Everyone in football circles had an answer to how this one would play out but none of them hit the nail on the head. Varina's defense on the other hand nailed the Huskies offense to their first shutout since the Fall of 2021 in a game defined by defenses despite the 28 points put up by Varina.

Three keys to victory in my preview this week...

Impose defensive will... box checked.

Clean snaps... out of one late that box was checked.

Quick start... box checked.

The Blue Devils were up 13-0 after the first quarter and in the second quarter they tacked on another touchdown but left some points on the field choosing to go for it on 4th & 7 with the ball on the Tusky 9. Nonetheless the Blue Devils pushed forward.

The Blue Devil defense played like the defense allowing only 7 points a game as opposed to the Huskies. The Huskie offense, particularly in the first half was stuck in neutral. Zain Elian could not establish the run, the Blue Devils were to cover him and eliminate any big runs. Peter Laiti was under constant duress and in the second half alone he was intercepted three times.

Simply put, Varina executed when it counted the most and got the big plays when it mattered the most. That is why Varina will be playing Phoebus at Liberty next week for a Class 4 State title in what is one of the most anticipated state finals outside last years Class 6 in recent memory.

The Blue Devils could not have gotten off to a better start with the defending holding the Huskies to 4 yards of offense and forcing them to a 3 & out on their first possession. All the Blue Devils did next on offense was trot 51 yards in 9 plays although it did not come easy.

On 3rd & 5 Kaleb Wyche put his moves on display avoiding two would-be tackles followed by a 39-yard play from Myles Anderson. A pass designed for Devin Henderson got tipped and nearly picked off but it wasn't meant to be. Two plays later Kaleb Wyche packed it in and took it to the house for the first of three offensive touchdowns for the Blue Devils.

The Huskies came away from from their second possession of the day with 40 yards of offense over 6 plays but they could not sustain the drive. Two penalties really stalled a once promising drive; there was a hold on first down and on third down they saw yellow for a delay of game.

Next Blue Devil possession ended the same way as their first possession, with a touchdown. This possession stretched 73 yards over 5 plays overcoming a holding call from the get go that made it 1st & 17 to start. The big play outside the touchdown would be a 63-yard hookup between Kaleb Wyche & DaMari Carter.

That setup the Blue Devils in the red zone at the 16 and two plays later Kaleb Wyche was in from 18 yards out.

The final five possessions of the first half for the Huskies were ones they would rather not see again. a 3 & out, a 4 & out, safety and two interceptions!

It was not all easy for the Blue Devils either although they did have a better outcome. Devin Henderson got the Blue Devils to the 12-yard line of Tuscarora but in 4 downs the Blue Devils couldn't get it in, credit to the Tuscarora defense. You can also credit that defense with forcing Varina to a 3 & out.

The first of two first-half INT's came when Peter Laiti was intercepted by Taejon Cheatham along the visitor sideline.

Following that Taejon Cheatham the Blue Devils were setup at the 19. In 4 plays the Blue Devils found the end zone for a third time when Kaleb Wyche found DaMari Carter. That followed a pass that was broken up by the Tusky defense and a Wyche 3rd touchdown run that was called back due to yellow for an illegal shift. With 4:04 to go in the half the Blue Devils had themselves a 20-0 lead over a silent Tuscarora sideline and visitor stands.

To add insult to injury the Huskies were at their own 15 on 2nd down when the Blue Devils brought the house and it paid off. Peter Laiti knowing he was going down threw the ball in the end zone avoiding the safety but flagged for intentional grounding, the safety was assessed nonetheless.

The Blue Devils second TD called back for a penalty came on a Devin Henderson 66-yard catch from Kaleb Wyche. The TD came back, the Huskies dodged a bullet.

What the Huskies could not dodge was the Varina defense. After an 11-yard pass from Laiti to Zain Elian it all went south. A low snap saw the Huskies lose 6 yards and then Jaysean Richardson got the sack to make matters worse. Next play? Myles Anderson introduced himself with an INT that he then fumbled on the return but Taejon Cheatham who picked off Laiti earlier recovered the loose ball.

For the first time all game the Blue Devils would be held scoreless as the Tusky defense turned it up with some second half adjustments.

