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Goochland (2-0) at Monticello (2-0), 7:30 p.m. Radio: WINA-1070
The basics: This one is shaping up to be a heck of a ballgame. To channel former Arizona Cardinals coach Denny Green, Goochland is what we thought they were. The Bulldogs appeared by all indications to be a Group A, Division 2 title contender and nothing in the first two weeks seems to indicate that’s off base. The Bulldogs trounced Fluvanna County and then capitalized on a pair of punt blocks to blowout private school power Fork Union. Monticello comes in with a red-hot offense that, like Goochland, has a pair of 40-point outings under its belt. Both teams can grind it out with the Bulldogs employing a fleet of running backs led by Patrick Clore while the Mustangs get it done with the area’s number two rusher, Isaac Robinson and dual-threat quarterback Jhalil Mosley
Key matchup: Zakell Johnson and the Goochland defensive backs take on Monticello’s emerging receiving corps. Since Monticello possesses threats as varied as short, quick Nathan DiGregorio, tall, strong Sam Patterson and dynamic playmaker Denzel Terry on the edges, Johnson and Goochland will likely have their hands full whenever the Mustangs throw the ball.
Who to watch: Goochland linebacker/wide receiver Nathan Adams. Adams, a junior, is well on his way to becoming one of the area’s best linebackers and got off to big start on offense too with 119 receiving yards against Fluvanna County two weeks ago. Adams will need to be a versatile, physical presence defensively against Monticello’s diverse offense.
The line: Goochland by 1. This one is a complete tossup. But Goochland has revenge on its mind and is hitting on all cylinders after blowing out Fork Union. That’s got to give the Bulldogs the edge when a matchup with Louisa County is looming next week for the Mustangs too.
Liberty Christian (2-0) at Blue Ridge (1-0) 4 p.m.
The Basics: The Barons kicked off their season last week with a road victory over Hargrave and get a wild challenge for their home opener with Liberty Christian. The Bulldogs are a perennial VISAA Division 1 state title contender who come in averaging 237 rushing yards per game.
Key matchup: Blue Ridge’s linebacking corps against the run. Stopping running back Carrington Mosley is a top priority as he comes in with 296 yards and seven touchdowns on just 48 carriers. But when Lucas Smissen or Jeff Hurtak get the ball, LCA is just as dangerous as those two average 11.3 and 6.3 yards per carry respectively.
Who to watch: Barons linebacker Brandon Rose. The junior had 11 tackles last week and the center of this defense needs that same kind of production against a Bulldogs offense that isn’t pulling any punches right now.
Line: Liberty by 9. Bulldogs offense presents too many problems.
Covenant (0-3) at Hargrave Military (0-2), 6 p.m.
The basics: Both teams are searching for their first victory, with the Eagles mired in a three-game losing streak to start the year. Hargrave hosts its second-straight Central Virginia squad after falling to Blue Ridge last Saturday in a shootout. Clearly Hargrave is vulnerable through the air after surrendering four passing touchdowns last week, but can Covenant put together the firepower?
Key matchup: Hargrave’s secondary versus Covenant sophomore quarterback Cole Williams. Williams and the Eagles’ passing game is still coming along, but it could find a jumpstart on the road.
Who to watch: Covenant’s Dominique Talley. The Eagles need to get some production going on the ground to help open up the pass. Talley might be the best bet right now.
The line: Hargrave by 1. This is the Eagles best chance yet to get in the win column. Can they capitalize?
William Monroe (2-1) at East Rockingham (1-0) 7 p.m.
The Basics: The Dragons took a tough 26-point defeat at the hands of Broadway last week and look to bounce back with a trip over the mountains and into the valley at East Rockingham. The Eagles have been off the last two weeks and Monroe has to be wary of both that and the fact that East Rock took down Madison County in a come-from-behind win a couple of weeks ago.
Key matchup: East Rockingham’s rush defense versus Monroe running back Doug Sizemore. Quieting the engine that drives the Dragons’ offense is crucial, but Sizemore and his offensive line make that a daunting task. Monroe likes to grind teams down and East Rockingham’s defense had trouble against the run with the Mountaineers in week one.
Who to watch: Monroe tight end Zach Durpey. As the Eagles stack the box and try and clamp down on the run, play action to the big senior target could be a major storyline in this game.
Line: Dragons by 4. Monroe bounces back and physically wears down East Rock.
Madison (1-2) at Page County (0-1) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Falling to Strasburg is tough one for the Mountaineers as they are now saddled with two losses already. In 2009 and 2010 Madison took its second loss in the Region B playoffs and regular season finale. The good news for Madison is that the first meeting with Strasburg does not count as a Bull Run District match and they have a favorable matchup with Page County to try and bounce back.
