Kempsville, with two wins during the week, extended its record to 5-0 and remained atop all Hampton Roads boys teams. In one of their recent triumphs, a 3-0 shutout of Oscar Smith, Wyatt Strawbridge led the Chiefs with 14 aces and six kills. Trent Beeson added six kills, while Rylan Patterson and Quinn Riley combined for 23 digs.

The most significant change was the flip-flop between the second, third and fourth spots, which
happened after Kellam knocked off higher-rated Beach District rival First Colonial. The Knights also topped Granby and captured the Endless Summer tournament championship on Saturday.

Kellam won all five of its matches, and First Colonial finished 4-1 on the day. The Comets won
their first three matches before falling to Kellam and FC, as reflected in this week’s altered rankings in the top five.

In one of the Knights’ other wins, a 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-17, 25-13) triumph over Ocean Lakes,
Kellam barely lost the first set, but stormed back to sweep the next three. Captains Joel Eanes and Austin Makovec led the Knights. Eanes finished with 26 kills, while Makovec had 17. Bennett Pyka collected 51 assists.

One of the hotter teams in Hampton Roads may be Princess Anne, which enters the poll at No. 10. The Cavaliers knocked off previous No. 10 Landstown in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-23) effort.
Jason Busch led PA with 13 kills, while Gabe Ng totaled 12 digs. Grant Parrish added 40 assists, three blocks and one kill.

Rank;Record;Previous

1. Kempsville;5-0;1

2. Kellam;9-1;4

3. First Colonial;9-1;3

4. Granby;7-2;2

5. Grassfield;5-0;5

6. Kecoughtan;6-0;9

7. Maury;4-1;7

8. Indian River;2-1;8

9. Denbigh;5-2;6

10. Princess Anne;8-2;NR

11. Menchville;5-1;15

12. Western Branch;4-1;11

13. Kings Fork;2-1;12

14. Hickory;1-1;14

15. Landstown;3-2;10

Teams to watch: Warwick (4-2), Norview (2-0)

In its first match of the week, Grafton defeated Smithfield 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-17). Ally Burke scooped 18 digs and served eight aces, Ana Breckons added eight kills and Olivia De la Cruz totaled 12 assists in the Clippers’ Bay Rivers District win.

Stone Bridge went 5-0 in the Endless Summer tournament, with wins over Menchville, Greenbrier Christian, Kings Fork, Arcadia and St. John’s Catholic Prep in Maryland. For the day, Stone Bridge won 10 of 11 sets to take the Division II title.

The upset of the week came from Ocean Lakes, which shocked then-No. 5 Kellam 3-0. Santina Martcheva had 15 kills and Kayla Bennett had 17 digs. Carmela Mendoza contributed 33 assists and four aces.

Ocean Lakes enters the poll at No. 12, with the Knights dropping to No. 13 with two losses last week. Cox delivered the other loss in a five-set showdown.

In a match against Kellam, Cox needed five sets to eke out a 3-2 (23-25, 30-28, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13) triumph. Avery Osler and Camdyn Milisitz each totaled 15 kills and Kathleen Grosz finished with 14 kills to lead the Falcons in the Beach District battle. Luci Tignor had three blocks.

Landstown also enters the poll this week at No. 10 with wins over Princess Anne and Bayside.

Team;Record;Previous

1. Grafton;6-0;1

2. Stone Bridge;15-2;2

3. Cox;6-0;3

4. Norfolk Academy;9-2;4

5. Woodside;5-1;6

6. Menchville;7-1;7

7. Greenbrier Christian;16-3;8

8. Hickory;4-1;10

9. First Colonial;7-3;12

10. Landstown;4-1;NR

11. Maury;4-1;14

12. Ocean Lakes;7-3;NR

13. Kellam;2-3;5

14. Bruton;4-1;15

15. Cape Henry;3-2;9

Teams to watch: Indian River (6-3), Grassfield (4-3), Summit Christian (10-2), Peninsula
Catholic (5-2)

Led by Tyrell Grant Jr. with three touchdown passes and a scoring run, they won their home opener over the Hornets 42-7 Friday night.

Melvin Brown recovered from a slow start to gain 52 yards on the final three carries of the hosts’ last first-half possession, culminating with an 8-yard bump through the middle to give Nansemond River (2-0) a 28-0 halftime lead.

