New Kent still searching for first football win

New Kent receiver Bryce St. Clair reaches back for a pass, but the ball bounces away with Tabb's Leon Southard in coverage.

Alan Chamberlain photo

So far this football season, New Kent’s offense has put up points in its first two regular season games only to watch leads disappear as the defense faltered, giving up points in bunches late in both contests. Friday night with Tabb’s Tigers in town, the same scenario appeared to be playing out.

After taking the opening kickoff, the host Trojans marched 65 yards in 10 plays for a 6-0 lead. And the defense rose to the occasion, holding the Tiger running attack, one of the area’s best averaging 270 yards per game, to 227.

But unfortunately for the hosts, the offense never cracked the goal line after the early score. Tabb, meanwhile, answered the Trojan TD with a 13-play, 67-yard drive to forge ahead 7-6. A third quarter TD created a 14-6 final.

“It seems like when you’re trying to turn a losing program around, you can’t get a break, and it’s been like that all season,” said first-year Trojan head coach Clark Harrell, who has been hired with the goal of reversing the school’s football fortunes. New Kent teams have not posted a winning season since 2003 and have won just 12 games over the last eight campaigns.

“When you get in close games like this one, five plays usually determine the outcome,” he said. “That doesn’t give you a lot of room for mistakes, and those mistakes got us at the wrong time.”

First came a Tabb recovery on a line drive punt that caromed off a New Kent lineman, keeping a third quarter Tiger drive alive. That led to a containment breakdown on a sweep around the left side, enabling Tabb running back Latrelle Smith to scamper 26 yards for the Tigers’ second TD.

Needing a touchdown plus a two-point conversion to tie, New Kent controlled the ball for most of the fourth quarter, driving from its own 18 yard line to the Tabb seven. But on third and goal, a false start backed the hosts to the 12. From there, two passes fell incomplete.

New Kent’s defense, however, forced a three and out. But expectation of good field position with over three minutes left on the clock evaporated when the Trojans allowed Tabb’s punt from the Tiger 15 yard line to cover 55 yards before bouncing out of bounds at the Trojan 30.

New Kent managed to cross the midfield stripe, but a fourth down and nine pass play netted just eight yards. Tabb regained possession and ran the final 54 seconds off the clock.

Earlier, Trojan running back Davion Barnes raced 20 yards for the hosts’ go-ahead score. Including the TD burst, he carried six times for 47 yards during the drive.

But the going got tougher the rest of the way as Tabb’s defense concentrated on Barnes. He finished with 121 yards on 24 carries, well below the 235 he averaged over the previous two games.

“We had a lot of trouble blocking [Tabb’s] slant,” Harrell said. The Trojan run game amassed just 127 yards.

Quarterback Mike Burt, meanwhile, completed 12 of 24 passes for 97 yards hooking up with top receivers R.J. Morris (seven catches, 39 yards) and Bryce St. Clair (four catches, 57 yards).

Harrell said a win is all that’s needed to get the program on a road to success.

“We’re playing very hard and playing so many young players,” he said, pointing to four freshmen occupying key positions on defense.

“It’s not like we’re getting destroyed,” he added. “We’re right in there with these young players, and I’m encouraged by that.

“In the past, Tabb has put up a lot of points on New Kent. To hold them to 14, I’m very proud of our defense. Hopefully, we can build on it.”