Bright and early Saturday morning, Norcom took on cross-town rival Wilson (soon to be Manor) in a showcase at Powhatan Field in the first of a Eastern District double-header.
The result was a huge win, to the tune of 38-0, for the Greyhounds behind a monster day by their star running back and some big scores on defense.
Norcom added an early field goal to go up 3-0, but there was more to come. The Greyhounds piled up 38 points while holding Wilson to a shutout, even though the Presidents received three forced fumbles, all by A.J. Waddler.
In the end, it was former Presidents player Darian King leading Norcom over his former team on the back of a 84-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Shyhiem Cannon got the start for Norcom at quarterback after some mystery into who would be their starter. Previously a starter at wide receiver, Cannon can line up and several positions all over the field, and given his athleticism, seems to be a threat with the ball in his hands from the QB spot.
The Greyhounds also scored on consecutive drives on defense with a 31-yard pick-six by Jaron Ratliff, followed on the subsequent Wilson drive by a 25-yard pick-six from Marquise Jackson, who would also see action at quarterback after the game was out of reach.
The shutout was the perfect way for Korrey Davis to start his tenure at Norcom.
"It was a great game," Davis said. "Any time you can dominate in all three phases of the game, it's going to go your way. That's one of the things I talked to them about in practice was that I couldn't tell if this is a dominant defensive team or an offensively dominant team. We have one heck of a special teams coach, so I already knew the special teams was going to show up."
King went off for 156 total yards as the offense combined for 251 yards rushing.
"I played pretty good today but we still have some things to work on," King said, speaking about his fumbles. "I bounced back in the second half. We still had to push through and find a way."
Postgame Video with Norcom RB Darian King:
Inside the Numbers:
Norcom Stats:
QB Shyhiem Cannon: 1-3. 9yds, 14yds rush
RB Darian King: 16Car. 156yds, TD
WR Jaron Ratliff: 31yd int return TD, FF
Tyree McDuffie: 6 tackles, 4 for loss
Jaron Gamble: 5 tackles
Norcom Rushing Offense: 251yds
Wilson Stats:
QB Alex Rivers: 4-7, -9yds, -4yds rush
RB Marcus Johnson: 7yds
Total offense: -5yds
On Deck:
Up next for Norcom is another test against a Portsmouth rival when the Greyhounds take on 1-0 Churchland on Friday night at Powhatan Field. Wilson is set to face off against Norview in its next contest in Norfolk.
