Albemarle (1-2) at Louisa County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Based on last year’s results, before the season began, this was the game to watch for. These were the two best Jefferson District teams. Louisa was the best team for the first half of the season. Albemarle the best in the second and in the playoffs. The Lions are coming off a bye while the Patriots are looking to rebound after a nail biting loss to Patrick Henry. If Albemarle wins this one, they send a clear message to the JD that they’re the squad to beat. If Louisa wins this one, all of the sudden, the Lions game with Monticello on October 13th becomes the next JD defining game. Both Albemarle and Louisa are loaded up on the edges. They have different styles but they’re both physical. This one probably comes down to mistakes or a special teams play.
Key matchup: Louisa’s Brandon Smith against Albemarle’s J’Quan Anderson. The Louisa linebacker can do just about everything, rush the passer, fly through gaps to track down runners, drop back in coverage. Anderson is shifty runner that can turn on a dime, change directions quickly and run for power. These are two of the most gifted athletes in the Jefferson and when Louisa is on defense, you can bet that Smith will be tasked with making sure he’s keeping tabs on Anderson. How will Albemarle coach Brandon Isaiah and his staff find a way to move Anderson around the field to make that job tough on Smith?
Who to watch: The quarterbacks. Albemarle’s DaQuandre Taylor and Louisa’s Malik Bell are best at making plays with their legs. Which of these two will have the best day passing and which of the two can avoid costly interceptions. Possesions will be at a premium in this one. The quarterback that takes care of the ball the best puts their team in quite an advantageous situation.
The line: Louisa by 3. That bye week lined up perfectly and the Lions always play well coming off of it, much less when it’s in the jungle. But Louisa has to execute to beat this Albemarle squad that’s more dangerous than its record might suggest.
Madison County (0-3) at William Monroe (0-4), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Madison County played its best football of the year against Fluvanna County, but it wasn’t enough in a 27-14 loss. The Dragons lost a second straight close contest, this one a 14-12 loss to Broadway. If you’re Monroe, you’re tired of watching another previously winless team handing you a loss — in all four games the Dragons have played a winless squad, which isn’t a big deal in week one or two, but come weeks, three, four and now five… it’s getting tired. The Mountaineers have struggled on offense so far but there were signs of improvement in particular on defense against Fluvanna, especially in the first half. This is going to be an emotional game with both sides eager to get that first win. All these athletes grow up playing with or against each other in youth leagues and in other sports. Few rivalries are more personal than this one. Expect that to play a big role in this one. And if history is any tell, when two winless teams meet up when it gets to midseason, weird things happen in the game. No lead is ever safe. These two teams might be rebuilding in the truest sense of the word, but this should be an entertaining game in a number of ways.
Key matchup: Madison County’s defensive line against Monroe’s offensive line. The Mountaineers gave up 294 yards on the ground last week to the Flucos and stopping the run has been a real problem. Madison has athletes on the edge but needs to improve at the line of scrimmage. That’s something that comes with time, not overnight. But Monroe has struggled to run the ball so far. Quarterback Alex Kinsey and his wide outs have been the bright spot so far for the Dragons. So Madison’s line needs to be versatile and not bite on play-fakes and contain on the edge should Kinsey roll out on the ground.
Who to watch: Monroe’s Zach Miller and Madison’s Jamar Turner. Which of these two playmakers can move the chains the most. Turner has the ability to be a solid back when he has the holes to run through. Same for Miller, who also hauled in more than 100 yards through the air last week. This game is pretty simple, whichever of these teams runs the ball the best and turns it over the least is probably going to come out on top. That could puts the spotlight on these two.
The line: Monroe by 7. The Dragons have been real close the last two weeks and are at home. The Mountaineers haven’t been as close and are on the road again.
Buckingham County (1-3) at Nottoway (0-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Knights took a big step forward in their season with a come-from-behind 26-21 win over Central Lunenburg last week. Buckingham has struggled with Central in the past, so that victory meant a lot. The Cougars are coming off a tough loss to Goochland last week after dropping a pair of one possession games the two weeks prior. Nottoway has been another James River District team that have bitten the Knights the last few years too. This should be a good tune up before the Knights face their rivals, an unbeaten Goochland squad that’s been the perennial favorite to win the JRD since they rejoined it in 2011. It would mean a lot if the Knights go into that matchup next on a 2-game winning streak.
