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Charlottesville (3-2) at Albemarle (3-2), 7 p.m. Radio: WINA

 

The basics: This has all the makings of a game that could serve as a turning point for both teams. With both Charlottesville and Albemarle coming off losses, either squad could use a win here as a springboard into the bulk of the second half of the season’s schedule. The similarities don’t end there. Both teams have put together strong defensive efforts but have been less consistent offensively. They were both in their games Monday before things unraveled in the fourth quarter, with Monticello pulling away from CHS while Orange hung on to beat Albemarle. The short turnaround could actually pay dividends for both squads. Neither team had a chance to dwell on Monday’s loss for very long and they’ll get a chance to get back on the field quickly, which means we may be in for a classic defensive struggle as two of the area’s most effective units lock up and look to stifle the opposition. That means this one could come down to a big special teams play or a turnover, much as Albemarle’s slide against Orange started with a fumble return for a touchdown.   

 

Key matchup: Albemarle’s front seven takes on Charlottesville’s multi-pronged offensive attack. Rashad Brock returned last week for the Black Knights and scored a pair of touchdowns, giving the CHS offense a major jolt. But he’s far from the only dangerous playmaker for the Black Knights, as Tre Durret, Rhakeem Davis, Sabais Folley and Lorenzo Louderback are all threats to take it to the house. On the flip side though, Albemarle’s defense has kept a lid on opposing offenses, preventing big plays with responsibility defense and sound tackling at the point of attack while allowing just 16.6 points per game. This will be a big test for Charlottesville’s young players as they face perhaps the most seasoned, stingy defense they’ve lined up against this year.

 

Who to watch: Albemarle’s Tyquan Rose. In a game that might just come down to a special teams touchdown — the margin between these two teams appears to be that thin — Rose is a good bet to be that guy. Rose is also due for an electric play, as Orange kicked away from him and managed to bottle him up when the Patriots got the ball in his hands offensively. Rose is exactly the kind of gamebreaker that Albemarle needs to get the squad’s scoring on track, and Friday would be an excellent time for one of those explosive plays.

 

The line: Albemarle by 7. The Patriots bounce back in a big was an experienced defense leads the way.

 

Orange County (4-1) at Western Albemarle (4-1), 7:30 p.m.

 

The basics: Orange County is the area’s biggest shock through the first half of the 2015 season, winning the same number of games already this season that the Hornets did in the last three years. The latest victory in that incredible turnaround run Monday came against a stout Albemarle squad and required punt and fumble returns for touchdowns to get it done. One offensive touchdown most likely isn’t going to be enough to beat Western, so that unit needs to get in gear and put some points up Friday. Caleb Clenney’s pop pass to Matthew Chatten that stood up as the game-winner showed the Hornets are capable and that the offensive system has enough depth to get the job done. Friday is when they have to put it together, because Western caught fire Monday with a 59-point explosion led by Sam Hearn’s monster day where the senior quarterback rolled up 372 yards and five touchdowns through the air plus another 115 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Contending with that kind of firepower is going to be the Hornets’ biggest test so far.

 

Key matchup: Orange’s secondary takes on Western’s receiving corps. The Hornets clamped down on Albemarle with three interceptions and showed a knack for staying with the play even when Patriots quarterback J’Quan Anderson extended plays in the backfield. That’s not easy to do and is a particularly rare skill for an entire unit on a high school team. That’s a long time to cover an opposing receiver and Darius Minor and Jay Lewis-Dixon are adept at it, with Minor picking off a pass and Lewis-Dixon picking off two. Of course, the Warriors’ receivers are a different animal entirely, with Derek Domecq, Henry Kreienbaum and Michael Vale leading the way. Marking that trio won’t be an easy task in this strength-on-strength matchup within the game.

