VHSL Region 3A West Second Round: No. 7 Monticello (9-2) at No.2 Magna Vista (10-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Mustangs showed off their playoff look against Tunstall and it was something as then took down Titans behind an overwhelming start to the game. The Warriors handled Cave Spring with ease and after Waynesboro’s big upset over an injury ridden Hidden Valley, Magna Vista is now the top seed left in the Region tournament. Monticello still has question marks thanks to the way they let Tunstall hang around behind its running game and sloppy tackling on the outside. Magna Vista on the other hand is looking sharp, pouring on 41 or more in its last four games and giving up just three touchdowns in its last three games.
Key matchup: Monticello’s offensive line against the Magna Vista front seven. The word is out, and the Warriors know it. They’re going to do everything they can to try and keep Mustangs running back Kyree Koonce from taking over the way he did last week. That means getting early penetration up front and the linebacking corps wrapping up if and when Koonce bounces out to the edge. Easier said than done, but if Monticello’s line gives Koonce just a bit of daylight, he’ll take an inch and make it something special. Monticello, despite boasting the JD defensive player of the year in Griffin Davis, still gives up too many big plays on defense so it’s going to need Koonce and this unit up front to put up big numbers and win the shootout battle.
Who to watch: Koonce and Jacqez Hairston. Mustangs coach Jeff Woody has called Koonce the best running back he’s coached or coached against. His 350-yard showing last week was the best in school history and he was held back in the second half. He’s as fast as he was last year, but against Tunstall he showed a physical nature to his game that makes him truly unique. If the Mustangs get a turnover free game from their horse, they’re going to make this game awfully interesting. But the Warriors have Hairston, their own horse and a great offensive line too. Hairston put up 210 yards on 16 carries last week. This should be a great battle of great backs.
The line: Magna Vista by 3. If Monticello’s defense plays the way it did against Tunstall and Louisa in the first halves of those games, this is a different story and the Mustangs might pull off the upset. That said, Monticello has to chase away those second half ghosts and its first half showing against Orange to play four full quarters against a very good team on the road.
VHSL Region 2A West Second Round: No. 7 Buckingham (8-3) at No. 2 Gate City (9-2), 2 p.m. Saturday
The basics: After a close first half with Dan River, the Knights rolled past their first round opponent to maintain their perfect playoff record at home. The Blue Devils destroyed Graham in their playoff opener 70-0. This is a tall task for the Knights, but that was the case last year when they made the road trip to Dan River and came away with arguably the biggest win in program history in the last decade. This is deja vu all over again for Buckingham, albeit with Dan River at home last week and now the Gate City on the road. Can the Knights put up the show they did last year to beat this team? Most of the crew involved last year is still around.
Key matchup: The Buckingham front eight versus Gate City running back Evan Baker. The Blue Devils runner bowled his way to four touchdowns last week. He’s big, he’s strong and he’s got a great unit up front creating massive holes. That should sound familiar for Buckingham. The Knights have struggled against the great running teams they’ve played, whether it’s Goochland or Nottoway from the James River District. But both those teams are still alive and well and the Knights played both tough, and they gutted out a win over Dan River last week. This defensive front needs to play fundamentally well to slow Baker down. The Knights struggles have been on the edge more than anything else so playing contain properly will be key.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Gough crew. When Tariq Gough went down with an injury, B.J. Gough stepped up in a big way. The Knights need one or the other or even both to just free things up a bit for quarterback Leon Ragland who is just one big game away from hitting the 2K mark as a rusher. Ragland’s so fast and physical that he’s going to draw the bulk of the defensive attention. So if Tariq or B.J. can pick up the slack when Ragland makes his read and either of them can hit the edge behind this beefy offensive line led by Jacob Snoddy, the Knights can go punch for punch with Gate City. The bottom line here is that two great lines and a bevy of great runners are squaring off against each other. This game might burn through clock, but it’s going to be good old fashioned winter weather football.
The line: Buckingham by 1. Playing at home and behind a defense that’s not given up more than 18 points in a game since mid-September would normally give the Blue Devils the edge here. But the Knights aren’t much different from last year and simply had Gate City’s number last November with this core.