Key matchup: The Mountaineers’ front seven versus Page’s ground game. This defense needs a confidence-inspiring performance as it has given up an average of 25.6 points in three games so far. Knocking around the Panthers will help this unit gel and the best way to go about that is bury running backs.
Who to watch: Madison receiver Travis Warren. After two big games despite wild coverage schemes to start, Starsburg kept him and quarterback Dustin Farmer from having their usual success. Expect the two to get back to where they want to be.
Line: Mountaineers by 10. There are few weeks where the schedule does Madison a favor, but this is a time where it does.
Louisa (2-0) at Spotsylvania (1-1) 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Louisa is on a roll right now after the Lions jumped out to a huge halftime lead against Courtland and survived a physical second half to grab a big win over the Cougars. Spotsylvania, which knocked off Fluvanna last week to snap a 24-game losing streak will get Louisa’s full attention this week before a huge Jefferson District clash on September 23 puts Monticello and the Lions.
Key matchup: Louisa’s secondary takes on Ashten Dixon, the junior quarterback for Spotsylvania who threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the streak-snapping win over the Flucos. The Lions’ picked off three passes in the second half against Courtland, so Dixon will face a much tougher group of defensive backs this week/
Who to watch: Louisa sophomore Quincy Brock. If this game heads the way it should for the Lions, Brock, who saw significant time against Orange County, should be able to make an impact Friday. He did so against Orange in one half, and keeping starting running back Andre Mealy fresh is something the Lions would welcome.
The line: Louisa by 17. The Lions should get a nice tune-up here before facing off with the Mustangs next week.
Fork Union (0-2) at Powhatan (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Fork Union plays its second game against a public school in as many weeks, and the Blue Devils will need to regroup after getting knocked around by Goochland on the road. A good start would be shoring up special teams where FUMA surrendered a pair of punt blocks against the Bulldogs. Powhatan, which bounced back from a season-opening loss to Grafton by holding off Midlothian, will be another stout test for Fork Union as the Blue Devils continue a challenging schedule.
Key matchup: Powhatan’s secondary tries to contain Fork Union’s D.J. Randle-el, who was the Blue Devils only really effective threat against Goochland. Fork Union needs to find some balance quickly, but Randle-el will certainly pose a challenge for the Indians’ defensive backs.
Who to watch: Powhatan’s Chris Deleon. Deleon, who’s siblings put together strong careers at Powhatan, had a huge fourth quarter fumble recovery for a touchdown last week to keep Midlothian at bay and seal up a win.
The line: Powhatan by 7. Fork Union still has to find its identity on offense and find a way to run. The Indians aren’t going to make it easy for them.
Western Albemarle (1-1) at Fort Defiance (1-2) 7:30 p.m.
The basics: While the end result and the numbers weren’t pretty for Western Albemarle, last week’s loss to Liberty (Bealeton) may have told us that the Warriors can hang tough with anyone. Western kept it close for a long stretch against a bigger, powerful opponent with a large group of players going both ways. Fort Defiance dropped Buffalo Gap to open the year, a team Western looked good against in scrimmage play in August, but fell to Rockbridge last week. If the Warriors can pile up points early they’ll be in great shape to not get bitten by fatigue in the second half.
Key matchup: Western linebackers Austin Ellis and Tommy Mullin take on dual-threat junior quarterback Trevor Lam. Containing Lam is the key to slowing down the Fort Defiance offense, and Ellis and Mullin give the Warriors a good chance of pulling that off.
Who to watch: Western Albemarle’s Kent Henry. After playing the hero against Albemarle, Henry got knocked around a bit against Liberty. Can he bounce back with a strong performance Friday against Fort Defiance? Odds are good he can.
The line: Western Albemarle by 10. Warriors bounce back with road win.
Charlottesville (0-3) at Culpeper County (0-2) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Playing without Chris Thurston has been hard on the Charlottesville offense, but Rashad Davis provided a spark last week against Robert E. Lee. Getting Thurston back healthy will only help this offense. Overall the Black Knights looked substantially better in week three than during its scrimmage with Albemarle, so progress is being made. In Culpeper, Charlottesville faces an opponent that nearly took down Orange County.
Key matchup: Charlottesville’s middle defense against the run. It has been a theme from week one, and will continue to be until the Black Knights can make it stop — opposing teams want to run right at this defense. Linebackers Dale Richardson and Daquan Jones looked up to the task last week, but they need more help from interior lineman and players on the edge.
Who to watch: Charlottesville linebacker Daquan Jones. This is essentially Jones’ first year at the varsity level and Jones had a fistful of tackles for a loss last week and his development has impressed Black Knights coach Eric Sherry.
