Covenant (5-1) at Christchurch (2-3), 4 p.m.
The basics: This is a tremendous chance for a statement game from the Eagles, who are now ranked No. 2 in the state in VISAA’s Division III, but are still looking for a signature win. The Eagles’ five wins have come against opponents who are a cumulative 3-26 this year and while Christchurch is below .500, their record has come against a challenging schedule. They played North Cross tight back in mid-September and they’re coming off a bye week that was preceded by a 52-0 blowout loss to Trinity Episcopal. Expect Christchurch to be excited for this one, and the Eagles (also coming of a bye) will have to match that intensity on the road.
Key matchup: Christchurch’s often porous defense takes on the Eagles’ option attack. As the weather gets cooler, teams that run the ball well should be able to take control of games, and Covenant has run the ball awfully well so far. Whether it’s Paul Huemme at quarterback, Austin Llera on the dive or Quane Washington on the edge, this is a dangerous offense to defend.
Who to watch: Covenant’s Matt Kersey. Kersey had a key sack against Blue Ridge two weeks ago and has been a big part of an improving Eagles defense that will need to be strong against the run and pass as a balanced Christchurch offense (467 passing yards, 632 rushing yards on the year) takes the field.
The line: Eagles by 1. Covenant can snag this one coming out of the bye week. This would be a huge road win and would put the Eagles one step closer to a spot in the state playoffs.
LCA (3-2) at Fork Union (2-4), Friday 3:30 p.m.
The basics: The Bulldogs were shutout by Charlotte Christian two weeks ago and come off a bye week. The Blue Devils picked up a big and ever important win over St. Christopher’s to end a 3-game skid keep its playoff hopes alive. There are two story lines here. The first is that Fork Union could not have put together a more difficult schedule. It’s last four games (including this one) have the two state title finalists from last year, the current top ranked VISAA Division 1 team (Benedictine) and its arch-rival which has won four of the last live Prep League titles. So as tough as the Blue Devils have had it so far, it’s not going to get any easier, which sounds insane. But the second story line is that LCA is coming off an unprecedented back-to-back loss situation. The Bulldogs have won three straight state titles. The last team to bump LCA out of the playoffs? Fork Union in 2010.
Key matchup: Fork Union’s defensive line takes on Liberty Christian’s big offensive line. These are two very different teams in that the Blue Devils have been highly successful offensively while having some woes defensively, while the Bulldogs, as big as they are up front, have been held to just one touchdown in the last two weeks. LCA’s offensive line is massive and effective. The Bulldogs have had two weeks to prepare and get things ready to try and breakout offensively. FUMA’s front four will need to take a page out of Woodberry Forest and Charlotte Christian’s game plan, to beat size and strength with speed and scheme. LCA doesn’t have the same playmakers that it did a year ago, but this current Bulldogs team is built to march downfield. The defensive line needs to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Who to watch: Fork Union’s Rashon Torrence. How could it not, even if he was the pick last week? He had 196 yards and five touchdowns on the road at St. Christophers to lead the way to a 48-38 win. If he and the FUMA offense played the way they did against the Saints this week, there’s an upset watch in the making here. The last time LCA came to Fork Union, it was one possession game decided in the final seconds. Torrence has the ability to keep LCA’s best unit, it’s offensive line, on the sidelines and also the ability to pile up the points for his team’s best unit, the Fork Union offense.
The line: LCA by 3. The Bulldogs are coming off the bye and have won the last four meetings. But if the Blue Devils bend and don’t break on defense, they could easily pull off what would be a signiture win and help further improve it’s playoff hopes.
Eastern Christian (Maryland) (2-5) vs. Woodberry Forest (3-0), 4 p.m.
The basics: The Tigers won their Prep League opener against Collegiate on a short week. The Honey Badgers (yes, that’s right) took down Friendship Collegiate last week 50-40 to end a five game skid. About that five game stretch, three of those schools were from Texas, another from South Carolina. It’s a good thing Woodberry had a short week against Collegiate to give it a long week to prepare here. ECA is the wild card of the Tigers schedule. The Honey Badgers have been through a gauntlet of a schedule and have some serious collegiate talent on their roster, just like the Tigers.
