Covenant at Albemarle boys lacrosse, Friday at 6 p.m.
The basics: It’s always fun when two of the area’s top lacrosse programs go head-to-head, especially when the matchup crosses the public-private divide. Last year, the Eagles engaged in a thrilling 12-11 matchup with Western Albemarle with Covenant edging out the Warriors. This has the potential to be another solid matchup as the defending VISAA Division II champions (ranked No. 2 in the state currently) take on an Albemarle squad that has a big-time scoring threat in Ian Davis and he’s just the tip of the spear for AHS. Albemarle will get another big test against St. Christopher’s earlier in the week, which should let them shake off the rust since they’ve been on a break since April 1. Both teams have the potential to score points in bunches and shut down the opposition so it could be a bit of a chess match for the opposing coaches as they try and find a rhythm on offense and disrupt things on defense. A game like this on a Friday night opens the door for some of the team’s stars to have monster performances, so look for someone like Davis or Covenant’s Michael Colberg to put their stamp on this one.
Key matchup: Albemarle’s defenders matchup with Covenant’s hard-dodging midfielders. The Eagles have some serious attackers like Sav Moore who can fill it up but it starts with Michael Colberg and Clark Gathright who can dodge and create from the top. Containing Covenant’s threats will be a big part of the puzzle for the Patriots who have Malcolm Meistrell and Ryan Hooper to mark the opposition’s top players. If those two and the rest of the Albemarle unit that has helped hold some tough opponents to low scoring efforts this year (like Osbourn Park’s three goals back on April 1) it’ll go a long way toward giving the Patriots the upper hand.
Who to watch: The keepers. Austin Hall for Covenant and Albemarle’s Nemo Lesesane go toe-to-toe in what should prove to be a pretty solid battle. Hall has been a fixture in the cage for the Eagles while Lesesane has finally gotten his chance to step into the starting role, though he’s a proven entity on the football field. Through the early stages of the season, both goalies have been strong and made some big-time stops. Whoever can come up with the bigger saves Friday will give his a team a big lift.
The line: Albemarle by 1. This one is almost too close to call, but the Patriots’ depth and the experience earlier in the week against a top-notch St. Christopher’s squad give them the slight edge.
Four more to watch
Albemarle at Monticello softball, Tuesday
Before falling to Orange just before spring break, Albemarle was riding a 4-game winning streak where it had scored at least 11 runs with victories over Charlottesville, Liberty Christian, Western Albemarle and Fort LeBoeuf. After an 11-day layoff, the Patriots will play Monticello, who’ve been off for 12 days. The Mustangs rebounded from their 5-4 loss to Orange to beat Charlottesville 21-1. Both team feature big names with Emily Clifford leading the Mustangs and Brooke McAllister doing the same for the Patriots. The two programs both have just one Jefferson District loss along with Louisa County for a 3-way tie for third place. Each JD contest is critical for both as they look to keep pace with Orange and Powhatan.
Albemarle at Monticello baseball, Tuesday
The Patriots will look to snap a 3-game skid after a week off while the Mustangs were busy during their spring break. Coming back from a tournament in Myrtle Beach, Monticello will try and pick up where it left off after a week where it beat Orange 11-4 and Charlottesville 13-2. That’s a far cry from the start of the season when the Mustangs fell to Spotswood 11-0 and then Waynesboro 19-18. This one is about the Class of 2017 and 2018, between Kevin Jarrell for Monticello and Andrew Porter, Ryan Porter and Nathan Toney for Albemarle. And the beauty of two young teams meeting up is that you have no idea how it’ll play out from the first inning to the last. No lead is safe, no lead is out of distance.
Western Albemarle at Louisa County baseball, Thursday
The Warriors have a busy week having to play Spotswood and then Charlottesville before heading to Mineral, so they’ll need to be smart with their arms to even out the innings. The Lions are red hot right now, but have only played one Jefferson District opponent so far — Orange County. Nonetheless, Louisa’s has beaten the Hornets, Court, Patrick Henry Ashley and Chancellor and has not lost since March 23. With a big test on Tuesday against Powhatan, they don’t have an easy week either. By the end of the week though, particularly with how the Lions play the Indians and Warriors, we should get a better idea of what to expect going forward right now in the JD. There’s a lot of parity right now, and there might only be more going forward. If all goes to plan early in the week, it could be Western’s ace in Derek Domecq versus Louisa’s in John Reynolds.
Covenant at Woodberry baseball, Saturday
Two local teams from two different leagues/conference and state playoff divisions both trying to make a name for themselves. The Eagles enter the week with a strong 13-4 record and six pitchers with ERA’s at 3.15 or below — Will Moore leads the team with his 1.24 having given up just three earned over 17 innings. Woodberry has three opponents this week before its gets to throw down with Covenant. The Tigers have to play one of if not the best team in the Prep League twice in Trinity Episcopal before it’s Saturday double-header with Highland at 1:30 and Covenant to follow. At 6-2 right now, Woodberry’s won two of it’s last three games. Patrick McDonald has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Tigers between his innings pitched and his offensive production hitting in the three spot.
Team on the rise: Madison softball
In just eight days the Mountaineers went from a 3-3 team to a 6-3 team with a perfect 3-0 record in the Bull Run District. Of course, two of those losses were to the Jefferson District’s top team — Orange County, and two of those three losses were by one run or less. Since falling to Luray 8-7 on March 31, Madison has outscored its opponents 39-1. With an 8-0 win over Clarke County and a 7-1 victory over Mason, it appears the Mountaineers are very much in the BRD driver’s seat with a huge home game with William Monroe looming large on April 22. Madison gets Warren County on the road and Strasburg at home this week. Look for the Mountaineers to continue to build steam for the first meeting with the Dragons coming up next Friday.
