VISAA Division II Final Trinity Episcopal at St. Anne’s-Belfield
The basics: STAB has arrived. The Saints knew after last year that in 2014 they’d be able to compete for a state title, and here they are, healthy and ready for a rematch with a Trinity Episcopal squad they already beat earlier this year. Make no mistake though, this isn’t likely to be a walkover. The Bears were banged up during their previous meeting with STAB and they just demolished Bishop Sullivan last week with a solid defensive performance against the explosive Crusaders. Now TES has to come to Charlottesville Friday though against a STAB team that’s exhibited incredible balance and an ability to adapt to game situations throughout the year. Try and put your linebackers in coverage to make life tough on STAB quarterback Lee Parkhill? The Saints can turn to John Woodson, Jake Allen or a host of other options on the ground. Load up against the run and Jalen Harrison and Kareem Johnson will kill you over the top. Last week Parkhill even got the ultra-speedy Rob Schotta involved on a flag-type pattern toward the sideline that was a big play for the offense. There are so many weapons and so much speedthat if the Saints are locked in, Trinity Episcopal may simply not have an answer.
Key matchup: STAB’s front seven takes on the TES ground attack. While quarterback Blake Bowen’s return (he was out in the regular season meeting) is important and changes the offensive equation for the Bears, look for Trinity to attack on the ground with the weather being frosty and the fact that NSA had a lot of early success against the Saints on the ground. The Saints’ speed-oriented defense isn’t likely to get beat up two weeks in a row however, so look for the players who stepped up and made stops last week like Woodson and Minor Smith to come up big again. They’ll be targeting Jack Freudenthal who rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 15 touches last week. Look for Freudenthal all over he field as he also caught three passes, picked off a pass and registered three sacks in the semifinal win.
Who to watch: STAB’s Campbell Miller. Miller was quiet last week as the Saints worked their way past Nansemond Suffolk Academy, finishing without a catch. But with all the attention that Harrison and Johnson get on the boundary, Miller should be due for a monster game at tight end. But even if he doesn’t get the ball through the air, he’ll play a critical role in the ground game as a blocker. If he can help spring a few big runs, it’ll go a long way toward securing the title for the Saints.
The line: STAB by 7. The Saints are in position to wrap up their first state title since 2010 and after what this group went through in 2012, don’t bet on them squandering that chance.
VHSL Region 3A West first round: No. 12 Lord Botetourt (7-3) at No. 5 Western Albemarle (8-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: Western Albemarle’s 8-2 campaign has been a textbook case of a team just finding ways to win. Besieged by a slew of injuries prior to the Monticello game, Western pulled it together, played a bunch of players both ways and capitalized on the Mustangs’ mistakes to snag a win. Against Charlottesville it was more of the same, gritting and grinding and doing enough to survive. Unfortunately though, when the floodgates have opened it has been rough as they surrendered 109 points to Louisa County and Powhatan. At home though the Warriors are unbeaten, which bodes well for this week as they host Lord Botetourt. Since falling to rival Northside back in mid-October, Botetourt has ripped off a three-game win streak, beating William Fleming 37-7, Staunton River 35-27 and William Byrd 21-14. The bad news for the Cavaliers, is that only one of those three teams made the playoffs, 8-2 William Fleming, who has to travel to face Eastern View. This one should be an interesting clash as the Warriors look to bring things back together after beating Fluvanna last week with a shifted around cast of key backups. Can Western find a rhythm quickly or will Botetourt’s power run game get going in the opening stages of the game?
Key matchup: Western’s run defense goes toe-to-toe with Noah Fletcher and Bradley Lythgoe. The Cavaliers have built their offense around the ground game and this year, they’ve got two good ones in Fletcher and Lythgoe. Botetourt isn’t going to change its identity going into this game and in this case that’s a positive for the Cavaliers as Western has struggled against physically-assertive run games like Louisa and Powhatan. Can the Warriors’ linebackers and defensive linemen answer the bell against the Cavaliers?
Who to watch: Western’s Henry Kreienbaum. No matter what capacity Kreienbaum plays in on offense against the Cavaliers, whether it’s quarterback, receiver, jet sweep specialist, he might be the most dynamic playmaker on the field for the Warriors. If Western can get him in the flow of the offense early, it’ll go a long way toward helping Western survive and advance.
The line: Western by 1. The Warriors have their work cut out for them against the Cavaliers, but being at home should be enough of an edge for Western.
