Matoaca hadn't done well against Hopewell recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Matoaca Warriors really took it to the Hopewell Blue Devils for the full four quarters, racking up a 42-9 win at home. Considering the Warriors have won five matchups by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Matoaca's receiving core played a big role in the win, headlined by Bryce Yates and Dillon Newton-Short. Yates threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns while Newton-Short picked up 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Matoaca also got a significant boost from Trevion Mills, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 96 yards.
Matoaca didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kamari Cherry and Jaelen Penson. The dominant performance also gave Penson a new career-high in rushing yards. Matoaca got some further help from Victor Afolabi: he picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Matoaca was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 228 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hopewell only rushed for 76.
The victory for Matoaca keeps them at an undefeated 7-0. As for Hopewell, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Matoaca has already played their next game, a 49-6 win against Petersburg on the 24th. As for Hopewell, they will take on Meadowbrook at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopewell is facing Meadowbrook at the right time seeing as Meadowbrook is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
