A moment about six years in the making came to fruition Friday night as the Kempsville Chiefs rushed the field at Bayside after winning over the Marlins, 32-28.
For Kempsville, it's the end of a long, 63-game losing streak, and Head Coach Daryl Cherry's first win at the helm of the Chiefs.
Previously an assistant at Tallwood, Cherry took over the struggling program prior to the 2018 campaign. He took over a program needing some TLC. Players had left the school in years past, participation numbers had dwindled a bit and it was up to Cherry to bring those guys back in, but also to keep the kids he has on the roster focused.
Friday night, all their hard work paid off as their fans began to fill the away side at Bayside after the Chiefs led 20-0 at the conclusion of the first quarter. You could see the news spreading via social media and word of mouth instantly. The stands reflected just that with fans from Kempsville pouring in as their school colors began to flood the stadium.
When the final whistle blew, it was Kempsville back on top for the first time since a win over Tallwood on September 27, 2013 - a total of 2,219 days between the two wins, Cherry and the rest of his staff were mobbed by exuberant players on the sidelines as they celebrated a win.
As halftime approached, Kempsville's Amari Presley picked off a Bayside pass, setting up a 6-yard touchdown from Jovon Mims who was playing quarterback after injuries to the Chiefs starter and backup. However, Mims was named to the 2nd Team All-Beach District squad last season, giving the team confidence as they turned to him.
"When one of our quarterbacks got hurt, I was like, "Alright we have three games left. Seniors, this is your last chance.'" recalled Cherry. "So I told him (Mims) that he can carry this team. This is your job and your role. This is your legacy, so I told him if we were going to win it, it was going to be on the backs of our seniors. He (Mims) stepped up to the plate."
Mims came out and put the team on his back and led them down the field for three scoring drives with two being passing touchdowns and another being a five-yard rushing score.
"This team has meant a lot to me. They are my family," exclaimed an emotional Mims, following the win. "I didn't really do anything special. It was these guys that rallied around me, coaches rallying around me and the defense bailing me out when I didn't make the best play. It's a whole family."
Postgame Audio with Kempsville Coach Daryl Cherry:
There was a lengthy delay late in the second quarter when Bayside's Blake Bellato suffered a knee injury. Bellato was carted off on a stretcher and taken to a hospital, where he was later released on Friday night. Kempsville led 26-7 at intermission.
The lone third quarter score for Kempsville would come from their defense as Jack Everix scooped up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to push their advantage up to 18. Bayside would score three touchdowns within the first 15 minutes of the second half - two by Jermain Smith and one from Kevin Jenkins - to claw within four points with 9:11 remaining in the contest.
Kempsville Defender Perseveres Through Personal Pain:
Another key contributor for the Chiefs was sophomore defensive lineman Jaylon White. White recorded three tackles for loss in the first half, forced the fumble that Everix ran in for a touchdown, plus had a fumble recovery in the third quarter. For Jaylon, the win is the end of a long two weeks.
Two Thursdays ago, White's house burned down. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound defender has been living with an assistant coach since then, but the personal tragedy fueled his stellar performance in the win.
"The last two or three weeks has been kind of hard," White acknowledged. "I have to visit my family. I haven't seen my family in about two weeks, so everything we did today, we fought for each other and fought for the people next to us."
Certainly life lessons are being taught through the game of football. The new Chiefs coaching staff has emphasized continuing to battle and never giving up.
"The biggest thing we always preach about is adversity," Coach Cherry stated. "We teach about men being men, so even when his (White's) house burnt down, he was able to play in the Granby game. He just kept fighting. That's one thing we preach is to keep fighting through our adversity because we can't give up."
A win earlier in the year by the Kempsville junior varsity over Bayside gave the Chiefs some added confidence, the quiet belief, that their time to prevail on the varsity level was coming sooner than later.
"We came here to believe that we could do it," White declared. "The coaches put everything into it... we as a team competed and competed until we could get the win."
Video Interview with Kempsville's Jaylon White:
An Historic Night in Virginia Beach:
For Bayside, the Marlins have now mathematically been eliminated from postseason contention at 3-5 overall. This is the first time they will miss the playoffs since 2008. That ends what was the longest active streak of consecutive postseason appearances - 10 - for any Beach District school.
Turnovers - both in the form of interceptions and lost fumbles - have plagued the Marlins at various times throughout the season. It may not have been more evident than in this game or perhaps their shutout loss to Landstown, where they had six giveaways.
Compounding matters was the fact the Marlins were without standout senior Nick Young, their leading receiver on the season with 33 receptions for 481 yards and eight touchdowns. They close out the regular season against unbeaten Salem and Ocean Lakes.
October 25, 2019 will be a night that many around Kempsville won't forget.
"This is a statement for the community. These kids, this community, they waited for this... this is what they wanted. I'm so proud to be apart of it," Cherry remarked. "They are happy. The weight is off their shoulders and it means the world."
With that, Kempsville will look to begin a new streak: a winning streak as they face winless First Colonial next week. After that, they finish the regular season against a Kellam team that is 2-6 overall.