VHSL Region 3A West first round: No. 10 Tunstall (7-3) at No. 7 Monticello (8-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: Monticello has experienced a strange season, somehow being an underrated entity despite posting an 8-2 record. But last week the Mustangs looked anything but underrated as they poured 58 points on to a previously-stingy Louisa County squad including a vintage 98-yard sprint form Kyree Koonce. That ignited a huge first half that staked Monticello to a 28-0 lead at the break. Seeded seventh in the 3A West means the road will likely be tough, and they’ve got to take care of business against Tunstall first. That’ll start with stopping the two-headed rushing attack of Tunstall seniors Khalil Lashley and Javion Terry. Lashley is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has piled up 851 yards while Terry is picking up yards at a clip of 8.3 per carry while rushing for 720 yards and nine touchdowns. Slowing down the ground game and forcing the Trojans to throw in the projected cold temperatures will likely be the gameplan, and with Tunstall’s passing offense producing just 462 yards on the year, that would break hugely in favor of the Mustangs.
Key matchup: The Tunstall defense takes on Monticello’s suddenly humming ground game. We’ve all known Koonce is dangerous since he first stepped on the field at Buckingham as a freshman. But now after a season where he didn’t really mash the pedal down, he’s in position with little mileage on him to start carrying the Mustangs like he did last week, exploding for 229 yards and four scores on just 14 carries. Tunstall has taken on a number of tough running backs, but even containing Koonce will be a tall order.
Who to watch: Monticello freshman quarterback Kevin Jarrell. Monticello coach Jeff Woody has pointed to the poise of his ninth grade starter who took over midway through the season as one of his defining attributes. Can it hold up in this environment with the Mustangs’ season on the line? Based on the small sample size we’ve seen so far, all signs point to yes. Jarrell could end up being an X-factor with some timely throws to keep Tunstall from loading up against Koonce and the ground game.
The line: Monticello by 7. Mustangs appear to be peaking at just the right time and a light workload on Koonce this season should pay dividends in the playoffs.
VHSL Region 2A East first round: No.14 Buffalo Gap (5-5) at No. 3 Goochland (8-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: Goochland inched its way up into the No. 3 spot in Region 2A East, and now they’ll face a Buffalo Gap squad that’s coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Wilson Memorial and East Rockingham. The Bulldogs haven’t been able to get everything together until recently because they were playing a little short handed. But when Goochland is on, they’re on and that’s likely what Buffalo Gap will find out Friday.
Key matchup: Buffalo Gap’s defense takes on the red-hot Air Bulldog attack that has recently taken over for Goochland. With Reid Chenault’s return from an injury, Goochland’s offense has its rhythm back and that includes the seven touchdowns Chenault has tossed in the last two weeks after nearly a month on the shelf. If Buffalo Gap thought contending with Wilson Memorial’s backup signal-caller last week in a blowout loss was tough, they haven’t seen anything yet as the Bulldogs’ traditionally stout run game provides ample cover for Chenault to attack through the air.
Who to watch: Goochland’s Colby Noel and Nate Parrish. The Bulldogs’ two leading tacklers, a pair of seniors, should be all over Buffalo Gap’s offense, a unit that managed just 28 first half yards against Wilson last week. Look for both seniors to be flying around the ball.
The line: Goochland by 21. The Bulldogs are red hot on offense right now and that doesn’t stop here against Buffalo Gap.
VHSL Region 4A North first round: No. 9 Louisa (7-3) at No. 8 Woodgrove (7-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Lions will look to shake off a tough loss on the road at Monticello against a Woodgrove team that bounced back from its loss on the road to Broad Run with a dominating performace against Loudoun Valley. Before its matchup with the Mustangs, the Lions looked like the most balanced and physical team in the Jefferson District not named Powhatan. But after a shaky first half against Monticello, it will be interesting to see how this team recovers. Woodgrove is an offensive-minded team much in the way the Mustangs are. So it will be up to the Louisa offense to win the time of possession battle and the Lions defense to find a way to get off that field as quickly as possible without giving up too on the scoreboard.
Key matchup: Louisa’s secondary takes on Dylan Mellor. The Wolverines have 23 touchdown receptions as a team. Mellor has 17 of them. His 1014 yards on 63 receptions nets him an average of 101.4 yards per game. And at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he’s not exactly small. He’s drawn interest on the recruiting trail from half of the ACC schools. The Lions have to keep him contained but can’t get too crazy in coverage as Woodgrove’s Charlie Clewis averages 5.2 yards for carrie and has 13 TDs to his name. But at the end of the day, keeping quarterback Billy Sheehan away from his favorite target will be the biggest challenge.
Who to watch: Louisa’s running backs. As Lions coach Mark Fischer pointed out post game, Monticello wanted the backs to run against the grain and not take what the Mustangs were giving them. That was the problem in the first half. In the second, Louisa looked like its old self after a few adjustments. The problem was too much damage had already been done. This team knows how to win close games, but isn’t built to come from behind while trailing by large deficits. Louisa’s runners, whether it’s Trey Cherry, Deion Jackson or Job Whalen, need to simply move the chains and not worry about breaking the big run. One would think that Woodgrove’s potent offense would have trouble scoring if it couldn’t find a way to get on the field. And this is cold weather football, so that should play into Louisa’s favor.
