Collegiate (2-2) at Woodberry Forest (2-0), Thursday 4 p.m.
The basics: The Cougars fell to Episcopal last week 31-7. The Tigers pummeled Flint Hill 42-7 in their second straight home game. The question here is which Collegiate squad will show up, the one that’s taken it on the chin from Benedictine and Episcoal, or the one that beat Trinity Episcopal and Flint Hill. As far as transitive properties go, the Cougars win over Flint Hill was 27-13. Collegiate’s rebuilding, and it’s offense has been inconsistent. The Tigers are also retooling in areas, but you wouldn’t know it so far after its defense put together an unreal showing against Liberty Christian two weeks ago and was stout against Flint Hill. Of course, the offense also started to show its potential last week. If Woodberry has it going on both sides of the ball, this could get ugly.
Key matchup: Woodberry’s secondary takes on Collegiate’s spread. It’s the same story every year, and you have to go way back to 2007 when the Tigers didn’t answer the call there. That’s the last time Woodberry lost to Collegiate. Since then the Tigers’ defense has either put so much pressure on the quarterback or had the tools on the back end of the defense to match the Cougars scheme. This year the Cougars will have to be especially careful with Nathaniel Tyrell and Michael Davenport playing the roll of C.J. Prosise and Carlson Milikin circa 2011, which ended up in a rout for Woodberry.
Who to watch: Woodberry’s Joseph Stephenson. The sophomore linebacker is on a tear right now. He has 27 tackles to his name in just two games and a pair for a loss. The Tigers always have a ballhawk defensively, but usually it’s a senior headed to play Division I football at the next level. Right now, it looks like they have another talent looking to make a big name for himself.
The line: Woodberry by 10. The Tigers’ defense overwhelms, and the offense continues to get better, more potent.
Fork Union (1-4) at St. Christopher’s (2-2), 3 p.m.
The basics: Fork Union keeps getting tripped up as they navigate a brutal schedule. The latest stumble came against Charlotte Latin and an explosive second quarter by the Hawks all but sunk FUMA as they surrendered 28 points in that frame. A strong fourth came up short as Fork Union fell 56-42 despite a 218-yard performance by Rashon Torrence. Now the Blue Devils jump into Prep League play against St. Christopher’s on the road. The Saints are 2-2, but common opponent Bishop O’Connell (27-10 loss for St. Chris on the road, 34-27 loss for FUMA at home) indicates that this is likely a pretty even matchup.
Key matchup: St. Christopher’s ground game takes on Fork Union’s front seven. Running the ball in between the tackles has proven to be a solid strategy for attack the Blue Devils’ defense, as Bishop O’Connell did it two weeks ago and Charlotte Latin’s DeMarkes Stradford rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns against FUMA last week. St. Chris doesn’t have a dominant back but they’re averaging more than 140 yards per game and tilt toward the run on offense. Look for the Saints to try to establish the ground game early.
Who to watch: FUMA’s Torrence. He’s the workhorse for a Fork Union offense that has been a little bit stop and go at times, but he’ll need to get the job done in Richmond Friday if the Blue Devils are going to get back in the win column.
The line: Fork Union by 3. The schedule has been brutal, but perhaps those tests can start paying dividends now for the Blue Devils.
St. Anne’s-Belfield (4-1) at North Cross (3-2), 3:30 p.m.
The basics: So, last week went extremely well for St. Anne’s-Belfield. The Saints headed to the Tidewater area to take on a Nansemond Suffolk squad that appeared on paper to be a pretty even matchup for STAB, but proved to be anything but as the Saints rolled 61-6 over NSA. North Cross is coming off a break that started September 20 when the Raiders cruised 56-16 over Blue Ridge.
Key matchup: STAB’s opportunistic, seasoned secondary takes on North Cross quarterback Max Revercomb. Revercomb has been stuffing the stat books since he was a sophomore for the Raiders and this season he’s already thrown for 1,416 yards while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes. He spreads the ball around too, with five players on the North Cross roster boasting 10 or more catches. Keeping tabs on Ryan Dent and Jordan Lowery in particular will be crucial but with Kareem Johnson, Jalen Harrison and Rob Schotta roaming the secondary, STAB should be up to the challenge.
Who to watch: STAB’s Kareem Johnson. Johnson has emerged as the X-factor so far this year for the Saints and last week he scored in three different ways, notching touchdowns on a punt return, an interception return and a catch. North Cross will have its hands full with Johnson in all phases of the game.