Key matchup: Woodberry’s secondary versus ECA quarterback David Sills. The Honey Badgers have a signal caller that’s committed to West Virginia. He’s helped his team scored 24 points or more in all but one game. The Tigers have Nathaniel Tyrell and Michael Davenport in the secondary both of whom are lockdown corners with the ability to quickly become offensive threats on interception returns. This is strength on strength here. A trio of future college talents are about to square off here.
Who to watch: Woodberry’s H.T. Minor. He missed last week against Collegiate but will likely be back in pads for the Tigers this week. He was missed last week against the Cougars. When he runs well, his quarterback, Lindell Stone and his favorite target, Zach Roderick usually make big plays. Minor is crucial to keeping his defense fresh, but also for moving the chains and setting up the passing game that Woodberry likes to insert. A big game from him if he’s healthy would be just huge.
The line: Woodberry by 1. The Tigers are at home, have yet to lose there and have edged two quality opponents. And this coaching staff almost never squanders a long week of preparation.
Hargrave Military Academy (0-6) at St. Anne’s-Belfield (5-1), 4 p.m.
The basics: STAB cleared a big hurdle last week by winning a low scoring battle with some defensive tenacity that helped erase three offensive turnovers. Holding the explosive Raiders to just 92 yards through the air was a sizeable feat for the Saints and bodes well for the future if they can stay on course where they’d potentially face a rematch with spread-oriented Bishop Sullivan in the state playoffs. But first things first — Hargrave comes to town Friday. The Tigers are winless but have shown some positives in matchups with other local squads like Blue Ridge and Covenant. STAB will likely have to adapt to the hurry-up, no huddle style Hargrave was employing early in the season, and just surviving that pace can be a struggle. STAB will be tested again, but so far they’ve passed nearly all of their evaluations with high marks.
Key matchup: STAB’s defense takes on a test against Hargrave’s Ray Inge. Inge is a solid running back who rushed for 189 yards last week against VES. The Saints proved last week they could stand up to North Cross’ spread attack with a 20-9 win, can they answer the bell against an offense that’ll try, at least early, to keep the ball on the ground?
Who to watch: STAB’s growing stable of running backs. The Saints have had several different running backs carry the work load this year, and whether that’s by design or necessity, that could pay off down the stretch. Whether it’s an injury or just a needed change of pace, the Saints have options ranging from Jake Allen to Brodie Phillips to Jamil Wilson and even DeeJay Anderson who’s come on of late. STAB has options, and that could prove to be a headache for the opposition.
The line: STAB by 21. The Saints are too explosive for the Tigers to handle.
Central (Lunenburg) (5-1) at Buckingham (4-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Chargers lost for the first time this year after falling at home to Goochland. Goochland with wins over both Central and Buckingham is firmly in the driver’s seat for the James River District title. The Knights bounced back after their loss on the road to the Bulldogs with a resounding win over Randolph-Henry. The bottom line here after Goochland exposed Central is that the only thing that is holding Buckingham back from a win here is turnovers. If the Knights hold on to the ball, they don’t lose. It’s that simple because they’re so punishing on offense. The Chargers are going to have their hands full here. The Knights, even when they struggle with turnovers are a handful, just ask Goochland. A win for Buckingham here helps bump them up further in the playoff standings big time.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s defensive line takes on the Chargers’ offensive line. The Knights have had their moments defensively. Against Goochland they were able to take away the big play, but not able to stop the short running game. If they can do that this week, they’ll have a big edge because it’s just a given right now that Buckingham is going to get its points on the offensive side of the ball.
