Welcome to Weekly Briefing, where Scrimmage Play breaks down all the football contests in Central Virginia each week.
Sherando (0-0) at Louisa County (0-0), 7:30 p.m. Radio: WINA 1070
The Basics: This is quite the opener for Louisa County as the Lions face the defending Northwestern District champion Sherando squad that’s been a state power since 2004. The Indians were 9-3 last season, falling to Liberty-Bealeton in the second round of the playoffs. But the Lions have a lot of pieces in place right now and they’re poised to take a big leap in the second year of Mark Fischer’s second stint as Louisa’s head coach. Playing a top-notch program like Sherando gives Louisa a chance to measure itself right out of the gate. With a strong offensive line and some talented but young playmakers in the mix, the offense has the potential to get clicking. This one has a chance to be an early season classic in the Jungle.
Key matchup: Louisa’s offensive line tries to account for Sherando linebacker Dylan Rivers. Rivers has a slew of Division I offers from schools like Virginia Tech, Penn State and West Virginia and earned second team all-state honors last year despite missing time with an injury. Containing the junior linebacker will be a key part of the puzzle for the Lions’ top-flight offensive line. Noah Verling and Malik Johnson lead a unit filled with strong blockers who paved the way for Trey Cherry’s huge season last year. If those road-graders can account for Rivers, it’ll be a big boost for the Lions’ ground attack.
Who to watch: Louisa’s backfield. Going into fall camp there were a number of questions about who would fill what spot for the Lions, but with athletes like Job Whalen, Jordan Cherry and Malik Bell, it seems a lock that someone is going to emerge as major threat for the Lions. Expect a breakout game from someone and potentially a performance that sets the tone for the year.
The line: Louisa by 1. The Lions’ experience on the offensive line is the difference as Louisa picks up a huge victory.
Freedom-South Riding (0-0) at Fluvanna County (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Fluvanna County’s new era officially begins Friday night as first-year head coach Steve Szarmach leads Fluvanna into his first regular season game. The Flucos get a winnable matchup in this one as Freedom also enters under a first-year head coach, former Chantilly assistant Sean Curry after the Eagles went 1-9 in 2014. With the Fluco-Q barbecue fundraiser being held in the lead-up to the game, the Fluvanna community should be out in full force, giving the Flucos a chance to set the tone out of the gate. That shot of energy could give this year’s edition of Fluvanna football, a group hoping to turn the tide and get the program’s win-total headed in the right direction, a big boost against the Eagles.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s front seven takes on Freedom sophomore Robert Mayo. Mayo is a big running back who also plays a lot of linebacker for the Eagles. The Fluvanna defense will have its hands full when he carries the ball, especially since four seniors make up the core of the line for Freedom. That could put some pressure on Craig Russo and Duquan Anderson who are slated to log a lot of time at linebacker this season.
Who to watch: Fluvanna’s playmakers, running back Mark Grooms and quarterback Gavin Patrick. Having returning starters at quarterback and running back in the fold is like a baseball team with a No. 1 pitcher and catcher who are returning. The battery is there. There’s a core to build around. Grooms and Patrick need to take things up a notch this year though. Fluvanna needs a lot out of their two most established skill players.
The line: Fluvanna by 1. The Flucos may be under new leadership but Freedom is too and Grooms and Patrick could give Fluvanna the edge in what should be a tight game.
Albemarle (0-0) at Brookville (0-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Patriots are coming into this season opener with a bit of gusto. It’s been a solid training camp, and participation probably couldn’t be better. Albemarle’s scrimmage with E.C. Glass gave the Patriots fan base a lot to be excited about. Now it’s time to get off on the right foot, but that’s not going to be easy. Brookville is coming off an 8-4 season with former Louisa County coach Jon Meeks entering his second season with the Bees. The Patriots are coming off a deceptive 3-7 season where they pushed a lot of good teams to the brink. And just like Meeks, Patriots coach Brandon Isaiah is entering his second year. Familiarity is no longer an issue for either of these teams. Now can Albemarle get over the hump this year and return to their playoff form from 2013? A season opening win on the road against Brookville would be an excellent way to start.
Key matchup: The Albemarle linebacking corps and secondary against the Bees’ misdirection. Meeks has been vocal about the fact that he plans to throw the ball more than he did last year. Part of that is because his 1,700-yard back from last year, Quan Myers, graduated. But he’s also got a senior quarterback in Dylan Onuffer. The Patriots will have to play solid assignment football, particularly at linebacker on the outside and at safety. Albemarle has the bulk of its defense back after a mass turnover the season before, so experience should not be too much of an issue. Look for J.T. Shorten to lead the way here.
