LIVE Game Blog - Indian River (2-0) at Oscar Smith (1-1)

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Beard-DeLong-Easley Field in Chesapeake, VA is the site of today's SOLD OUT showdown in the Southeastern District, where the reigning VHSL Class 6 State Champion Oscar Smith Tigers (1-1) play host to the visiting Indian River Braves (2-0).



We'll have updates on VaPreps and via 'X' or Twitter @hatfieldsports throughout the day.

See our Tidewater Predictions for an in-depth breakdown here.

Check out Hatfield's Fearless VHSL Football Picks on the VIP Board here.

My weather app on the phone tells me it's 84 degrees with a heat index / humidity of 88. Kick-off is at 1 PM ET. Follow along with us!

More Here

 

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Oscar Smith starts with the ball at their own 27 with 11:55. A quick 1-yard pass to Quali Price and then it's BOOM - Travis Johnson - makes his mark on this game, quickly. Not even a full minute into the showdown.



Here's video of it courtesy of EJ Holland from On3...

 

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Indian River's first series begins at their own 35 with 10:55 showing on the first quarter clock after a 25-yard kickoff return by junior Donovan Brown. Nice run off tackle from the left side good for 17 yards by Indian River senior tailback Arnell 'Tre' Pugh III. His next two runs pick up just two yards apiece with a nice stop from All-State linebacker Malachi White setting up 3rd & 6 fro mthe Tigers 44.

Freshman QB Lord Malik Heru drops back to throw and his pass is intercepted by 5-10, 165 pound senior Jamari Custis of Oscar Smith, returned 7 yards to midfield.

Great start here for the defending Class 6 State Champs.

 

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Oscar Smith was able to convert a 3rd & 11 from the Braves 36 on the drive with a 20-yard connection from Lonnie Andrews III to Ty'Jae Curtis coming out of the backfield, plus a penalty on the Braves moved them inside the 10. Following a 2-yard run from senior halfback Breon Gibson, the Tigers put their highly regarded 2028 defensive lineman Lincoln Halliday in, acting as a tight end, and the Braves bit down on the play-fake. Andrews III rolled right and had his man wide open for the easy TD.

Indian River's second series at their own 35 with 7:36 to go in the opening frame, trailing 14-0.

 

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The second possession did not go any better than the first one for Indian River. Following a 2-yard run from Tre Pugh III, it's freshman Lord Malik Heru missing an open Elijah Boggs over the middle. That incomplete brings up 3rd & 8, where Jaleel Dekle and Malik Williams drop Heru behind the line of scrimmage. Punting time and a quick 3 & out.

A piece of the punt was partially blocked by Brandon Church as it sailed out of bounds. The host Tigers have excellent field position at the Indian River 45 with 5:50 left in the first quarter.

 

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Andrews III has completed 5 of 6 passes for 119 yards and 3 TD's

Johnson has 2 catches for 92 yards, both TD's

These two are poised to light up the scoreboard on this Saturday.

That PAT was no good, but it's doubtful that it will matter on this day.

 

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Due to a penalty, Indian River's third offensive series begins at their own 6 with 5:34 left in this first quarter they'd love to see end soon. Simeon Battle runs for 3 and 2 up the middle to set up 3rd & 5. Nice run to the outside down the Oscar Smith sideline by Tre Pugh III for 27 yards. Buffalo commit Na'Rod Jarvis made the tackle to prevent an even longer gain.

Both Jarvis and LB Malachi White (already up to 4 or 5 tackles) are making key stops for the Tigers defense. A 7-yard scramble by freshman QB Lord Malik Heru on 2nd & 12 puts the Braves in another third down situation. They don't convert it with Jarvis making the stop. However, the Tigers muff the punt and the Braves now have it on the other side of the 50, at the Oscar Smith 32 with 1:55 left in the first period.

An Indian River penalty followed by a 9-yard run from Pugh III brings up the game's second turnover. It's a fumble, recovered by Brandon Church of the Tigers at the OS 25 with 53 seconds to go in the first period. A deflating giveaway by the visiting Braves.

 

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A gain of +3 by Ty'Jae Curtis and then an incomplete brought up 3rd & 7 for the Tigers. Over the middle, it's Travis Johnson on the crossing pattern catch, but the Braves do a nice job to drop him for a loss of 1, courtesy of junior LB Howard Bates.

