Western Albemarle (0-0) at Albemarle (0-0), 7 p.m.
Radio: WINA-1070
The basics: Last season Albemarle snapped a long losing streak with a victory over archrival Western Albemarle. This year the Warriors will be looking for vengance, but they’ll have to play a much better game against a drastically-improved Patriots squad. Albemarle looked like a well-oiled machine against Charlottesville in last week’s benefit game, creating turnovers on defense and driving almost effortlessly. Odds are good a Western team that went toe-to-toe with defending champion Riverheads as part of a scrimmage jamboree last Saturday won’t let Albemarle off that easily. The Warriors will likely play two quarterbacks in Kent Henry and Devin Long against Albemarle at some point, but Henry appeared slightly more comfortable against Buffalo Gap at the jamboree and may get the nod.
Key matchup: Western Albemarle’s secondary takes on Timmy Aker, David Seago and Kevin Gaines. The Warriors, defensively, can lean on Knight and Henry as defensive backs, but the secondary will have a tough task against a fleet of Patriots wideouts that will give Carneal a number of options through the air. Expect Austin Ellis to play a critical role in coverage out of his linebacker slot.
Who to watch: Albemarle’s Micah Rivers. Rivers showed a lot of power against Charlottesville last week in the squads’ benefit game, including a touchdown run where the Albemarle running back smashed over a Charlottesville defender and plowed into the endzone. If Rivers can put on a similar show against the Warriors, Albemarle should be able to open up the passing game too.
The line: Albemarle by 3. Patriots appear to be a much-improved squad, the Warriors are still searching for a few answers at key spots. But it should be far from a walkover.
Charlottesville (0-0) at E.C. Glass (0-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: These two programs are both undergoing rebuilding efforts, but E.C. Glass’ transition is a few years ahead of the Black Knights’ re-work under new head coach Eric Sherry. Glass qualified for the postseason last year with a 5-6 record and fell in the opening round of the Region III playoffs. They were just a year removed from a one-win season. If Glass continues to trend up, that’ll make life tough on the Black Knights Friday. Charlottesville’s defense will have to put up a more stout performance than they did against Albemarle last week, but the offense can’t put their teammates in as many bad situations as they did in the tilt with the Patriots.
Key matchup: Charlottesville’s front seven versus Glass’ wing-T sets. The Hilltoppers’ bread and butter is a relic offense similar in some principles to the Black Knights’ own new triple option look. Expect a lot of misdirection from E.C. Glass, but Charlottesville should be well-versed on staying at home and playing responsibility football after facing off during the preseason against its own offensive unit.
Who to watch: Charlottesville’s Mason Sherry. Sherry will have to help the Black Knights get into a little better flow offensively against E.C. Glass than Charlottesville showcased against Albemarle in the benefit game. His experienced running the option during his first three years at Massaponax will have to shine for the Black Knights to get into gear. If Sherry can get efficient and make the correct reads (and get a little more time from the offensive line), that should jumpstart running backs Chris Thurston and Eli Haden.
The line: E.C. Glass by 7. Black Knights open up with challenging tilt against the Hilltoppers, though things should go better than Charlottesville fared against Albemarle.
Fluvanna (0-0) at Prince Edward (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Last season, Fluvanna rolled past Prince Edward in the two squads’ season opener. The Flucos cruised 36-14, the first chapter in an up-and-down season marked by several narrow losses early in the year and a series of frustrating losses against the Jefferson District’s top tier. The Flucos enter the second year of the Jason Barnett era, and that stability should help set the table for a leap forward for Fluvanna. It’ll need to start with a repeat of last year’s performance against Prince Edward, a team that went on to just a 1-9 record in 2010.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s secondary takes on Prince Edward’s spread attack. The Flucos have a number of new players taking key roles on defense. Prince Edward tried to throw the ball around a little. Look for tight end Tyrek Goode and wide receiver Rashaad Walton to try and stretch the Flucos’ defensive backs.
Who to watch: Fluvanna’s Jovan Burton and Ben Markeweicz. With the Flucos breaking in a new quarterback in Blake Hills or Austin Foster, Burton and Markeweicz will have to play big-time football from the season’s opening kick. If that explosive tandem gives Fluvanna a reliable rushing attack, it’s going to mean trouble for Prince Edward.
The line: Fluvanna by 14. Flucos get season started with road victory behind
East Rockingham (0-0) at Madison County (0-0) 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Madison County enters with an exciting lineup of proven commodities, starting with perhaps the area’s best quarterback-wide receiver combination in Dustin Farmer and Travis Warren. The tandem built a rapport quickly last year and it should serve the Mountaineers well this year after a year of seasoning. Friday that tandem will have to contend with an East Rockingham program in just its second year, but that’s bringing nearly every key player back, including quarterback Dustin Stewart, who piloted East Rockingham in the final seven weeks of the season. Running backs Sharif Price and Dustin Lam, who combined for nearly 1,000 yards, also return.
