Louisa County (3-1, 1-0 JD) at Western Albemarle (4-0, 1-0) 7:30 p.m. WINA
The Basics: This is a big-time Jefferson District tilt and it’s coming pretty early in the slate. Western has been on fire to start the season, pounding Waynesboro before knocking off Turner Ashby and blowing out Albemarle. Last week they edged out Fluvanna and didn’t play extremely well. Louisa bounced back from a stinging loss to Courtland with a 59-0 waltz over William Monroe where the Lions held that 59-0 advantage already at halftime. Two of the area’s most prolific linebackers face off, with Brandon Ornduff (19 tackles) and Mitchell Parks (40 tackles). The Lions will likely play two quarterbacks, with sophomore Kire Worley and senior Dillon Hollins rotating. Hollins is a key cog defensively too at free safety.
Key Matchup: Louisa’s rushing attack against the opportunistic Western Albemarle defense. Louisa has a number runners who can take it to the house. Anthony Hunter needed just three carries to go for 105 yards last week. Andre Mealy is a talented, speedy sophomore who’s averaging 9.8 yards per touch. Neither is even the feature back. Glen Cosby holds that mantle and despite a crowded backfield, he’s rushed for over 300 yards while not carrying the ball for an extended amount of time. Western’s front seven will have their hands full against the Lions powerful downhill running game.
Who to watch: Western Albemarle’s Stephen Schuler has been red-hot of late, tossing four touchdowns and rushing for another against Fluvanna County last week. The area’s passing leader (812 yards and 14 touchdowns) faces a stout test against a swarming Louisa defense tonight.
Line: Push. This one looks like a tossup, though Western might have the slight edge because they’re at home.
Blue Ridge (2-1) at Covenant (2-2) 4 p.m.
The Basics: If judged on shared opponents, this game looks pretty even. Both squads took it on the chin from Liberty Christian Academy, with Covenant losing last week 57-17 and Blue Ridge falling 53-15. Last season was dead even, with Covenant holding on two goal line stands after rallying from a 19-7 deficit with 10 minutes to play. The Eagles will need to get the passing game going with quarterback Lee Coppock (692 yards and six touchdowns) and Sam Patterson (386 yards on 20 catches) to keep the Barons from loading up against the run.
Key Matchup: Covenant’s defensive line against Blue Ridge’s big offensive front and running back David Coe. If the Barons control the clock with the run game, Covenant will have an uphill battle.
Who to watch: Blue Ridge wideout A.J. Williams has three touchdowns ad 245 yards. On just nine catches. That’s nearly 30 yards per reception. Expect the Barons to try and get Williams involved early and often against the Covenant secondary.
Line: Blue Ridge by 1.5. It’s at Covenant, but the Barons will be looking to erase the memory of last year’s last-second loss.
Colonial Forge (2-2) at Albemarle (0-4) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Colonial Forge lost a 50-44 thriller back on September 12 against Woodbridge in five overtimes.
Key Matchup: Albemarle’s defensive front has to get pressure on Colonial Forge quarterback Blake Frohnapfel. If Frohnapfel has time he’ll pick Albemarle apart. Expect Kendall Ravenell to provide pressure from the edge.
Who to watch: Colonial Forge’s Tim Smith. While he served as a fill-in quarterback last season, the talented junior wide receiver is back filling multiple roles for the Eagles. Against Massaponax last week, he returned a punt for a touchdown and picked off a pair of passes.
Line: Colonial Forge by 7.5. Despite coming back home, the Patriots are facing a gauntlet of stacked Commonwealth teams.
Manassas Park (1-2) at Buckingham County (5-0) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Buckingham rivals Western Albemarle as the area’s hottest team. The Knights crushed Chatham 31-8 last week after building a 28-0 first half lead. Tarian Ayers ripped off a 49-yard run for a touchdown and Maurice Taylor had three first-half scores on the ground in the win. Manassas Park is coming off a bye week.
Key Matchup: Buckingham’s front seven has to corral a Colonial Beach running game that piled up 250 yards two weeks ago against Colonial Beach. John Byrd is a key piece for the Cougars, he had 103 yards CBHS.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Antonn Briley. Briley is a solid defensive back and a top-notch option in the passing game game who can break things open for the Knights.
Line: Buckingham by 7.5. The Knights keep it going with their running game.
Madison County (4-0) at Page County (0-3) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Last week Madison barely edged out Luray to move to 4-0, rallying from six points back to hold on to a 28-20 victory. Now they’ll make another road trip in their second-to-last non-district contest.
Key Matchup: Madison’s secondary takes on Dakota Wolf, who threw for 1,325 yards and ran for 657 last season. Antonio Childress and the rest of the Mountaineers’ defensive backs better be on their toes.
Who to watch: He could be the guy every week, but after last week’s performance (over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown toss offensively and 11 tackles plus a sack on defense) Logan Terrell has to be the guy against Page.
Line: Madison by 14.5. The Mountaineers get rolling again.
