Knights Out Defense Crush Wave 34-6!
It felt like playoff football Saturday afternoon in Petersburg rather than Senior Day for the Crimson Wave. An crisp Autumn day with leaves falling from trees illuminated in Autumn colors. The fans of Crimson Wave football filed in not just to see their seniors but to see if for the first time since 2000, they could be Thomas Dale. They found out the hard way, they could not.
The Wave found out just how tough, how aggressive and how opportunistic this Knights defense is. Not only did Thomas Dale hold the Wave to under 100 yards of offense (82) but they had 5 turnovers! The Knights had a shutout 47 minutes and 52 seconds! That is how dominant this defense was. Let’s recap.
1st Quarter
By the end of the first quarter the Knights had a 14-0 lead thanks in large part to Cole Leinberger. The Navy commit scored both TD’s in different manners. The first, a 2-yard plunge
and the other a 12-yard pass from Wyatt Jessup.
That second TD capped off a 54-yard drive that took five minutes off the clock and saw a lot of carries from Jaiden Hite.
Meanwhile the Knights defense was just getting warmed up. The Wave stumbled from the start by way of a fumble which they did recover. Marcus Byrd & Mykell Bryant were instrumental in forcing a turnover on downs when the Wave went for it on 4th down. This would not be the only time the Wave heard from these two.
On the Wave’s second possession of the Knight, Stanley Green found out what a hit from Azavion Brown feels like when he got to him with the sack.
2nd Quarter
Both defenses came out to play in the second quarter.
The Wave held Thomas Dale to back-to-back 3 & out’s with Leshaun Petticolas with a key pass breakup. Although the Knights picked up 55 yards on their third possession of the quarter the Wave did get to them to thwart the Knights momentum. First there was a Cavonta Carey sack on Wyatt Jessup and then there was a Micah Scott pass breakup on third down.
The Wave made plays on defense but the Knights made bigger plays.
Petersburg benefitted from two penalties against the Knights; pass interference and roughing the passer. The Wave moved the ball on the Knights 23 yards but Petersburg soon found the skies at home were not so friendly. Christopher Ward would pick off Stanley Green at the 5-yard line on the home team’s sidelines!
On the Wave’s next possession Cole Leinberger & Marcus Byrd both got to Green with a sack. On 2nd & 18 Green made the poor choice to go big and the Knights? They were the ones that went home on one of the wildest series I’ve seen this season. Green is intercepted on a 2nd & 18 pass by Mykell Bryant. Bryant takes off across the field left to right with a head full of steam but the Wave get to him with Cavonta Carey getting the ball loose. Fumble ensues, bodies making a move to get to it but it is none other than Dexter Richardson returning the loose ball 25 yards as time expired in the half.
One bad move changed the complexion of this game.
3rd Quarter
Petersburg’s misfortunes to end the second quarter spilled into the third quarter.
Right away the Wave fumbled the return although they did recover. Linebacker Michael Davis came out like a wild man recording three tackles including one in which he blanketed the Wave ball carrier swallowing him whole. The Wave faced 4th & 1 when they faked the punt but the Knights defense sniffed it out and Jamau Noland intercepted the pass.
To make matters worse for the Wave, on their next possession they fumbled. Petersburg faced 2nd & 9 when the ball came loose and Marcus Byrd was there for the recovery.
The only saving grace for Petersburg was these two turnovers sandwiched a 4 & out for the Petersburg defense versus the Thomas Dale offense.
4th Quarter
Outside of the defensive TD as time expired in the first half, the Knights had gone two quarters without a score. That is until the fourth when not just the Knights scored but the Wave ended the shutout.
The Knights had the ball twice in the fourth quarter and scored both times. Cole Leinberger scored his 3rd touchdown of the day when he punched it in from 1 yard out on 4th & goal. That capped off a drive that began in the third quarter.
The other Knights TD stretched 50 yards and took 4 minutes off the clock in the late stages of the game. This touchdown was Wyatt Jessup‘s second TD pass of the day and was shorter than the first as it was just 8 yards and on the receiving end was Daniel Lewis in the left end of the end zone.
Sandwiched between these Knights touchdowns was 17 yards of offense from the Wave. The last drive of the day for the Wave was their most productive as they moved the ball 78 yards with a variety of players making plays. It culminated with a pass from Stanley Green to Demerrion Moss with 8 seconds left in the game.
It was elation for the Wave to end a frustrating day on a high note. It was frustrating for the Knights who were seeking their third shutout of the season. The Knights, however, have held 8 of their 9 opponents to single digits.
Thomas Dale Knights 34, Petersburg Crimson Wave 6
| Play | Score | Time |
| 2-yard from Cole Leinberger. PAT good. | 7-0 Thomas Dale | 8:44 – 1Q |
| 12-yard pass from Wyatt Jessup to Cole Leinberger. PAT good. | 14-0 Thomas Dale | 2:33 – 1Q |
| Dexter Richardson 25-yard scoop & score. PAT good. | 21-0 Thomas Dale | :00 – 2Q |
| 1-yard run from Cole Leinberger. PAT no good. | 27-0 Thomas Dale | 11:54 – 4Q |
| 8-yard pass from Wyatt JEssup to Daniel Lewis. PAT good. | 34-0 Thomas Dale | 5:03 – 4Q |
| 10-yard pass from Stanley Green to Demerrion Moss. 2-pt conversion no good. | 6-34 Petersburg | :08 – 4Q |
Coach Speak
Thomas Dale Knights Gamers
QB Wyatt Jessup had a solid day at the office on Saturday completing 10 of his 14 passes for 96 yards and 2 TD’s (Cole Leinberger & Daniel Lewis).
D-Lineman Marcus Byrd made his presence felt on Saturday with a 6-tackle day and a scoop and score off a fumbled interception from teammate Christopher Ward.
Linebacker Michael Davis was all over the field Saturday afternoon with an unofficial 12 tackles against the Wave.
Corners Mykell Bryant & Chris Ward each had an interception off the Wave on a day where turnovers were plentiful for the Knights defense.
Petersburg Crimson Wave Gamers
DB Leshaun Petticolas quietly put together a pretty dynamic defensive showing with 8 tackles and a pass breakup against the Knights.
LB Xavier Scott rivaled Petticolas day with a 7 tackle day and a pass breakup of his own.
Despite the relentless play of the Knights defense, QB Stanley Green did his best Saturday on Senior Day. Green came away with 79 yards of offense completing 9 of 15 passes.
Post-Game Nuggets
Thomas Dale improves to 45-14-1 all-time versus Petersburg.
Over the last 5 seasons Thomas Dale has outscored Petersburg 151-28.
Petersburg was held to 6 points for the second time in four games.
In games I’ve attended at Petersburg, the Wave is 0-2.
Thomas Dale improves to 16-1 at Andrew White Field.