The Blue Devils had the ball 3 times and it did not end well at any point with two 3 & outs and a turnover. The Blue Devils had just 3 yards of offense before the ball was fumbled by Trevon Rogers following a catch and coming away with that recovery was Andrew Bruce. Lucas Allen was the next one to make the big play getting to Kaleb Wyche with a sack. Tate Foerster batted down a 3rd down pass on the Blue Devils third possession as they could not establish any offensive momentum.

That is just what this quarter was defined by... defense.

With Tuscarora's first possession of the second half starting at the 50, Kaleb Wyche broke up a pass and Jaiden Walker brought down Peter Laiti after 9 yards on a 3rd & 14 run. 5 yards short of the first the Huskies could not convert.

Tusky had 10 plays on their second possession and came away with just 10 yards despite Zain Elian accounting for nearly 25 yards, the problem is defense and penalties negated much of that. Ivan Thompson had a pass disruption and Derek White got to Laiti with the sack. The biggest setback for the Huskies came off a personal foul call.

As the third came to a close the Huskies were again moving in the right direction with Elian rushing for 28 yards with Derek White bringing him down.

Peter Laiti with a fresh set of down carried for 5, hit Tripp Bracken for a gain of 4 and put it in the hands of Matthew Caminiti next but Jaiden Walker hit Caminiti for a loss 4. Next play? Myles Anderson reminded Laiti how difficult it can be to throw on the Blue Devils with his 2nd INT of the day.

The third quarter in retrospect would be the most positive quarter for the Huskies as the fourth quarter was not kind at all, especially on the offensive front.

On the defensive front they carried that prowess over from the third quarter to the fourth.

Despite a 15-yard run from Devin Henderson, Tristan Teasdell & Lucas Love came up with stops when needed the most to keep the Blue Devil offense at bay. On 3rd & 14 Kaleb Wyche was shoved out of bounds and went down hard. Down for what seemed like 10 minutes might have been in reality more like 3. Those on the sideline were concerned he was holding his collarbone area which could have been devastating but he bounced up after a bit and was right back on the field. Wyche acknowledged the hits he took in this matchup in this matchup in a private convo after the game and in the presser but he keep smiling. That following play after his hit, the Blue Devils fumbled and Ejkeme Onurah of Tuscarora came up with the ball.

Oliver Chaplain was the next Huskie to make a big play on defense as his stopped forced a 3 & out for the Blue Devils.

Meanwhile the Varina defense was making their own plays. Derek White had himself a sack of Peter Laiti for a loss 3 and set the one of this possession for the Huskies going 4 & out.

Taejon Cheatham had 1 pick, Myles Anderson had 2 picks... you know who hadn't had a pick? Johaan Peyton but that changed quickly.

Varina got the ball back but the Tusky defense continued to give them fits forcing another 3 & out, the second half shutout still in effect.

When the Huskies had the ball back disaster struck again with A'Mari Bowers picking off the Huskies and returning it 18 yards for the score! The offense was shutout in the second half but the defense would not be denied.

With less than 30 seconds the Huskies could only hope to put themselves in position to at least score once and go out on a high note but Zain Elian would fumble and Varina came up with the loose ball. The Blue Devil defense sprinted to their sideline with thunderous applause from the crowd as although never in doubt, the game was over! Varina will be playing for a second state title in four years when they take the field at Liberty next week against Phoebus.

Varina Blue Devils

Jaiden Walker continues to rise up the ranks on defense with another big game on defense with 8 tackles on the day.

Let's no overlook Derek White's 2 sacks or the 2 INT's Myles Anderson had as the Blue Devil defense became the first team to shutout Tuscarora since 2021.

Offensively speaking your eyes should be locked on #3, Kaleb Wyche who only ran the ball 9 times but did so twice for a touchdown on his way to 30 yards which is modest compared to the 108 yards through the air completing 7 of 16 and 1 TD.

Tuscarora Huskies

#55, Tate Forester was the guy getting up close and personal with the Blue Devil offense making the most plays with what I accounted for 9 tackles on this day along with a pass breakup.

Andrew Bruce (#11) also made multiple plays 6 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Varina's Coach Marcus Lewis is the first head coach for Varina to take the Blue Devils to 2 state final games.

This will be Varina's fourth trip to the state semifinals where they are 1-2.

Varina has 2 shutouts in the playoffs for the first time ever.

Tuscarora was shutout for the first time since the 2021 season when they fell to Broad Run in the playoffs.