Orange County (1-2) at Monticello (2-1) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Both Orange and Monticello are coming in after taking some hard shots on the road against two of Group AA’s best, the Hornets against James Monroe and the Mustangs against Powhatan. That should give this game a little bit of an edge as both squads look to redeem themselves in their Jefferson District opener. The matchup is a bit of style clash with Orange’s potent passing offense going toe-to-toe with Monticello’s smashmouth style. That could make either Orange running back Isaiah Ferguson or Monticello’s quarterbacks Jhalil Mosley and Tyler Moneymaker difference makers. Whoever manages to establish offensive balance could swing the game.
Key Matchup: Monticello’s secondary takes on Orange, one of Central Virginia’s top aerial attacks led by wideouts Amir Waller and Tyler Seal. Monticello’s defensive backs will have their hands full, and they’ll have to get big production from young standouts like bandit T.J. Tillery and seasoned vets like Chad Cieslewicz to slow down the Hornets.
Who to watch: Monticello’s Jesse Ayres. Ayres will have to get going early if the Mustangs are going to get the offense in gear faster than they did last week. Ayres is Monticello’s engine, if he’s rolling, the Mustangs will be in great shape.
Line: Monticello by 3. The Mustangs should be able to put a lot of pressure on Orange quarterback Cameron Hughes and disrupt the Hornets’ passing game.
Central Lunenburg (2-1) at Nelson County (0-3) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Nelson County hasn’t struggled to put up points the last two weeks, averaging 31 against Riverheads and Madison County. But Madison and Riverheads hung 111 combined on the Governors. Nelson needs to fix the defense fast, and Lunenburg might be the remedy. The 2-1 record is a bit misleading for Central, as the squad lost to Nottoway, who fell to a sub par Amelia team, and beat two struggling programs, including Bluestone, that went winless last year.
Key Matchup: Nelson’s productive offense takes on a ball-hawking Lunenburg unit that forced five turnovers in the first half of its win last week over Bluestone.
Who to watch: Nelson’s Tyler Vest. The backup signal-caller and all-around athlete took over against Madison after James Saunders went down with an injury. Vest ignited the ground game, and if Saunders is out again he’ll need a similar performance.
Line: Nelson County by 3. Governors end early season skid against Lunenburg.
Trinity (1-2) at STAB (3-0) 7 p.m.
The Basics: St. Anne’s-Belfield kind of took it on the chin last year in their brief tour of Division I, but the Saints are back in force in 2010 with an dynamic, versatile group of athletes that helped them grab a big win over St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes last week. Trinity snapped a two-game losing streak that started the season with an easy win over Norfolk Academy last week. They’ll need a similar effort this week to derail a STAB train that seems to be quickly building steam.
Key Matchup: STAB’s front seven does battle with Trinity rusher Taylor King. King piled up 113 yards on just six carries against Norfolk Academy, so the Saints could have their hands full.
Who to watch: STAB’s Branford Rogers. Sure, Rogers could be the guy every week as the Saints’ lead back, but this week it’s going to be all about ball security for Rogers. TES forced five fumbles against Norfolk Academy last week and romped to a 34-7 victory. Rogers will need to hold on tight.
Line: St. Anne’s by 14. The Saints are going to be riding high after last week’s big win over SSSA and should get into gear quickly.
North Stafford (2-1) at Albemarle (2-1) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Albemarle is one of the feel-good stories of the fall as the Patriots have erased most of the memories of 2009’s winless season with a pair of victories against cross-county rivals Charlottesville and Western in back-to-back weeks. Now they start a tougher set of tests with Commonwealth District play opening up against North Stafford, a squad coming off an intense rally that fell short in the second half against Potomac.
Key Matchup: The Wolverines front four takes on Albemarle’s rushing attack. Daniel Ricotta set the stage for the Patriots’ passing game to take off against Charlottesville.
Who to watch: Albemarle wideout David Seago. Seago is quickly becoming one of quarterback Lee Carneal’s favorite targets, and with the sure hands Seago has displayed, why wouldn’t he become a favorite. Look for Albemarle to get him involved early.
Line: Albemarle by 3. This is a winnable game for the Patriots, especially with a homefield advantage that’s getting better every game with a devoted, intense fan base.
Goochland (2-1) at Charlottesville (0-3) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: There’s no doubt that the Bulldogs will be anxious to return the favor from last after the Black Knights crept up and handed Goochland its only Jefferson District loss. Both teams are in somewhat familiar territory despite their records. Charlottesville has six points on the year after three contests. While the Bulldogs piled up 34 points against Amelia, Goochland managed to only put together one touchdowns against Benedictine and King George. So far, Bulldogs kicker Colby Cooke has been the most reliable source of offense. Both teams would love pile up the points in this contest.