The line: STAB by 10. The Saints have the athletes to hand with North Cross’ skill position players, and they’re playing with a ton of confidence right now.
Goochland (4-1) at Central Lunenburg (5-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Chargers continue to roll and their 55-14 win over Bluestone sets up a big one here. Goochland’s win over Buckingham was just as big. A win for the Bulldogs here likely wraps up the James River District title. A win for the Chargers just opens up the field as they still have to face Buckingham. Goochland coach Joe Fowler won’t underestimate this Lunenburg team, and said so last week noting that last year his squad beat the Knights and then fell flat against the Chargers. That hurt his team’s seeding in the playoffs. With wins over Essex, and Buckingham, the Bulldogs could set the table here for November with a win against Lunenburg. And the Chargers are in the same boat, yet they haven’t been tested much outside from their season opener with Culpeper, a 13-12 win. Goochland on the other hand has played four three truly quality opponents between Buckingham, Fork Union and of course Essex, the team that Lunenburg could well line up with in the Division 1A state tournament.
Key matchup: Goochland’s defensive line vs. Lunenburg’s offensive line. The Bulldogs had their hands full last week with Buckingham’s big line, but still found a way to force turnovers and make plays in clutch moments. K.K. Timberlake is a force and if makes the plays like he did against Essex and Buckingham, the Bulldogs offense will be able to do what they do, put a foot on the opposition’s throat. Goochland’s back seven defenders struggled a bit against the Knights running game, much in the same way they did against Essex. So if the front four come through as they did against those same two foes, the Bulldogs will be in good shape.
Who to watch: Bulldogs receiver Jayrell Myles. He made a big play for a touchdown last week at the end of the second half. With him and Jefferson, Goochland technically has a pair of legit wide receivers if they chose to unleash “Air-Goochland”. That remains to be seen. But with Reid Chenault at quarterback, the Bulldogs could make things interesting in the passing game with Myles as the go-to target in the endzone.
The line: Goochland by 3. The Bulldogs aren’t underestimating this Chargers team and Goochland has done nothing but play quality opponents so far. Lunenburg, as good as their record and stats might be, have not played a Goochland caliber team yet.
Buckingham (3-1) at Randolph-Henry (1-4), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Knights comeback effort fell short at Goochland last week, giving them their first loss of the year. The Statesmen took down Cumberland hard. That said, this is a bad week to be Randolph-Henry because Buckingham came into last week with swagger, showed it’s the real deal, but saw turnovers mar what could have been a big win on the road. The Knights are going to be out for blood these next few weeks. The Statesmen have struggled against the run, and nobody, not even Goochland, has been able to slow down Buckingham’s ground game. If the Knights don’t turnover the ball, this is going to be one of those quick games that takes a long time to play.
Key matchup: Randolph-Henry’s outside linebackers against the run. This experience Buckingham offensive line is going to dominate the line of scrimmage, especially given that a Goochland unit similarly built but not quite as large did so two weeks ago against the Statesmen’s defensive line. So that leaves the quest to try and slow down Leon Ragland and Tariq Gough to the backers on the edge. If the edge of this defensive front doesn’t make tackles, Buckingham will be off to the races early and often because this Knights duo is as good as any in the area and breaking off big runs to the outside.
Who to watch: Ragland and Gough and the turnovers. The Buckingham sophomore running back is as dangerous in the return game as he is behind his big beefy offensive line. He’s going to develop better ball security as the season progresses and this might be the game where he shows that and just how productive he is. The exact same can be said for Ragland, and he brings a physical element to the quarterback position that is simply awesome. If these two limit the turnovers, this offensive is next to unstoppable, and that’s crazy because every defense they’ve faced has thrown nine defenders in the box.
The line: Buckingham by 21. The Knights get their mojo back here behind this vaunted offense.
Monticello (3-1) at Charlottesville (2-2), 7:30 p.m. (Radio: 1400)
The basics: Monticello was stunned by Powhatan, falling 35-14 at home and ending the Mustangs’ perfect start to the year. Charlottesville saw its 14-0 lead disappear as Louisa roared back for 28 points to hand the Black Knights their second loss of the season. This is an interesting meeting because the team on the losing end is going to be in a bit of a hole. Monticello’s offense finally looked humna. Charlottesville’s offense faded last week against Louisa. Either way, one of these teams is getting dealt a second Jefferson District loss. It will be interesting to see how both offenses respond.
