Maury Commodores Win Virginia High School Football Class 5 State Championship

The Maury Commodores capped off a perfect season with a Virginia high school football Class 5 state championship victory. Like they’ve done to some opponents throughout this campaign, they dominated Briar Woods to earn their third state championship. What’s more impressive is that the Commodores defended their title while remaining undefeated over their last 30 games.

The Dyrri McCain-coached squad had a 14-0 halftime lead, thanks to touchdown passes from Au’Tori Newkirk to LeBron Bond and Jahvon Wiggins. By the third quarter, the rout was on as Maury added four touchdowns in seven minutes of game time. Newkirk completed three more touchdown throws, while Tayshawn Branche had a ten-yard TD run.

Meanwhile, Maury’s defense matched their offense’s efficiency by limiting the Falcons to 123 yards on offense. Briar Woods quarterback Brady Carmical finished with only 69 passing yards, while Lucas Roser had a meager 29 rushing yards.

Conversely, Newkirk had 311 passing yards, while Elijah Moss-Williams completed three catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Branche had six carries for 80 yards, outgaining the entire Briar Woods backfield.

Winning the Virginia high school football Class 5 state championship completes a 16-0 season for the Commodores. Earlier in the season, they scored 97 (twice), 82, and 83 points in a four-game stretch. Likewise, their defense limited opponents to seven points or less 12 times, including seven shutouts. Those results solidify their credentials as the state’s top team according to the Virginia On3 Composite Team Rankings.

Meanwhile, winning back-to-back state championships is the perfect ending to their graduating players’ high school football stints. Bond will leave Maury for the Indiana Hoosiers, while linebacker CJ Smith will play for the Maryland Terrapins. Safety Kendall Daniels will start his freshman season with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Ari Watford, the fourth-best player in Virginia, will suit up for the Clemson Tigers.

On the other hand, the defeat had Briar Woods finishing the season at 10-4. However, it’s still an impressive result, considering they’ve pulled off some upset victories to clinch their state championship game berth. As they build from this experience, they will bid farewell to Carmical (Navy) and Trey Dudley (Syracuse).