By HARRISON HAMLET
(DRY FORK, Va.) – Magna Vista head football coach Joe Favero said last week, after a solid performance against Martinsville, that he wanted to see two weeks in a row of good play, something he felt his team had not accomplished so far in 2019.
Tunstall was the victim as Favero successfully instilled a dominant mentality into his Warriors for the second consecutive week. Magna Vista’s offense was too much for the Trojans from the opening whistle, and their defense out-muscled Tunstall in every facet of the game on the way to a 56-3 win.
“I thought we played really well,” Favero said of the win. “We took advantage of opportunities in the first half and put the game away.”
Magna Vista scored on their opening possession, and Tunstall was able to produce their only points of the night right away, tallying a field goal after a long pass play to make the score 7-3.
That was as close as the game got. Magna Vista exploded for 35 more first-half points to take a 42-3 lead into the locker room before securing the win with two more scores in the second half.
Six different Warriors – Louis Taylor (2), Dryus Hairston, Ty Grant, Isaac Ellison, Dekavis Preston, Freddie Roberts – found pay-dirt for the Warriors on the ground or through the air offensively, while Logan George added a fumble recovery for a score on the defensive side of the ball.
Junior quarterback Hairston was 9-for-14 passing with touchdown throws to Grant and Ellison, and added a score on the ground to maintain his torrid statistical pace and his efficient play.
Favero credited his offensive line and Hairston for the offensive explosion this season, as the Warriors have averaged 44.6 points-per-game so far this season
“I think the guys up front are doing their job to help everyone to produce,” Favero said. “Our quarterback play has been very good as far as spreading it around. We’re mixing it up and having success with a bunch of athletes.”
Despite the offense’s incredible production all season, the defense has not wavered or taken a series off as they aim to one-up their point-scoring counterparts every week.
Favero said he has been impressed with how his defense, led by assistant coach Joe Fielder, has played throughout the first six games of 2019.
“It all starts with being physical on defense,” Favero said. “They have been really physical and yards are just hard to come by against us right now. The kids are playing with a chip on their shoulder. They’re not just out there to perform well, but to really establish control, and make sure when teams do pick up yards, they’ll be tough earned.”
In the vein of ‘tough-earned yards’ Magna Vista’s defense lined up against Tunstall’s offense for 29 running plays. The Trojans went backwards on the night, totaling -6 rushing yards.
After 118 points scored and just three points allowed in their last two weeks, Magna Vista (5-1) heads into their bye-week with momentum, and time to focus on their weaknesses before preparing for an October 18 home game against Patrick County (3-3).
“We’re pretty healthy, we’re going to try and work on some things we feel like we’re struggling with,” Favero said. “We’ll put in a little more on offense and try to create some more depth using our younger players this week in practice.
“We’re going to just focus on us this week, then worry about Patrick County next week.”
Magna Vista High School 56, Tunstall High School 3
MVHS – 21 21 14 0 – 56
THS – 3 0 0 0 – 3
