For audio from WINA radio’s prep football segment this week featuring Scrimmage Play, click here.
Blue Ridge (5-4) at St. Anne’s-Belfield (8-1) 6 p.m. Radio: WINA
The Basics: This might be the most intense, storied rivalry between two area private school teams. Blue Ridge and St. Anne’s have had some serious battles over the years, some in the postseason in rematches of the usual regular season matchup. This season, STAB appears to be surging significantly while Blue Ridge has been hampered of late by injuries on an already limited roster. A night game at STAB to close the season won’t help either — the Saints’ fans should come out in droves. If the Barons are going to have any shot at a playoff spot though, they’re going to have to knock off the Saints.
Key Matchup: STAB’s sure-tackling linebackers Shane Palmateer and Brandon Spitzer go toe-to-toe with Blue Ridge’s run game. The Barons have established a physical run game with Mayn Francisco, who’s averaged 8.8 yards per game and gone for 1,059 yards on the year. The Saints’ linebackers haven’t been run on much in 2010 though, so this will be strength-on-strength. Winning the battle here will go a long way toward winning the game.
Who to watch: St. Anne’s-Belfield’s Antoine Curry. Curry continues to be a terror for opposing backfields at defensive end—there may not be any player in Central Virginia who’s made the best of playing out of position like the natural linebacker has at STAB. Curry is particularly adept at coming up with big plays in critical situations—look for him to rise up when Blue Ridge is within striking distance late.
Line: STAB by 7. The Saints’ momentum appears to be too much for the banged-up Barons.
Buckingham (8-0) at Amelia County (5-3) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Buckingham’s second bye week in the last four weeks could be a blessing. The Knights should be well-rested and refreshed in the home stretch—but it could be a drawback if Buckingham loses the rhythm it has had from day one. The Amelia matchup will tell that story, but if a 35-0 win over Cumberland after the first idle week is any indication, the Knights won’t miss a beat.
Key Matchup: Amelia’s front seven takes on Buckingham’s Maurice Taylor. As long as the line clears the way, Taylor is going to put up more solid numbers. Amelia has the ability to score too — they hung 60 points on Cumberland last week — so Taylor needs to find the end zone.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Antonn Briley. The Knights’ quick versatile athlete keeps things opened up for Taylor with his work on end arounds and via the air. He had four catches for 85 yards two weeks ago in a win over Randolph-Henry.
Line: Buckingham by 14. Amelia is better this season than last, but the Knight have been strong since opening night.
Orange (6-3, 5-1 JD) at Charlottesville (0-9, 0-6 JD) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: The explosive Hornets are looking to wrap up the season and hold onto their current playoff spot — a welcome change after a few years of being absent from the postseason picture by sometimes fractions of a point. Charlottesville is just looking to scratch together some motivation for 2011 at this point. A solid performance against a dynamic Orange squad would be a start.
Key Matchup: Charlottesville’s secondary takes on Orange’s bevy of pass-catching options. Whether it’s star Amir Waller, quick, agile Tyler Seal, or the sure-handed Alex Galimore and Dillon Morrow, the Hornets have threats all over the field. Charlottesville is young in the secondary — they’re young everywhere — so matching up won’t be easy.
Who to watch: Orange tailback Tyrone Ellis. On senior night last week, Ellis snapped out of a frustrating funk with a big night. Along with Isaiah Ferguson, he gives the Hornets a lot to work with in the backfield.
Line: Orange by 21. The Hornets should take care of business here.
Goochland (5-4, 3-3 JD) at Western (4-5, 3-3 JD) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Western appears to have the most on the line in this one—win and the Warriors are in the playoffs. Lose and the might need some help. But Goochland comes into the game playing well and clearly wants to continue to build on its momentum—they looked solid against William Monroe last week with David McKenna going for 154 yards on 19 carries. This is Goochland’s time of year, with the weather getting cold and the run game emerging as the key to any team’s success. Western, while they do it in a completely different way—relying almost totally on the zone read, run/pass option and a direct snap to the tailback — has found its own run game in the second half of the season, with Abbot Wallenborn and Adam Diehl proving to be explosive threats.