Brown finished with 104 yards on 14 carries. Grant added 80 on six rushes, including the opening touchdown on a 15-yard keeper.

On their next possession, the Warriors only had to navigate 25 yards of the field, and Grant lobbed a perfectly thrown ball that Christian Jordan leaped to grab in the back of the end zone to give Nansemond River an early 14-0 lead. A short toss to Taivon Douglas pushed the margin to 21 early in the second quarter.

Tayshaun Johnson finished the most successful drive (13 plays, 49 yards) for Deep Creek (1-1) with a 3-yard burst to close the lead to 28-7. But Grant’s third touchdown pass, an 18-yarder to Karon Madison, was followed by the Warriors’ final score on Ethan Welton’s 2-yard dive into the end zone.

Grant, who completed 22 of 28 passes in Nansemond River’s season-opening win, a 46-14 thumping of Bethel, connected on 13 of 19 for 154 yards to go with his three touchdown passes. Nansemond River outgained the Hornets 351 yards to 137, although Deep Creek managed to notch nine first downs in the second half despite gaining only 84 yards.

Nansemond River will retool before facing Oscar Smith on Thursday night in a game that could have Southeastern District championship implications. Deep Creek will travel down Route 17 for a Thursday tilt against Grassfield.

Peyton McGee and Sydney Petersen had eight kills each, with Charleston Hart adding seven, and Bela Cancado scooped 22 digs. A tough schedule is partly responsible for the Bulldogs’ early success, as Norfolk Academy (7-2) has lost only to Northern Virginia’s Langley High and St. Catherine’s of Richmond.

Kellam’s loss paved the way for Grafton to move into the top spot. The Clippers stayed undefeated, including a win over a tough Bruton squad. In the 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-16) victory, the Clippers’ Kenzie Smith totaled 14 kills and six blocks, while Alana Washington had 10 kills, six aces and two blocks. Ally Burke contributed 27 digs and Kaylie Klemm had 25 assists.

Grafton also shut out Lafayette 3-0, as all four of the Clippers’ wins have come in Bay Rivers District matches.

Cox defeated First Colonial to move up to No. 3, while FC dropped to No. 12. In the Falcons’ 3-1 win, June Culicerto and Avery Osler finished with 16 and 13 kills, respectively.

Bruton joins the poll this week, checking in at No. 15.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Grafton (4-0), 2

2. StoneBridge (7-1), 3

3. Cox (3-0), 7

4. Norfolk Academy (7-2), NR

5. Kellam (2-1), 1

6. Woodside (4-0), 5

7. Menchville (3-0), 6

8. Greenbrier Christian Academy (11-0), 8

9. Cape Henry Collegiate (3-0), 11

10. Hickory (2-1), 9

11. Tabb (4-1), 14

12. First Colonial (5-3), 4

13. Great Bridge (2-0), 10

14. Maury (1-1), 12

15. Bruton (3-1), NR

Teams to watch: Ocean Lakes (5-3), Western Branch (2-1), Summit Christian (2-1), Hampton Roads Academy (2-0).

The most significant mover in the 757Teamz Top 15 last week was Denbigh. The Patriots edged previous No. 5 Gloucester 3-2 (29-27, 14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-8) and entered the rankings at No. 6 this week.

Four other teams make their season debuts this week. Indian River (2-1) settled in at No. 8 on the strength of a 3-1 win over then-No. 10 Hickory. Against the Hawks, Jaden Norman, Jashtan Brown and Francisco Lloret combined for 35 kills, and Dawkins Rombaoa tallied 39 assists for the Braves.

Ninth-ranked Kecoughtan (2-0) throttled Peninsula District rival Menchville 3-1. Gabe Rumburg and Gavin Holbrooks both contributed 10 kills for the Warriors, while Hunter Lively provided 32 assists. Rumburg also had six aces and seven digs. Tenth-ranked Landstown knocked out Salem with a 3-1 victory, led by James Gonzalez’s 39 assists and four kills.

No. 11 Western Branch (3-0) also entered the poll but has yet to play a ranked team.

Kempsville won twice last week, knocking off Princess Anne and Bayside, as the Chiefs retain the top spot. Against the Cavaliers, the Chiefs were led by Trent Beeson with 14 kills, Wyatt Strawbridge with 13 kills and seven aces, and Quinn Riley with 19 digs. In a 3-0 win over Bayside, Riley had 18 digs, with John Applegate and Rylan Patterson adding nine kills each.

