Orange (1-1) at Monticello (1-2), 6:30 Friday
The Basics: Orange County’s efforts against Louisa County in the first half of the Hornets’ season opener showed a lot of promise about what Orange could be. Last week against Charlottesville, those efforts paid off as the Hornets blew past the Black Knights. The Hornets’ offense had everything going with Markell Jackson running the ball and Paul Porier flipping it all over the field to Doug Newsome. Throw in some solid defense including two picks from Will Lewis and another from Rebel Fretwell and it’s obvious that Orange has a lot of the tools it needs to put together a strong season this spring. Monticello, meanwhile, has lost two in a row since beating Western Albemarle on the road including a loss to Louisa County in The Jungle last week. Now the Mustangs need to bounce back against an Orange squad that hung 50 on Monticello last year. That doesn’t seem likely again as Monticello is vastly improved, but this has been a challenging start to the Matt Hicks era with two rivalry games and a clash with Louisa to open the year. Now the Mustangs get to play at home, but that fast track on the turf may hold some advantages for Orange, who’s speed on the edge is electric. As usual Monticello will turn to Malachi Fields on offense to offset that Orange advantage and the senior quarterback will need to get the Mustangs’ offense that’s averaging just 2.9 yards per play going in a significant way. A shootout situation would definitely play into the Hornets’ hands, but Fields is the kind of difference-maker that can simply take over a game. Does he have that kind of performance ready for the Hornets?
Key Matchup: Monticello’s front seven takes on Orange’s ground game. Monticello’s defense has shown some problems stopping the run, surrendering 5.7 yards per carry on the year, though they’ve faced three talented running backs in Austin Shifflett (was moving the ball well for a half before getting banged up), Eb McCarthy (65-yard sprint that’s definitely impacting the average) and Louisa’s Kalep Shelton (four touchdowns). Markell Jackson got going against Charlottesville with a big night including a 48-yard touchdown, and the Hornets also have a dangerous runner in Porier at quarterback. Monticello needs to figure out a way to put the clamps on that ground attack or they could be staring down a long night. Look for Jahmir Banks and Jamaine White to play a significant role up front.
Who to Watch: Orange’s Doug Newsome. Newsome, along with Goochland’s Kam Holman, might just be the toughest guy to cover at wide receiver in the public school ranks this year. He’s open on a ton of plays and the Hornets now have a player who can find him in Paul Porier. Newsome, who signed with Charlotte, is just blazing fast and his route running has taken a step forward, making him a nightmare for opposing defensive backs. Monticello’s secondary will have its hands full with Newsome running free.
The Line: Orange County by 7. The Hornets’ speed on the edge gives them the advantage here, if they can take advantage they’ll be in control.
Western (1-1) at Charlottesville (0-3), 6:30 Friday
The Basics: Western Albemarle bounced back in a big way from the season opening overtime loss to rival Monticello with a 35-20 win over Fluvanna, getting things rolling on the ground in similar fashion to what they had going in the first quarter against the Mustangs before Austin Shifflett got banged up. Now Western will try and move above .500 with a matchup against a Charlottesville program that is still trying to find the right recipe while starting a ton of new faces with a short preparation window and against a tough schedule to start with Louisa in the opener, a Fluvanna squad that creates some matchup problems, followed by an Orange team with a ton of speed on the edge. Right now the Black Knights are looking for progress and consistency while the Warriors may have found a spark behind freshman quarterback Nathan Simon, who had to step in after first-year starter Hudson Toll had to leave the Fluvanna game with an injury. Simon went 4-for-5 passing and if he or Toll can keep that up it’ll be enough to keep defenses from loading the box against Shifflett, a critical part of keeping things going on the ground. Simon also plays a role on a defense that managed two big-time goal line stands in the first half against Fluvanna and that unit, which had a ton of question marks coming into the season, is proving to be more stout than expected.
Key Matchup: Western’s defensive backs try and matchup with Charlottesville’s Quincy Edwards. Along with Eddison Duolo, Edwards is one of the Black Knights’ top potential playmakers. He lines up in a variety of spots and if he gets a free release it’s hard to catch him, as he showed with a big pickup against Orange last week. The Warriors are inexperienced at defensive back and gave up a big one (admittedly after they flushed Kobe Edmonds from the pocket and on a ridiculously athletic play by Xavier Copeland) but tracking Edwards is going to be critical.
Who to Watch: Western’s Austin Shifflett. Shifflett is flat out one of the best running backs in the area, and when he’s healthy and locked in, it changes everything for the Warriors. He can do some serious damage on defense too, but on offense he’s essentially irreplaceable for Western right now and it showed as he reeled off five touchdowns last week and the Warriors pulled away early from a Fluvanna squad that a lot of people thought in the short preseason might be better than the Monticello squad Western lost to in week one. If Shifflett stays healthy, Western’s commitment to the run makes them a dangerous foe going forward for most Jefferson District squads.