Key Matchup: Western’s Austin Ellis and Tommy Mullin take on the Goochland ground game. For the first time in three years, Mitchell Parks, who’s fighting a nagging back injury and didn’t play last week, isn’t the Warriors’ leading tackler. Ellis now holds that honor with 54 total stops on the year, edging Parks by one tackle. Ellis had a foot injury himself earlier in the season. Both Mulling and Ellis will have to be disciplined and smart against the misdirection-savvy Bulldogs.
Who to watch: Goochland’s Colby Cooke. With two teams who’ve run the ball effectively of late in the mix, this one could come down to a field goal. That puts the advantage in Goochland’s hands with Cooke, a seasoned, highly-recruited placekicker with serious range.
Line: Goochland by 3. Bulldogs get the edge — they’re a tough matchup for any team, but Western, in particular, could get worn down with a slew of players going both ways.
Albemarle (3-6) at Brooke Point (4-5) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Albemarle’s had an impressive season with an almost entirely new lineup under new head coach Mike Alley. Closing out 2010 with a win over Brooke Point would be a huge momentum boost going into the offseason. That’s easier said than done against a Black Hawks’ squad that only lost by a touchdown two weeks ago to a talented Colonial Forge group. The Black Hawks are also fighting for their playoff lives.
Key Matchup: Albemarle’s defense takes on Brooke Point’s running back Raevaun Redd. Brandon Rose had seven solo stops for the Patriots last week, including four tackles for a loss. Can he and the rest of the Patriots slow down Redd, who went for 93 yards n 17 touches against Stafford last week?
Who to watch: Albemarle’s Daniel Ricotta. The Patriots’ senior running back provided most of the offense last week against Mountain View. To knock off Brooke Point, the Patriots will need him to come up with some big plays.
Line: Brooke Point by 14. The Black Hawks have a ton on the line Friday night. Odds are good they rise to the occasion.
Nelson County (1-7) at William Campbell (2-6) 7 p.m.
The Basics: The Governors finally ended their 8-game losing streak by topping Chatham last week in double-digit fashion, 42-20 thanks to a balanced game where the defense got in on the scoring action. In the Generals, Nelson faces a team that started out 2-1 but has lost its last five games and has surrendered 26 or more points in each loss this year. With defending VISAA Division 1 champion Altavista waiting next week, it would be huge for Nelson to enter the last game of the year with a full head of steam.
Key matchup: William Campbell’s secondary versus James Saunders and Trevor Martin. Week in and week out, the one thing that Nelson has been able to count on is the Governor’s quarterback hitting his tight-end on a streak for a touchdown. Even in defeat, Nelson hasn’t struggled to put up points, and keeping an eye on Saunders and his big target should be a priority for the Generals.
Player to watch for: Nelson’s Rodrell Smith. If the Governors’ running back can put up another 150-yard plus performance, Saunders and his receivers will be the beneficiaries. And when Smith is moving the chains, it gives the Nelson defense the rest it needs.
Line: Governors by 2. We’ve seen it before in other teams with losing streaks including William Monroe and Albemarle — last week’s victorious feeling is contagious and this is a winnable game.
Louisa County (9-0) at Fluvanna County (4-5) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: The Lions are chasing school history, looking to go 10-0 for just the second time in the regular season (the 2006 Group AA runner up team being the other to do so). Last week Louisa took care of business on the road against a vaunted Monticello offense. Fluvanna County plays host in this contest after beating up on Charlottesville for its homecoming. The Flucos still have an outside shot at making the post season. Should they win here and Western Albemarle were to loose, the Flucos could net the eighth and final Region II Division 3 spot.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s front seven against Rayshawn Jackson and Anthony Hunter. You can’t bottle up just one of Louisa’s running backs — you’ve got to contain them both and that’s easier said than done. The Flucos can’t afford to get into an offensive battle with the Lions, so squashing the Lions’ ground game is the obvious priority.
Player to watch for: Louisa receiver Lorenzo Henson. Raheem Johnson might be the big target in the Lions passing attack, but last week Henson showed Monticello that you have to keep him in check as well as he hauled in a bomb from quarterback Kire Worley to set up a second half touchdown. If Fluvanna’s defense is lulled to sleep, Henson and Worley can connect in a big way.
Line: Lions by 9. Louisa wraps up a perfect regular season slate.