Team, record, last ranking

1. Kempsville (3-0), 1

2. Granby (2-0), 2

3. First Colonial (3-0), 3

4. Kellam (1-1), 4

5. Grassfield (3-0), 6

6. Denbigh (5-0), NR

7. Maury (1-1), 7

8. Indian River (2-1), NR

9. Kecoughtan (2-0), NR

10. Landstown (2-1), NR

11. Western Branch (3-0), NR

12. King’s Fork (1-0), 12

13. Great Bridge (1-0), 14

14. Hickory (1-1),  10

15. Menchville (3-1), 13

Teams to watch: Cox (2-1), Churchland (1-0), Warwick (2-1), Heritage (2-2).

In the process, the visiting Cadets from Richmond held the Bruins to minus-17 yards on 11 second-half carries and just 160 total yards for the game. Offensively, the Bruins failed to score a point, with both of their touchdowns coming from pick-six interceptions by Jaemarree Parker, whose returns went for 24 and 54 yards.

While the defense kept Western Branch in the game for three quarters, the Bruins could not stop Benedictine running back Ryker Cook. The senior tallied 159 yards and three scores on 21 carries.

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Cook’s first TD came in the second quarter as the Cadet sprinted 76 yards down the right sideline on Benedictine’s first play of a drive. On the Cadets’ next drive, Carson Lambert found Roddrey McWilliams on a perfect 33-yard post pattern to make the score 14-7 after Cole
Draucker’s extra point.

Parker’s second interception return closed the gap to 14-13 in the third quarter, but the Benedictine defense took control and stymied the Bruins’ ground attack.

Backed up to the 3-yard line, Western Branch quarterback Derrick Cook tried to escape a swarming Cadet rush, but his errant
pass was ruled a fumble and scooped by a defender. Ryker Cook followed two plays later with a 5-yard TD burst for his second score of the night.

Draucker tacked on a 43-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-13, and after another stop from the Benedictine defense, Ryker Cook raced 30 yards for his third touchdown, providing an 18-point lead with four minutes remaining.

Western Branch’s Ky’Nique Baines, who led all reported Hampton Roads rushers last week, was held to 40 yards on 15 carries.

First Colonial rebounded well over the long weekend, playing five matches and placing third at the Virginia Volleyball Showcase in Richmond. The Patriots’ only loss came to Courtland of Spotsylvania County, but FC beat North Stafford in its final match to cap a 4-1 outing for the tournament.

No. 3 StoneBridge held its ground with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-9) season-opening win over Norfolk Collegiate. The Cavaliers’ Libbie Plumlee had eight kills, while Nattie Plumlee scored 10 aces and 20 points on serve. Camryn Weatherford dished out 24 assists.

No. 11 Cape Henry Collegiate earned its spot in the rankings with a 3-1 win over Maury, and No. 14 Tabb shocked some Bay Rivers faithful with a convincing 3-0 shutout of Jamestown.

The busiest team in Hampton Roads is No. 8 Greenbrier Christian Academy. The Gators are undefeated in 10 matches and have yet to lose a set.

School (record), previous

1. Kellam (1-0), 4

2. Grafton (2-0), 2

3. StoneBridge (3-0), 3

4. First Colonial (4-2), 1

5. Woodside (2-0), 6

6. Menchville (2-0), 8

7. Cox (1-0), 9

8. Greenbrier Christian Academy (10-0), 11

9. Hickory (2-1), 10

10. Great Bridge (1-0), 12

11. Cape Henry Collegiate (1-0), NR

12. Maury (0-1), 7

13. Ocean Lakes (1-0), 14

14. Tabb (1-0), NR

15. Jamestown (0-1), 5

Teams to watch: Bruton (1-0), Norfolk Christian (2-2), Granby (0-1), Bethel (1-1), Grassfield (1-1), Summit Christian (2-1).

In the Indian River match, Caedan Agustin had 34 assists while Illia Antoniuk and Andrew Burke combined for 27 kills. The Grizzlies enter the rankings this week at No. 6.