 

Who to watch: Western’s Henry Kreienbaum. Kreienbaum was hampered by an injury earlier in the year but got on track last week against Powhatan with 89 yards and a touchdown on three catches. The Warriors offense is at its best with multiple receiving options and Derek Domecq, Michael Vale and Kreienbaum are the latest package. When Sam Hearn doesn’t have to force the ball in and just throws to whoever is open, Western becomes just a little more dynamic and tough to contain. They found that rhythm last week and Powhatan simply couldn’t slow them down.

 

The line: Western Albemarle by 10. Orange hasn’t shown just yet that they can score enough points to keep pace with the Warriors.

 

Goochland (3-2) at Buckingham (4-1), 7 p.m.

The basics: Yes it’s still a little early, but let’s call this what it is, a defacto James River District title game. Because in reality, these have been the two most consistent and winning teams in the JRD since 2011. Goochland’s won three in a row and its offense is churning. Buckingham has won four in a row and its offense is churning. One of these defenses has to step it up. Goochland has played three challenging games. Buckingham has played one and the rest have been laughers. One of these defenses has to answer the call.

 

Key matchup: The Bulldogs’ defensive front seven against Knights running back Leon Ragland. Only one team has slowed Ragland down, and that was way back in week one and it was a very, very good Appomattox team. Goochland’s defense has had its up and downs through the season so far. Ragland presents an interesting problem. Everyone knows what’s coming when he’s on the field, but how do you stop him? The answer is gang tackling. That’s how Appomattox did it. They did not let him get to the second level. Goochland has to keep him from getting his head of steam because he’s as strong as he is athletic. Slow down Ragland and Buckingham’s offense has to get to the drawing board and get creative.

 

Who to watch: Goochland’s receiving corps of Cordell Mattox and Scott Carter. They have 325 yards of the 513 Bulldog passing yards. Buckingham’s secondary, led by (who else?) Ragland, has to be on its toes and ready for quarterback Reid Chenault to air things out. While the Bulldogs ground game has found its chain-moving clock-melting form over the last three weeks, the Knights have the same thing. Buckingham’s defense has been sound in all five games. Goochland needs to get its receivers involved for big plays to make up for the fact its defense is still trying to improve.

 

The line: Buckingham by 1. The Knights get the nod here for playing at home. But Goochland’s a little more battle tested right now so if Ragland doesn’t have one of his usual huge games, this could easily swing the Bulldogs way.

 

Fluvanna County (0-5) at Monticello (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

 

The basics: The Flucos are coming off a tough loss to Louisa and now have to face a Monticello team that seemed have things figured out against an athletic Charlottesville team. Both teams are on four days rest. The Mustangs’ schedule early on has been quite challenging, but a win here could get them on a roll that we’re familiar with when it comes to this program. Fluvanna’s defense has to be more physical than it was against Louisa as Monticello has big play ability with its receiving corps.

 

Key matchup: Fluvanna County’s defensive line takes on the Monticello offensive line. If quarterback Kevin Jarrell has time to make the reads, his receivers have the ability to make big plays. The Mustangs have a big playmaker in running back Darian Bates to take the heat off of the pass rush, and since Fluvanna gave up more than 500 yards rushing last week, he’s poised for a big week. But the Flucos cannot throw everything at Bates and leave these receivers open to make big plays. Trust us, Monticello is all to eager to open up offense and have a big day passing.

 

Who to watch: The Mustangs’ defensive line. The only thing that looked effective offensively this week for Fluvanna against Louisa was Gavin Patrick passing out of play action. Keep an eye on the Monticello defensive line to see if they find a way to read through that and get after Patrick. Fluvanna needs big plays to keep up with the Mustangs, and the odds are the best way to do that is in the passing game. If you’re Monticello, you’re going to key in on that and see just how much the Fluvanna offense can get from its rushing game.

 

The line: Monticello by 21. The Mustangs roll at home after a big win over Charlottesville.

 

Powhatan (2-3) at Louisa County (2-3), 7:30 p.m.

