Full Brackets for each Region.
Division 4A North, No. 12 Charlottesville (5-5) at No. 5 G.W. Danville (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: There really are no kind matchups for any team on the road in the 4A North bracket, the top eight teams are flat out tough. Charlottesville did a great job of playing with its back against the wall against Powhatan last week to improve its standing. In G.W. Danville, the Black Knights are facing a team that’s only loss came to Magna Vista and scored 28 or more in its last seven straight games, including that 1-point loss a month ago. Charlottesville’s defense played its most disciplined game of the season against Indians last week, creating turnovers, coming up with stops and committing very few penalties. That same thing will be needed to pull the upset against this diverse Eagles offense.
Key matchup: The CHS defensive line takes on GWD quarterback Hunter Byrnes. The Eagles signal caller has thrown for 1,754 yards, 21 TDs and only six INTs. He also has 221 yards and another five five touchdowns on the ground. Danville is a pass happy team and the Black Knights have the skill position players in the secondary to cover this strong trio of receivers the Eagles have in Myles Bennett, Kowante Cobbs and Malik Clements who account for roughly 1,500 of Byrnes’ yardage total. So if the Black Knights unit up front can get to Byrnes, contain him first, and get some licks on him second, they should be able to keep pace with this team. As strong as Charlottesville secondary can be, they can’t sit on an island all day and let Byrnes pick them apart, some pressure in the pocket would go a long way.
Who to watch: Charlottesville’s Chris Thurston. He’s the senior leader of this team. The Black Knights need their quarterback to connect with receiver Leon Straus on a couple of big plays because the Danville defense will be zeroed in on slowing down running back Rashard Brock and Thurston when he decides to tuck and run. Thurston and Brock had almost 300 yards against a pretty solid defense last week. If they are successful, look for that big play connection from Thurston to Straus to really be a difference maker.
The line: The Eagles by 6. Unfortunately for Charlottesville, Danville is only two points away from a perfect season, and may prove too much of a challenge for the Black Knights.
Division 2A West, No. 9. East Rockingham (7-3) at No. 8 Goochland (8-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: East Rockingham heads east to play what might be the biggest sleeping giant in the bracket. We say sleeping only because of where the Bulldogs wound up in the bracket. We’ll argue that Goochland could easily hang with any of the seven teams ranked ahead of them. The Bulldogs are riding a four-game win streak while the Eagles have won back-to-back contests including last week’s 20-10 win over good Stuarts Draft team. East Rockingham has played the more difficult schedule so far, but struggled against the big dogs (Wilson Memorial, Riverheads) and the Bulldogs are 7-1 in the last two postseasons. Something has to give here in a battle between two physical ground games.
Key matchup: East Rockingham quarterback Hunter Harmon vs. Goochland’s two-headed quarterback monster in Jordan Jefferson and Reid Chenault. The Bulldogs are on fire offensively right now, scoring 40 or more in six of their last seven games and at least 50 or more in their last three. Harmon’s going to have to come up with big plays, and lots of them because if last post season taught us anything it’s that Jefferson and the running backs will wear the defense down on long drives, and Chenault can, if called upon, deliver the blow to the jugular in the air for the longer yardage situations. Harmon is just going to have to be on point and make sure that he gets the ball out before Akia Timberlake and the Goochland defensive line get to him. A shootout is the only way to take down the Bulldogs right now.
Who to watch: Goochland running back Jaylen Allen. He has less than a third of the touches that big back David Dyer has, and understandably, Dyer is this team’s workhorse and sledgehammer. But when Allen does get the ball, he makes things happen much in the way that Mitchell Brice did for this program in 2011 and 2012. Allen is averaging 13 yards a carry and has break away speed. If the Eagles over pursue or pack it in too close to the middle of the field to stop Dyer, look for Allen to put together some big plays. And if East Rockingham tries to bottle Dyer and Allen up, lookout for Connor Saunders.
The line: Goochland by 4. The Bulldogs tap into their postseason form and handle business in their last home game.
Division 2A East, No. 16 Madison County (3-7) at No. 1 Wilson Memorial (9-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Mountaineers had to win one of their last two to dodge this bullet, and they had to try and do it against the two of the three best teams on their schedule. Madison’s 1-5 since it put together a great pair of wins together against East Rockingham and Manassas Park. By virtue of those quality wins, they were able to hang on to this last playoff spot. Now in Wilson Memorial, they face a team that’s won more playoff games the last two years at the Division 2 level than any other team not named Goochland. The Green Hornets are a ground team, and while Madison’s seen a lot of that during the regular season, they’ll have to find their late September form to be able to slow it down. This isn’t going to be easy for the Mountaineers.
