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No. 1 Vance looks dominant in Hopewell win. Coach still hopes for ‘championship level’

Vance High football coach Glenwood Ferebee, whose team is No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, said he likes where the Cougars are headed.

The defending state champions improved to 2-0 on the season Saturday, beating Hopewell 71-0 in a game that was played at Hough High School.

Vance led 51-0 at halftime and probably sent a message to the rest of the I-MECK 4A conference. Hopewell had played Hough, a conference championship contender, to a close game in Week One, losing 7-0.

“It feels good that we have a mission that we’re on,” Cougars coach Glenwood Ferebee said, “and we’re just plugging away, and the kids are believing in what we’re doing.”

Ferebee’s team beat Mallard Creek 27-7 in a highly anticipated season debut last week, but the Cougars did not have a letdown in Week 2.

Ferebee said sophomore receiver Kevin Concepcion had a kickoff return for a score and several deep catches. Running backs Asauni Allen, Joseph Morris and Daylan Smothers all scored as well.

“We tell the kids to not take anybody lightly because anybody can beat you on any given week,” Ferebee said. “But even before the pandemic happened, I looked at my roster and I honestly believed that we are the only thing that can hold us back from winning another (state title). As long as we stay healthy and not have any mental letdowns, I think we’ll be right there.”

Ferebee said not having summer workouts and an extremely short preseason has hurt the Cougars’ early season development, but he thinks by Week 5 or 6, Vance could begin to hit its stride.

And that’s kind of scary to think about when the Cougars put up a seventy-piece on Saturday.

“Considering everything going on and not having practice time over the off-season,” Ferebee said, “I think we’re on track by Week 5 or Week 6 where we should be hitting our stride, to get to our championship-calibre play.”