Hurricane Dorian forced the postponement of a big 3A matchup as Petersburg visited Norcom on Saturday afternoon in a game originally scheduled for Thursday night.

Mike Scott led his 1-0 Petersburg Crimson Wave into Portsmouth, but Norcom defended home turf and won 42-22.

The win was the first for new Greyhounds coach Robert Jackson at his alma mater after Norcom had a bye in week one.

“It’s always good to get a win,” Jackson said. “It was just strange being off the sideline for three years, just trying to get in the groove.”

Karon Prunty was one of the stars of the game, turning heads early and often in all three phases with an interception of Petersburg QB Meziah Scott, a 50-yard punt return touchdown, and two receptions for 69 yards and a TD.

“I think his stock is going through the roof. It was already high. Karon is a good football player. He has a lot of upside to him. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with him,” Jackson said.

Prunty, who came to Norcom before the 2018 campaign from Oscar Smith, knew the importance of starting off on a high note after last year's Greyhounds suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the Region 3A Championship to Phoebus, 7-6 in triple-overtime. As a tenth grader, he and his teammates at Oscar Smith fell to Westfield, 28-21 in the Class 6 State Final.

For Prunty, this is the last chance at getting a ring before going on to the next level.

“Senior season, last first game, we went out right,” Prunty said. “I caught the ball, all I saw was a lot of green on the right side and ran that way. Ever since then momentum changed,” remarked Prunty as he described the punt return TD that allowed Norcom to draw first blood just 1:36 into the contest.

Under center for Norcom, Jacoby Smith shined, passing for 239 yards and three scores; one to Prunty, one to Shyhiem Cannon, and another to Maurice Outten.

“It feels good to get our first win with our new staff,” commented Smith, a senior triggerman that has seen the ups and downs. “Everybody thought we were going to lose because we got new coaches, but everybody knows he is a good coach. It feels great to complete the passing game and give my playmakers the ball.”

Petersburg was unable to make the proper adjustments to contain the prolific passing attack of the Greyhounds, and without a consistent pass rusher to collapse the pocket, Smith had his way.

“They were just playing man-to-man the whole game, so we knew we were going to kill them with that," Smith exclaimed. "We have playmakers, they have the check us one-on-one. If they man up, they know they are beat."

Smith spoke about how his mechanics have improved from his ninth grade year to now, helping make him one of the top quarterbacks around the '757' area code and at the Class 3 level. For this day, he was able to out-duel Meziah Scott, the reigning Region 3A Offensive Player of the Year, and the Greyhounds are expecting similar performances from hims moving forward.

“It’s good to a field general. You need a coach on the field,” Jackson stated. “Jacoby is that guy. He is a four-year starter and this is his breakthrough year I believe.”

Norcom QB Jacoby Smith: 12-14. 239 yards, 3 TD

Norcom RB Demonte Dunlap: 41 yards, TD, 2 rec, 34 yards

Norcom WR Karon Prunty: 2 rec, 69 yards, TD, int, punt return TD (50)

Norcom WR Shyheim Cannon: 4 rec, 79 yards, 2 TD.

Norcom DL Keondre Hodges: 6 tackles (5 solo), fumble recovery

Norcom LB/DE Daunte Brown: 4 tackles, 2 for loss, sack, forced fumble

Petersburg QB Meziah Scott: 4-8, 74 yards, TD, 63 yards rushing

Petersburg RB Upton Bailey: 30 yards, TD, 1 rec, 4 yards

Petersburg RB Brandon Harvell: 13 yards, 2 rec, 30 yards

Petersburg WR Teon Harris: 1 rec, 40 yards, TD, 12 yards rushing

Petersburg LB Diamonte Brockington: 4 solo tackles, tackle for loss

Norcom Head Football Coach Robert Jackson chats following his team's 42-22 win over Petersburg on Saturday, September 7, 2019.

Jackson won 137 games compared to 52 losses in 15 seasons while coaching in the Beach District at Bayside, Landstown and most recently Salem before becoming the Athletic Director at his alma mater.

Up next for Norcom is a trip to Hopewell (1-0), who the Greyhounds eliminated from the playoffs 14-12 in the second round last year - nearly three months after the Blue Devils pitched a 13-0 regular season shutout in Portsmouth.

Norcom QB Jacoby Smith chats with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield and Reese Becker after a 42-22 win over Petersburg on Saturday, September 7, 2019 in Portsmouth.

Smith completed 12 of 14 passes for 239 yards and 3TD's as they took down a Crimson Wave squad that put up 71 points the week before.

Next for Smith and the Greyhounds is a trip to Hopewell - which won the Class 3 state title back in 2017 - on Friday, September 13th.

Norcom's Karon Prunty chats with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield and Reese Becker following a 42-22 win over Petersburg to open the 2019 campaign on Saturday, September 7.

Prunty helped set the tone for the Greyhounds with a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the quarter before adding to his all-around great afternoon with a scoring reception, interception and a couple of tackles for loss.

He also provides an update on his recruitment in interview. Norcom looks to move to 2-0 when they visit Hopewell on Friday, September 13th in a matchup of Region 3A programs with title aspirations.

Norcom will now turn their attention towards an away game at 1-0 Hopewell, who beat Tabb 40-7 in week one.

Petersburg will look towards a home game with Booker T. Washington. The Bookers are 1-1 after a lopsided loss to John Champe and a 38-20 win over Granby on Saturday.