Key matchup: The Madison front seven versus Wilson running backs Juh-Kwquan McCauley and Savant Swift. McCauley is the work horse, Swift delivers the dagger — that’s the easy way of putting it. The Mountaineers have get penetration up front in the gaps and be sure tacklers because trying to bring down McCauley and catch Swift is awfully difficult to do when they hit the second level of a defense. Madison can probably sell out with nine in the box, but the still have to be fundamentally sound because this offensive line does its job well and the running backs reward the linemen with constant production.
Who to watch: For one last week, Madison’s Ashton Weakley. Can he and quarterback James Graves pull what most would deem as the unthinkable and knock off the top seed? Against a ginding team like Wilson, a big play can negate a lot of damage and the Mountaineers all-time leading receiver has played well all year, even in the tough losses. With the ground game having struggled most of the year, the Graves/Weakley connection has to be on point from start to finish to put up a big number to compete with Wilson’s vaunted ground attack.
The line: Wilson by 10. The Green Hornets are the top seed for a reason and Madison’s struggled as of late.
Division 3A East, No. 15 William Monroe (3-7) at No. 2 Loudoun Valley (8-2), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Dragons found a way to slip into the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, but after playing the majority of its schedule against the mostly Division 2A programs that make up the Bull Run District, Monroe bumps up to play a Loudoun Valley program that isn’t long removed from playing at the Group AAA level. The Vikings struggled in years past, but this year they’ve been gutting out close wins with a truly impressive schedule. While Loudoun Valley took it on the chin in its regular season finale against Woodgrove, that’s not exactly stunning, and the schedule this team played is going to pay off in the postseason.
Key matchup: The Monroe defensive line takes on the Loudoun offensive line. If the Dragons don’t find a way to disrupt things at the line of scrimmage, it’s going to be both a long, but short night. The Vikings have a bonafide running back in Brandon Grayson. Just to get an idea of how quick Grayson is, he had 161 yards against a really good Loudoun County team on just five carries. He’s got a solid line in front of him, and if the Dragons can’t get to him in the back field or keep him from hitting the edge, he’s going to finish with a pretty impressive rushing total.
Who to watch: Monroe running backs Cody Perkins and Tylek Burley. It’s going to be on this duo to try and keep the Vikings offense on the sideline. The Dragons have to get a lot of production out these two, probably in the range of 250 to 300 yards combined in order to be able to keep pace with Loudoun. The good news is that both are quick, both are shifty and can put together the big plays. They just have to hold up against a physical defense which until it surrendered 52 points the last two weeks, gave up just 13 in the previous four games before that.
The line: Vikings by 14. Loudoun Valley’s size proves too much.
5A North First Round: No. 9 Albemarle (6-4) at No. 8 Falls Church (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Things didn’t go as planned for Albemarle last week as the Patriots dropped their regular season finale against Orange County 23-20, a loss that may have cost them a home game this week. But the Patriots are here anyway and that’s what is important as they’re back in the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Albemarle has found its match in Falls Church too as they face another team ending a long playoff drought. The Jaguars went 5-25 the last three seasons and haven’t been to the playoffs in 30 years. But Falls Church has turned the tide this year with seven wins and they’ve only lost to quality opponents so far this year, with losses against fellow playoff squads Yorktown and Washington-Lee (both 8-2) and Hayfield (5-5). One team’s dream season is about to come to an end.
Key matchup: Albemarle’s secondary takes on Falls Church quarterback Adam Daly. Daly has thrown for 1,965 yards and 19 touchdowns this year, but Albemarle’s defense has proven capable of containing even the most prolific of passers as they held Kent Henry in check earlier this year. If Daly tries to pick on Kevin Bernardino, odds are good he’ll find out quickly that he’s made a mistake.
Who to watch: Albemarle Dominique Talley. The Patriots have to get Talley on track after a rough week on the ground against Orange County where Talley picked up just 3.7 yards per touch. Since this squad’s identity is all about the power run game and a shutdown defense, that’s clearly a problem they’ll have to rectify immediately.
The line: Falls Church by 1. Neither of these teams are postseason veterans, but the Jaguars are just a few points away from being unbeaten. Albemarle has its hands full on the road and they’re coming off a troublesome let down against Orange. The key here will be which team can act as if they’ve been in the playoffs before, because neither has for a long time.
