BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Nov. 21, 2025
A few dozen teenage boys made history in Eastville last Friday night, as Northampton became the first Eastern Shore District football team to win a state playoff game in 30 years.
The Yellow Jackets easily handled visiting Colonial Beach, 43-8, in their Class 1A Region quarterfinal. It was the 10th straight win for Northampton (10-1), the No. 2 seed in the region. The Jackets host No. 3 seed Rappahannock (8-2) in tonight’s regional semifinal at 7 p.m. The Raiders advanced with a forfeit over West Point.
Northampton is the first district team to win a playoff game since 1995, when the Jimmy Conrow-coached Jackets advanced to the state title game before losing to Powell Valley, 36-6.
Last Friday against Colonial Beach, the Jackets were particularly focused on defense, after giving up 48 points — by far a season high — in the regular-season finale win over Nandua the week before. Northampton had been allowing just 16.8 points per game prior to the 62-48 win over the Warriors. And the Jacket defenders took it to heart.
Senior linebacker Matt Mullaly even took it personally, saying he hadn’t studied hard enough for the Nandua game. “I missed some tackles, and I didn’t shoot my gaps well,” he said. He said the defense gathered this week to watch the Nandua film as coaches “showed us all we did wrong.”
And then the defense started studying for Colonial Beach like it was going to be a final exam — because in a way, it was. Lose, and go home, and there would be no Shore history to show for it.
“This week,” said Mullaly, “I watched that film closely like it was religious scripture. I read everything I could about Colonial Beach. And it paid off.”
Junior defensive lineman Palmer Hubbard agreed.
“The defense played so much better tonight than last week,” he said. “Everybody just worked together.”
It showed literally right from the start. Northampton kicked off, and three plays later, the Drifters faced a 4th-and-3 from their own 25. Surprisingly, they went for it, but the Jacket defense stuffed the run for no gain and took over on downs.
On Northampton’s very first snap, Jeremiah White took the handoff and rambled 25 yards to the end zone. Sebastian Mayorga kicked the first of his five extra points, and the Jackets were up 7-0 barely two minutes into the game.
The Yellow Jackets scored on their next four possessions and took a 35-0 lead into halftime. Those 35 points were significant because Virginia High School League football rules mandate that once a 35-point differential is reached at halftime — or anytime in the second half — the clock runs continuously. It’s also known as the “mercy rule.”
With the clock running nonstop, the second half literally lasted just a bit more than 24 minutes in real time. Northampton added another touchdown and 2-point conversion in the third quarter, making it 43-0.
By then, most of Northampton’s starters were on the sidelines, cheering on the second and third teams. Colonial Beach didn’t find the end zone until about two minutes remained in the game, and the Jacket players on the sideline moaned in frustration because they badly wanted a shutout.
Elijah Hope ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and Jeremiah White ran for 59 yards and two scores to lead Northampton’s strong running game, which totaled 318 yards. Khaidn Davis ran for 79 yards and a score, and Jacoby Williams added 58 yards and a touchdown.
The defense was led by Mullay (six tackles, two for loss), Zywon Beckett (six tackles, one for loss), Davis (five tackles), Antoine White (four tackles, one interception), Caleb Champion (four tackles, one for loss), and Jerry Sturgis (four tackles). Mayorga was 5-for-5 on PATs and had three touchbacks on kickoffs, pinning the Drifters deep.
“The boys played well tonight,” said Northampton coach John Edney. “We got on Colonial Beach early, and that’s important in these playoff games. To get a quick stop on defense and put the ball in the end zone, it’s important.”
Edney says his boys will have their hands full tonight with Rappahannock, which went 5-1 in the Northern Neck District, finishing in second place behind unbeaten Essex. The Raiders, who averaged 55.3 points per game in their eight wins, are led by quarterback C.J. Kelly and running back Kenneth Madison, both seniors. Kelly, a dual threat, has thrown for 846 yards and 14 touchdowns and has run for another 668 yards and 12 scores. Madison averages 123.7 yards rushing per game — and a whopping 14 yards per carry — and has scored 17 touchdowns.
Rappahannock and Northampton had one common opponent this year: Northumberland. The Raiders beat the Indians 21-20 in October, while Northampton lost to the Indians 29-24 in the season opener way back in August.
“Rappahannock is a very, very good football team, the best we’ve seen all year,” said Edney, who is glad to have the home field advantage. “We play pretty well on this field.”
And now that field is the site of a slice of history, breaking a three-decade district drought.
“Winning the first playoff game in 30 years, I’d say we’re on point right now,” said Mullaly. “It feels good making history out here.”