Who to watch: The Buckingham passing game. Will coach Craig Gill start to try and open things up a bit now in the last half of the schedule as the Knights prepare for the playoffs? Leon Ragland is technically the area’s most accurate passer, the only problem being that he’s basically throwing 3-5 passes a game. What can’t be argued though is that he and teammate Tariq Gough — he had six first half touchdowns last week — are the most dynamic running combination going right now. If Ragland and his receivers start to play around successfully in the air, Buckingham probably can’t be stopped offensively because it’s offensive line is just so dominant.
The line: Buckingham by 4. This number goes up exponentially if Buckingham doesn’t fumble. But even still, Goochland ran really well against Central and the Bulldogs slowed down the Chargers. Buckingham ran really, really well against Goochland. Transitive properties hard at work here.
Nelson County (2-3) at Chatham (3-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: Nelson got a week off to heal up after absorbing a 34-0 loss at the hands of Dan River, and now they’ll hit the road to take on the Cavaliers who are also coming off a loss to Dan River. With both teams trying to run the ball and control possession, whoever can impose their will on offense will likely pick up the win here.
Key matchup: Nelson takes on a ground-oriented Chatham offense. The Governors have struggled a little to stop opponents in the rushing game, and Chatham will try and keep the clock moving and the ball in their possession with a multi-faceted ground attack. Nelson will have its hands full.
Who to watch: Nelson linebackers Cameron Vaughn and Dwayne Twinnell. The Governors’ linebacking tandem played well against Dan River according to Nelson coach Mark Poston and that defense is going to need to develop as the Governors search for offensive playmakers beyond standout Ray Chambers.
The line: Chatham by 10. These two have a recent common opponent in Dan River and the Cavaliers fell just 14-0 while Nelson lost 34-0. Scale tips in favor of Chatham
Powhatan (5-1) at Albemarle (1-5), 7 p.m.
The basics: These are two squads with completely different momentum right now as the Indians are coming off two big wins over Monticello and Louisa while Albemarle fell in a narrow contest to cross-county rival Western. Powhatan’s defense has been incredible during the last two games, and they’ll need to keep it up against an Albemarle offense that boasts an explosive (though banged up against Western) Kevin McCarthy toting the ball. Powhatan managed to slow down Trey Cherry last week though, and Albemarle will have its own problems to contend with as Powhatan’s offense got it done through the air against Monticello and then turned to the ground against Louisa. This is right about the time when the Patriots’ tough early slate needs to start helping them out. They’ve seen big-time squads already this year can they repeat what Fork Union did last week against St. Christopher’s and pick up a huge win against a squad with a significantly better record.
Key matchup: Powhatan’s secondary takes on Cameron Green and Rooney Turay in the passing game. Albemarle showed last week against Western that it wasn’t afraid to test the Warriors down field, and they’ll likely try more of that as well against Powhatan after Green hauled in more than 100 yards and a touchdown through the air. Turay is also a dangerous threat in the aerial attack when he’s not running ball, so the Indians will need to keep an eye on him as well.
Who to watch: Powhatan’s Logan Allen. Allen was injured in the second half against Louisa but is expected to be back, and it’d be a big boost for the Indians to get him back in the fold. He exploded for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 19 touches mostly in the first half as the workhorse running back against Louisa.
The line: Powhatan by 10. No reason to doubt the Indians who are on a roll, but they’ll need to be wary of the Patriots.
Charlottesville (2-3) at Orange County (1-4), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Black Knights fell hard in the second half to Monticello last week. The Hornets picked up a morale-boosting first win of the year by topping Fluvanna County. Charlottesville looked pretty good mid-way through it’s game with Louisa County two weeks ago. But after getting outscored by the Lions 28-0 to finish up that contest and then the showing against Monticello, it’s clear that the Black Knights need a bit of wind in their sails. That said, an injured Rashad Brock really hurts this team. On the other hand, Orange County’s offense finally looked to have some skip in its step after four weeks of tough opponents. These two teams are similarly built, and as such, the Hornets defense can compete with Charlottesville’s speed. The Black Knights need this win badly to improve their playoff standings. Fluvanna needed that last week and look what happened. Orange could make a big statement here with a win. Right now it’s a simply question though, which of these two teams will show up? They’ve both been a bit mercurial.
