Division 3A West Region
No. 7 Magna Vista (10-1) at No. 2 Western Albemarle (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: So you can pretty much throw out the seeding now. While the Crozet Warriors cruised last week against Cave Spring, the Ridgeway Warriors edged Liberty Bedford by two points in their first round meeting. Western is rolling right now after surviving a close call with Powhatan three weeks ago and has won its last four contests since falling to Monticello in mid-October. Magna Vista hasn’t lost since the first week of September when it fell to 2A opponent Dan River. Two high-powered offenses are meeting here in Crozet. This one is a battle of the defenses trying to figure out the quarterbacks.
Key matchup: Western’s secondary against Magna Vista quarterback Shoalin McGuire. The sophomore threw for 429 yards last week with 328 of that coming through the air. He had five passing touchdowns and one rushing. His 74 yard TD pass in the last seconds of play is the only reason that Western isn’t hosting Liberty. Western has done well against the pass, but need it needs a solid pass rush to try and let this secondary create turnover to swing things there way.
Who to watch: Western quarterback and linebacker Kent Henry. Listen, with McGuire on the other side, what Henry does on defense and then how he responds under center himself is the real story in this game. When current VSU assistant Rodney Redd was at Monticello, he said in both 2011 and 2012 when the Mustangs played Western in the playoffs “As long as number 16 is on the field, Western has a chance.” He’s got the weapons at receiver with Chase Stokes and Steven Hearn. His ability to improvise on the ground is second to none. He uses that to work through his progressions in addition to picking up easy yardage. If Henry is on his game, Western’s in great shape. Can Magna Vista do anything to counter it? Not many have the last three seasons he’s been the starter.
The line: Western by 1. The offenses almost cancel each other out. The host gets the nod when all things are equal. If this game was at Magna Vista we’d go with them by 1. This one looks like it’s going to come down to one last magical or heartbreaking play.
No. 6 Monticello (10-1) at No. 3 Northside (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Mustangs came up with the defensive plays needed to take down Rustburg last week. The Vikings took down Brookville, the defending two-time state champions formerly coached by Monticello coach Jeff Woody. As such, if you don’t think that the Mustangs have the edge as far as the scouting report goes, you’re in the vast minority. That said, the Mustangs could well have been hosting this game were it not for the fact they got nothing points wise from their games against winless George Whyte or Fork Union as the VHSL does not honor wins against private school opponents. Northside has won three in a row since falling to former 3A West top seed Lord Botetourt. Monticello is in the same boat since falling to Albemarle, now winners of three straight too.
Key matchup: The Northside front seven takes on Monticello running back T.J. Tillery. Since Kyree Koonce went down to injury, Woody’s turned Monticello into a power-focused offense where it goes for long demoralizing drives, time after time. Tillery spearheads the attack with his blend of power and quickness. The Vikings can’t let him get the kind of yards after contact he’s had the last six weeks. Tillery had a career high last week with 245 yards, as he keeps resetting his career-best seemingly every game. Northside should throw the kitchen sink at him, even as well as James St. Hill has played at times in his first year at quarterback. If you slow down this rushing attack, you have the edge. If you don’t, you’ll get gashed by Tillery and then St. Hill’s receivers over the top.
Who to watch: Monticello’s front four takes on Northside quarterback Dom Dunnaville. After his 227 yards rushing on 12 touches and 125 yards passing, he’ll be the key to this game. The Mustangs were the only team this year to handle Western Albemarle quarterback Kent Henry, and so in that sense, this task won’t be new. The Mustangs have given up some points, but not a lot of yardage this season. In fact, Monticello is holding teams to less than 100 yards rushing a game and fewer than 50 yards passing. The defensive line will have to key in on Dunnaville as a runner first and not over pursue as so often happens with dual threat quarterbacks for a lot of defense. Monticello’s offense is going to get its points, it just needs the kind of key stops it got against Rustburg late last week.
The line: Monticello by 1. This game probably comes down to special teams. Mustangs senior kicker Josh Malm could be the difference. Monticello is also truly under-seeded at No. 6.