Who to watch: Albemarle’s Tyquan Rose. He’s got the wheels, he’s got the moves. He’s a handful whether he’s lining up at receiver or returning kicks and punts. The Patriots need an explosive playmaker, particularly on offense against this Bee’s 3-5-3 defense that is particularly strong at linebacker. The Brookville defense managed to hold seven different opponents to 20 points or less, no surprise given Meek’s background and history at Louisa. Rose clearly has the ability to help break a game open, force a defense to adjust to wherever he is on the field. That will be big.
The line: Brookville by 1. The Patriots are still young and this is a tough road game. Add to it, this is a Brookville program that’s had just one losing season in the last five years and is returning a tough defense.
Covenant (0-0) at Portsmouth Christian (0-0), 7 p.m.
The Basics: Covenant’s football team has a year of Dave Hart’s option offense under its belt and they learned a lot from that season. By the end of last year, running back Austin Llera seemed a little run down by the end of the season. So this year, three backs will rotate and split the load. That should also free those players up to contribute in other areas. With those kind of adjustments in place, the Eagles should be able to take another step in the process as Hart and his staff look to build a squad that can wedge its way into the state playoff picture. That journey starts again this week as the Eagles face off against Portsmouth Christian, a team that has become a fixture in Covenant’s early season schedule in recent years. Look for Covenant to try and get into the groove with the option early and attack with an array of weapons from big backs like freshman Rick Weaver and converted lineman Jamison Steljes to a group of scat back type runners. Portsmouth posted a winless campaign in 2014 that started with a loss to the Eagles. If the Covenant offense gets going, Portsmouth will likely be staring at another 0-1 start to the year.
Key matchup: Covenant’s secondary takes on Portsmouth Christian junior quarterback Mykal Marraccini. The Eagles lost Quane Washington to graduation on the back end of their defense, but with players like Josh Klein and Stephen Wilder back in the secondary, that unit should be a strength for the Eagles. Marraccini is a returning starter and has a veteran offensive line in front of him, which may prompt him to test Covenant’s defensive backs. Look for the Eagles to be ready if he does.
Who to watch: Covenant’s John Huemme. While the quarterback isn’t asked to throw a lot in the Eagles’ offense, the spot does make a lot of reads and a lot of decisions on the fly. It’ll be interesting to see how Huemme handles those decisions in his first start, though in the Eagles’ scrimmage with Blessed Sacrament all signs pointed to the fact that he had a strong mastery of his role.
The line: Covenant by 10. The Eagles have some key players to replace, but they should pick up a road win against the Patriots.
Luray (0-0) at Nelson County (0-0), 7 p.m.
The Basics: Nelson County continues to put the pieces in place to improve as a program, and forgetting about the second half of last season is a key part of that process. In late September the Governors were 2-2 with wins over Page and Hargrave before a slide from that point on against stout Dogwood District opponents led to a 2-8 record and five shutout losses in the last six games. Nelson will now lean on a sophomore quarterback and some experienced skill position players to get the offense going while they also try and shore up a defense that struggled much of the year in 2014. The Governors will start against a Luray team that graduated all four of their first team All-Shenandoah District players and will have a number of new faces throughout the lineup.
Key matchup: Nelson’s front seven takes on Luray running back Jacob Moyer. Moyer earned second team All-Shenandoah District honors as a junior, and he was a particularly big handful for the Governors in the 2014 season opener as he rushed for 111 yards and two long scores in the opening minutes on just six carries. Stopping Moyer is a big part of slowing down the Bulldogs and that means senior linebacker Corey Mays and the rest of the Governors’ front seven need to come up big.
Who to watch: Nelson County’s Devante Rose. Rose enters the season opener as the starting quarterback and with good reason. The Governors are employing a flexbone option offense that offsets Rose’s lack of prototypical height and will take advantage of his quickness and speed. If he can make the right reads and get the Nelson offense going against Luray, that could be just the spark Nelson needs.
The line: Luray by 10. The Governors should be able to keep it much closer than 2014 with the Bulldogs breaking in a lot of new faces and Nelson boasting a lot of returners.
Western Albemarle (0-0) at Broadway (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Western Albemarle enters 2015 with high expectations after last season’s march to the state semifinals. But this year’s campaign starts with a tall task, taking on Broadway on the road. Western is well aware that season opening trips to the Valley can be tough, having escaped Spotswood with a narrow win as recently as 2013. This time the Warriors head to Broadway with a lot of firepower at the skill positions including senior quarterback Sam Hearn and senior wideout Henry Kreienbaum as well as sophomore Derek Domecq. Senior running back Oliver Herndon balances out that air assault with a strong effort on the ground, and that may simply be too many facets for the Gobblers to contend with. This could’ve been a rematch if Broadway hadn’t run into a Waynesboro squad that caught fire at the right time in the 2014 playoffs. If the Gobblers had knocked off the Little Giants, they would’ve found the Warriors waiting in the third round. Instead, they fell to Waynesboro 41-14 after beating the Little Giants in the regular season. Look for Broadway to come out and try and make a big early season statement against the Warriors.