Key Matchup: It’s the battle up front for sure. Goochland’s offensive line needs hold up so the Bulldogs can get back to those 10 minute scoring drives that made this team so great last year. Charlottesville’s o-line needs to give Benj Wilhelm time to find his receivers and open up enough holes for running back Chris Thurston.
Who to Watch: Goochland’s David McKenna. When things have gone well for the Bulldogs offense, the ball has been in McKenna’s hand whether he’s rushing the ball or catching it.
SP Line: Goochland by 4. Bulldogs overpower Black Knights up front.
Fluvanna County (1-2) at Western Albemarle (1-2) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: The Flucos defense did everything right last week against Buckingham County, holding it to just one touchdown through the first three quarters before specials teams and an offensive turnover gave the Knights all they need to win. Western is coming off a bye week after falling in a battle against Albemarle. It’s another fight for both schools as Flucos coach Jason Barnett looks to take one against his former school and the Warriors stand in the way to deny him.
Key Matchup: The Fluvanna front for versus Western quarterback Abbott Wallenborn. The Warriors quarterback has been the heart and soul of Western’s offense and if the defensive line can play contain against the active signal caller, it will make life a lot easier for the linebacking corps to keep an eye on him.
Who to watch: The Flucos’ front seven. This unit did a terrific job last week holding Buckingham’s dynamic tailback Maurice Taylor to under 100 yards. They’ll have their hands full again this week with Western’s zone-read run game.
Line: Fluvanna by 1. This looks to be one heck of a mean game between the defenses. If the Flucos defense can do what it against the Knights last week, they’ll have a slight edge.
William Monroe (2-1) at Louisa County (3-0) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Both squads know how tough it is to play against Eastern View, however, the Lions came out winners against the Cyclones in week one, while the Greene Dragons fell for the first time this year last week. In the first three weeks, Louisa has done little to dispel the notion that this was the strongest JD team coming into the year. Monroe’s made great progress, and coach Mark Sanford has repeatedly pointed to Louisa’s strength up front as what he envisions his team eventually emulating. It will be interesting to see just how different this game is from last year’s 56-0 defeat.
Key Matchup: William Monroe’s front seven versus Louisa’s Anthony Hunter. The Lions running back is hoarding rushing touchdowns right now and has emerged from being a dangerous back, to one of Central Virginia’s most reliably dangerous backs, making every touch he gets count. When he goes in motion out of the single wing, the Greene Dragons need to make sure he’s accounted for or it’s off to the races.
Who to Watch: Right now it’s Hunter. He’s still sharing a lot of carries with Andre Mealy and Rayshawn Jackson, but Hunter is putting up feature back-like numbers, averaging eight yards per touch to put together 393 yards in three games.
SP Line: Louisa by 10. Since a close call with Eastern View, the Lions have been a meat grinder on both sides of the ball.
Chatham (0-2) at Buckingham (4-0) 7 p.m.
The Basics: Both coach Craig Gill and star running back Maurice Taylor expressed disappointment with the Knights’ overall play in a fourth quarter win over Fluvanna County. The good news for Buckingham is that if they were having an off night against a larger Group AA school, they still showed resiliency. This week the Knights get to refocus against a winless Chatham team that won just one of its 10 contests last year and is under a regime change. Hard to believe that Buckingham will already be halfway done with its regular season after this game.
Key Matchup: Based on Friday’s results, it’s the right side of Buckingham’s offensive line against the left side of Chatham’s defense. The Knights were bothered by Fluvanna’s defensive linemen and outside linebackers having little trouble working their way into the backfield. To stop both Taylor and quarterback Tarian Ayers, that’s what the Cavaliers will have to do.
Who to Watch: Buckingham receiver Cam Johnson. Last week when the team was looking for a spark offensively, Ayers threw a handful of bombs to Johnson but the two weren’t able to connect. Don’t be surprised if the two get it down this week.
SP Line: Knights by 10. All is well in Buckingham.
Luray (1-1) at Madison County (2-1) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: After falling to William Monroe, the Mountaineers put together an offensive onslaught against Nelson County to get the win last week. Everything was clicking for Madison as Ralph Yates tore it up on the ground while Travis Warren continues to shine as a wide receiver. Luray started the season with a 14-7 win over George Mason but lost last week to Strasburg by 33 points after imploding with penalties and turnovers on offense.
Key Matchup: Warren and fellow receiver Rashad Bolden against the Bulldogs defensive backs. Madison quarterback Dustin Farmer has shown he can throw a nice ball and Warren and Bolden have been able to stretch the field for the Mountaineers. If they can do it this week that should bode well for Yates again in the running game.
