Two coaches in the same week have fallen out of favor. Che Jacobs has been relieved of his duties as head coach at Booker T. Washington, following the dismissal of Juan Jackson at Warwick. The two teams had a standing out-of-district game scheduled early each season. Now, both coaches are looking for a new job.
As recruits are closing in on their senior year, there are some big time colleges diving into The 757. Tallwood lineman Theo Goosen is no exception. At 6-4 260, T.J. is seeing growth and notoriety happen at the right time. Goosen hit the road a lot last summer, and is travelling as much as he can this spring, making college visits and getting his name known.
Bay Rivers District football has been notable for quite some time. The level of talent is on the rise, and college coaches are taking notice. The BRD is now steadily delivering players to Division I schools. This year looks like it will be the best yet for talent. Warhill’s Devonte Dedmon and Poquoson’s Grayson Boyce are in the Class of 2014 and they’ve already picked up Division I scholarship offers. It looks like Lafayette running back Jahlil Green could be next.
Dealton Cotton came to the Old Dominion football program at an opportune time. The program hadn’t played a football game yet and Cotton was a good resource for finding talent in The 757 and coaching them up. After all, Cotton left his head coaching job at Maury High School to join the Monarchs staff and the move paid off. After the 2012 season, Cotton was one of the casualties of a winning program that needed to make a few staff changes. It didn’t take long for him to find a new job.
After a bounceback senior season and a recruitment that was a little rocky, Zach Super has found a college home. He survived a junior season that was practically wiped out by injury, and a coaching change after the end of his senior season.
Private school players sometimes have to fight for attention in The 757. The schools are smaller and the schools are sparse in the region. The rising tide of recruiting awareness seems to be lifting all boats, and there’s attention flowing all over. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy Tight End John Mobley is a big dude, and he’s landed his first scholarship offer, right in time with all of the best of The 757.
($$) Salem wide out Kwamane Bowens had a stellar high school career. He was the number one option for quarterback Bucky Hodges, who’s soon to be on his way to Virginia Tech. Bowens took a little longer to work out his recruitment. Ultimately, he found a huge opportunity, and confirmed on Friday that he’s going to take it and run with it.
Recruiting continues to roll for Bethel lineman Ricky Walker. Ricky just picked up his fourth scholarship offer in as many weeks, getting him to eleven total now. Junior Days and campus visits are in the works, but as quickly as the offers are coming in, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be possible for Ricky to get to every school that’s interested.
It’s a great way for both teams to kick off the football season. It’s a new era in football scheduling because of the VHSL’s realignment plan. Lake Taylor has dropped to Division 4. Oscar Smith maintains their status in Division 6. The new system allows Smith to play down without penalty, but this game won’t be easy for the Tigers.
After three seasons of winning football, and a fourth where the team fell short of the playoffs, Juan Jackson is out as head coach of the Warwick Raiders.