Albemarle (4-2) at Fluvanna County (0-6), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Albemarle came out of a tough and critical three-game stretch with Louisa, Orange and Charlottesville with a 2-1 record. That brings them to 4-2 overall and has put them on the brink of potentially snagging a home playoff game if they can close the season well. That starts with a trip to Fluvanna where the Flucos are still searching for their first win of the 2015 campaign and it certainly won’t be easy to find against the Patriots, who’s stifling defense has 22 points or less all season. With Fluvanna struggling to find an offensive identity and posting less than 50 yards of total offense last week against Monticello, this could be another tough outing for the Flucos against the Patriots’ defense.
Key matchup: Fluvanna’s front seven takes on Albemarle’s multi-faceted ground game. Whether it’s Rooney Turay, Jamal Thompson or sophomore quarterback J’Quan Anderson, Albemarle has a plethora of options in the ground game. The Flucos, meanwhile, struggled to stop Louisa and Monticello’s rushing attacks recently, giving up big chunks of yards and touchdowns to both squads on the ground. Can the Flucos get the defense on track against the Patriots whose offense hasn’t been totally clicking of late and has been more reliant on clutch plays at key times.
Who to watch: Albemarle’s Dontae Woodfolk. Woodfolk had a key pick against Charlottesville and the Albemarle secondary has started to emerge as one of the area’s up and coming units, allowing only a handful of touchdown passes on the season. With Woodfolk and the other members of his position group stepping up, the Patriots’ defense should continue to be a group Albemarle can count on.
The line: Albemarle by 21. The Patriots’ offense gets a good chance to find a rhythm against the Flucos.
Western Albemarle (5-1) at Louisa County (3-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: Last year, Western Albemarle’s lone regular season loss came in a turnover-fueled disaster in Mineral, with Louisa grabbing a critical victory that heralded the emergence of a new local standout as Job Whalen rushed for 158 yards in his varsity debut. A year later, you can bet that Western will be well aware of what last year’s edition endured and they’ll be well-prepared for Louisa. Still, the Lions’ physical run game, while it hasn’t yet posted the kind of explosive scoring ability that it did last year, is a tough matchup for a Western defense that thrives against the spread because the Warriors are so fast. This is a unique, tough challenge for that group and they’ve got their work cut out for them as Louisa just won a gritty, low-scoring affair against Powhatan a week ago. They’ll surely need more than the eight points they scored against the Indians to beat Western’s dynamic offense that’s scoring points in bunches of late.
Key matchup: Louisa’s secondary tries to contain the Western passing attack. The Lions’ upgraded out-of-district schedule should have them better prepared to take on the Warriors’ aerial assault, but it’s not often that defensive backs have to contain as many different options through the air like Western brings to the table in Derek Domecq, Michael Vale and Henry Kreienbaum. All three are dangerous, tough to contain and Sam Hearn will almost surely find them if they’re open. Can the Lions make enough big plays at key times to put themselves in a position to win?
Who to watch: Western’s Steven Kuzjak. When taking on Louisa’s offense, linebackers have to trust their reads and stay patient or they’ll be made to pay the price. Attack too early and the Lions will neutralize it with some new deception. That makes a veteran like Kuzjak extremely valuable. He’s seen Louisa twice already in his career and he’s second on the squad with 19.5 tackles including eight for a loss.
The line: Western by 10. The Warriors avenge last year’s meltdown in The Jungle.
Orange County (4-2) at Monticello (4-2), 7:30 p.m. Radio: WINA
The basics: Based on last year’s records, in the preseason this didn’t look like a marquee matchup, but Orange County’s tremendous 2015 has put them in position to grab control of second place in the Jefferson District and improve their Group 5A North playoff standing with a potential win over the Mustangs. Of course, Monticello appears to be picking up steam with wins over Charlottesville and Fluvanna in the last two weeks. Specifically the Mustangs have cut down on penalties after a frustrating night in their loss to Western, with only nine penalties as a team in the last two victories. If Monticello can keep those self-inflicted mistakes off the table, it’ll go a long way toward propelling the Mustangs forward, especially against an Orange team that wants to control the clock and limit the opposition’s chances.
