Essex quarterback Zay Bundy stretches out for a first down while being tackled by Northumberland’s Jemaris Barber.
In a contest that featured big play after big play after big play, Essex used a record-setting offensive performance to outlast Northumberland 62-42 in a Northern Neck District football game played Friday night in Tappahannock.
The Trojans (7-0) racked up a school record 684 yards total offense. The previous standard was 590 yards in a 1997 game against Windsor.
Moreover, the Trojans collected 612 yards on the ground, a new school record, while facing a seven-man defensive front most of the evening. The previous high mark of 586 was set in a 2024 playoff win over Middlesex.
Jaden Holmes led the Essex ground assault with 239 yards on 14 carries. He scored 4 touchdowns with a long-run of 77 yards.
Demetrius Stewart added a career-high 238 rushing yards on a bone-crushing 22 attempts. His single touchdown was a 53-yarder to open the Trojans’ scoring onslaught.
Zay Bundy contributed 149 rushing yards on just 8 carries, including a tackle-breaking 70- yard TD dash in the third quarter.
Northumberland QB Tyreek Lundy scampers away from Essex defender Jaden Holmes en route to some of his 424 yards total offense.
He added a 72-yard TD pass to Jodece Cox.
Those figures proved to be just enough to offset a career night by Northumberland quarterback Tyreek Lundy.
The senior field general flashed his all-state pedigree as his receivers ran freely through the Essex secondary.
Operating from a multi-receiver set, Lundy completed 18-of-38 passes for 297 yards and four scores. His yardage was second all-time in his career, topped only by a 323-yard outing against Surry County during his sophomore campaign.
Lundy added 127 yards on the ground to complete a 424 yard night.
Lundy added 127 yards on the ground to complete a 424 yard night.
Jemaris Barber led Northumberland’s receiving corps with 7 receptions for 106 yards. Lyndon Williams caught 5 Lundy aerials for 72 yards.
“We’ve got to do a better job of preparation because tonight we went against a very good football team,” said Essex coach Todd Jones, who collected his 225th victory at EHS. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and get better in all the phases, especially special teams. We had a good outing offensively, but we committed way too many mistakes with penalties.”
Essex running back Demetrius Stewart gets blocks from teammates Travis Burrell (5) and Tim Walker on his way to some of his career-high 228 yards rushing.
The Essex backfield trio of Holmes, Stewart and Bundy credited the Trojans’ offensive line for their successes.
“I thank my offensive line for giving me so many good blocks,” Stewart said. “I felt really good tonight.”
“I give credit to our guys up front and my other running back (Tim Walker) for blocking for me,” Holmes said.
“Our line was phenomenal,” Bundy observed. “I give all props to the offensive line. Without them something like this wouldn’t be possible.”
While the Trojans’ defense was lit up all night, it was two big plays by DB J.J. Brooks that made the difference.
The first was a pass breakup in the end zone on a fourth down Lundy pass during the second quarter.
The second was an third quarter interception in the end zone.
The game, which featured more than 1,100-yards total offense, started off poorly for Essex as the Indians’ James Blake returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a TD.
Forty-six seconds later, Stewart broke off his 53- yard TD run. Bundy added the 2-pointer to put Essex in front for good at 8-6.
Essex made it a two-score game the next time it had the ball on Holmes’s 73-yard TD dash.
Northumberland made it a one-score game on three occasions before Bundy’s 70- yard scoring run with 8:38 to go in the third hiked the Trojans’ lead to 40-28.
Following Brooks’s interception, Bundy found Jodece Cox along the Essex sideline for a 72-yard catchand run score that made it a 46-36 game with 2:17 to go in the third quarter.
Essex’s largest lead was 26-points (62-36) on Bundy’s 29-yard, fourth down TD bolt with 3:36 left in the game. Stewart added the 2-pointer.
“Essex has and offense that is very fundamentally sound and those guys have good chemistry,” Northumberland coach Aaron Lewis said. “There’s a couple things we could’ve done differently and hopefully we’ll have that ready for the playoffs. When you have a quarterback like Lundy, he’s going to keep you in every game. I think we put everybody in the district on notice.
The teams are expected to be in the same bracket once the regional playoffs begin on November 14.
Essex will next play at Colonial Beach Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Trojans have won eight in a row in the series in which they hold a 16-3 advantage.
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