Instead of punting, Oscar Smith fakes it and the up back - Breon Gibson - appears to be a yard short of the first down marker. The OS offense and IR defense are heading off the field, but then another official comes in and awards the first down. Very surprising, mainly because they didn't even measure it when it looked very close from up here in the pressbox.

 

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of Oscar Smith's offensive line - from left to right the likes of Dory Lewis-Wilson (6-2, 250), Dayvion Martin (6-4, 305), Isaiah Farrar, Jayson George (5-10, 210) and Dory Lewis-Wilson (6-2, 250) - are starting to get really good push against the 3-man defensive line front of Indian River. Indian River's linebackers are making some firm hits, but that's part of the issue is they are getting to the second level.

Smith converts another short-yardage play - a 4th & 1 from the Braves 44 - with Ty'Jae Curtis gaining a couple to extend the drive.

 

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Oscar Smith misses its 2nd PAT after the TD by Travis Johnson, on a beautiful deep ball by the triggerman Lonnie Andrews III.

The Rivals 4-Star and Michigan commit Johnson was a bit shaken up after the play, but was able to walk off under his own power.

Keeping track at home -- here are some of the numbers.

Andrews III is 7 of 9 for 160 yards and 4 TD's passing.

Johnson has 4 catches for 133 yards and 3 TD's.

Actually add 25 yards to both of those guys as I miscalculated the numbers for each from the 2nd TD ... will fix at half-time.

 

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Indian River's latest series starts at their own 47 after a 16-yard kickoff return by Simeon Battle. Lord Malik Heru makes a really nice throw down the field, but UVA commit Jayden Covil at corner is able to make a really fine play on the pass breakup.

Heru goes back at him again, and this time it's Jason Preston - a quality D-1 talent in his own right at the wide receiver spot - able to get revenge on Covil to get the Braves on the scoreboard.



6:57 to go 2ndQ in VHSL Southeastern District Football - Oscar Smith 26, Indian River 7

 

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Travis Johnson is back in for Oscar Smith as the Tigers have possession at their own 18 with 6:49 until half-time, leading visiting Indian River 26-7.

Reginald Wallace makes the most of his first carry on the day, gaining 31 yards to nearly midfield for the Tigers. After a 6-yard catch by Kaden Walker, there are offsetting penalties on each side. Quali Price, who once upon a time played at Green Run, hauls in a 10-yard pass on 3rd & 4 for the Tigers to extend the series.

Junior QB Lonnie Andrews III uses his feet effectively with a 20-yard run, getting out of bounds on the near sideline. Following an encroachment on Indian River, the Tigers go to the air and Charles McGlowan is able to haul in the 5th TD pass of the HALF from the Class of 2027 tiggerman who's having his way with this Braves defense.

 

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Before Tigers DB's Jayden Covil and Donte Dent team up for the 2nd takeaway of the half for Oscar Smith, the Indian River offense was starting to show some progress, thanks to a 13-yard completion from Lord Malik Heru to Jason Preston. Nobody other than Preston at the receiver spot has given the Oscar Smith defense any trouble, so unless those complementary options emerge to help out the freshman QB, this will remain a one-sided affair.

 

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Oscar Smith was in position to add to their 26-point lead before the break, but a couple of incomplete passes, along wit ha false start had them lining up to punt. When Cahleef Graham got off his punt, the Braves get flagged for a running into the kicker penalty. It's a 5-yard infraction, not the 15-yard roughing. On 4th & 5, the Tigers keep the offense on the field from the Braves 37 and it's 4-Star wideout Travis Johnson moving the chains on an underneath 7-yard reception from QB Lonnie Andrews III.

Going to Johnson for a potential 4th TD connection of the half, the Braves see senior DB Ryan Robinson make a nice play in the back of the end zone to intercept it and he returns it close to midfield. A penalty brings it back some and Coach Brandon Carr of the Braves is content to take a knee and head to the break.



The dynamic duo for @OscarSmithFB put up impressive numbers in that first half.

Lonnie Andrews III (@LonnieAndrewsLA) completed 11 of 17 passes for 218 yards and 5 TD's in the half.

#Michigan commit Travis Johnson (@TravisJohnson4_) had 5 catches for 165 yards and 3 TD's.