The Line: Western by 21. The Warriors’ ground game is rolling now, and that’s enough to make the difference here.
Albemarle (1-1) at Fluvanna (1-1), 6:30 Friday
The Basics: In a year where every game matters a touch more because of a condensed schedule, this one is absolutely critical for the direction Albemarle or Fluvanna’s schedule the rest of the way will go. The Patriots surged late and beat Monticello but against Goochland the Patriots couldn’t produce enough offense to match an impressive defensive effort that held Goochland to just seven first half points. Fluvanna followed a narrow win over Charlottesville with a less effective effort against Western Albemarle, surrendering five touchdowns on the ground in a 35-20 loss. Both teams need to find a way to put two halves together and play with some consistency, and usually the solution for that is the ground game. Look for Albemarle to get Eb McCarthy in the mix and in rhythm early while the Flucos take more of a running back by committee approach with Kobe Edmonds leading the way along with a host of potential ball carriers. Whoever can get the offense going early should be well on their way to picking up a critical victory.
Key Matchup: Fluvanna’s offensive line takes on Albemarle’s dynamic front seven. It says a lot about the Albemarle front seven that the Patriots held an explosive offense like Goochland’s to just seven first half points, with Adam Schantz and Zalen Foster playing big roles. The Flucos have a lot of offensive weapons including dual threat quarterback Kobe Edmonds and matchup problem Xavier Copeland, but the offensive line is a work in progress in some ways and they’ll need to find a way to keep improving. Grant Brown is a key part of the puzzle at right tackle and he faces a tall task in getting his unit to work together to clear the way against the Patriots.
Who to Watch: Albemarle’s offensive line. The Patriots’ group up front faced a tough task last week protecting Jake King and trying to clear running lanes against a Goochland defensive front that’s simply excellent. They’ll need to bounce back in a big way especially after Western found a lot of success running the ball against the Flucos. If the Patriots similarly commit to the run they’ve got the tools to see some similar productivity.
The Line: Albemarle by 1. The Patriots’ Eb McCarthy should tip the scales here.
Nelson (1-1) at Appomattox (2-0), 6 p.m. Friday
The Basics: Nelson County bounced back from a loss to William Campbell to edge out Altavista 22-21 and saw the offense find a little success after a frustrating start to the year. George Brown, Aveon Tabb and Jamel Rose each accounted for touchdowns, which is much more in line with expectations from that group of playmakers at the beginning of the year than what they showed in the opener. Brown tossed a score to Rose and got one on the ground while Tabb scored once on the ground. All those points came in the first half, so putting together two halves on offense is going to be important because Altavista nearly rallied for the win, with Nelson blocking a PAT to hold on for the win. That’s going to be a difficult ask this week though as Nelson takes a jump up in the Dogwood gauntlet. Appomattox won the state title in 2019 and they’ve surrendered just six points in two games while throwing up 91 points of their own. One of those wins is a 49-0 drubbing of that William Campbell squad that soundly beat the Governors in Nelson’s season opener and the other came against the Altavista squad Nelson just edged out. This one, especially on the road, is definitely a tall task for Nelson.
Key Matchup: Nelson’s offensive line takes on the Appomattox defense. Protecting George Brown, who accounted for 194 yards of total offense last week, is critical if the Governors want to compete in this one. That group up front will have to contend with an Appomattox defense that scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in week one and isn’t looking to just stop offenses, they’re looking to make their own game-changing plays. Guys like Koby Mays are going to have to step up.
Who to Watch: Nelson’s Jamel Rose. Rose is a dynamic receiver and he’s going to have to find ways to get open fast Friday night because the pressure is going to be coming. If Rose can quickly find some openings and help the Nelson offense move the chains to keep Appomattox’s offense off the field, it would be a huge help for Nelson.
The Line: Appomattox by 21. The defending state champions are going to be a tough matchup for the Governors.
Strasburg (2-0) at Madison County (0-2), 7 p.m. Friday
The Basics: Madison’s first year of the rebuild continued last week with a 58-7 loss to Page County after the Mountaineers absorbed a 58-0 defeat at the hands of Clarke in week one. The results aren’t nearly as important as what’s happening during the week for Madison as they continue efforts to rebuild the program. Playing another 2019 playoff team in Strasburg this week won’t make things any easier.
Key Matchup: Madison’s secondary takes on Strasburg quarterback Ryan Jenkins. While the Rams want to move the ball on the ground, Jenkins hit Trey Stinnette for an 85-yard touchdown last week. If Madison’s defensive backs get lulled to sleep, they may pay a similar price.
Who to Watch: Madison’s offensive line. Wade Fox is a capable quarterback for the Mountaineers, but Madison is trying to build an offensive line group that can impose its will, and that takes time. Look for continuing development from that unit to be part of Madison’s focus under first-year coach Larry Helmick.
