By Jeff Butler
Things could not have been more dramatic for the Hopewell Varsity Football team last Friday
night. Trailing Mecklenburg County ( 1-0) at home 14-13 with about 17 seconds left on the clock,
and the ball at midfield, Sophomore Zavion Grammar caught a screen pass from Senior
quarterback Brian Moore at the 50, and raced down the right side hoping for the go-ahead
touchdown. Although he was bumped out of bounds at the 7 yard line, there were still 4
seconds left on the clock – and time for Hopewell’s field goal kicker Orrin Besley, in his first year
of placekicking, to attempt the game winning kick. With Grammar securing the hold at the 14,
Besley’s 24 yd attempt sailed through the uprights, and Hopewell won this nail biter of a game
to even their season record at 1-1.
Mistakes plus each team’s defense helped keep the score 0-0 after one quarter. Hopewell’s
Larry Burgess stopped a Mecklenburg drive by causing a fumble at midfield. The Blue Devils
followed with an 11 play drive to the Phoenix’s 15 yd line, helped by a 12 yd run by Senior
Deshawn Bristol and a nice 8 yd jump pass from Moore to Junior Antonio Monroe. However,
dropped passes plus a holding penalty that negated a determined 14 yd run from Sophomore
fullback Willie Brown unfortunately diffused that momentum. Hopewell settled for a 31 yd field
goal attempt, but the snap was low, and holder Grammar decided to pick it up to run for the first
down, but failed.
It then looked as if Mecklenburg would score first as they took over the ball at their own 20. 8
plays later, and just several plays into the second quarter, they were at the Hopewell 17 yd line
with a second and three. A 12 yd run followed, but Hopewell’s Monroe forced a fumble at the 5
yd to keep the 0-0 score.
Monroe then ran for a first down to the 15, and a face mask penalty took the ball to the 30.
Quarterback Moore then connected on one of his 7 completions to Grammar – a “look-in” pass
from the left side that covered 43 yards. Several plays later, Brown rumbled from the Phoenix’
18 yd line down to the 3, and the next play Brown took it in, and with Besley’s extra point,
Hopewell led 7-0.
However Mecklenburg answered on their next drive. Starting from the Hopewell 46 after the
kickoff, 8 plays later they scored on a 1 yd run, and with the extra point, the game was tied at 7-
7 with about 3 minutes to go in the half. Each team got one more crack at it offensively,
including a great 62 yd kickoff return from Hopewell’s Sophomore Za’Marion Gholson, but
couldn’t put points across going into halftime.
Hopewell thought they had a go ahead score in the third quarter when Bristol circled right end
on a lightening quick TD run, but it was called back because of a holding penalty. Moore, then
facing pressure on the next play to pass, had the pass intercepted at the 8 yd line.
After Hopewell later in the 3rd quarter forced a Mecklenburg punt, they did achieve that go-
ahead score . Moore found Grammar on another “look in” pass at the 30, and Zavion outran his
defender for the score. However the extra point attempt clanked off the goal post, and the
Hopewell lead remained 13-7.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Mecklenburg was in the midst of a 10 play drive led
by their Senior QB Jackson Gray’s running and passing. They got their tying touchdown as
Gray ran around right end from 15 yards out to barely sneak into the end zone. The all important
extra point attempt was pushed back to the 25 because of a penalty, but their kicker made the
35 yarder, and Mecklenburg took their first lead of the game 14-13.
Hopewell immediately went on the attack as Grammar alertly took the ensuing kickoff at his own
33 very near the left sideline, and as he saw that the ball would stop short of going out of
bounds, he scooped it up, and circled all the way right 24 yds to the Mecklenburg 48. Several
plays later facing a third and 8, Grammar made a great sprawling catch of a Moore pass for 10
yds and a first down to the Mecklenburg 20. However, the Phoenix defense stiffened, and
again a fourth down double team on a right end zone pass to Grammar was knocked away.
Hopewell fans perhaps had their hearts sink when they saw a Mecklenburg tailback break
through the line on the first play of the next series starting at their 20. He burst through the
center of the line, sprinting free to what looked like an 80 yd TD run. However, Hopewell’s
Monroe caught him from behind at the Blue Devil 40, forcing a fumble which Senior teammate
Savion Finney corralled. With momentum now back, stronger hope returned for Hopewell!
On the very next play, Grammar caught a Moore pass in the right flat and raced 70 yards into
the end zone for what appeared to be the go ahead score! However, another holding call
brought the play back to their 35. 4 plays later, they were at the 50, but a blitz from the Phoenix’s
outside linebacker nailed Moore for a sack. Now facing a 3rd and 15 from their own 39, again
Mecklenburg blitzed their outside linebacker, and as Moore attempted to avoid the sack, he
threw an off-balance pass that was intercepted and returned to the Hopewell 17. As momentum
slipped away, things began to look bleak for Hopewell with only about two minutes left on the
clock.
Mecklenburg ran several conservative calls up the middle, followed by their QB Gray running off
left tackle for 7 yds to the Hopewell 30. Facing a 4th and 5 from the Hopewell 30, they elected to
punt, and the ball sailed into the end zone and out of bounds giving Hopewell the ball at their
own 20, but with only 24 seconds left on the clock.
A second down pass intended for Gholson over the middle resulted in a late hit and a 15 yd
penalty to the 50 yd line. And that set things up for one of the most exciting finishes in Hopewell
Football History.
Head Coach Ricky Irby was obviously glad with the victory. “I thought that we battled hard. (
We) didn’t always play well, but played hard. Good things happen when you keep fighting. We
missed a lot of opportunities to put points on the board, but in the end, we didn’t miss the final
opportunity to win the game. ( I’m) proud of the team for battling through adversity and being
resilient.”
Grammar sparked the team with his 7 catches for 200 yds and a touchdown. Moore went 9-24
through the air for 221 yds, plus had several outstanding first down runs out of the shotgun.
Together with running backs Bristol, Monroe, Brown, and Burgess, they combined on the
ground for 189 rushing yards. Bristol led the way with 9 carries for 116 yds.
Defensively Senior Linebacker, in his first year of high school football, led the team with 11
tackles, with two of them for losses. Jr. Zarion Smith added 9 tackles, and Sr. T’ron Richardson,
who just last week declared his intent to play his college ball at Oklahoma, added five tackles
including two for losses. Burgess and Brown each had a sack for Hopewell’s defense.
Grammar and Finney each recovered fumbles, while Monroe recovered a fumble and
intercepted a pass.
The Blue Devils will now have a bye week, with their next game back at home as they face the
Thomas Jefferson squad out of Richmond. Game time is 7 PM with Head Coach Ricky Irby’s
Coach’s show begins between 6:40 -6:50 PM
Jeff Butler calls the play by play for Hopewell High School Football Games along with
Color Commentary Stefan Calos on WHAP Radio AM1340, 96.9 FM, WHAPRadio.com,
and an app like Simple Radio by typing in Hopewell.