Key matchup: Orange’s front seven versus Charlottesville’s Malik Bartee. As seen last week, Bartee can’t be the playmaker he is, or his team needs, much less make a read and handoff to one of his backs when he’s getting pummeled off the snap. The Black Knights offensive line had its hands full last week against Monticello. They’ll need to be a lot better this week. When Bartee and the running game is on, Charlottesville wins. When it’s not, the proof is in the pudding.
Who to watch: The medical report. Will Rashad Brock suit up after getting knicked up with an ankle injury in the first quarter last week? What about Orange’s quarterback situation? There are a lot of what if’s in this game. And if both are ruled out, does this game become Bartee vs. Orange’s Keith Ellis in a simplified contest? This meeting between the two is filled with question marks because the last few weeks for both teams have been so inconsistent. So watch special teams be the difference if injuries even up the playing field.
The line: Charlottesville by 1. The Black Knights are in a funk, but they also have so much potential. As big as Orange’s win was last week, the Knights have the depth and athleticism to counter the Hornets here the way that Fluvanna did not.
Madison County (2-3) at Clarke County (5-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Mountaineers picked up a second straight win by taking down George Mason 28-6. The Eagles cruised for the fifth straight week, dropping Warren 28-6 as well. What a difference two weeks make for Madison. But now it runs into a buzzsaw as Clarke has yet to be challenged. 16 points. That the closest any team has come to knocking off the Eagles. Add to it, only Strasburg has scored more than one touchdown on Clarke. So for the Mountaineers, the execution of the game plan has to be absolutely perfect, especially here on the road.
Key matchup: Madison’s defensive line against the run. This one is pretty cut and dry. The Mountaineers have to be able to find a way to slow down an offense that’s not exactly diverse in terms of throwing and running, but one that distributes the ball well on misdirection. In a lot of ways, Clarke looks familiar to East Rockingham. The results here have to be different than a few weeks ago against a similar offense because the Eagles aren’t going to give up a lot defensively. If Madison keeps Clarke from going on long demoralizing drives, it can make this game competitive.
Who to watch: Madison’s Daylon Montgomery. With Clarke likely to try and keep Kenyon Smith bottled up, it’s up to the sophomore to try and have a big game. If Montgomery can be a playmaker like he has lately (four sacks and five hurries) that will draw attention from the senior Smith and allow Madison to apply a bit more pressure.
The line: Clark by 7. The Eagles are the class of the Bull Run District right now, and playing at home doesn’t hurt. A close game here for Madison would be a moral victory considering how young this team at so many key positions.
Central Woodstock (3-2) at William Monroe (2-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Falcons edged Manassas Park last week by a touchdown. Monroe fell late on the road at Strasburg. It was a tough loss for the Dragons as they appeared to be in control but just couldn’t hang on. The one thing for Monroe is that all three of its losses are one possession games, and as such, games that could have easily gone their way. The Dragons are getting used to playing tight games, and this one shouldn’t be all that much different.
Key matchup: The Central front seven against the Monroe rushing attack. When Cody Perkins and Tylek Burley are delivering a 1-2 punch, this is a tough offense to stop. Perkins had a huge game last week finishing just shy of 200 yards. He doesn’t have to be as efficient here, but he needs to move this offense and set up the outside rush for Burley who has homerun speed. When that type of rushing attack clicks for Monroe, it has been more than teams can handle.
Who to watch: Monroe quarterback Malique Shackelford. He doesn’t have to do it all with his arm given the weapons in the backfield but the newest Monroe signal-caller needs to have an impact. If Shackleford can convert some first downs with his feet, the passing game should open up. He has the arm and weapons downfield when he’s not handing off the ball. A solid game from Shackleford more than gives Monroe the edge here.
The line: Monroe by 1. The Dragons have to be sound defensively and avoid the turnovers offensively. But there’s no reason they can squeak by Central here, especially at home.