Key matchup: The Knights’ defensive front against Cougars running back Devonte Booth. This group had a great second half against the Chargers last week. Brycen Newby and Nicholas Hartwell and Brandon Moseley are all seniors and stepped up got the job done after falling into a 21-7 hole to start. If they can carry that momentum and quiet Booth, Nottoway’s biggest threat, the game will be straight forward. Buckingham’s offense is making a lot of progress. Getting consistent play from this unit up front on the line, which hasn’t been a problem so far, remains crucial.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Gerry Toney. After getting dinged up against Appomattox, Toney showed that he’s back and he can do some things. His 55-yard touchdown run made it a one-point game early in the fourth quarter. If he can help running back Walter Edwards in balancing the reps and be explosive like he was against Central, Buckingham will be a much different team than it was in weeks two and three.
The line: Buckingham by 3. The Knights are getting healthy and their tough schedule up front is paying off now.
North Cross (3-0) at St. Anne’s-Belfield (3-0), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Saints are off to a great start to their year, but now the rubber meets the road because North Cross isn’t Hargrave, Randolph-Macon or Greenbrier Christian. The 8-on-8 win over the Gators should be beneficial to STAB as it gives them an idea of what kind of playmakers they have, what they can do with more open space. The Raiders are coming off a 40-0 drubbing of Virginia Episcopal. They haven’t allowed a point since week one as their 35-0 win over Fishburne in week two has them outscoring their last two opponents 75-0.
Key matchup: The STAB pass rush against North Cross quarterback Maurice Garrison. The senior quarterback can get the ball down field in the air and also has the wheels to be dangerous on the ground. He’s 27-for-43 passing with 525 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 149 yards on 29 carries. The Saints have to get to Garrison and put him on the ground or he’s going to make it a long night.
Who to watch: Saints quarterback Chase Emmert. The good thing about playing in an 8-on-8 game is that the signal caller gets to whip the ball around and use his legs. Getting the ball into Myles Ward’s hands is key and if Emmert can do that the Saints might be able to turn this into a barn burner. Winning this game is going to mean putting at least 40 on the board. The Raiders have scored at least 35 in all three wins and over forty in two of them. Big plays for touchdowns are going to be the key and it’s going to come down to Emmert to make that happen through the air or scrambling, particularly if the Saints find themselves in an early hole.
The line: North Cross by 10. This is a really good team with senior depth. This might be the best team the Saints will see all year.
Charlottesville (2-1) at Orange County (2-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: This is one of the Jefferson District’s contrasting styles matchups in week one. While Orange was heavily reliant on the power run last year, this season they’re looking to whip the ball around the field with a talented quarterback who’s making huge strides in Kenyon Carter and a fleet of wideouts. Charlottesville has found the exact recipe within the triple option they’ve been looking for, a distinct identity that is being run by a trigger man in Sam Neale who’s executing what the offense demands of him at as high of a level as any quarterback in the area. Sabias Folley is a wrecking ball and Tre Durrett provides the speed on the edge. It helps of course that so far the Charlottesville offensive line has been on point, clearing the way and opening holes. There’s a rhythm and a flow to the offense in their two wins that simply hasn’t been there in the past. That makes Friday particularly interesting as both teams look to get impose their will and get off on the right foot in Jefferson District play.
Key matchup: Charlottesville’s defensive backs take on the Hornets’ speed at wideout. The Black Knights are also one of the few teams that have the speed in the secondary to matchup with Orange’s wideouts, and win those battles in the air on the vertical routes that the Hornets won last week against Spotsylvania. Whether it’s Cam Brown, Daimon Washington, Rakeem Davis or Isaiah Washington, the Black Knights can cover. Brown and both Washingtons have interceptions this year already. But they haven’t been tested quite like the group Orange will roll out, with Chris Washington, Darius Minor or Ty Warren all catching touchdown passes a week ago. This battle should be fun.
Who to watch: Orange’s Jordan Shook. When you’re defending against Charlottesville’s triple option, you’ve got to play disciplined football and, ideally, force a turnover or two to put the Black Knights on their heels. Shook had a pick six a week ago for the Hornets and if he can step up again and play solid football, it’ll help the Hornets force the Black Knights out of rhythm.
