On a very hot night in Norfolk, Norview and Grassfield opened their 2021 campaigns in front of a crowd eager to cheer -- something fans did not get to experience much of, if at all, over the past several months.

For the Norview Pilots, there were a lot of new faces starting, Meanwhile for Grassfield, the Grizzlies were looking to rebound from a spring season that saw them reach the playoffs, yet get bounced quickly from the Region 6A postseason.

Norview leaned on a strong defense and got some timely plays on offense to record their first season-opening shutout since 2013, blanking the Grizzlies 14-0.

"I'm just so proud of our guys," Pilots second-year Head Coach Ian Rapanick said while holding his son Mason. "We battled for four quarters. It wasn't pretty by any means. Any time you can get a win, we're going to look at the positives, watch the tape and get better."

Both teams took the first quarter to feel each other out, with Norview's Joseph Brooks collecting one of his two sacks. The Pilots got caught by multiple penalties, and the Grizzlies struggled to get anything going offensively.

As the second quarter began, Norvew was driving and that drive would soon lead to the first score when new QB Shayden Deloach found junior WR Jaydin Williams for a 50-yard strike, with the ensuing two-point try being successful.

From there, however, points would be scarce. Despite Norview's multiple chances, the penalty bug continued to bite them. Grassfield would continue their woes on offense as Brooks collected his second sack of the night for Norview shortly after the score.

"He (Brooks) has been one of our unsung guys," remarked Rapanick about Brooks, a two-way player. "He had a great spring for us. We moved him right tackle to the left, expecting him to do what he does. At defensive end, he is smart and does a great job. I can say that it's expected for him to play the way he did, but we are just trying to get better."

That score would be followed by one more, a Per'Shawn Harris run late in the third, followed by a missed two-point try to give Norview a 14-0 lead.

That lead would be all Rapanick's Pilots would need to top Grassfield and open their season with a win.

For a program that went just 2-8 in 2019, the Pilots have now won five of their seven games played here in the calendar year of 2021.

While their new QB Deloach did have some effective moments, there's still plenty of room for improvement as he also tried to force a ball into the end zone at the end of the first half on a pass that was intercepted by Grassfield. As the season progresses though, the Pilots are excited to see his growth and the parts around him take shape.

"I thought he played well," Rapanick said. "I thought he did a great job of commanding the field and commanding the huddle. The guys really respect him, and that's one of the biggest things to me about playing quarterback."

Norview Stats:

QB Shayden Deloach: 9-21, 110yds, TD, int, 52yds rush

RB Per'Shawn Harris: 50yds, TD, 2 rec, 15yds rec.

WR Jaydin Williams: 3 rec, 62yds, TD

Total offense: 234yds

Grassfield stats:

QB Eli Nees: 1-11, 8yds, -29yds rush

RB Marcus Lawton: 62yds

RB Cameron Joachim: 11yds

Total offense: 54yds

Up next for the 1-0 Pilots is a Thursday matchup at home against Woodside. Woodside did not have a game this past week. Grassfield will travel to Churchland. Ranked No. 7 by VaPreps in the state in Class 4 to begin the season, the Truckers are also 0-1 after losing to Western Branch, 20-14, in its opener.