VHSL Region 3A West Second round: No.13 Christiansburg (6-5) at No. 5 Western Albemarle (9-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: Western Albemarle did a little more than survive and advance last week. The Warriors attacked Lord Botetourt and rolled to a 37-13 victory over the school from north of Roanoke. Now they’ll face another school from that area, this time from south of Roanoke as Christiansburg makes the trip to Crozet. The Blue Demons pulled off a shocker last week when as the No. 13 seed they knocked off No. 4 Heritage-Lynchburg, as a wild 3A West region bracket that included two other upsets (No. 16 Waynesboro over No. 1 Hidden Valley and No. 11 Brookville over No. 6 Liberty-Bedford) shook out. The Warriors will face a team riding a wave of momentum, but also lost to Blacksburg, a team that got eliminated last week, 10-0 in the final week of the regular season. Only a win over Group 5A Patrick Henry really stands out on the Blue Demons’ regular season resume. The other four wins include victories over a pair of one-loss squads. But last week served notice that Christiansburg won’t take the playoffs lightly, and their power run game could be a tough matchup for the Warriors. If Western can win again though, they’ll host a third round game as well, setting the stage for a potentially historic playoff run. The last time Western more than one playoff game in a season? 1979.
Key matchup: Western’s front seven takes on Christiansburg’s two-headed rushing attack of Drew Dunn and Alec Henderson. The Blue Demons would like to, if at all possible, grind it out and keep the ball out of Western’s hands. That formula worked last week when Christiansburg upset Heritage as Henderson rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries, including eight times for 31 yards on the game-winning drive. Can Michael Mullin, Osiris Crutchfield and Matthew Wozneak (Western’s All-Jefferson District honorees on the defensive line) come up with an answer? Last week Botetourt’s Bradley Lythgoe rushed for 214 yards, against the Warriors, but much of it came on a 94-yard sprint to open the game and when the Warriors had to make stops they managed to make them.
Who to watch: Western’s Oliver Herndon. In the playoffs sometimes it’s all about feeding the rock to your best running back and taking your chances. The Warriors did that last week and Herndon answered the ball with a 204-yard, 2-TD performance on a solid 24-carry workload. The output took him over 1,000 yards on the year, and Western will surely look to him again against the Blue Demons.
The line: Western by 3. The Warriors proved they could get the job done at home last week. Look for a repeat performance from a team that just keeps find ways to win.
VHSL Region 2A East Second Round: No. 6 Brunswick (7-3) at No. 3 Goochland (9-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: You can almost set your calendar by Goochland issuing a first round thumping in the Region 2A East playoffs at this point. In four years since the state’s small schools adopted the two-region system, Goochland has trounced four straight opponents in the opening round by a grand total of 208-41, an average margin of victory of around 44 points per contest. Brunswick, however, should be a test in the battle of the Bulldogs. Brunswick advanced to the state final last year, beating Buckingham in the semifinals to get there. Now they’re standing in the way of a Goochland team that got healthy near the end of the year and may be peaking at just the right time. But Brunswick just made short work of a Luray team that looked the part of a sleeper late in the regular season after it took Riverheads to the brink. The squad from Lawrencville boasts some impressive wins including a narrow 21-20 victory early in November over a solid Surry County squad seeded fourth in the 1A East. Coming to Goochland, however, is no easy task and GHS appeared in the second half of last week’s blowout over Buffalo Gap to be firing on all cylinders.
Key matchup: Brunswick’s defense takes on Goochland’s multi-faceted offense. There aren’t two many offenses at the Group 2A level who can get it done on the ground or through the air like Goochland has been able to this year. Reid Chenault has thrown for 1,250 yards and 17 touchdowns, with those 17 scoring tosses good for second in Central Virginia. Jordan Jefferson has been electric too, with more than 1,400 yards of total offense including 993 on the ground. He’s accounted for 19 total touchdowns too. Throw in a dash of Isaiah Minor and an offensive line that’s getting the job done and Brunswick just flat out has its hands full Friday night.
Who to watch: Brunswick junior quarterback Darren Owens. Last year as a sophomore, Owens eviscerated opposing defenses with his legs or his arm when he needed too. Last week he took Luray apart as he rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns against a Luray squad that rarely sees the kind of speed Owens brings to the table. Goochland, however, has a cache of burners themselves and should prove a better matchup for the electric Owens. But containing him will be priority one for Goochland’s front seven.
The line: Goochland by 3. The Bulldogs know what it takes in the playoffs and Jefferson in particular knows what this stage requires. That’ll be the difference maker.