Monticello (5-4) at William Monroe (3-6) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: The Mustangs come into the game feeling as though it’s a must win situation, but they have already clinched a Region II Division 3 birth. Now if they want a home game, there’s no question that they have to beat the Greene Dragons. After a strong start to the season, Monroe’s faded in the past few weeks. This team has made a lot of progress between this year and last, and a first ever win over Monticello in the last meeting between these two for the foreseeable future would send this football program back into Group A with a major sense of accomplishment.
Key matchup: For anyone that’s kept up with Monticello, you know what’s coming when the Mustangs are on offense. The Monroe defensive interior has to be ready for a heavy dose of Jesse Ayres. Most in this unit saw Ayres in his first start at running back last year and watched the junior go off for five touchdowns. Now a senior, Ayres is bigger and stronger and harder to bring down. When the Dragons stack eight in the box, those defenders had better avoid the arm tackles or it’ll be a long night.
Player to watch for: Mustangs quarterback Jhalil Mosley. The sophomore faced arguably the toughest and most talented defense he’s faced all year last week in the Lions. Louisa made it hard on the dual-threat playmaker. Look for him to bounce back and do a better job of hitting receivers Tyler Moneymaker and Deno Robinson.
Line: Monticello by 10. Too much Ayres.
Manassas Park (6-2) at Madison County (7-1) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: With the Cougars topping Clarke County last week, this game, which was of paramount importance for the Mountaineers already, becomes that much more vital. A win here would lock up a playoff spot and setup a rematch of last year’s Madison-Clarke defacto Bull Run championship game. It’s going to be a tough battle for sure as Manassas’ two losses this year have been by three points and to an undefeated Buckingham County team and a 6-2 Central Lunenburg team.
Key matchup: Manassas Park defensive back Ryan Kolb against Madison’s receivers. Kolb was the difference maker as he created turnovers in the Cougars come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter to hand Clarke its first BR loss in three years. If Madison quarterback Dustin Farmer gets the best of this secondary, the Cougars will be in trouble.
Player to watch for: Madison running back Ralph Yates. The senior is averaging 8.4 yards per carry, has 11 touchdowns and sits just 84 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark. Ball security is the big thing in this game. When Yates is careful with the football, Madison’s been in great shape.
Line: Mountaineers by 1. Madison takes advantage of a hungry group of seniors playing their last regular season home game.
Valley Forge (7-0) at Fork Union (4-4) Saturday 1:30 p.m.
The Basics: The Blue Devils now sit in third place in the VISAA Division 1 standings after beating Benedictine on the road. Odds are good that they locked up a postseason bid with that win, but topping Valley Forge would guarantee it and possibly give FUMA a home game.
Key matchup: Fork Union’s Ka’ra Stewart and Richie Dyer against Valley receiver Lawrence Livers. The Trojans love to spray the ball around the field in Glenn Foley’s offense — Foley played quarterback for the New York Jets in the 1990s. Last week Stewart had two picks and returned both for scores. If he and Dyer can play at that level and keep from giving up the big play, the Blue Devils improve their odds of winning greatly.
Player to watch for: FUMA quarterbacks Christian Hackenburg and Richard Quittenton. The Blue Devils have given both signal callers a lot of reps and let the one in the best rhythym take the majority of the snaps. They’ll need one of them to step up and have a big day if they want to keep pace with Forge’s dangerous offense.
Line: Trojans by 4. If you go by familiar opponents it’s an uphill climb for FUMA. Forge topped Maryland based Loyola Blakefield 34-31. The Blue Devils fell to that same team 56-33.
Covenant (1-8) at Christchurch (6-2) 1 p.m. Saturday
The Basics: Covenant still has a chance to play spoiler, but Christchurch will come into Saturday’s matchup angry after last week’s loss to STAB. That could make life tough on the Eagles.
Key Matchup: Christchurch running back Carlos Gray and the Covenant run defense. Gray had a pair of touchdowns against STAB last week, so Covenant’s front seven will have their hands full.
Who to watch: Covenant’s Chris Shifflett. The senior rushed for 180 yards last week, can he repeat the feat in his final football game for the Eagles?
Line: Christchurch by 17.
