Warhill defeats Grafton for sixth straight win, continues on path to Bay Rivers title showdown with Lafayette
Warhill looked every bit like the team picked in the preseason to win the Bay Rivers District football title, beating Grafton 55-14 Thursday at Wanner Stadium.
The victory was the sixth consecutive for the Lions (6-2, 6-0 district) as they prepare to finish the regular season with games against the teams they tied a year ago for the district title.
They play at York (5-2, 4-2) on Oct. 28 before returning to Wanner to face Lafayette (6-1, 5-0) on Nov. 4 in a game that is looking more and more like it will be winner-take-all for the district title.
The one-sidedness of Thursday’s game was unexpected as Grafton (4-4, 3-3) entered with two consecutive wins and was playing its best football in six years. The game was competitive for much of the first quarter, but the Lions turned it into a rout quickly with offensive, defensive and special-teams excellence.
“I’ve never watched as much film as this week,” said Lions junior Liam Francisque, who scored touchdowns on offense and defense, intercepted two passes and had two sacks. “I saw amazing (Grafton) players and coaching, so I knew we had to be the most prepared ever.”
The stars along with linebacker/running back Francisque were quarterback Chase O’Neil and wide receiver/returner Tavyion Blockett. Blockett’s 31-yard punt return set up the Lions’ first score, a 17-yard run by Deron Preussler-Gordon.
One play after the kickoff, Grafton tied the score at 7 as Koy Snyder passed 77 yards to Ben Samson for a touchdown. But Francisque broke 66 yards on a touchdown run and the Lions were off to the races.
A blocked punt set up O’Neil’s 1-yard touchdown run that made it 20-7 before the first quarter ended. O’Neil set himself up for a 2-yard touchdown run with a 27-yard completion to Nicholas Goodson.
Francisque forced and recovered a fumble in the end zone for the Lions’ next touchdown, then caught a pass for the two-point conversion.
“Coach (Jerome) Rhodes asked me where I wanted to play on defense and I said on the edge,” Francisque said. “I said, ‘Let’s put our guys against their guys and see who’s better.’
“I laid it all on the line for my team.”
On the play after the Lions’ third interception of the first half, O’Neil threw 99 yards to Blockett for a touchdown.
O’Neil and Blockett connected again on a 28-yard touchdown pass that increased the Lions’ lead to 49-7 at half. O’Neil finished the first half completing 6 of 7 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while the rushing attack contributed another 160 yards by the end of the second quarter.
