Hampton to take on Oneida Indians in playoff opener
Published 8:35 am Tuesday, November 1, 2022
- Hampton Head Coach Michael Lunsford
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STAR CORRESPONDENT16
When Hampton takes the field on Friday night they will be facing a team they are familiar with, especially come playoff time in the Oneida Indians. The Bulldogs (8-2 overall, 3-0 conference) have beaten the Indians in the TSSAA playoffs in 2021 and 2020 but fell to Oneida in 2019 by a 14-12 tally.
“They are well coached, physical and they aren’t as big up front as Oneida teams usually are, but they have a good quarterback and some good skill players. To put our best foot forward, we have to have confidence and last week against Daniel Boone was a confidence booster. We think we have a chance against anybody we play.”
Junior quarterback Dylan Trivett runs the offense with senior RB Levi Lunsford, the workhorse most weeks and he never fails to deliver whatever the team needs. Lunsford scored three touchdowns in last week’s 21-20 loss to top-ranked Daniel Boone.
Lunsford had 205 yards rushing on 44 carries with sophomore Dominique Burleson adding 41 yards on 12 tries. Trivett passed for 53 yards.
The guys up front like Austin Bentley and Devin Ward have been exceptional since moving to center and Will Thornton has been a fixture on the line.
“Moving Devin to center has really helped us a lot,” Lunsford said. “He has solidified the line and it has proven to be a good move. Bentley has usually been the lead blocker on run plays.”
Oneida has junior QB Caden Rector as the spark plug of the offense and he spreads the ball around to senior WR Colton Daughtery and RB Rylin Duncan and the Indians have struggled offensively scoring at just a 15.6 points per game clip and were shutout by Coalfield last week.
The ‘Dogs however are laser-focused and never take an opponent lightly and they will have the same mindset on Friday night. Hampton has a high-powered offense with Chance Point being a quick strike target for Trivett and the two have hooked up on several big plays and touchdowns this season.
Hampton scores 37.8 points per game and was held under 36 points just twice this season. The ‘Dogs scored a 20-16 win over Pigeon Forge and had a 21-20 loss last week and these were the only teams to hold the Hampton offense under 36.
Senior Johnathan Greenwell makes plays on both sides of the ball and had an interception last week and Lunsford had a fumble recovery from his LB spot. Elijah McKinney and Brody Hicks are also two-way players who are always around the ball.
Hampton’s goal is a repeat trip to the Blue Cross Bowl and this time to come back with a trophy and Oneida is just the first obstacle in the ‘Dogs way.
Game time for the playoffs is 7 pm.
