Saint Michael the Archangel proved that it will remain a force among the VISAA small school football teams, as they rolled to a 68-0 win over Fishburne Military Academy in its Saturday opener.
The Warriors were never challenged in the contest, with Melvin Spriggs and Kade Sullivan rushing for scores in the opening quarter, while quarterback Will Landis found Spriggs for a 10-yard passing touchdown, all in the first quarter, as SMA jumped to a 21-0 lead. They would push the margin to 54 by halftime, and add two second-half scores, runs by Sullivan and Hunter Showers as the clock ran unstopped during the second half.
Led by Sullivan’s 82 yards, the Warriors ground out 270 yards on 20 carries, while Landis (5-9, 76 yards) tossed three scoring passes, with Sullivan and Sidney Jones finding the end zone on midrange throws. Jalen Gilmore also scored on a short run and found paydirt on a pick-six for 18 yards.
The Warrior defense was also stellar, holding Fishburne to just three completions on 24 passing attempts and minus-28 yards rushing. Defensive tackle Barchie Hazelwood led the Warrior defense with three sacks and five tackles for loss. Spriggs and Bubar also added three sacks.
Next Saturday evening, the Warriors will host its home opener at the Fredericksburg Field House against VISAA Division I Fork Union, a game which should provide a clearer test for the Fredericksburg team, which won the VISAA Division 3 championship in 2019, with a 22-18 win over Roanoke Catholic.
Scoring Summary:
First quarter
SMA: Melvin Spriggs 2 run. Colton Bubar XP.
SMA: Kade Sullivan 40 run. XP failed.
SMA: Spriggs 10 pass from Will Landis. Conversion failed.
Second quarter
SMA: Sullivan 20 pass from Landis. Bubar XP.
SMA: Safety. Fishburne snapped punt out of end zone.
SMA: Jalen Gilmore 2 run. XP failed.
SMA: Sidney Jones 15 pass from Landis. Landis XP.
SMA: Jeremiah Lewis 4 run. XP failed.
SMA: Gilmore 18 int return. Bubar XP.
Third quarter
SMA: Hunter Showers 8 run. Bubar XP.
Fourth quarter
SMA: Sullivan 20 run. Bubar XP.
St. Michael Individual Stats:
Rushing: Kade Sullivan 4-82-2 TD. Hunter Showers 5-68-1 TD. Melvin Spriggs 4-58-1 TD. Jalen Gilmore 3-21-1 TD. Garret Baker 1-20. Jeremiah Lewis 2-14-1 TD. Shawn Turner 1-7. Total 20 for 270.
Passing: Will Landis 5-9-76 yards three TD, 0 int.
Receiving: Melvin Spriggs: 2-33-1 TD. Kade Sullivan: 1-20-1 TD. Sidney Jones 1-15-1 TD. Shawn Turner 1-8.