Rumor floating around here at Smith is that Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green is in attendance and a bunch of fans are posing for photos with him. Not sure what the connection is to him and this game, but pretty cool if indeed true. We'll work on getting that confirmed later.

Update -- Later learned it was a different AJ Greene, former football player and social media influencer with 1+ million followers. Shows how unhip I am these days...

More to come...

 

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Stats at the HALF:

Oscar Smith 33:
Lonnie Andrews III - 11-17 for 218Yds. 5-1 TD/Int. ratio; 1Car. 20Yds.
Travis Johnson - 5Rec. 165Yds. 3 TD's
Ty'Jae Curtis - 6Car. 22Yds; 1Rec. 20Yds.
Quali Price - 2Rec. 11Yds.
Charles McGlown - 1Rec. 10Yds. TD
Lincoln Halliday - 1Rec. 6Yds. TD
Malachi White - 6 Tackles (5 Solo)
Jayden Covil - 3 Tackles, 2 PBU

Tigers - 30 plays for 309 total yards (11-17 for 218 yards passing, 1 intercept; 13 rushes for 91 yards, 1 lost fumble); 3 penalties for 25 yards; 2 turnovers


Indian River 7:
Lord Malik Heru - 3-10 for 66Yds. 1-2 TD/Int. ratio; 4Car. 16Yds.
Jason Preston - 2Rec. 66Yds. TD
Arnell 'Tre' Pugh III - 8Car. 68Yds.
Simeon Battle - 4Car. 7Yds.
Howard Bates - 6 Tackles (4 Solo), TFL, PBU
Ryan Robinson - 3 Tackles, INT, Forced Fumble

Braves - 27 plays for 156 total yards (3-10 for 66 yards passing, 2 interceptions; 17 rushes for 90 yards); 9 penalties for 73 yards; 2 turnovers

 

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On the opening kickoff of the second half, it's Indian River fumbling it just six seconds into the third quarter and Oscar Smith's Breon Gibson recovers. That gives the Tigers the ball at the IR 45.

A run of +8 by Ty'Jae Curtis and a run of +7 by QB Lonnie Andrews III moves the chains. A two-yard catch by Travis Johnson and 3-yard run from Curtis brings up 3rd & 5. Andrews III is picked off for the second time on the day as Cameron Brooks, senior linebacker, intercepts the pass and returns it 75 yards -- nearly to the house.

Credit the future Wolverine in Johnson for making the tackle, able to chase him down to prevent the TD. They called a penalty on the play, but major props to Johnson for the hustle and effort on that one, not giving up after the turnover.

In some ways, it brought back bad memories for me of Larry Fitzgerald trying to chase down, yet unsuccessfully, James Harrison on his INT TD return before the end of the half in Super Bowl 43. I say bad because that Cardinals team I root for later came oh so close to knocking off Pittsburgh in that Super Bowl after Kurt Warner's go-ahead TD pass to Fitzgerald late in the fourth quarter. If not for Aaron Francisco. *Sigh*

OK... we move on though...

 

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Regardless of the outcome, this type of atmosphere / environment in a highly anticipated game should serve talented freshman QB Lord Malik Heru of Indian River well and moving forward in his development.

Smith has it at their own 10 with just under 9 minutes to play in the third quarter.

 

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Indian River's defense is now stepping up in this second half as Oscar Smith also looks a bit, not so much fatigued, but comfortable with a 20-point lead. A couple of runs with Ty'Jae Curtis net just five yards, bringing up 3rd & 5. Travis Johnson is held to a short gain of 3 on the third down play. Cameron Brooks and Travis Wiggins on the Braves defense are stepping up to the challenge here in the second half.

Smith punts it away and the Braves have it at midfiel with 6:23 to go in the third quarter. Put together a scoring drive here and that will make things a bit more interesting.

 

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Lord Malik Heru is starting to get in a rhythm and Oscar Smith's defense does not look as dominant or intimidating to him. Catches by sophomores Jay'Sean Preston and Valen-Tino Shaw helped the Braves get down to the Tigers 10, where junior Donovan Brown is able to finish the drive off that started with a pass interference penalty on the Tigers.

Smith already has more penalties accepted on them in the first eight minutes of this half than they did in the opening 24 minute sof this contest.

We'll find out if the Tigers can settle down and get back to playing their brand of football, now only leading by 13 with 4:19, can get their mojo back.

