WATCH: Phoebus wins Virginia high school football state championship with last-second 86-yard touchdown pass
By Aaron Williams
Dec 10, 2023, 9:00pm
Freshman quarterback Maurikus Banks hit senior Keyontae Gray on long strike to help Phantoms win third straight title.
Virginia high school football powerhouse
Phoebus (Hampton) opened the playoffs with an eye-opening blowout and closed with a dramatic 21-14 win over Salem to capture its third straight Class 4 state championship.
The title game was tied 14-14 with 14 seconds remaining in the game. Rather than take a knee
and head to overtime, Phoebus freshman quarterback
Maurikus Banks hit
Keyontae Gray on a post pattern near midfield and the senior outran the Salem defense for an 86-yard score before being mobbed by teammates.
"That
is a play I've dreamed about and the dream came true," Gray told the
Virginian-Pilot. "I never thought it would happen like that."
Banks, in his third start after senior Adonis Stowers went down with an ankle injury, was 11 of 17 for 165 yards. The freshman's efforts helped Phoebus (15-0) win its 10th state title in the past 22 years.
This year's playoff run for the Phantoms included a
104-0 blowout over Jamestown on Nov. 10. Eight days later,
they beat rival Hampton 56-8 before posting a 41-13 win over Warhill and a
25-13 victory over King George in the semifinals.