The line: Louisa by 1. It’s going to be the coldest day of the football season on Friday. Old fashioned football with a big offensive line and power running game gives the Lions the edge.
VHSL Region 4A North first round: No. 16 Charlottesville (4-6) at No. 1 Salem (10-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: Charlottesville came oh-so-close to pulling off the upset of the year against Powhatan on the road. Despite the loss though, the Black Knights slipped into the playoffs for the third straight season, but line up against a juggernaut in Salem that’s won every game by 23 or more points. So Charlottesville is up against the best team it could possibly face after playing the best team it faced in the JD. The Black Knights defense has to be ready for everything as the Spartans can throw just as well as they can run and they have some horses.
Key matchup: The Black Knights defensive line takes on Coleman Fox. The Salem running back is headed to Virginia Tech and has 989 yards on just 112 carries, 21 of which went for TDs. Charlottesville’s line, led by Troy Hughes who was simply a beast at Powhatan, has to come up big again and then some. Charlottesville already has to worry about the Salem passing game, it can’t let Fox take what carries he gets for big yardage.
Who to watch: Charlottesville’s running duo of Malik Bartee and Rashad Brock. Simply put, these two are going to have to get the job done on the ground, both eating up the clock and making big plays to try and compete with Salem has offensively. The Spartans are going to score, that’s a fact as they’ve averaged 48.3 points per game. So Charlottesville has to match that punch with Bartee and Brock piling up the yardage in the rushing game and, more importantly than anything else, making sure it plays turnover free football.
The line: Salem by 17. The Black Knights run into the unstoppable force that Salem is right now. It’s a tough end to the year for a team that found a way to battle through injuries and rebuilding up front.
VHSL Region 3A East first round: No. 11 William Monroe (6-4) at No. 6 John Champe (7-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: For the third time in four seasons after a long, long drought ended back in 2011, the Dragons are in the playoffs. But they’re coming off a bit of a humbling after running into Clarke County where the Eagles won 57-15, ending Monroe’s four game winning streak. The Knights finished up their regular season with a drubbing of winless Park View to end the year on a four game winning streak of its own.
Key matchup: The Monroe front seven against the Champe offensive line. The Knights are big up front, really big. Monroe isn’t known for its size, but it’s tenacity, particularly at the linebacker position has been crucial all season long. The Dragons need to find a way to be crafty against a team that is going to want to come out and simply own the line of scrimmage and let running back Stephan Baker have a big day, something he’s capable of doing. Monroe can’t have a second straight week where the opposing offensive line imposes its will.
Who to watch: Dragon’s running back Tylek Burley. The best defense against a vaunted offense is a game breaker. If Burley can bust on the edge and give Monroe some big plays to help out Cody Perkins who handles the bulk of the load offensively, it would go a long way. The Dragons defense has its hands full so a big game from Burley would be a huge help.
The line: Champe by 6. The Knights look like too much like Clarke right now and that’s a problem.
VHSL Region 2A West first round: No. 11 Dan River (7-3) at No. 7 Buckingham (7-3)
The basics: It feels as though this matchup should come next week, not this week. The Knights cruised for a second straight win, destroying Prince Edward after doing the same to Cumberland the week before. The Wildcats are coming off a win over Gretna two weeks ago. This isn’t the same Dan River team from last year. Add to it, the Dogwood District might be the most mysterious district in the state as Gretna had a miserable season. The Wildcats best showing might also have been in a defeat at the hands of powerhouse Altavista (a 14-0 loss). Buckingham’s out of district play should help here, but it’s been three weeks since the Knights played meaningful football. This is a great showdown and Buckingham has a significant streak to keep alive — it has not lost a home playoff game.
Key matchup: The Dan River linebacking corps against the read. The Wildcats defense has been pretty solid all year, but it will have to figure out the rushing combination of quarterback Leon Ragland and running back Tariq Gough. Both runners are comfortable inside and truly dangerous outside. The Wildcats have to slow down this group to win this game. Those two are running behind an exceptional offensive line, and in this weather, that’s going to be big.
Who to watch: The Ragland to Matrice Foster connection. The time has come. If and when Buckingham chooses to throw against a loaded box is going to be big. When Ragland and his wide receiver connect this team wins, and usually wins big. Foster doesn’t need to put up big numbers, he just has to be open and haul in the pass when its dialed up and Ragland needs to put in place. If that happens, Dan River is in trouble.
The line: Buckingham by 3. The Knights get the edge here with their home playoff history and the math — frigid weather, the edge up front offensively and the better ground game.
