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Marcus Davis becomes Ocean Lakes' quarterback. Photo by Jeff Cunningham

Beach District kicks off tonight

By Jeff Cunningham | HRVARSITY

The Beach District season starts this weekend with a slate of five games. Below is a breakdown of what to expect, game-by-game:

Kempsville (0-0) at Cox (0-0), 7 p.m.

Air meets ground in this matchup of two teams that went a combined 7-13 last season. Cox will go to the air and go often with quarterback Troy Ruediger, one of eight returning starters on offense for the Falcons. Meanwhile, look for Kempsville to run the ball, as new head coach Clark Harrell has installed the wing-T offense. The Chiefs' two-headed rushing attack of Kai James and freshman fullback Travis Hughes will need an offensive line anchored by Eric Priest to be effective, especially agianst a Cox defense that is uncertain at defensive line.

First Colonial (0-0) at Kellam (0-0), 7 p.m.

Bill McTyre will coach his first game with the Patriots on the road, going against a Kellam that averaged 24.7 points a game last year. For First Colonial to get an immediate win, the unheralded defense will have to contain Knights senior running back Javon Boddie, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2006. The Patriots also have a star runner, though, in Tony Gregory, and McTyre has made no bones of his desire to run the football. If Kellam shuts down Gregory, look for quarterback Dan Lewis to go to the air attack.

Green Run (0-0) at Tallwood (0-0), 7 p.m.

Green Run has six running backs -- most notably Antonio Simmons, D'Shawn Dozier and Marquise Gatlin -- but Tallwood has a solid defensive line flanked by Charles Walls and Chris Johnson. The Stallions gave up nearly 35 points a game last season, a trend Tallwood will look to continue with a balanced offensive attack that will feature running back A.J. Boggs and a quarterback tandum of Patrick Gibson and Lance Waddell. First-year coach Shawn Wilson is looking to change the culture at Green Run, but the results likely won't be immediate.

Landstown (0-0) at Salem (0-0), 7 p.m.

An early-season heavyweight match-up between the 2006 Beach District champion and a team that went 8-2 last season and just missed the playoffs. Senior running back Kevin Whaley is 466 yards shy of the all-time South Hampton Roads rushing record, but don't expect Sun Devils coach Robert Jackson to feed him the ball just to get the record. Offensive balance will be the name of the game for Salem against a Landstown defense that features Xavier Boyce and Marquis Bowyer. Also look for Boyce to feature heavily in the offense, lining up at wideout for receiver-turned-quarterback Allen Powell.

Princess Anne (0-0) at Ocean Lakes (0-0), 7 p.m.

Ocean Lakes could have a hard time this season with quarterback Dan Pitts gone for the season because of a knee injury, but its first game shouldn't be much of a test. Marcus Davis will start at quarterback for the Dolphins, and at his disposal will be receiver Randall Dunn and running back C.J. Cowart. Princess Anne gave up 364 points last season, which could prove difficult to overcome for a sputtering offense. The Cavaliers are undersized on both the offensive and defensive lines, so a result similar to last year's 38-0 Ocean Lakes win isn't out of the realm of possibility.

BYE: Bayside