Group 3A Semifinals: Western Albemarle (11-2) at Lafayette (13-0), 2 p.m. Saturday at Wanner Stadium
The Basics: Week in and week out, Western Albemarle’s football team keeps finding ways to win, and now the Warriors are just one victory away from the state championship game, locking up with unbeaten Lafayette in the Group 3A semifinals. The Warriors, with a stout defense and a balanced, adaptable offense beat Waynesboro last week 33-28 to earn a berth in the final four opposite the Rams. Lafayette is equally balanced offensively and the Rams exploded through their regular season schedule with no opponent getting within 21 points of Lafayette during the year. They haven’t slowed down in the playoffs either with a trio of blowouts bringing them to this point — 52-6 over Huguenot, 59-0 over Hopewell and 49-8 over Petersburg. Lafayette is explosive, averaging 450 yards of total offense per game and the Rams have outscored opponents 597-85 on the year. So, needless to say, if the Warriors want to continue their improbable, historic ride, they’ve got their work cut out for them. Western proved adept at keeping Waynesboro off the field last week when they needed to last week with a clock-grinding, game-winning drive over the final four minutes of the game. Controlling time of possession and keeping Lafayette’s offense on the sideline could be a big key for the Warriors, and they’ve got the tools to do just that with quarterback Sam Hearn’s emergence as a credible running threat to go with tailback Oliver Herndon (1,242 yards and 18 touches) and an offensive line that’s more than happy to move the ball on the ground. If Western can control the clock, they can make things interesting against the Rams, but Region 3A East Defensive Player of the year Matt Hummel and the rest of the Lafayette defense will likely have a lot to say about that. Hummel has racked up 15 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss as the Rams’ top defensive lineman. Can the Warriors neutralize Hummel and get the ball moving? And can the Warriors’ defense control Lafayette’s own run game led by fullback John Douglass, who has rushed for 1,451 yards 18 touchdowns? We’ll find out Saturday afternoon.
Key matchup: Western’s linebackers take on Lafayette quarterback Brendan McGinty. McGinty, the Conference 25 offensive player of the year has thrown for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns while also rushing for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. Logan Sprouse, Josh Meeks and the rest of the Western linebackers will have their hands full trying to manage the Rams’ dual threat signal-caller. The Warriors did a pretty solid job in the second half against Waynesboro quarterback Chris Baker, another dynamic dual threat quarterback, but they’ll need four quarters of that against McGinty to knock off the Rams.
Who to watch: Western Albemarle quarterback/free safety Sam Hearn. Hearn was tremendous last week against Waynesboro on both sides of the ball, with 118 yards and a touchdown through the air and another 85 and a score on the ground, plus 4.5 total tackles, including one for a loss. He’ll likely need to step up again in a big way to put the Warriors in the thick of things against the Rams.
The line: Lafayette by 4. The Rams have been overwhelmingly strong this year, but Western Albemarle continues to find ways to compete and win. If they can pull it off again, it’ll be the Warriors’ most impressive win of the year by a wide margin.
