No. 15 Cox took control of a Beach District regular-season finale Friday night with 17 unanswered points and held on to defeat No. 9 Kempsville 31-28 at the Falcons’ stadium.

Cox (8-2) and coach Daryl Cherry’s Kempsville team (7-3) are headed to the Class 5 Region A playoffs.

Cox coach Tyler Noe said, “It was a team effort. We knew it was going to be a great game with Coach Cherry. This game has come down to the wire the last four years we’ve played, and it’s always been for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. These kids worked their tail off every day; I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Tyre Jefferies ran for 108 yards on 19 carries, and he scored Cox’s final touchdown. That capped a surge that turned a six-point deficit into a 31-20 lead.

The game went back and forth all night. A 58-yard

See Full Page