Western Albemarle (5-0) at Louisa County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Western passed a big test at home Friday, gutting out a rivalry game win in the rain against Albemarle. But this road battle will be the Warriors’ biggest test yet. Western keeps finding a variety of ways to win, and resourcefulness is key when facing Louisa. The Lions took it on the chin against Powhatan last week but they shown flashes of strong, solid, consistent football, especially when they’ve given the ball to Trey Cherry. The Warriors will surely see a big dose of him, but don’t be surprised if, coming off a loss, Louisa puts the ball in a lot of different players hands early to try and find a spark.
Key matchup: Western’s run defense takes on Louisa’s Trey Cherry. Cherry struggled against Powhatan but he’s just two weeks removed from putting the Lions’ offense on his back against Charlottesville. Louisa is going to feed Cherry and that means defensive linemen like Osiris Crutchfield and Sam Carey need to play responsibility football and avoid creating running lanes for Cherry.
Who to watch: Western’s Oliver Herndon. After the Lions struggled to stop Powhatan’s Logan Allen last week, you can bet the Warriors will try and hammer Louisa with Herndon out of the tailback spot. He had 130 yards last week against Powhatan and he’ll likely carry a big chunk of the offensive load this week in the Jungle too.
The line: Western Albemarle by 1. Winning in the Jungle is rarely easy and it’s homecoming for the Lions. Warriors will have to come up big to snag this one.
Fluvanna County (1-4) at Monticello (4-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Monticello got back into a groove against Charlottesville last week after falling to Powhatan at home two weeks ago, while Fluvanna let a good chance for a win slip away against Orange as the Flucos struggled to move the ball on the ground. Now a little more banged up, the Flucos have to take on a much more highly-regarded opponent in the Mustangs. Look for Monticello to try and establish the run game, but they’re still trying to develop a complimentary aerial attack so they’ll also likely try and get quarterback Daniel Hummel into a rhythm.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s linebackers try and handle the one-two punch of Kyree Koonce and Jeonte Banks with a dash of Griffin Davis thrown in. Koonce got back a little of his early season form Friday against Charlottesville with 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns in limited work as the Mustangs pulled away to an easy win. But Monticello is at its best when its unpredictable on the ground and Banks and Davis give the Mutangs a little of that surprise potential.
Who to watch: Fluvanna’s Macen Dahl. Dahl leads the area in receiving yards with 545 on the year, and he’s emerged as the Flucos’ most reliable offensive option. If the Flucos are going to hang with the Mustangs, they’ve got to get Dahl involved. Monticello’s secondary that was burned two weeks ago against Powhatan knows it’s going to be a lot of Dahl all over the field and they’ll need to prove their up to the task.
The line: Monticello by 21. The Mustangs pick up another win before jumping into a major rivalry clash with Western Albemarle next week.
Trinity Episcopal (3-3) at Blue Ridge (1-4), Saturday 2 p.m.
The basics: Scoring isn’t a problem for Blue Ridge. Not according to the 30.8 point per game average they’re posting, but defensively things have been a bit of a struggle. Trinity Episcopal isn’t having scoring problems either as they’ve piled up more than 50 points in their last two games. That means they could present a problem for the Barons, who are looking to get back in the win column and get moving forward.
Key matchup: Blue Ridge’s defense takes on Trinity’s Jack Freudenthal. Two weeks ago against Christchurch, Freudenthal needed just nine carries to pile up 107 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahorses. The Barons struggles against the run were evident two weeks ago as Covenant’s Paul Huemme ran roughshod over the Barons. Has the bye week helped Blue Ridge fix the holes in the run defense?
Who to watch: Blue Ridge’s Noah Brooks. Brooks had a solid effort last time out against Covenant as he continues to emerge as yet another solid option in the passing game on a team that already has Malik Johnson, Scott Spencer and Afana Offor in the fold. Brooks gives quarterback Trevor Eaton yet another option.
The line: TES by 10. Tough match up for the Barons as the Titans have recently found a rhythm after some early season struggles.
