Thomas Dale flexes offensive muscle in road rout of Glen Allen

They have no catchy nickname.

After all, the guys who line up on offense for the Thomas Dale Knights would be hard-pressed to match the “Dark Zone” sobriquet that for years has been the fearsome descriptor of their relentless, lights-out, 11-hats-to-the-football counterparts on defense.

Make no mistake, though.

Nickname or not, the experienced, athletic Wyatt Jessup-led crew charged with executing the attack that coach Kevin Tucker and his staff have devised has become a formidable force in its own right.

Dale showed that Friday night when it scored early and often and rolled to a 41-7 victory over Glen Allen on the Jaguars’ home turf.

“I can’t say we have a funky name, but we’re stepping it up,” said Jaxson Austin, a 5-9, 215-pound senior and three-year starter at center.

“We’re becoming a threat. Our offense is going to put numbers up this year. Our defense always keeps us in games, but we’re going to dominate now.

“We’re there, we have a common goal, and we celebrate with our guys.”

The Knights (3-0) amassed 381 yards (214 rushing, 167 passing) and 15 first downs on 59 plays.

They recorded six quarterback sacks and limited the Jaguars (2-2) to 165 yards (99 rushing, 66 passing) and five first downs on 42 plays.

Sixty-three of the home team’s yards came on Jakeem Dandridge’s touchdown run at 4:07 of the fourth quarter when the outcome had long since been determined.

“We saw everything we expected coming into the week,” said Jessup, a junior and second-year starter at quarterback who completed 10 of 18 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

“Our coaching staff put a great game plan together. Everybody executed. The receivers and running backs did awesome. The offensive line stepped it up. I’m proud of them. Without those guys up front, I’m nothing. Everyone did their job.”

The Knights scored their first touchdown at 10:37 of the first quarter when Jessup, scrambling to his left, found Mykell Bryant alone in the end zone.

Sophomore Alex Cullins delivered the first of his five extra points to put Dale up 7-0.

After the Dark Zone stopped Glen Allen three-and-out, Hayden Dunphy boomed an unreturnable 59-yard punt-and-roll to the Knights’ 11.

Jessup and Co. were undeterred.

Ten nimbly called and executed plays later, senior running back Donald Quicke followed his blocking off the left side for a 4-yard TD to end a five-minute drive that set the tone for the Dale offense.

“The short (passing) game was working,” Jessup said. “I was taking the easy money, like my coach says. Getting the ball out of my hands quick and easy.”

The Knights’ third touchdown, at 3:30 of the first quarter, came on Daviontae Davis’ 35-yard interception return.

It was the first of three forced turnovers – Vinny Chavarria’s two fumble recoveries were the others – that stymied Glen Allen drives and typified the intensity and opportunistic nature of the Thomas Dale defense.

“Tonight, we came in with a great scheme for our defensive line,” said Azavion Brown, a 6-1, 170-pound senior who plays end when his guys line up in a four-man front and linebacker when they line up with three down.

“We’re kind of stingy. We like to make all the tackles and all the sacks. You can ask anybody on the defense. We always do that. I feel like that’s a great part of us being dominant, because that makes our linebackers, our safeties and even our outside linebackers even more hungry to attack the football.

“We all thrive off each other.”

Leading 21-0 after a quarter, the Knights added their fourth touchdown 58 seconds before halftime when Jessup connected with Bryant from 10 yards out on a play set up by Chavarria’s fumble recovery at the Jags’ 10.

“We have some depth on (the offensive) side of the ball,” Tucker said. “That allows us to rotate in and stay fresh.

“And we play against the best defense in practice every day. Coach Bruce (Perkinson, the defensive coordinator) is one of the most competitive guys you’ll ever meet. He doesn’t want the offense to score, even.

“For our offense to have to face that every single day, that makes us better on these Friday nights. It’s a blessing to have that ability on offense to keep pushing the ball.”

The Knights’ next two scores came on a pair of 29-yard field goals by Cullins, the first at 4:50 of the third quarter (to end a drive that began when Brown blocked a punt and Marcus Byrd recovered) and the second at 4:57 of the fourth.

An offensive series after Dandridge’s scoring sprint up the visitors’ sideline, Nehemiah Harris, a 5-11, 185-pound senior, delivered Dale’s final TD with a 46-yard run 1:14 before the final horn.

 “We’re still a work in progress,” Tucker said. “We got behind the sticks, and we did not do well in the red zone.

“Are we satisfied? No. But we’re going to get better. We’re getting there.”