 

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Following a run that gained no yards, the Tigers get an 8-yard pickup from RB Ty'Jae Curtis. They then out-think themselves a bit, in my opinion, trying to run wide on the Braves defense and sophomore Kayce Jordan - who had a dozen sacks a year ago as a freshman - drops Quali Price on a sweep to the near side for a loss of 3. Smith goes 3 & out again, puting the football away.

My oh my has this game started to turn or what? Players on each side have been cramping up because of what I'd imagine is the heat and intensity of this battle. We've had a few more stoppages in this period than we witnessed in the first half.

Indian River has it at their on 29 with 2:07 to go in the third period, brimming with confidence right now.

 

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A 10-yard run by Simeon Battle, a senior running back for the Braves of Indian River, followed two plays later by his 15-yard reception on a toss in the flat suddenly puts the visitors in Oscar Smith territory with under a minute to go in the third quarter.

Sandwiched in between, Buffalo commit and edge rusher Na'Rod Jarvis made a tackle for loss for the Smith defense.

Another Tigers player - this time Lincoln Halliday - has to come off the field with an injury (presumably a cramp). Earlier in the period, they saw one of their offensive line leaders Dayvion Martin helped off the field.

A holding penalty on the Braves wipes out a nice gain and puts them back on their side of the 50 with the third quarter coming to a close.

 

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A holding penalty on the Braves wipes out a really nice completion from Lord Malik Heru to Jason Preston, who's such an underrated pass catcher here in the '757' area code. Donovan Brown hauls in the next Heru pass for 8 yards to set up 3rd & 13 from midfield.

UVA commit Jayden Covil makes a really superb defensive play with his third pass breakup of the contest, but who does not keep his composure and draws a taunting / unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That gives the Braves a fresh set of downs at the Smith 35 with 9:59 to go.

Sophomore Valen-Tino Shaw makes a 22-yard catch in traffic down to the Smith 13. Jaleel Dekle makes a tackle for loss on Tre Pugh III. Creates 2nd & 11 at the Smith 14. A holding penalty, followed by a 6-yard run from Simeon Battle, brings up 3rd & 16 from the Tigers 19. A pass in the end zone is overthrown and incomplete.

With 7:11 to go, it's 4th down and possibly the game for Indian River here...

 

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Smith will now try to chew some clock with the running game. Rushes by Lonnie Andrews III for 10 and then Reginald Wallace for a couple more gets the clock to tick under six minutes to go in regulation.

The running game then gets stoned by Indian River. Another 2-yard run by Wallace brings up 3rd & 6, where Ty'Jae Curtis is stopped for no gain by Corey Sanderlin and Kayce Jordan. So much upside in Jordan, while Sanderlin has been an All-State performer on the line of scrimmage since his sophomore year two seasons ago for Maury when they won a state title.

Indian River burns its first time-out with 4:32 to go in regulation as Smith is set to punt it away again. The Tigers have been contained offensively in this second hal by the Braves defense. My hunch is that King's Fork - the next opponent for Smith - is watching this closely and looking to replicate the 2nd half formula defensively for next week's monster matchup in Suffolk.

The Braves have it at their own 42 with 4:20 to play after the Tigers punt heads out of bounds.

 

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The Indian River defense - behind Kayce Jordan and Malik Avery - brings up 4th & Goal from the 6 with just over 1:20 to go in this one. Lonnie Andrews III completes a short pass to Jaleel Dekle with Ryan Robinson making the tackle.

Braves must hurry with less than 80 seconds to play and trailing 33-20 from their own 5.

They run out of time and don't attempt a pass, surprisingly to me...

 

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More to come later... stay tuned!

 

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Postgame Video Interview with 4-Star WR Travis Johnson:​

Oscar Smith senior wide receiver and Michigan 4-Star commit Travis Johnson chats following his huge performance in a 33-20 win over rival Indian River on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

Johnson had seven receptions for 170 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came before half-time, as the defending VHSL Class 6 State Champs improved to 2-1 overall before another key Southeastern District tilt at King’s Fork on September 26th.

 

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Postgame Video Interview with Oscar Smith Coach Chris Scott:​

Oscar Smith Head Coach Chris Scott chats after his team’s 33-20 victory over Chesapeake rival Indian River on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

Coach Scott, who has led the Tigers to three state title since becoming Head Coach in 2019, is now 69-10 overall at the helm of Oscar Smith.