 

The basics: This game shouldn’t take long. Powhatan loves to run. Louisa loves to run. Something has to give here. The Indians are coming off back-to-back losses against the two teams without a Jefferson District loss — Orange and Powhatan. The Lions have pieced together two wins out of their last three and looked up their potential against Fluvanna. But on top of that, while Powhatan had to throw all it had against Western, Louisa got a chance to rest its starters for much of the game against Fluvanna making the short week less of a deal from a physical stand point.

 

Key matchup: Powhatan’s front four against the Louisa single wing’s misdirection. So the odds are that the Lions will be trying to snap the ball to running back Job Whalen or snap it to Cherry and let Whalen tote the ball. The sophomore had less than 15 carries on Monday, a rarity this year, but was very effective. Powhatan has not shown a great ability to slow the run with both Orange and Western running over them in back-to-back games. The Indians have to slow Whalen before Louisa will even consider getting the ball into its other capable rushers.

 

Who to watch: Powhatan’s Justin Deleon versus Whalen. These are two beast running backs that don’t shy away from the touches. Whalen’s got speed but is more slippery up the middle running back that moves chains and wears defenses down one drive at a time. Deleon has big play ability, and Powhatan needs that as they hope to make up for the time of possession battle that Louisa is likely to win. It’s dueling banjo running backs here. The biggest rushing total for either probably seals up the win.

 

The line: Louisa by 3. It’s in the Jungle and the Lions are pretty fresh and present an offensive matchup problem. If their defense plays the way it did against Fluvanna or Albemarle, they walk away with the win. But watch out fro Deleon.

 

Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot (2-2) at Blue Ridge (2-1), Saturday 2 p.m.

 

The basics: The Knights are coming off a bye after their win over Kenston Forest. Blue Ridge is coming off a mini-bye after it’s blowout shutout over Covenant last Thursday, getting nine days rest. The Barons looked explosive against Covenant. Their offense was clicking on all cylinders and their defense had that same look in the secondary that’s led to great playoff runs. Now can they keep it rolling?

 

Key matchup: The Knights secondary takes on Malik Johnson. He’s fast. He’s so fast. But getting beet on a fly route isn’t the problem. When quarterback Justin Armwood hit Johnson against Covenant, it was just in space and the Johnson did the slippery stuff afterwards. If the Knights don’t keep Johnson in front of them, they are in trouble. That’s just the beginning of the problem though as Armwood’s athleticism is trouble and then running back Tae Watts is explosive if he gets a hole from the offensive line. But at the end of the day, you have to slow down Johnson… some how.

 

Who to watch: Blue Ridge’s Aaron Brown. As the season goes on and the attention Johnson commands gets more intensive, Brown’s role as a receiver becomes more important. His one-handed TD catch against the Eagles last week was remarkable. He’s going to get the chance to stretch the field and he’s got the wheels to do so. If he has a big week, Blue Ridge might have something serious that the top VISAA Division 2 teams should be concerned about.

 

The line: Blue Ridge by 17. The Barons’ offense is too much here. The Knights have given up 40 or more in two of four games and 20 or more in their two loses. Blue Ridge might and can put up a big number here.

 

Central Woodstock (2-3) at Madison County (2-3), 7 p.m.

 

The basics: Two teams that are at a similar point. A win here for either is huge, probably more so for Central given their Group 3A status. It’s been feast or famine for the Falcons as they’ve only been blown out and won in blow outs. Madison rolled past Riverside easily after fending off Warren the week before to win back-to-back games after an 0-3 start. In the last four games, the Madison offense has scored at least 20 points. It’s defense has given up just 19 points in the last two games. A win here for Madison sets up the potential for a nice run with its annual meeting with a struggling William Monroe team on the horizon. But it won’t be as easy as the win over Riverside. Central has played some really good teams in the valley and a loss to a state title contender in Clarke on the road at 27-6 sticks out. Holding Clarke to 27 isn’t easy.

