Defense makes big plays for Petersburg in victory over Meadowbrook

Five times Friday night, the Meadowbrook Monarchs launched forays deep into Petersburg territory with the specific intent of scoring, obviously, and, if successful often enough, knocking the undefeated, high-flying Crimson Wave off their lofty perch. 

Four times, though, coach Jerome Mathis’ guys, well-schooled in their bend-but-don’t-break style of play, fended off the Monarchs en route to a sometimes-ragged, never-easy but ultimately well-earned 26-15 road victory at Mack D. Moore Stadium.

“To be a state-championship contender, you have to have a state-championship defense,” said Mathis, whose team improved to 6-0 (and 15-4 in his two-season tenure). “The defense has to be able to come in and get stops when the offense is sputtering or we turn the ball over.

“They have to reel us back in and get us on the right track.  We played a sloppy game, but at the end of the day, every win isn’t going to be pretty.”

Petersburg, ranked sixth in the RVA Sports Network Super 12 Poll, scored first when Keyon Ridley returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and Edgar Murillo added the extra point.

“Our coach told us every day that they were going to overload the right side and kick it to the left side,” said Ridley, a 5-9, 155-pound senior. “We just had to execute. My other backer, Joshua Beasley, threw the lead block. It took me to the promised land.”

Late in the first quarter, the Wave’s Kristopher Gethers returned an interception 27 yards to the Meadowbrook 42.

Three plays later, the second of which was a 39-yard Kemonie Peebles-to-Javarie Mallory connection, Jayveon Hill-Jackson scored from the 1, and Murillo’s PAT put the Wave up 14-0 at 1:40.

“They were trying to match our intensity,” Peebles said of the Monarchs. “They were trying to get the upper hand on us, but we were focused on us and nobody else.”

Though a runaway appeared possible, the Monarchs had other ideas.

Their next drive reached the Petersburg 19, but Ridley’s tackle for a 3-yard loss ended the threat on fourth down.

The Wave’s ensuing drive ended when Michael Wesley forced a fumble, and Eddie Hastings recovered at midfield. The Monarchs couldn’t capitalize, though, and their scoring threat ended when Tyreke Bright recovered a blocked 45-yard field goal attempt on the Petersburg 32.

The Monarchs returned from the break rejuvenated, inspired and confident and cut their deficit to 14-7 on a 4-yard run by quarterback Davin McDaniel on third-and-goal to end an 11-play, 58-yard drive at 6:11 of the third quarter.

The Wave answered when Peebles engineered a seven-play, 38-yard drive that ended when he followed his blockers into the end zone from the 2 for a 20-7 lead.

That’s when the situation became dicey for the visitors.

On consecutive possessions, the Monarchs stopped Petersburg three-and-out. Both times, errant snaps in punting situations gave the home team possession in prime territory, first on the Wave’s 15 then on their 25.

Both times, the Petersburg defense rose to the moment.

“We love those moments,” said Rasean Jones Jr., a 6-2, 230-pound sophomore middle linebacker. “There’re no selfish defenders. Everybody does his job. Everybody plays for each other.”

Plucky and indefatigable, the Monarchs scrambled to get back into the game, but Cavonta Carey’s sack for a 6-yard loss ended a promising drive and gave Petersburg the ball on its 28.

After an exchange of possessions, Peebles directed a drive that covered 63 yards. Ridley’s 60-yard blast up the visitors’ sideline on the penultimate play set up Hill-Jackson’s 2-yard TD run 1:02 from the end.

The Monarchs’ Javion Oliver returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a TD, and Wesley followed with a run for the 2-point conversion.

The Wave limited Meadowbrook to 220 yards (87 rushing, 133 passing) on 52 plays.

They’ve now outscored their opponents 185-32.

 “When big plays happened, they didn’t get in our head,” Jones said. “We went on to the next play, made big stops on defense and turned the whole game around.”

Petersburg amassed 295 yards on 40 plays.  Peebles completed 8 of 16 passes for 146 yards. Mallory had three receptions for 101 yards, and Ridley rushed nine times for 147 yards.

“As a leader, that’s what I have to do,” Ridley said of his ability to make plays at opportune moments. “Our coach told us this would be a physical game. We just had to stay focused, stay motivated and stay humble.”