Key matchup: Monticello’s linebacking corps takes on Malik Bartee. When the Charlottesville quarterback is on point, the Knights offense has an explosive element that’s hard to contend with, especially given that running back Rashard Brock is simply going to get his yardage, someway, somehow. The Mustangs have to contain Bartee and keep him from breaking to the edge. That’s going to be a very different task than this unit faced against Powhatan, making the challenge all the more intriguing.
Who to watch: The track meet between Monticello’s Kyree Koonce and Charlottesville’s Brock. This is a heavyweight fight between running backs. Koonce was productive last week against Powhatan (17 carries 114 yards), but the Indians took away his best punch on the outside. Brock was also solid against Louisa with 12 touches and 139 yards. Koonce, at full strength, is the most explosive runner in the area. Brock might be the best multi-tool back in the area and is both durable and physical. This game has feature running back dueling banjo written all over it, which of course means that both Monticello coach Jeff Woody and Charlottesville coach Eric Sherry could well look to find a way to avoid that course.
The line: Monticello by 4. The Mustangs get the edge here as they’ve dealt with turnovers better so far on the year. That said, the lights on the scoreboard should be busy in this one.
George Mason (1-3) at Madison County (1-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Mustangs fell in a tight one to Central Woodstock 29-21, their third straight loss. The Mountaineers shook the monkey of their back and took down Manassas Park in a back-and-forth battle 31-24. For Madison to get the win after losing its first three games and the first two by just one possession is a good sign for a team that’s looking more and more centered around its youth. Mason’s showing against Woodstock can’t be overlooked though. That said, the Mustangs lone win was over Rappahannock. Mason managed just seven points in a pair of losses to Wakefield and Luray. A loss to the Mustangs would really hurt Madison heading forward, as the Mountaineers have uphill battles looming with Clarke County and William Monroe looming the next two weeks. So a win here would give them some breathing room playoff seeding wise. As it stands right now though, they’ve played a much harder schedule and been competitive despite the results in the win-loss column.
Key matchup: Madison in the turnover game against Mason’s defense. The Mountaineers’ struggles start with themselves right now. With eight interceptions and 11 fumbles lost, the offense has dug its own hole. Yet it’s a hole that this team’s found a way to dig out of at times. The Mustangs defense has yet to show their teeth with the last three opponents scoring an average of 33 points. There’s no question that Madison’s offense can move the ball. The question is can it help out its defense by not setting up tough situations. If that’s the case against Mason, Madison will be in good shape. If not, it could be another rough and tough back-and-forth.
Who to watch: Madison quarteback James Graves. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions last week against Manassas Park and averaged 14.7 yards per attempt. Isaiah Smith had 183 yards in the receiving department on 10 receptions. Dre Twyman had four catches for 48 yards. When Graves can get the ball in either of the two young playmakers hands the Mountaineers do quite well. When he has time Graves is effective at creating big plays. If he avoids the interceptions against Mason and the Mountaineers continue to develop their ground game (Demaun Minor now being the new person of interest there after his 121 yards on 14 attempts) the Mustangs will be in a bind.
The line: Madison by 3. The Mountaineers have played in three close games now and the that they won the last one means a lot. They show that here at home.
Albemarle (1-3) at Western Albemarle (4-0), 7:30 p.m. (Radio: WINA 1070)
The basics: This is Western Albemarle’s first big test of 2014, make no bones about that. The Warriors are unbeaten, but their opponents’ cumulative record of 3-16 shows that they haven’t proven a great deal just yet. But cross-county rival Albemarle making the trip to Crozet should give us a better idea of just how good the Warriors are as the Patriots have absorbed three losses to Group 5A opponents this year with a brutal start to their schedule. The Patriots got it done with the big play last week against Fluvanna County, proving the offense has the potential to be far more the one man band of running back Kevin McCarthy that it had been in the early stages of the year. Now the Patriots have to prove they can duplicate that performance and bring some consistent electricity to the field. It’s worth noting that Western is on a three-game win streak in this rivalry (including last season’s thriller with an incredible last second touchdown to finish it). Can Albemarle break that streak?
Key matchup: Western’s emerging receiving corps takes on Albemarle’s young secondary. The Patriots are employing some young defensive backs, with senior Cameron Green playing the role of elder statesman for the Patriots. Western replaced its entire receiving corps from a year ago, but the new faces have proven explosive at times, with Henry Kreienbaum leading the way with 315 yards, good for fifth in the area. Look for Western to try and get Kreienbaum, Derek Domecq and Michael Vale involved early with crossing patterns and other quick-hitting passes to prevent Albemarle from getting the pass rush going.