Division 2A East
No. 8 Goochland (9-2) at No. 1 Wilson Memorial (10-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: So we’ve been here before, twice actually, just not this soon. Goochland pummeled East Rockingham last week while Wilson rolled past Madison County. This is the third meeting in three years. Two years ago the Bulldogs rolled past the Hornets in Goochland. Last year the Bulldogs went into Fishersville and shut out Wilson in a dominating performance. Of all the playoff matchups this week, this one is the most interesting storyline wise. Just like Monticello, Goochland is underseeded after getting no credit for its win over Fork Union. But things worked out for them as the coaching staff seems content to deal with Wilson now rather than an opponent it doesn’t know. Wilson, as the top seed, has to feel a bit of anger that they drew this opponent, but at the same time, if this is their year, it would only be fitting for them to take down Goochland after losing in the state semifinals the last two years. The bottom line here is that this game will be running clock, even if the game is tied. Old school football fans should rejoice again as they did the last two years.
Key matchup: Wilson’s secondary vs. Goochland quarterback Jordan Jefferson and the misdirection game. The Hornets got burned last year on the pass. Then when the game was in the Bulldogs favor, they did what they do with its bevy of backs. As much as this secondary has to help out in keeping Jaylen Allen from the Edge, bottling up David Dyer in the middle and keeping watch on Connor Saunders in both places, it has to figure out when Jefferson decides to go for the dagger. It’s easy to do on third and long. But Goochland assistant Joel Grey has no qualms about going for the jugular on second and short. If Jefferson is read properly, Wilson won’t fall into the pitfalls that’s doomed them the last two years. If not, could well be that this is the same old story.
Who to watch: Goochland’s front seven. They have the task of trying to stop Juh-Kwquan McCauley and Savant Swift. Last year an experienced defense got the job done against Malick Rucks and Swift. Can this younger group channel the defense of the last two years? Akia Timberlake will give the Bulldogs penetration up front. Saunders plays solid in the middle at linebacker. They were both there last year. McCauley is the workhorse while Swift is the wildcard. The funny thing about this matchup is that Goochland, which doesn’t rely on just one or two backs, is all too prepared for run-first teams like this. While Wilson should be in the same boat, it hasn’t been up to the task against Goochland, at least not in the playoffs and certainly not against the Bulldogs. All this front seven has to do is keep the Hornets from getting more than 21. The Goochland offense is on fire right now, scoring 50 or more in four straight weeks and six times this year.
The line: Goochland by 4. Yes we know Wilson is the top seed and we’re going out on a limb here but we’ll side with history on this one. Don’t forget, Goochland has one playoff loss since 2011, and that came in the state final in that year.
Division 2A West
No. 6 Buckingham County (8-3) at No. 3 Dan River (9-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Knights couldn’t have played better in the first quarter in their romp over James River. As a result, they are coming in with the second team having played almost the entire second half of that game. Dan River struggled early against Glenvar and then blew up in the second with 25 points to win 32-15. There are a lot of similarities between the playoff teams this week, but there’s no matchup pitting two teams quite this identical in nature. This is a really good meeting, a potential dueling banjo kind of game.
Key matchup: Buckingham running back Kenneth Johnson takes on Dan River back Terrell Edmunds. Both teams are built around their solid runners. Johnson has 1,921 yards to his name and 22 TDs. Edmunds has 1,676 yards and 21 TDs to his name. Odds are good that both of these two are going to get their yardage. The real question is which of these two will find the endzone more often, avoid the tackles for loss the most, avoid fumbling. None of those latter two have been an issue for either, but when heads butt like this, something has to give. The bottom line is that both are the keystone pieces to their team as seniors. They lead by example. Which one comes out on top here? We really have no idea. We’ll argue both coaching staffs feel the same way about the opposing back.
Who to watch: Buckingham linebacker and wide receiver John Edwards. Besides Edwards and Johnson, this Knights team is pretty young overall. Edwards has been key defensively as he leads the team in tackles and is all too happy to throw his hat in to help against the run. The Knights need him to play big-time football and ideally force a turnover. He’s got two forced fumbles and two recoveries. He doesn’t shy away from physicality, and that also makes him an ideal blocker on the edge for Johnson. A great game from Edwards on both sides could give Buckingham the upset.
The line: Dan River by 1. It’s so even that we have to side with the home team here. Otherwise, we’d guess these two would play forever in OT. Also, Dan River has taken down Magna Vista, Appomattox and Gretna, the latter two in the last two weeks of the regular season.