 

Key matchup: Madison’s front seven against Central running back Hank Hoover. When Hoover runs well, the Falcons win. When he doesn’t, they lose. It’s as simple as that. He had 191 yards on 25 carries against Warren County last week.  The team ran for 6.9 yards per carry and finished with 289 on the ground. Madison has to be fundamental upfront and keep Hoover and the offensive line from getting on a roll.

 

Who to watch: It has to be Isaiah Smith. The Madison County junior had a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams last week. He’s averaging 74.8 yards per game rushing. But he’s only toted the ball 31 times, putting him at 9.6 yards per carry. We’ve said it a thousand times when it comes to Madison — this program wins when they run successfully. Since 2011 they’ve been better in the air than on the ground, but it looks like with it’s rotation of Smith, Gabe Farmer (33 for 163), Zavion Gentry (25 for 163) and Chris Smith (37 for 165) the Mountaineers have found a bit of a groove. Central can’t win this game if it’s offense is on the sidelines the whole game. While Madison needs Isaiah Smith to be a big playmaker again, it also needs to win the time of possession battle.

 

The line: Madison by 1. This is tough one to gauge given the way the Falcons have been hit or miss and the way the Mountaineers have come on lately after an 0-3 start. We side with Madison here given their momentum and the way their offense has opened up over the last few weeks.

 

Woodberry Forest (3-2) at Collegiate (1-3), 4 p.m.

 

The basics: The Tigers are back on the road after their first home game, one final tune-up from their pre-Prep League debut. While Woodberry fell to Avalon, they faced a team that was really good, their fifth straight big test. This Tigers team is vetted. They won’t see any teams as good as four of their first five opponents during this Prep League run. That’s saying something given the way St. Christopher’s has played so far. Anyway, Collegiate is always dangerous but has not had a great start to the year. Woodberry’s won seven straight against them and their defense has always adapted well to being spread out by the Cougars. The defense should be on point against an offense that has only hit the 20-point mark twice this year. The Tigers’ offense, on the other hand, is coming off their lowest scoring total last week, 27 points. Don’t be surprised if that unit gets back to its 30-plus performance in the previous four contests.

 

Key matchup: Woodberry’s secondary against the Collegiate spread. As we said above, the Tigers have always thrived against this matchup, and they will look to do so again. This is a great opportunity for this defense to flex a bit differently as they feature an awful lot of speed and athleticism in the secondary and even in the linebacking corps. This team moves well against the pass. If they do well against the Cougars receivers early, they’ll force the Collegiate offense to try new things. Given what Woodberry has seen in the previous five games, they’ll be ready to adapt.

 

Who to watch: Woodberry’s Zach Roderick. The senior receiver’s pace is ridiculous right now. At 133.2 yards per game, no other receiver in the area is as dangerous as this threat. He has nine touchdowns and averages 15.9 yards per catch. With quarterback Lindell Stone so comfortable in and out of the pocket, completing 67% of his passes, Roderick is the heart of this offense right now. Stone has 1, 572 yards passing right now and 666 of them have gone to Roderick. Look for the two to establish a connection early and often.

 

The line: Woodberry by 14. The Tigers defense plays well and the offense does its usual thing in the passing game.

 

North Cross (3-1) at St. Anne’s-Belfield (3-2), 7 p.m.

 

The basics: St. Anne’s-Belfield’s coaching staff has proven over the years that they’re not going to stand pat and keep doing the same thing if it isn’t working. After a preseason of working out different options at quarterback, STAB got an early season boost from Patrick Blake, but within the framework of the team, needed to get a different kind of threat behind center. Enter Jalen Harrison, the wideout/defensive back who’d played a wildcat type role before but hadn’t been a complete quarterback before. Now he appears to be a more complete threat at quarterback and he was explosive against Nansemond Suffolk, allowing STAB to answer NSA blow for blow in the second half to hold them at arm’s length and snag the victory. Now they face a North Cross squad ranked No. 3 in Division III that has some pieces that are tough to contain.

