CHARLOTTESVILLE (WAVY) – The WAVY sports team did a preseason preview with the Maury Commodores this past August and it’s clear the goal was set from the beginning. Head coach Dyrri Mccain mentioned the one date on his team’s mind: December 9th.
The date of the Class 5 state championship game in Charlottesville. Four months later, the Commodores were playing in the title game against Stone Bridge. After rolling through the regular season and postseason unblemished, Maury finished the job 45-34, beating the Bulldogs and capping a perfect season with a 15-0 record.
“It feels amazing,” junior defensive end Ari Watford said after the game. “We did it for our seniors. They finally got a ring… we played our heart out.”
Maury’s explosive offense didn’t miss a beat in the state final. The Commodores racked up 487 total yards of offense. Junior quarterback Autori Newkirk had six total touchdowns (four passing and two rushing) along with 329 total yards of offense.
The 15-0 season is the second (2019) under Mccain since taking over in 2017.
“We’re champs. That’s what we play for and work for. We were battling for this date,” Mccain said after the game. “We were put in a situation where we had to finish. Everything we worked for till this date… we had to finish. Everything we talked about and worked for paid off.”