The Sussex Tech varsity football team took a 21-6 lead into halftime of last Friday night’s rain-soaked home football game against Laurel and went on to win, 35-6. 

The Ravens (3-1, 8-1) hosted Woodbridge (3-1, 4-5) on Friday in the final game of the season with the 2A District 3 title at stake, following the Raiders’ win over Lake Forest. Lake Forest and Indian River, who play each other next week, are also 3-1 in district play. Woodbridge lost to Indian River, Sussex Tech fell to Lake Forest, and Indian River came up short against Sussex Tech.

On Friday, Sussex Tech’s Eric Wright-McGlotten opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run, and Matthew Persaud added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 9:06 left in the first quarter. The Ravens’ Kenneth Turnage recovered a Laurel fumble on the kickoff, then Laurel’s Tristen Johnson fell on a Ravens’ fumble.

Following a Laurel punt, Wright-McGlotten had a 42-yard run to the Laurel 10-yard line. The Bulldogs’ defense made a stop at the five on fourth-and-goal from the seven. 

Laurel’s Brynnen “Buggy” Thompson rumbled 78 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back on a holding penalty. Turnage ended the quarter with a sack.

Laurel was forced to punt from the end zone at the start of the second quarter. The punter dropped the ball, was hit, fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Sussex Tech’s Shemarr Ayers for a touchdown. Persaud’s extra point upped the Ravens’ lead to 14-0.

Laurel’s offense started the next possession with the ball on the 39 and moved it to the Sussex Tech 40 following unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike penalties on the Ravens. Thompson took a toss from quarterback Micah Niblett on fourth-and-10 and gained two yards before being stopped by Sussex Tech’s Braxton Hazzard.

Wright-McGlotten scored on the first play of the next series with a 58-yard touchdown run. Persaud’s PAT put Sussex Tech ahead, 21-0 (6:16).

Sussex Tech attempted an onside kick, but the ball didn’t go far enough, giving Laurel the ball at midfield. Niblett had a pair of keepers on third-and-three and fourth and less than a yard, picking up 15 yards on the fourth down run to advance to the Sussex Tech 25. The Ravens’ Mason Showell deflected a pass on fourth and 10 to turn the ball over on downs.

The Bulldogs’ defense recorded a sack and recovered a fumble at the Sussex Tech 20, with 1:39 left in the first half. Ashton Ayres-Lucas ran 12 yards for a touchdown with 1:15 remaining in the half for a 21-6 score.

Sussex Tech turned the ball over on downs on the first possession of the third quarter. Laurel faced fourth and one from the Ravens’ 45 when Niblett was hit and fumbled the ball, and Sussex Tech’s Kayden Andrews recovered it at the Laurel 46. Sussex Tech found the end zone on a 16-yard touchdown run by Turnage and Persaud booted his fourth PAT to make it 28-6 with 3:50 remaining in the quarter.

The Ravens put together a final scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Turnage took a toss from quarterback Knox Sheets and ran 10 yards for a first down on fourth and five from the Laurel 34. Jayden Justice picked up six yards on fourth and one from the 15, and Turnage ran six yards for a touchdown. Persaud’s final extra point sealed his team’s 35-6 win (3:56).

Wright-McGlotten finished the game with 25 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns, Turnage had seven carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns, and Jayden Justice added seven carries for 50 yards.