Key matchup: Western’s defensive line led by Osiris Crutchfield looks to put pressure on Broadway quarterback Kirk Rygol. Rygol, a first team all-district selection as a sophomore last year, enters the season for the Gobblers with a largely new supporting cast. If Western can force the issue and put pressure on him with pass rushing terror Crutchfield, it’ll go a long way toward taking the Broadway offense out of sync.
Who to watch: Western Albemarle’s Sam Carey. Carey is one of the big building blocks back up front and as the center he’ll be a big part of what that unit does up front. If Carey and his linemates can gel quickly against Broadway and open up some running lanes for returning 1,000-yard rusher Oliver Herndon, that’ll help allow Western to control the pace of the game and get into an offensive groove.
The line: Western Albemarle by 14. Warriors have an opportunity to pick up a solid road win here as Broadway breaks in several new faces at the skill positions.
Appomattox (0-0) at Buckingham (0-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: As is tradition for both schools and their communities’ long time ties to the forestry industry, the season begins with the Battle of the Axe. While the actual axe is just three years old, the rivalry obviously stretches back a lot further. The Knights have won six of the last seven including last year where they took it to the Raiders on the road. This year’s Buckingham squad has a different look, particularly offensively so it will be interesting to see how that unit looks. The last time the Knights looked this different offensively was the last time they fell to Appomattox, two years ago. Of course, the team rebounded and made it to the Group 2A final four too. Rest assured this senior class does not want to start its year with a home loss.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s offensive line against the Appomattox front seven. The Raiders have seven starters back on defense led by juniors Delonte and Deron Kelso and the Knights lost three key players on offensive line. Of course, between Dyshawn Perkins and Michael Mabry, Buckingham has a pair of truly gifted lineman. It will be up to those two to lead the way for senior running back Leon Ragland. Buckingham’s ground game always sets the tone and dating back to 2009, it’s always been strong. If the line opens up the holes for the Knights run through, all will be well. It’s just that that might not be so easy coming out of the gate.
Who to watch: Buckingham quarterback Daniel Brickhill. The Liberty Christian transfer is the wildcard for the Knights early on in the year. While he was in Lynchburg the last few years, he grew up playing youth football in Buckingham and as such, is fairly familiar with what the Knights run. But more importantly, he knows his teammates, they are hardly strangers. That could bode well. And we will have to wait and see just how much Buckingham coach Craig Gill decides to air things out. The last two seasons have been particularly run-heavy, but that’s because the personnel fit that mentality perfectly. Just how much can Brickhill add to the rushing attack, and what will he look like if and when he drops back? Pretty much everyone at the game in Dillwyn will be watching attentively, especially both coaching staffs.
The line: Buckingham by 1. This has the makings of a dogfight with both defenses returning pretty much intact from last year. The Knights get the edge given their history against the Raiders and that they get to play at home.
Charlottesville (0-0) at Dominion (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Black Knights head into their season opening game in a better spot than last year, healthy and with an experienced group in the trenches. That’s the opposite of how 2014 began, and as such, this Charlottesville team has the potential to make some waves early on. They’ll have to do it against a quality Dominion program that returns the bulk of its offensive line, backfield and receiving corps. Nonetheless, for Charlottesville, the key early on will be getting its triple option back in sync after going with a different scheme lately.
Key matchup: Charlottesville’s defensive line against the Dominion offensive line. If there’s one area where the Black Knights are green, it’s up front on defense, and while their is a lot of young, physical potential upfront, this is a very good challenge for this group. Should this group find a way to slow down the Titans on the ground, there rest of the defense should be able to step up and put together a solid showing. Charlottesville’s never been short of playmakers in its secondary and that’s no different this season. A quality night in the trenches would mean a lot, especially since the offense has so much going in its favor.
Who to watch: Charlottesville’s Rashad Brock. Last year he had to play through injuries and more. A healthy Brock with an experienced line in front of him is a dangerous scenario. He’s been electric the last three years, but is bigger and stronger as a senior and should be poised to ruffle some feathers. His blend of speed and physicality is hard to match — and Black Knights coach Eric Sherry does not shy away from calling him one of the best running backs in the state. Charlottesville will be awfully happy to have him back in his proper form with the right holes to burst through. He doesn’t need much to make a lot happen. What’s he have in store for his season opener?
The line: Charlottesville by 3. The Black Knights are loaded at the skill positions and have the line to get the job done. When this team scores on the big plays, and they should be able to do a lot of that this year, they are hard to beat.
