It was the tale of two halves in the Peninsula District game between Denbigh and Menchville at Todd Stadium in Newport News. The Patriots scored two touchdowns in two minutes, in a come-from-behind 14-13 to victory over the Monarchs in a game that was rescheduled from Saturday. Trailing 13-0 late in the third quarter, the Patriots cut the lead to six after driving seven plays, with quarterback Greg Lawrence finishing the drive with a 10 yards touchdown run.

A mishandled punt gave Denbigh the ball at the Monarch 18 yard line and wingback Deon Johnson leaped into the end zone three plays later for the tying touchdown. The extra point gave Denbigh the lead 14-13 with 11:52 remaining in the game.

The Patriots defense, which gave up 187 yards in the first half, came up with two 4th quarter interceptions. Cornerback Randell Bronte-Tinkew interception with 4:11 left in the game enabled the Patriots to run out the clock. Menchville gained only two yards on seven plays in the 4th quarter.

Denbigh fullback Terrance Riggins was the games leading rusher with 98 yards on 16 carries. The Patriots finished with 140 yards rushing in the second half, a far cry from the 17 total plays and two turnovers they managed in the first half. They also had zero passing yards for the game and Menchville cornerback Antonio Harris was the only player to catch a pass from a Denbigh quarterback.

Menchville dominated the first half with quarterback Rakeem Kersey connecting all over the field, completing 13-20 passes for 141 yards. A touchdown pass to Adam Edbauer gave Menchville a 7-0 lead at the 10:35 mark of the second quarter. Kersey found James Foxworth across the middle for his second touchdown pass of the game with 5:12 left in the third. The Monarchs were not able to get a first down the rest of the game.

Both teams have a short week to get ready for their next opponent. The Patriots play the Hampton Crabbers on Thursday at Darling Stadium while the Monarchs also play Thursday at Todd Stadium against a rested Phoebus Phantom team. Kickoffs for both games start at 7 PM.

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