William Monroe (0-4, 0-1) at Charlottesville (2-2, 1-0) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: It appears that at least for a couple of weeks now, Charlottesville has woken up. The Black Knights knocked off Albemarle then defensively stuffed Goochland on the road last Friday. Now they have to tackle Monroe at home. A win here would be a huge start for the Black Knights in the JD.
Key Matchup: Charlottesville’s run defense against Monroe’s downhill attack that includes Markees Towles and Logan Forloines. Look for Chris Grant to factor in for Charlottesville in a big way. He had 11 tackles, nine of them solo, against the Bulldogs last week.
Who to watch: Charlottesville wide receiver Adrian Thurston. With six catches for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Goochland, Thurston has established himself as a major threat in the Jefferson.
Line: Charlottesville by 7.5. The Black Knights are at home and Monroe is still searching for an identity.
Fluvanna County (1-3, 0-1) at Monticello (1-3, 0-1) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Both Fluvanna and Monticello are going to be hungry for a win and desperate not to fall to 0-2 in Jefferson play. Former Monticello defensive backs coach Rodney Redd returns to take on his former squad at the head of the Flucos. The Mustangs showed flashes of potential against Orange last week but couldn’t control their turnover problems, while Fluvanna has to
Key Matchup: Fluvanna’s defense has to try and slowdown CJ Page, but it won’t be any easy task—Page has 359 yards in just three games for the Mustangs.
Who to watch: Fluvanna’s quarterback Ryan Foster. Foster could get more time to find his new favorite target YaYa Anderson against the Mustangs.
Line: Monticello by 3.5. The Mustangs don’t want to fall to Redd on his first trip back.
Goochland (3-1, 0-1) at Orange County (2-2, 1-0) 7:30 p.m. ESPN840
The Basics: Goochland got a rude welcome to the Jefferson District from Charlottesville last week while Orange seemed much more comfortable with Amir Waller back on the field and making an impact. The biggest beneficiary may have been quarterback Cameron Hughes. Waller’s playmaking ability, even with one hand, takes a lot of pressure off the junior signal-caller. Goochland needs to rebound fast from last week’s struggles and avoid slipping to 0-2. Expect a heavy dose of Willy Ezell and Dustin Plummer on the ground.
Key Matchup: Like in any Goochland game, the opposition has to deal with the Bulldogs’ misdirection-based rushing attack. Orange has to play responsibility football to keep its eye on the fleet of tailbacks Goochland employs.
Who to watch: Orange linebacker Eddie Ellington. The senior had an interception return for a touchdown last week and did a solid job of stuffing the run on key downs with fellow defensive anchor, lineman Dakota Connell.
Line: Orange by 7.5. With Waller back, Orange should really start to get into a rhythm this week.
Fork Union (4-0) at Woodberry Forest (2-0) 2 p.m. Saturday
The Basics: Big-time tilt. If you threw out Liberty Christian Academy, this could be considered a sort of unofficial state title game since the Tigers don’t participate in the playoffs (too busy preparing for that battle with Episcopal known simply as “The Game”). Fork Union is big and fast, and Woodberry has speed all over the field. Both teams have Division I recruits on several levels. The Blue Devils look more complete than last season with Richard Quittenton in at signal-caller, and Woodberry has already proven its moxie in tight games, besting McDonogh 23-21 last week after trailing 21-9 in the fourth quarter. Last season, the two teams played to a stalemate in regulation and Fork Union eked out the victory 6-0 with a goal line stand.
Key Matchup: The offensive line/defensive line battle when Fork Union has the ball will be worth the price of admission by itself. Fork Union’s top two linemen, Mark Shuman and Russell Bodine, Virginia Tech commit and UNC commit respectively, take on Woodberry’s two best, recent Duke de-commit Aramide Olaniyan (offers from Michigan among many others) and Wake commit Duke Mosby.
Who to watch: Both squads’ running backs. Andre Parker took the lead with over 100 yards last week for Fork Union and Ed Reynolds, who trades out every other series with Ade Oyalowo, averages 13.3 yards per carry.
Line: Push. This one has the potential to be a fantastic clash between fast and big, and Woodberry is looking for revenge after last year’s narrow loss in the mud.
St. Anne’s-Belfield (1-2) at St. Christopher’s (2-2) 3 p.m. Saturday
The Basics: After an 0-2 start, St. Anne’s looked much improved against Trinity Episcopal last Friday, but now the Saints have to take their act back on the road against a St. Christopher’s team that rolled Norfolk Academy 38-14 last week and cruised past Christchurch 29-8 the week before. But St. Chris also fell to the Trinity Episcopal team that STAB pounded 28-0.
Key Matchup: STAB’s front seven has to stuff a St. Christopher’s offense that piled up 256 yards on the ground against Norfolk Academy. Look for them to be up to the task.
Who to watch: The Saints’ potent one-two punch on the ground. Aaron Clark and Willie McGhee combined for 253 yards and a trio of touchdowns last week. Expect more of the same from head coach John Blake.
Line: St. Anne’s by 7.5. STAB appeared to find a formula that works for it against Trinity Episcopal.