Line: Culpeper by 6. The Blue Devils almost beating Orange gives them edge on a winless Charlottesville team, but this appears to be the most winnable game for the Black Knights on their out of district slate.
Buckingham County (2-0) at Fluvanna County (1-2) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: The Flucos fell to Spotsylvania at home last week. Prince Edward is the common thread in this matchup with Fluvanna having beat the Raiders 33-22 in week one and Buckingham beating up on PE, 48-14, last week. The Knights have had the Flucos number recently with Fluvanna’s last win over Buckingham coming back in 2006.
Key matchup: The Flucos’ pass rush versus Knights quarterback Tarian Ayers. The athletic Buckingham senior is tearing it up on the ground and in the air. He has eight total touchdowns in two games with seven coming on the ground and one coming in the air. To get to Ayers in the backfield and not let him escape is critical for Fluvanna, and that means sending personnel after him. With linemen like Ben Lacey up front, their will be gaps to attack.
Who to watch: Buckingham wide receiver Landon Allen. In two games, Allen has become reliable threat down the field for Ayers and has seven catches for 122 yards so far. With Cam Johnson also playing wideout, Allen’s hot start adds a lot of depth to the Knights’ passing attack.
Line: Buckingham by 9. The Knights depth all over the field pushes them out to a 3-0 start.
Orange County (1-1) at Stafford (0-3) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Orange pulled out a come-from-behind victory last week against Culpeper to rebound from its loss to Louisa County the week before. With just two out of district tests, the Hornets face the first of eight Commonwealth District opponents. In Stafford they face a team that comes in with a shaky start, but truly battle tested having playing Massaponax to within three points and strong Potomac team to within 10. Still, this is one of the more favorable matchups Orange will get in the CD.
Key matchup: The Indians secondary versus Orange receivers Tyler Seal and Brandon Sellers. As Culpeper learned last week, if you throw basic coverage at the Hornets, they have the athletes and experience to make that decision hurt and Eric Washington is not afraid to plant a foot forward and find either of the two deep down the field.
Who to watch: Orange running back Isaiah Ferguson. As Washington and his receivers continue to find chemistry and warm up, Ferguson should see more run-friendly defensive formations. It would be a big deal for the Hornets if they can establish the run early.
Line: Orange by 1. This is going to be a tough game for Orange as they face a pretty solid defense. But between the way they played the second half against Louisa and fought back against Culpeper, this team is perfectly capable of starting Commonwealth play on a bright note.
Woodberry (1-0) at Blair Academy, NJ (0-0) Saturday 1 p.m.
The basics: It’s been an emotionally taxing week again at Woodberry Forest as the fallout from Jacob Rainey’s tragic injury continued, and now the Tigers cap it off with a long trip to New Jersey for a showdown with powerful Blair Academy. Blair plays with a handful of postgraduate players, so this will certainly be a physical contest for Woodberry, who’s coming off a monster win over Benedictine led by the suffocating Tigers defense.
Key matchup: Woodberry’s defensive line led by Rogers Clark takes on a high-octane Blair rushing attack. Clark and the rest of the Tigers will matchup against a stout run game. Can they produce another dominating result similar to the Benedictine contest?
Who to watch: Woodberry quarterback Heys McMath. McMath threw for just 70 yards last week and the offense couldn’t find a rhythm with a lot of new faces (9 or 10 new starters in total). McMath will need to help the Tigers find it this week.
The line: Woodberry by 3. The Tigers just find a way to win games.
STAB (1-1) at St. Christopher’s (2-0) Saturday 1 p.m.
The basics: See? You can’t worry about the new installment of St. Anne’s-Belfield after just a single week. You need a better statistical sample to judge the Saints, who are always trying different wrinkles early in the season. A mix of going back to what worked in 2010 during the state title run (Charles Sipe at defensive line) and putting guys into a more natural position for them (Antoine Currie at middle linebacker) paid huge dividends in a romp over Virginia Episcopal. The Saints take things up a notch with this week’s clash with St. Chris, a venue that hasn’t been kind to the Saints usually. Can STAB overcome their Richmond road-trip woes Saturday?
Key matchup: STAB’s defensive line tries to put pressure on St. Chris sophomore quarterback Giles Thompson. Thompson tossed for 227 yards and three touchdowns last week. Charles Sipe and company have to disrupt the pocket and make Thomspon make some tough throws or he’s going to get a chance to pick the STAB secondary apart with wideouts like Blair Fairinholt.
Who to watch: STAB’s Dylan Park. The Saints’ X-factor is due for a monster play in one of his many roles from defense to offense to gadget play catalyst. Park might have a chance to turn the tide.
The line: STAB by 1. If last week’s Saints show up, St. Chris, a VISAA Division I squad, is going to be in for a dog-fight.