Who to Watch: The Madison offensive line. If the Mountaineers can protect Farmer, he and his receivers have shown that they can bust open the game. And when they do that there’s a lot less pressure on the rushing attack, which until last week against the governors, has struggled, especially with turnovers.
SP Line: Madison by 9. Balanced offense gives Mountaineers two in a row.
Saturday games
Woodberry Forest (2-0) at McDonogh (3-0) 1 p.m.
The Basics: The Tigers’ defense has the pressure right now. In two games the unit has not allowed a point. In the team’s home opener against Bishop Ireton, Woodberry didn’t let the Cardinals sniff the red zone. Conversely, the Tigers’ special teams unit has two touchdowns in two games and the offense is up to its usual grinding pace, eating up clock and piling up first downs. This was an outstanding football game last year with Woodberry beating McDonogh by just two points. That was one of the two losses the Eagles endured last season.
Key Matchup: Woodberry’s linebackers versus McDonogh quarterback Joel Jorgerson. The Eagles quarterback can throw the deep ball and run wild at the same time. Last week the Cardinals tried to go after the Tigers with a running quarter after Woodberry put up 21 quick points. Ireton got some yardage out of the move, but the Woodberry linebacking corps, led by Rue Hockensmith, quickly adapted and looked surprisingly comfortable.
Who to Watch: C.J. Prosise. The senior playmaker has accounted for both special teams touchdowns, and last week’s 97-yard opening kickoff return put the first nail in the coffin for Ireton last week. When you’ve got two evenly balanced teams like these two, special teams often provides the difference.
SP Line: Tigers by 2. This team may not have the star power it did last year at this point now, but the product still looks very much the same.
Potomac (1-2) at Covenant (0-3) 1 p.m.
The Basics: The Eagles are coming off of a bye week. The Panthers are doing the same after rolling over Randolph Macon Academy and edging Bullis. Covenant made improvements against Flint Hill and the offense had a lot of success but that was ultimately offset by turnovers. But scoring hasn’t been the problem, the Eagles are averaging a little over 20 points per game but surrendering an average of 46. A week of extra preperation should help the defense get on the right track especially since a handful of key defenders, including linebacker Chris Shifflett, were missing in action against Flint Hill because of injury.
Key Matchup: With the way that Covenant moved the ball, it’s the Eagle’s passing attack versus the Panthers secondary. If Covenant can move the ball up field with out turning the ball over, they’ll be in good shape as the ground game appears to have found its mojo.
Who to Watch: Panthers running back Conor McNerny. Last week Potomac put the ball in McNerny hands 42 times he was able to churn 218 yards out of the touches. There were only seven plays that the junior didn’t touch the ball If the Eagles can bring McNerny to a halt that would completely stall the Potomac offense.
SP Line: Potomac by 3. Getting 14 days to prepare should help, especially in the health department, but stopping running backs has been a problem for the Eagles.
Episcopal (1-0) at FUMA (2-2) 1:30 p.m.
The Basics: Fork Union trounced Hargave Military Academy last week after a pair of tough losses to Washington area powers. Now another school from up north will travel to FUMA. Episcopal is just getting its season started, having opened play last week at home in a 16-0 win over Flint Hill. With four games under their belt, FUMA’s players could be at an advantage, but look out for Austin de Butts, whether he’s at quarterback or receiver, he’s got the athletic ability to make opposing defenses pay for mistakes.
Key Matchup: Episcopal’s defense takes on FUMA’s powerful running game. The Maroons are coming off a shutout win, but slowing down the Blue Devils combination of speed (Rich Dyer) and power (Andre Parker) out of the backfield won’t be easy.
Who to watch: FUMA wideout Nick Naimool. Naimool gives the Blue Devils a reliable and big threat receiver.
Line: Fork Union by 7. The Blue Devils should take care of business Saturday.
Blue Ridge (1-2) at Flint Hill (1-1) 1 p.m.
The Basics: After two weeks of playing an overmatched Hargrave team and an overwhelming Liberty Christian team, Flint Hill should be a good benchmark for Blue Ridge. The Huskies lost 16-0 to Episcopal, but outscored Covenant a week before 40-27. The
Key Matchup: Flint Hill’s front seven takes on a one-two rushing attack from the Barons of Robin Moore and Jerrod Williams.
Who to watch: Blue Ridge’s Terrance Barnes. The talented linebacker is leading the Barons in tackles, including a team-high 15 solo stops. As he continues to settle in, Blue Ridge’s defense should get better and better.
Line: Blue Ridge by 7. The Barons have enough on defense to slow down a potentially potent Flint Hill offense.
