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[Jeff Cunningham]

Beach District previews

By Jeff Cunningham | HRVARSITY

Salem (5-0) at Ocean Lakes (4-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Two of the three unbeaten teams in the Beach District meet at Ocean Lakes Friday night in a heavyweight match that could go a long way in determining the district champion. Ocean Lakes showcases a dynamic offense that features Marcus Davis at quarterback, T.J. Cowart at running back and Randall Dunn at wide receiver. Salem, meanwhile, could spend much of the game feeding running back Kevin Whaley, while using quarterback Brian Robinson's arm sparingly against a strong Dolphins secondary that features Cowart and Shamarko Thomas at corner. Both teams can put up the points -- 32.5 per game for Ocean Lakes, 38.8 per game for Salem -- but the Dolphins have a more well-rounded offense and a more suffocating and aggressive defense. Don't be surprised if the defending district champion Sun Devils leave Ocean Lakes with their first loss of 2007.
Jeff's pick: Ocean Lakes 28-24.

Tallwood (2-3) at Bayside (2-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Whatever was wrong with E.J. Manuel against Ocean Lakes and Salem seems to have righted itself, as the Florida State commit threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns in last week's 29-6 upset at Kellam. That game showed that the Marlins can in fact be playoff contenders, a point the team will look to further prove this week against a Tallwood squad that has given up 20.2 points a contest. Bayside does run the risk of letting this become a trap game -- what with undefeated Green Run on the docket for next week -- but if Manuel plays the way he can play, and coach Darnell Moore gives running back Brandon Staton plenty of carries, there's no way Tallwood -- which is averaging just over 18 points a game on offense -- will be able to keep up. As long as they aren't looking ahead to the Stallions, the Marlins should be fine against the Lions.
Jeff's pick: Bayside 28-10.

Kellam (4-1) at Kempsville (0-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Kellam did what Kellam does last week -- run the football -- yet still lost to visiting Bayside 26-9. The Knights ran the ball 35 times for 133 yards in the first half alone, and finished the game with 152 yards on the ground. Patrick Harrington scored last week for Kellam, but for the running game to be successful, coach Chris DeWitt will need a good chunk of yardage from Javon Boddie and James Taylor as well. But for all the talk of the run-heavy offense, the Knights also play defense; before last week's game against Bayside, Kellam hadn't given up 20 points in a game yet this season. Look for that trend to resume against a Kempsville team learning a new offense and only mustering 6.75 points a game -- and was shut out last week against Salem.
Jeff's pick: Kellam 41-0.

Green Run (4-0) at Cox (1-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Cox coach Steve Allosso thinks he has a good quarterback in Troy Reudiger; so much so he switched the offense in the offseason to more of a spread set, one in which the Falcons throw the ball about 70 percent of the time. Green Run coach Shawn Wilson, meanwhile, knows he has a good quarterback in senior Rahmel Glover. Glover, a dual threat behind center, has accounted for 453 yards in his last two games and six touchdowns -- seven if you include his interception return last week against Princess Anne. Even if Cox manages to land a successful aerial attack against a Green Run defense that has given up just 8.5 points a game so far this season, the Falcons probably don't have an answer for Glover.
Jeff's pick: Green Run 34-14.

Princess Anne (0-5) at First Colonial (1-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

First Colonial's offense, for all of its skill players, has managed just 10 points a game this season, but this week could be the cure for what ails the Patriots; Princess Anne's defense has given up a district-worst 38.4 points per game. To make matters worse for coach Juan Jackson's Cavaliers, the offense has been shut out twice this season, scoring no more than nine a contest (which it did in a Week One 41-9 loss at Ocean Lakes). Bill McTyre, First Colonial's interim coach, has had a rough start to his coaching career at his high school alma mater, but Princess Anne could be just what he's looking for; a small defense that can't get off the field and an offense that managed just 41 yards last week. It might not be pretty, but the Patriots should walk away Friday night with their second win of the season.
Jeff's pick: First Colonial 22-10.

BYE: Landstown (2-3)