The line: Charlottesville by 1. This contrast in styles could come down to the players up front and the Black Knights’ offensive line has looked impressive so far.
Powhatan (0-3) at Western Albemarle (1-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: Western has a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde feel in their last two losses. One was an impressive, valiant effort against Lord Botetourt on the road, the last was a mistake-plagued performance against Collegiate at home. Which team Western Albemarle is between those two will likely determine the way the rest of their season goes, but they get a solid chance to get back on track at home against a Powhatan that has stumbled out of the gate with three straight losses, equaling their total losses from last season already. Western has a dynamic enough offense to pile up points, particularly with the Derek Domecq to Wyatt Hull or Jack Weyher combination and they’ve proven they can stop power running attacks like they did against Botetourt, but they’ll need to put both together to stop the Indians, whose lead back Jacob Taylor went for 119 yards against Caroline. The Warriors have some work to do and something to prove.
Key matchup: Western’s secondary takes on Noah Dowdy and the Powhatan passing game. Collegiate’s T Brewer and his two big targets, Ayinde Budd and Trey Reifsnider gave the Warriors’ secondary fits, but this is a unit that has the potential to be very good, with Robert Sims leading the way at corner as part of an experienced unit. Sims made a couple of plays against Budd, who still caught 12 balls and had 120 yards, and he tackled soundly to prevent that from becoming a bigger number. The Warriors will need to clamp down on the Indians, who threw for 153 against Caroline but threw three interceptions as well. Hull picked one off a week ago against Collegiate.
Who to watch: Western’s Darren Klein hasn’t gotten going quite yet, on the ground, but an 18-yard sprint against Collegiate shows that there is some untapped potential there that could take some of the pressure and attention off Domecq. Last time out, Powhatan surrendered 268 yards on the ground to Gareth Coleman of Caroline and another 104 to quarterback Talen Smith. Can Western get a similar effort from Klein and Domecq?
The line: Western by 1. The Warriors should bounce back after last week and if the team that took Lord Botetourt to the brink shows back up, they should be good to go.
Nelson County (2-2) at Parry-McCluer (0-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: Nelson County is obviously still a work in progress, but if they can figure out how to eliminate slow starts, that would be a big help. In Nelson’s two losses, they gave up a lot of points in the first half and put themselves in too deep of a hole to climb out. That’s what happened last week when the Governors surrendered 21 first quarter points to Mason. Despite scoring twice in the second quarter and holding George Mason scoreless, Nelson fell 42-21. Correct those early stumbles and Nelson clearly has the right makeup to make some noise against the rest of their schedule. Governors’ quarterback Brice Wilson still leads the area in passing with 714 yards in four games and his favorite target Devante Rose has seven touchdown catches.
Key matchup: Nelson’s front seven tries to slow down Parry McCluer running back Marcellius Dawson. Dawson is a physical, hard-nosed running back who scored twice against James River in the Blues’ last game. Nelson counters with a developing group up front that has found some traction lately and can cause some damage if they’re attacking. Look for Nelson to be stout against the run.
Who to watch: Nelson’s Wilson. The Governors’ quarterback is doing a pretty solid job of keeping the Governors competitive by targeting Rose and Fletcher Bowles. If Wilson can keep the offense and mix in some yards on the ground (38 yards on eight carries last week), it’ll help propel Nelson to more wins.
The line: Nelson County by 1. The Governors are capitalizing on their move to independent status and building momentum. They take another step forward this week.
Fluvanna County (2-1) at Monticello (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Monticello looked pretty, pretty good, but after taking a step up in competition last week and winning on the road against Spotswood, the Mustangs are looking like one of the area’s most improved teams. They’ve certainly got one of the area’s best quarterbacks in Kevin Jarrell who is getting it done on the ground in an even bigger way than through the air right now. Fluvanna doesn’t have a lot of answers for this kind of offense yet, this will be their biggest challenge to date, but the Flucos have some momentum coming into this one with wins over Bluestone and Madison County already under their belt. Can the Flucos build off of that early season success and translate it into district play where they haven’t won a game since beating Louisa County in 2013?