 

Key matchup: North Cross’ Jordan Lowery takes on STAB’s Kareem Johnson. Two of the VISAA’s purest playmakers go toe-to-toe in this one. Johnson caught three touchdown passes and had seven grabs against NSA. He’s a proven threat to score in all three phases of the game. Lowery had five catches for 125 yards in the Raiders’ last victory, over Christchurch, and he’s averaging 18.7 yards per catch this season.

 

Who to watch: STAB’s Harrison. It’s hard to call Harrison, a multi-sport fixture for the Saints, a breakout star, but last week he was definitely the area’s breakout star with his shift to full-time quarterback. Harrison’s 230 yards on the ground and 185 through the air that included six total touchdowns was an explosive, dynamic performance. Can he and the Saints keep it going against North Cross?

The line: St. Anne’s by 10. STAB has adapted and adjusted now, and that should mean trouble for the Raiders.

 

St. Christopher’s (4-1) at Fork Union (2-3), 3 p.m.

The basics: Fork Union’s matchup with Paul VI may have been just what the doctor ordered for the Blue Devils. FUMA has played an extremely challenging schedule so far this year, and the 38-7 win over Paul VI allowed the squad to get a in a rhythm right before entering the Prep League portion of its schedule. Now they’ll face more familiar opponents and they’ve got the ground game going in a big way as they averaged 7.6 yards per carry last week with Adisa Gittens-Smith’s 166 yards leading the way. St. Chris, on the other hand, is coming off a rough week against Benedictine, who hammered the Saints 42-0. They’ll be hoping to bounce back, but this is a Fork Union squad that’s much more talented and much more capable than its 2-3 record indicates.

 

Key matchup: FUMA’s secondary takes on St. Chris quarterback Jeb Bemiss. With Taurus Carroll, who recently picked up an offer from Maryland, and Romello Blanton-Wde prowling the secondary, Bemiss would be wise not to try and force anything into tight coverage against the Blue Devils. While Bemiss has thrown for 745 yards, he’s also been picked off four times this year, opening the door for a potentially game-changing play by the ball-hawking Fork Union defensive backs who’ve picked off six passes this season.

 

Who to watch: Fork Union linebacker Jeremy Yates. The Blue Devils’ sophomore had a breakout game against Paul VI with 10 total tackles, including four for a loss. He’s now poised now to give FUMA another reliable stopper beyond Adam Hackenberg and Josh Nevers on defense. Yates and the defense helped put the clamps on Paul VI, holding them to just seven points. A repeat performance by that unit against St. Chris would be huge.

 

The line: Fork Union by 7. No knock on St. Christopher’s schedule, but they haven’t played the kind of opponents that Fork Union has. The Blue Devils are battle tested and capable of handling the Saints.

 

William Monroe (0-5) at Warren County (1-4), 7 p.m.

The basics: Things haven’t gone exactly to plan so far this season, and that prompted an overhaul last week by the Dragons offensively as they scrapped an unproductive option attack and returned to the pistol, I-form attack they used last season. Clarke would’ve been a formidable opponent in any situation, so the Dragons hanging with the Eagles for three quarters in a 39-18 loss with a newly-implemented offense was a huge step forward. But the time for small gains is over, the Dragons have to get in the win column if they want to have a chance to extend their season.

 

Key matchup: Warren’s defense takes on Monroe’s Malique Shackleford. Shackleford broke out last week with 179 yards through the air against a talented Clarke squad. If he can get going against Warren, that might be just the spark Monroe needs to end its first half skid.

 

Who to watch: William Monroe’s Kyle Kruszeweski. The Dragons’ offensive shift back to an I-form, pistol look opened the door for the Dragons to get a tight end in the mix, a position that’s been good to Monroe in the past back when Elon’s Zach Duprey was the squad’s most dynamic pass catcher. Kruszeweski showed similar potential against Clarke with three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. If the Dragons can keep him plugged into the offense, it’ll be another dimension opponents have to account for.

 

The line: Monroe by 7. The Dragons woke up last week. Now it’s time to capitalize and start turning around a fruitless start to 2015.

 

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