Who to watch: Albemarle’s Rooney Turay. AHS coach Brandon Isaiah said a couple of weeks he made a promise to himself that he was getting Turay involved in the gameplan somehow, someway. Fluvanna probable wishes he hadn’t. Turay exploded against the Flucos with a string of game-changing plays, including a 94-yard catch and run for a touchdown, a long kick return and another long touchdown run. If Turay can bring that same kind of noise and disruption Friday, it’d be a huge boost to the Patriots.
The line: Western by 3. The Warriors’ much-improved defense (two shutouts and less than 10 points allowed per game) should be able to hold the Patriots’ big play ability in check, which could be the difference.
Orange County (0-4) at Fluvanna County (1-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Orange needs any win it can get as the Hornets sit at 0-4, and both squads surely know this is an excellent chance for either of them to get in the win column. This is an absolutely critical game for Fluvanna, as the Flucos try and keep their playoff hopes in the Region 4A North alive. The Flucos absorbed a blowout last week, but most of Albemarle’s damage came on huge plays while Fluvanna moved the ball well but struggled to finish against the Patriots. The Hornets, on the other hand, took it on the chin from Western Albemarle at home and are going to have to get things pointed in the right direction quickly as they head south to Fluvanna.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s front seven tries to clamp down on Orange’s Keith Ellis. That’s the name of the game when it comes to stopping the Hornets. Stop Ellis and it’ll go a long way toward shutting down the Orange offense. A week after Fluvanna gave up a slew of big plays to Albemarle, they’ll need to be better against Ellis and Orange.
Who to watch: Fluvanna’s Mark Grooms. Grooms put together a strong effort Friday night against Albemarle as part of the Flucos’ single wing package. Grooms is a relentless runner—the first hit more than likely isn’t going to bring him down. It’ll be up to Orange to flock to the ball to keep him contained if Fluvanna employs its single wing set again.
The line: Fluvanna by 3. Flucos are at home and the offense showed potential against Albemarle. If they can get right back into a groove, they should have the edge on the Hornets.
Louisa County (3-1) at Powhatan (4-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: This one could be interesting. Louisa is searching for a signature win in the first half of 2014, while Powhatan will be looking to avoid a let down after their surprise dismantling of Monticello last week. Both teams boast talented ball-carriers with Powhatan leaning on Logan Allen and Louisa turning to Trey Cherry, but Powhatan has already proven it’s not so one-dimensional with last week’s aerial attack led by quarterback Cambrun Graham (10-for-14 for 209 yards and three touchdowns). Will the more multi-dimensional squad win out?
Key matchup: Powhatan’s defense takes on Louisa’s Cherry. Cherry had a hand in a quartet of touchdowns to rally the Lions against Charlottesville last week. Cherry rushed for 179 yards for the Lions and proved for the second week in a row why he’s the best option on the ground that Louisa has right now.
Who to watch: Powhatan’s Chance Morris. Eight catches, 198 yards and two touchdowns against Monticello proved to be a breakout day for Morris last week as he helped expose some weaknesses in the Monticello secondary. Can he do the same against Louisa this week?
The line: Powhatan by 13. Indians should be able to avoid the let down and they proved last week they’re back in a big way.
William Monroe (2-3) at Strasburg (1-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: William Monroe is starting to pick up a little bit of steam, winning last week against Warren County in the Dragons’ Bull Run opener with a combination of stout defense and a solid rushing attack. If Monroe can build on that, it should be able to take care of business against the Rams who are coming off three straight losses, most recently 30-14 against Clarke County. A road win would be a big boost for the Dragons here.
Key matchup: Monroe’s stingy defense takes on Strasburg’s balanced offense. The Rams fell to Clarke last week but running back Colton Funk picked up 70 yards on 14 carries while quarterback Mark Smoot threw for 128 yards as part of a balanced attack for Strasburg. Monroe’s defense is the cornerstone for the Dragons, and they’ll need to read their keys and adjust properly against the Strasburg offense. Loading up against one method or the other — run or pass — just isn’t an option.
Who to watch: Monroe’s Khalil Green. The Dragons are still looking to develop a credible threat in the passing game to keep some of the heat off their talented running backs. Malique Shackleford stepped in last week in lieu of usual quarterback Dustin Knight and hit Green for a 70-yard touchdown. If the Dragons can start challenging defenses down field and force them to be honest, that’s going to open things up for an already productive run game.
The line: William Monroe by 10. Dragons’ defense is too stifling for a Strasburg squad that hasn’t piled up points so far this year.
