Area legend Ronald Curry’s passing arm and agile feet carried Hampton High coach Mike Smith to some of the most famous of his first 499 victories. But, as the Crabbers’ 51st-year coach was quick to assert Saturday afternoon, “The defense won most of them.”
Rarely was that more true than victory No. 500 for Smith, the ninth-ranked Crabbers’ 25-14 win over Menchville in a Peninsula District game. On the same Todd Stadium grass where the Crabbers won the first of Smith’s 12 state titles 46 years ago, the defense came to the rescue all afternoon in helping him reach his milestone.
“I thought our defense was outstanding,” said senior Marcus Triggs, who ended two early Menchville scoring opportunities with fumble recoveries, then buried the Monarchs late with two scoring runs.
Smith concurred, adding, “Defensively, when it got down to tough times, they played hard.”
The situation looked particularly bleak two-plus minutes into the fourth quarter, when Menchville led 7-6 and had the ball inside the Crabbers’ 25 after a short punt. But on third-and-12, outside linebacker Kobe Whidbee pressured Menchville quarterback Kevin White into an errant pass Calvin Chester intercepted.
A Menchville personal foul and Khaioz Watford’s 31-yard pass to Torian Howerton gave the Crabbers (3-0, 3-0 district) some badly needed offensive momentum. Triggs’ 1-yard touchdown run with 6:42 remaining gave them a 12-7 lead.
The Crabbers stopped the Monarchs (2-2, 1-2) on downs on their next possession and got the ball back at the Menchville 38. Triggs covered that ground on four carries, the final one a 4-yard touchdown run that put Hampton in command at 18-7 with 2:29 remaining.
A play after the ensuing kickoff, Whidbee blasted White, forcing a fumble that Jaysun Simmons returned 14 yards to give the Crabbers a 25-7 lead that all but clinched No. 500 for Smith.
“We just came out to play today and defense won it,” Triggs said. “My thing is getting on defense, hitting somebody in the mouth and going hard every play.”
He and his teammates had to, because Menchville — which hasn’t beaten the Crabbers since 1993 — threatened often early. Triggs short-circuited the Monarchs’ first threat by recovering a fumble in the end zone.
The Crabbers made the Monarchs pay when Davione Williams ran 59 yards for a touchdown on a double reverse to give Hampton a 6-0 lead with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter.
White passed 31 yards to Ta’Veon Patterson to ignite a lengthy drive on the Monarchs’ next possession and moved them inside the Crabbers’ 10 with a short completion to Na’suan Gray. But Ja’Quan Montgomery jarred the ball loose from Gray on the play and Triggs recovered.
Menchville finally broke through on White’s 13-yard touchdown keeper, set up by Renaldre Hodges’ 18-yard run. Hodges’ spectacular diving interception and a pick by Sincyr Williams ensured the Monarchs maintained a well-deserved 7-6 lead into halftime.
The Hampton defense took over from there, earning Smith his place in high school football lore with late South Carolina high school coach John McKissick and still-active Louisiana coach JT Curtis as the only high school coaches with 500 or more wins. The victory also served as a birthday present for Smith’s wife, Lisa.
“I love the Crabbers, as he does,” she said.
Smith followed by putting the moment in perspective.
“I’ve always thought character, being a good teammate and being a positive citizen (were the most important things),” Smith said. “If you can’t take some social values out of football, then you’ve lost the meaning.”