one 101 yards for a touchdown and he nearly returned another one last week against King’s Fork, taking it back to the Bulldogs 5, which led to a touchdown.
Surprisingly, Etheridge has just one college offer from Averett University.
“He’s going to have some more shortly,” Scott said with a smile.
VHSL weekly ratings
Oscar Smith (Class 6 Region A), Green Run (5A), Maury (5B), King’s Fork (4A) and Phoebus (3A) are all No. 1 in the Virginia High School League weekly ratings.
In most regions, the top eight will qualify for the playoffs. In Class 5 Region A and B, the top six advance with the top two seeds in that region earning a bye to the semifinals. Here’s a look at the area’s top four teams:
In 6A, Oscar Smith is 6-0 with a 32.0 rating. Western Branch (7-1) is fifth at 29.5, Landstown (3-4) is sixth (23.14) and Kellam (3-4) is eighth (22.85).
In 5A, Green Run is 7-0 with 31.14, followed by Kempsville (7-1) at 28.62, Cox (6-1) at 28.14 and Salem (5-2) at 26.42.
In 5B, Maury is 5-1 with 29.16, followed by Woodside (6-1) at 27.85, Nansemond River (5-2) at 25.28 and Kecoughtan (4-3) at 24.14.
In 4A, King’s Fork is 6-1 with 28.85, followed by Warwick (7-1) at 27.37, Churchland (4-3) at 24.28 and Warhill (4-2) at 23.83.
In 3A, Phoebus is 7-0 with a 29.14 rating, followed by Lake Taylor (6-1) at 28.14, Lafayette (6-1) at 25.42 and Norcom (6-2 ) at 23.37.
In 2A, Poquoson (4-2) is second at 21.85 and Bruton (5-2) is fifth at 18.71.
W&M hosts Bruton-Poquoson game
For years, the Bruton-Poquoson rivalry was one of the most intense in the Bay Rivers District. It crested in 2009, when Bruton won its Class 3 Region A championship-game matchup 20-17 by running the Islanders’ botched punt attempt in for a touchdown in the final seconds.
The series has been one-sided Poquoson’s way since, but is back in a big way this week. Not only are both teams 5-2, and jockeying for seeding in the Class 2 Region A playoffs, but their game at 7 p.m. Friday will be played at William & Mary’s Zable Stadium.
That’s partly because Bruton must play all games away from the school this season while artificial turf is being installed. In addition, the Panthers, who are playing their home games this season at Bailey Field, wanted to play their homecoming game in Williamsburg (technically situated in York County, Bruton is located next to the heart of the Colonial Capital).
Either way, a game in a Division I college stadium is a treat for both teams.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity,” Poquoson coach Elliott Duty said. “The kids were talking about it before practice [Monday] and I think the parents are going to like it, too.
“It’s kind of cool.”
Bruton coach Barrington Morrison said, “This is exciting for the players. A lot of them won’t touch a college field as a player after this.
“It’s great for our only Williamsburg game to be for homecoming and it’s big because Poquoson is in our region.”
Grizzlies get first win under new coach
First-year Grassfield coach Joe Jones got his first win on Friday as the Grizzlies beat Great Bridge 21-0 to snap a nine-game losing streak that dated back to last season.
Jones previously was the head coach at Lakeland for three seasons before coming to Grassfield this season. He also served for several seasons as the defensive coordinator at Oscar Smith.
“I took the job knowing what was ahead,” he said “There was never a panic button or anything like that. The win was good. The execution was better.
“I hope the guys take this and understand that the work and the execution is what matters,” he added. “Not social media, not the critics, not negative outside influences. ... We’re building something special, the right way.”
The Grizzlies are 2-16 over the past two seasons with both wins coming against Great Bridge.
Phoebus grads shine in HU’s first CAA win
Corey Wilson and Kymari Gray did not have to go far to play Division I football as Hampton University is little more than a block from Phoebus, where both played high school football. They helped the Pirates make history on Saturday by making big plays at key moments late in the 38-37 win at Albany — the program’s first victory as a Colonial Athletic Association member.
Gray, the star of Phoebus’ 2021 state champions, nabbed his first college touchdown reception on a 5-yard pass from Malcolm May with 5:09 remaining to tie the score at 31 and send the game to overtime. Wilson, who started for Phoebus’ 2018 Class 3 state finalists, made the game-winning tackle by stopping a receiver short of the goal line on a screen pass on the two-point conversion try that would’ve given Albany the win.
“Kymari is going to be a special player for us,” Hampton University coach Robert Prunty said.
Pirates linebacker Keyshaun Moore said, “I love playing with Corey Wilson because he hits so hard and he loves the game.”
By the numbers
432: Tallwood set a new school record as the Lions rushed for 432 yards in their 47-33 win over First Colonial. They had three players rush for more than 100 yards, led by Marquis Stevens (151 yards), Jaden Hill (143) and quarterback Reginald Custalow (101).
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.