School (record), previous

1. Kempsville (1-0), 2

2. Granby (1-0), 3

3. First Colonial (1-0), 7

4. Kellam (0-1), 1

5. Gloucester (1-0), 6

6. Grassfield (2-0), NR

7. Maury (1-0), 9

8. Ocean Lakes (0-1), 4

9. Cape Henry Collegiate (0-1), 5

10. Hickory (0-0), 8

11. Princess Anne (0-0), 11

12. King’s Fork (1-0), 12

13. Menchville (2-0), 13

14. Great Bridge (1-0), 14

15. Salem (0-1), 15

Teams to watch: Denbigh (2-0), Warwick (1-0), Churchland (0-0), Kecoughtan (0-0).

Cameron Glenn ran for 85 yards on 11 attempts to lead the Raiders’ attack, but was silent in the second half as Warwick coach Corey Hairston and his staff used the opportunity to look at some other talent. The Raiders gained 331 yards and 15 first downs while shuffling players in and out of their lineup.

Keon Batts might have had the most impact. He scored the game’s final touchdown when quarterback Saeed Williams lofted a pass over the middle and the 5-foot-6 senior receiver outraced the Grizzlies’ defense for a 71-yard touchdown.

Williams was steady behind center, completing 11 of 23 passes for 162 yards. The junior also rushed for three touchdowns and kept the offense moving through adversity, mostly caused in the form of penalties.

The Raiders got whistled for 15 penalties for 135 yards — a statistic that caught Hairston’s attention.

“We went through two scrimmages and didn’t commit a penalty,” said Hairston, who was clearly disappointed by the number of flags. “We’d make forward progress and then get called back.”

Asked about a solution, Hairston added, “We just need to clean up some things.”

The Warwick defense was stifling. Christian Corbin had a sack and fumble recovery. Senior free safety Jaden Gilliam had a fumble recovery and interception on successive Grassfield possessions.

The Tribe, ranked 15th in the Football Championship Subdivision, was nearly flawless on its first pair of drives, covering 69 and 66 yards. Both drives finished with a 1-yard touchdown run — the first from preseason All-American running back Brandon Yoder and the second from last year’s leading ground gainer, Malachi Imoh.

For Yoder, the game marked his first action since suffering a season-ending injury in the fourth game of last season against Maine. The Tribe won that game 28-3 to start 4-0, but stumbled to a 6-5 mark after losing the star tailback. Imoh performed admirably as the featured back, gaining 855 rushing yards on a 6.8-per-carry average, but having the pair back together could be the key to William & Mary’s success in 2024.

“Any time you lose something that you love and then get back that joy you feel, it makes you feel like ‘we’re back,’ ” said Yoder, who gained 54 yards on 10 carries. “My nerves were sky-high, but once that ball was kicked, I was ready to go.”

The special teams delivered for the Tribe in the second quarter, with John Kearney blocking a Keydet punt at midfield, and Clayton Dobler picking up the bouncing ball 18 yards from the end zone and rumbling the rest of the way for a score and 21-0 lead.

Dobler, who overcame a horrific ankle injury at the end of last season, was not expected to recover enough to play football this year. But he was trailing a teammate as Kearney’s blocked ball began heading backward.

“I was just running behind. Then Matt (wide receiver Matthew Akuchie) got tackled and I just picked (the football) up,” said Dobler, a redshirt freshman linebacker from James River High in Midlothian.

It was the Tribe’s first blocked punt for a touchdown in eight years.

Hunter Rice got VMI on the board for its only touchdown with a 12-yard run with 2:16 remaining in the first half.

Hollis Mathis’ 45-yard reception from Darius Wilson set up the final score of the half, a Mathis 4-yard sweep around the right side, giving the Tribe a 28-7 lead at the break.

After a fourth-and-1 stop by the W&M defense to start the second half, Mathis scored again as Wilson rolled left and pitched him a pass, and the senior scooted 26 yards for his second TD. Mathis rushed for 19 yards Thursday to pass 1,000 for his career and continues his quest to become the second player in Division I history to tally 1,000 yards in rushing, receiving and passing. He has now eclipsed the mark in two categories, and with his 71 receiving yards Thursday night, he needs 526 more this season to topple the plateau.

“These guys don’t care who gets the credit as long as we are selfless and trying to win,” W&M coach Mike London said.

Added Mathis, “I don’t try to do anything that’s not expected. I just do my one-11th.”

Wilson struck for another touchdown pass late in the third quarter, lofting a 1-yard score to tight end Sean McElwain.

William & Mary averaged 16.1 yards per completion as Wilson completed 11 of 15 passes for 190 yards and two TDs. The offense totaled 448 yards, with 207 on the ground.