Goochland (0-0) at Essex (0-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Bulldogs scrimmage with Powhatan should be a message to the rest of Group 2A. This team, as usual, expects to compete at the highest level. And for the third straight season, they’ll open up with Essex, a team that went to the Group 1A championship before falling to Altavista. This will be the fourth straight year the Bulldogs and the Trojans have met with Goochland having won two of the last three. The Trojans lost more than a handful at the skill positions and on the offensive and defensive line. The Bulldogs are without arguably one of the most effective two-way players they’ve ever had in Jordan Jefferson who graduated. Does Essex have the pieces to get ready for a team, that while might have a different leader by example without Jefferson, is a program coming in with a great deal of momentum.
Key matchup: The Essex secondary takes on Goochland’s aerial assault, or does it? So the Bulldogs have their usual wing-t modus operandi. And then they have Reid Chenault under center at quarterback who’s capable of going deep and making all kinds of throws. This unit, which has turned over a great deal of talent, has to be able to load up the box because Goochland is most certainly going to establish the run, but also be ready for the deep ball and throws over the middle. That’s no easy challenge.
Who to watch: Goochland’s Calvin Martin. Chenault’s passing could well steal the show for the Bulldogs, but what would be even more impressive would be if this team comes out and does what made them famous for years — give the ball to one of their backs and make hay. Martin’s been impressive in scrimmages. It’s going to be interesting to see how much Martin can make with the workload he’s given. Again the question remains, even with the wing-t approach, just how often will he carry the ball?
The line: Goochland by 4. The Bulldogs experience and balance on offense proves too much, even on the road.
King William (0-0) at Madison County (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Mountaineers open their season with a team coming off a showing in the Region 2A East Championship. The good news? Madison won’t be facing the bevy of senior running backs the Cavaliers had. Nor their senior quarterback who also moved on. The bad news? The Mountaineers are still going up against a team that’s put together deep playoff runs the last three years. What should be interesting for Madison though is it looks as though they’re finally coming of age, particularly on the boundary. They’ve got weapons, and this offense could be very potent if it has the time to execute.
Key matchup: King William’s secondary takes on Dre Twyman and Isaiah Smith. This was the key for any Madison matchup last year — how much could it get out of it’s two talent but young receivers. They aren’t so young anymore. While James Graves isn’t under center anymore, Chris Smith takes over and coach Stuart Dean is excited about his ability to get the ball down field while also bringing an element of athleticism to the position. With all that said though, Twyman and Isaiah Smith are the keys as they both bring a lot of explosiveness to the receiver position. Madison’s thrown the ball around a lot the last four years and that probably won’t change much, at least not with these two on the field. The Cavaliers will have to matchup, and do so with at least four in the secondary to not get burned.
Who to watch: Madison’s Gabe Farmer. He had a great showing in the season finale against Warren County. He was hurt most of the year. He’s what this program’s been missing the last two years — a big bruising running back. Remember it was not long ago that Madison used to crank out 1,000 yard rushers with ease from year to year. But the well went a bit dry the last two years, and when Farmer got hurt last year it was tough on this offense. If he can grind out the yards the way that Logan Terrell and Ralph Yates did between 2007 and 2010, its going to change the dynamic of this offense. The Mountaineers are simply a different program when they run well. They’re a playoff team. A big day from Farmer would be much appreciated.
The line: King William by 3. This is a tall task for Madison as they still have to regroup on the offensive and defensive lines. But a strong showing from Smith, Farmer and the groups upfront could change things.
Culpeper County (0-0) at Orange County (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Jesse Lohr era for the Hornet begins with a short trip up to Culpeper. Both programs are coming off tough years, with Orange winning just once last season and Culpeper putting together a 3-8 campaign, one that was just enough to make the playoffs, interestingly enough. Of course in all things being fair, the Blue Devils played in four games where they lost by just one possession. The Hornets can’t blame experience anymore as they return the bulk of their roster. A win here wouldn’t just be huge for morale, it would give these athletes that endured a 1-9 season a message that sticking with things can yield results, a message that every player has to see happen eventually. This is a winnable game for Orange, but nothing will be given to them.
Key matchup: Orange’s defensive front seven against a brand new Culpeper offensive line. Do not be surprised if the Hornets are extremely aggressive in this game. The Blue Devils lost all five starters on the line. While Culpeper has talent at receiver, that won’t mean a lot if the Hornets can simply blow things up in the trenches. With the talent and experience to do so, Culpeper has to have this green group ready for what’s coming, a test.
Who to watch: The Hornets’ physical running back duo of Tre’von Smith and DeAngelo Hunt. Calling Smith a scat back is unfair, but calling Hunt a bulldozer isn’t. While Hunt brings the hammer as a pure oversized downhill runner, Smith brings a little more agility and more of a slippery quality. That said, Smith is hardly small as he’s built more like a linebacker than a running back. The Hornets have experience on the line and if these two can get rumbling, they’ll be able to wear down the Blue Devils defense.
The line: Orange by 3. The Blue Devils turned over so much of their roster, the Hornets didn’t. With the man power upfront and a solid run game, Orange can take this game.