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s front seven takes on the Mustangs’ resurgent ground game. Despite some shuffling on the line last week, Jerrick Ayres and Jarrell continued running roughshod over opposing defenses with 337 yards on the ground a week ago between the running back and quarterback. The Flucos’ defense has shown vast improvement over last year, but this is a different animal. Can they meet the challenge?
Who to watch: Monticello’s linebackers. So far, so good for a group that struggled to make tackles and in turn limit good plays last year. They’ve tackled soundly and held opposing rushing offenses largely in check and off the scoreboard, but Spotswood rushed for more than 300 yards last week. While the Mustangs’ high-scoring, quick-strike offense (Spotswood held an 11-minute time of possession advantage last week) can put some pressure on the defense when it’s on, the squad’s linebackers, like Garrett Porterfield, are going to have to be up for the challenge.
The line: Monticello by 14. The Mustangs’ win over Spotswood by a large margin says a lot about where they’re headed.
Fork Union (0-3) at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (0-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
The basics: The Blue Devils are one of the best teams sporting a winless record. After playing Bullis close two weeks ago, Fork Union gave Benedictine a scare in a 14-11 loss. But the time for moral victories is in the rear view, the Blue Devils have to get down to brass tacks now with a Saints team that has struggled on offense in losses to Paul VI and St. Christopher’s.
Key matchup: The Blue Devils front seven against SSSA running back Will Lyons. In all three games so far this year, Fork Union’s defensive front has been answering the call. Holding the Cadets last week to just two scores showed that the identity of this team is clearly defensive and in the trenches. The Saints haven’t been able to move the ball particularly well outside of Lyons who has 250 yards on 30 carries. He accounts for 66% of the SSSA offense right now. So that makes things pretty straight forward for the front seven led by Iosefa Pua’auli — get your hands on Lyons and the Saints will be in trouble.
Who to watch: The Fork Union passing attack. This could be a big game for quarterback Luke Wilson. Logan Justice has been a reliable target so far but look for Will Stupalsky and Hayden Miles to get their fair share of touches too. With running backs R.C. Walbrook and Pua’auli likely to be in the cross hairs for SSSA, Wilson should get some nice one-on-one matchups that his receivers can win downfield.
The line: Fork Union by 3. The Blue Devils get that coveted first win.
Covenant (3-0) at Blue Ridge (2-1), 2 p.m. Saturday
The basics: Another game of contrasting styles that’s on the slate this week as this option-heavy Covenant squad locks up with the vertical passing attack of Blue Ridge. The Barons got a bit of a wake-up call last week, but Flint Hill is one of the state’s most talented squads top to bottom and should compete for a state title this year. Last year, the Barons lost to Flint Hill and still won a state title, so there’s no reason at all to panic. But with that said, Blue Ridge is going to have to strap up and be ready for a Covenant team that likes to pound the football and also has athletes on the edge in Nic and Jonas Sanker who can stretch the defense. So far this has been one of the most complete Covenant teams we’ve seen in recent memory and they’re taking care of business with Donovan Jackson pounding away and John Huemme running the option offense with cold, calculated efficiency. Blue Ridge, meanwhile, counters with Xavier Kane (575 yards passing in just 2.5 games with Hargrave getting cut short) at quarterback and his array of pass catching options. This one could be about who is able to impose their will and control the tempo.
Key matchup: Blue Ridge’s front seven takes on the Eagles’ ground game. Last week the Barons struggled against Flint Hill on the ground, but most anyone in the state would struggle to shut down Jordan Houston, a running back with Virginia Tech and Penn State offers. This week they face Jackson, a hard-running back who flashed some explosiveness just two weeks ago in the win over Virginia Episcopal. Last week Aden Britton had four solo stops and six total tackles at linebacker for Blue Ridge, look for him to have a big impact again.
Who to watch: Covenant quarterback John Huemme. Huemme is the steadying factor for Covenant who can keep his calm when Blue Ridge turns the pressure up. Last year, things came unraveled for the Eagles against Blue Ridge because they got banged up. This year, they’re healthier, they’re coming out of a bye and you can bet they’re prepared. Huemme should give them the option to unleash the entire array of offensive options which they’ll need to counteract Blue Ridge’s speed.
The line: Blue Ridge by 7. Kane is probably the X-factor here as he’s a matchup handful.