The Line: Strasburg by 21. The Mountaineers have to continue to stay focused on building culture right now, and this is a tough slate.
William Monroe (1-1) at Brentsville (3-0), 7 p.m. Friday
The Basics: William Monroe had everything rolling in the first half of the Dragons’ Saturday clash with Skyline last week, but when senior Alex Hoffman got hurt, his impact on the William Monroe defense became startlingly apparent. While Josh Johnson still managed to give the Dragons a serious threat on the ground on offense with increased carries, the Dragons couldn’t get off the field in the fourth quarter against Skyline as the Hawks ate nearly the entire fourth quarter clock with a 23-play, 95-yard drive. William Monroe will surely be able to reconfigure things after a week of practice but the Dragons are banged up at linebacker already and like everyone else they’re facing the constraints of building depth with an essentially non-existent preseason. With that in consideration, it may put some more pressure on the offense to get things going in a big way against an unbeaten Brentsville team, particularly with playmakers like Logan Barbour and Jeremy Savoie in the mix. Monroe could need to score points in bunches as the defense faces the difficult task of re-tooling with Hoffman out.
Key Matchup: Monroe’s front seven takes on Brentsville’s multi-faceted offense. The Tigers aren’t throwing up huge numbers on offense, but they’ve got several pieces that Monroe is going to have to account for including dual threat quarterback Guy Hayes and running back Jake Johnson, a Bridgewater-bound ball carrier. Hayes got knocked out of the win over Warren County but Beau Lang took over on the ground with a 104-yard performance in that win. Throw in another junior in Nick Griffin and there are a lot of ball carriers to account for. After struggling against the power run last week, Monroe will need to find a way to shore things up this week.
Who to Watch: William Monroe’s linebackers. The crux of the problem for Monroe last week is that once Hoffman went down, the Dragons couldn’t get off the field, in large part because Skyline ran right where the senior linebacker was supposed to be. Brentsville is a physical squad too and they’ll likely look to pound the rock up the middle. That means the center of the Monroe defense is going to have to step up in a big way.
The Line: Brentsville by 1. Brentsville isn’t unbeatable by any means, but with at 3-0 and protecting its homefield they get the nod here.
Goochland (2-0) at Liberty Bealeton (1-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
The Basics: Goochland has made a habit over the last 20 years of finding ways to win football games. Last week, with the rushing attack stymied in the first half against Albemarle, Goochland got a spark from its defense — a common occurrence to be sure — with Eyan Price’s pick six. In fact, that defensive unit hasn’t been scored on yet this year in wins over Amelia and the Patriots. This week they face another challenging opponent in Liberty Bealeton that went 12-1 a year ago and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The Eagles have shown some cracks this year already though, losing to a Fauquier squad that it dominated during that 12-1 run (the Eagles hadn’t lost to Fauquier in 14 meetings) and absorbing a blowout loss at the hands of Kettle Run. Goochland has shown no such cracks in the foundation, and this is just another step in an interesting process this spring where Goochland has been forced to build a challenging regular season schedule with several James River District schools opting out. That put UVa target C.J. Towles in the crosshairs against Albemarle last week and the Patriots did manage to get after Goochland, but the Bulldogs’ stifling defense that includes blocked-kick expert Will Stratton and Anthony Holland at linebacker didn’t allow Albemarle’s own offense to take advantage. If Goochland’s defense continues to play like this week-in and week-out, every opponent is going to face an uphill climb.
Key Matchup: Goochland’s front seven takes on Liberty’s offense. Through two games, the Goochland defense has been better than advertised after losing state defensive player of the year Devin McCray to graduation. Holland and Stratton are a big reason for those efforts and De’Andre Robinson had a sack against Albemarle and is terribly tough to block up front. Liberty quarterback Dylan Bailey missed time earlier this year with an injured ankle, but if the 6-foot-3 signal-caller is in the lineup, the Eagles are a different animal and could challenge the Bulldogs in a different way than either Albemarle or Amelia have so far. If Goochland can suffocate the Liberty offense like they did those first two opponents, it’ll go a long way toward pushing Goochland to 3-0.
Who to Watch: Goochland’s Kam Holman. Holman is fast and he has a knack for getting open behind the secondary. With the focus he gets from opposing defenses, it’s critical that he take advantage of every opportunity and he took advantage of an advantageous matchup against Albemarle and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass. If he can keep that up each week, making defenses pay for even the slightest lapse with a spark like that one, Goochland is going to be in great shape to get its vaunted ground attack going.
The Line: Goochland by 7. The Bulldogs will have their hands full in this road contest, but that win over Class 5 Albemarle is just another reason to think Goochland can find ways to win against anyone on any given week.