Key matchup: Madison’s defensive linemen against a big set of East Rockingham linemen led by a pair of 300-pounders, Devon Butler and Robby Arthur. Arthur checks in at 6-foot-7, so Madison’s ends and tackles will have their work cut out for them Friday night. Look for Madison’s Clifford Fortune to create some havoc in the trenches and disrupt the Eagles’ run game which has a number of speedy backs to lean on.
Who to watch: Madison County’s Farmer. Farmer may not be the tallest member of the Mountaineers — far from it at 5-foot-9 — but he’s an awfully efficient and effective quarterback. If Farmer finds a rhythm early against the Eagles, Madison should be in good shape Friday night.
The line: Madison by 14. Mountaineers open with still-developing East Rockingham squad and should get into gear quickly.
Covenant (0-0) at Fredericksburg Christian (0-0) 4 p.m.
The Basics: New head coach Dave Rocco and his Eagles will find out just how much they’ve learned and just how much further they need to go as they face Fredericksburg Christian, also the Eagles. It will be interesting to see how Covenant’s young backfield of quarterback Tony Massie and running back Dominque Tally play out of the gate. In just its first season at the varsity level, Fredericksburg went 7-2 last year and returns a handful of key skill position players, but has a lot of new faces playing at the line of scrimmage.
Key matchup: Covenant’s defense was its Achilles’ heel last year. Rocco’s aggressive 4-3 defense will be up against a pair of solid runners in FCA juniors Bret Barham and Hunter Griffis. Barham averaged a little more than 11 yards per carry in 40 attempts last season. Griffis averaged just under six yards per attempt in 70 handles. The tandem had 10 of its team’s 18 rushing touchdowns in 2010. Covenant was gashed on the run from start to finish during the 1-9 campaign. If the front seven can keep this Fredericksburg tandem from perpetually moving the chains, they’ve already made a lot of progress.
Player to watch for: Covenant quarterback Tony Massie. How the freshman handles his first start will dictate just how diverse Covenant’s offense can be down the road. Playing in the pistol should help Massie on the passing downs, and having Michael Estep and Luke Benes as senior receivers makes a difference.
Line: Covenant by 1. Covenant played an exponentially more demanding schedule last year than Fredericksburg, so we’re going to side with that over Fredericksburg’s winning record. Rocco’s team is amped up about changing the mentality of this team, so the energy level should be there to get out to a 1-0 start.
Appomattox (0-0) at Buckingham (0-0) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Boom, out of the gate the Knights are playing one of the teams that’s given them the hardest times. In 2010, the Buckingham defense paved the way for a 13-6 win. The year before this matchup was a 7-point win for the Knights. Why would this year be any different with Raiders quarterback Josh Wilson back and the Knights returning just about everyone outside of Maurice Taylor and Michael Layman. Expect a defensive battle for a third straight year.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s linebacking corps versus Wilson. Keeping the mobile quarterback behind the line of scrimmage is key. Wilson completed only 36 percent of his passes last year and had a 1-to-3 touchdown to turnover ratio. On the other hand, he averaged 85 yards a game on the ground at almost seven yards a carry. The middle of the Knights’ defense has been strong the last two years, and it will need to play at that same level against Appomattox, keeping Wilson in front of them and not chasing him from behind.
Player to watch for: Buckingham quarterback/safety Tarian Ayers. The keys to offense officially belong to Ayers and he took steps forward as a passer last year. He’s also a physically imposing player in the secondary. How he sets the tone in this game will show just how ready this senior class is to carve out a third straight playoff berth.
Line: Buckingham by 4. History tells us this is going to be a hotly contested game, but it has also shown that few teams have won more close games than the Knights in the last two years. With so much experience, that counts for a lot.
William Monroe (0-0) at Nelson (0-0) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Rappahanock’s demise turned this game which was originally a scrimmage into a regular season tilt. Both William Monroe and Nelson had Rappahanock penciled in for a game this year, so it works out well for the two, albeit, they’re both in action a week earlier than they originally anticipated. The Dragons bring their run-happy pro-style offense to the Governors who are switching from the spread to the triple option, so unless this thing goes into overtime, this should be a quick game with the clock rolling as the ball stays on the ground.
Key matchup: Nelson’s front seven against Doug Sizemore. The senior running back has that bowling ball style of running that can really wear down a defense. The Governors’ biggest issues the last two years have been defensively, particularly up front. Monroe coach Mark Sanford has no qualms about running the same plays over and over if they’re working. Stopping the run up the middle should be priority number one for Nelson.
Player to watch for: Nelson quarterback Tyler Vest. Running the triple option means he’s going to have make a lot of decisions. He’s got a brusing back in Rodrell Smith to help him out. If Vest can correctly read when to pitch and when to keep it and run upfield, this could be a very entertaining game.
Line: Monroe by 7. The Dragons have a solid number of players returning and they’re in the same system for the third straight year. On paper, they come in as the more physical team on both sides of the ball.