2A West First round: No. 11 James River (5-5) at No. 6 Buckingham (7-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: It’s the battle of the Knights in Dillwyn and with both Buckingham and James River coming off prolific scoring nights in their season finales, this one has the potential to be a barnburner. Buckingham has Central Virginia’s most prolific back though in Kenneth Johnson, who is a little more than 250 yards away from the 2,000-yard mark and has poured in 29 touchdowns at a clip of 10.6 per carry. Expect Buckingham to try and get Johnson in space to make plays, there aren’t many high school defenses that can contain him if he gets loose.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s linebackers take on James River’s Sherman Austin. Austin is a dangerous dual threat as he’s rushed for 512 yards and thrown for another 1,208 while completing 55 percent of his throws. Buckingham is going to have to keep tabs on him all night to keep James River in check.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s Justin Ayres and Jesse Hickman. Obviously the home Knights are going to try and pound it out on the ground. But if James River loads up against the run, Ayres and Hickman proved last week they can be a legitimate passing threat. Ayres had five catches for 76 yards and Hickman had a 42-yard touchdown catch. They could be dangerous off the playfake Friday night.
The line: Buckingham by 17. If Buckingham feeds Kenneth Johnson, things should go just fine Friday night at home.
3A West First Round: No. 11 Rustburg (6-4) at No. 6 Monticello (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Monticello went into the Jungle last week and came out victorious, but the Lions did give the Mustangs a bit of a scare early. Still, Monticello is an underrated 9-1 going into this one and has the potential to be a dangerous No. 6 seed. The Mustangs unleashed a pro-style downhill running attack against Louisa last week and T.J. Tillery thrived in the set that’s more reminiscent of what Brud Bicknell ran at Monticello in the past. That’s yet another potential look that Rustburg could have to contend with. Coming out of the Lynchburg area they have some familiarity with new Monticello head coach Jeff Woody, but Rustburg hasn’t had a great deal of success, posting a winning record for the first time in a decade this season. The two squads met in the benefit game and Monticello had little trouble, but the Red Devils are playing much better football.
Key matchup: It may not determine the outcome, but it’s certainly one of the more interesting matchups in recent memory as Monticello defensive coordinator Jamar Lovelace schemes against Rustburg and his nephew at quarterback, Anthony Lovelace. The dual threat signal-caller who engineered last week’s win over E.C. Glass is a handful, having ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run and a 35-yard scoring pass last week alone. The Mustangs’ defensive staff has proven creative and adept at scheming for particular opponents this year, can they keep it going against Rustburg?
Who to watch: Monticello’s James St. Hill. The senior quarterback needs a consistent, low-mistake outing against Rustburg. Tillery has been carrying the offense of late, but St. Hill to Josh Malm is a dangerous weapon too that keeps defenses honest. Look for the Mustangs to try and get that in the mix early.
The line: Monticello by 10. Rustburg has improved but the Mustangs are well-versed in how to win in the postseason and should take care of business Friday.
3A West First Round: No. 15 Cave Spring (5-5) at No. 2 Western Albemarle (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: After a thrilling win two weeks ago against Powhatan, Western didn’t allow Fluvanna to hang around last week and secured a 9-1 season. With a Lord Botetourt loss, the Warriors moved up to the No. 2 slot in the 3A West and Western will host the next three round as long as it keeps winning. The next time they can possibly hit the road is in the state semifinals. They’ve also got one of the state’s most prolific players on their side with Kent Henry, who passed the 10,000 career yard mark last week. He presents a unique set of challenges for Cave Spring on the ground and through the air and with Steven Hearn and Chase Stokes the Warriors have an electric offense. Cave Spring stumbled into the playoffs with a 48-0 loss to rival Hidden Valley last week and will need a much better offensive performance than that turnover-marred outing to hang with Western.
Key matchup: Cave Spring’s secondary takes on the high-powered Western passing attack. We’ve said it a number of times this year, but most high school teams can guard one to two receivers. Keeping track of four consistently when you haven’t faced Western’s particular blend of elements is not an easy challenge. Know quarterback in the Roanoke area has thrown for as many yards as Henry and the Warriors have, so expect Cave Spring to struggle early in coverage.
Who to watch: Western’s defense. The Warriors’ maligned unit that’s struggled to stop the power run all year long is going to have to take a leap forward soon if the Warriors are going to have a shot at a deep playoff run. Look for Osiris Crutchfield and Stephen Kuzjak to step up and try give Western more efficient play from that unit.
The line: Western Albemarle by 10. The Warriors have been itching to get a shot at a team that isn’t in the Jefferson District during the postseason. They get their wish Friday and they should take care of business.