Key matchup: Orange’s ground and pound rushing attack faces Monticello’s front seven. The Mustangs have surrendered 979 yards on the ground through six games, and since they’ve only given up 506 through the air, attacking them on the ground is the way to go. Lucky for the Hornets, that’s their entire makeup, which puts some pressure on the Mustangs’ defenders to not let Deangelo Hunt and Tre Smith get downhill and pick up a head of steam. Can Monticello hem in the Hornets?
Who to watch: Monticello’s Kevin Jarrell. The Mustangs’ sophomore signal-caller is emerging as a legitimate dual threat with more than 200 rushing yards and another 768 yards through the air. Containing Jarrell could get increasingly difficult as his confidence builds and he starts to get comfortable in Jeff Lloyd’s offense. Jarrell has a lot of weapons around him, but he’s got to make things go, and he seems to be becoming more and more capable each week.
The line: Monticello by 3. The Mustangs have found an offensive spark. If they can capitalize on it, they should be able to outpace the Hornets, but letting Orange hang around could be dangerous.
Covenant (3-3) at Fishburne Military (3-2), 4 p.m.
The basics: Covenant has had a week to rest. The Eagles should be as fresh and healthy as they have been all year, and this one is likely a must-win if Covenant wants to wedge its way into the state playoff field in VISAA’s Division III. We’re entering the second half of the schedule and too often this has been a tough slide for the Eagles, but the well-timed bye could be a difference-maker. Based on common opponents, Covenant blew out Massanutten 61-6 and Fishburne handled them 25-0, giving Covenant’s offense a bit of an advantage in this one. Look for the Eagles to feed Rick Weaver early and often to get the offense going in Waynesboro.
Key matchup: Covenant’s ground attack takes on Fishburne’s porous defense. The Caissons surrendered 315 yards on the ground to Roanoke Catholic in late September. This should be a good opportunity for the Eagles to get a variety of options involved in the ground attack and force the issue on the edge with Steven Wilder and Sam Lapage.
Who to watch: Covenant’s John Huemme. The Eagles need consistent, level-headed play from their option signal-caller down the stretch and it starts against Fishburne Friday. Huemme has six games as a starter under his belt, look for him to take a leap forward against the Caissons.
The line: Covenant by 10. The Eagles take care of business on the road in Waynesboro.
Chatham (1-5) at Nelson County (1-5), 7 p.m.
The basics: Nelson has mustered just six points the last three weeks including back-to-back shutout losses against Altavista and Dan River as they enter the challenging Dogwood District portion of their schedule. But the Governors get a great opportunity this week to stop their four-game skid as they face a Chatham squad that has scored just 10 points the last three weeks. This is a big chance for the Governors to grab a win at home.
Key matchup: Chatham’s defense tries to contain Drai Taylor. Taylor has become a reliable threat out of the backfield for Nelson, rushing for 55 yards on 10 carries against a stingy Altavista squad last week in a 34-0 loss. Nelson will likely look to get Taylor going early against the Cavaliers.
Who to watch: Nelson’s defense. The Governors’ defense took a huge leap forward last week by holding Altavista to just seven points in the first three quarters, a monumental accomplishment against a state power. If that group can muster the same intensity against Chatham, Nelson should be in position to pick up a win.
The line: Nelson by 1. The Governors capitalize on a great chance to get a late season win.
Fork Union (3-3) at Liberty Christian (4-3), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Blue Devils actually played better in their 26-14 win over St. Christopher’s than the boxscore says. Yes it was a third straight win, and one while they were missing defensive standout Adam Hackenberg, but penalties and a few miscues were the only things that kept FUMA from a second straight blowout win. Those mistakes can’t be made against this Bulldogs team. Since falling to Woodberry three weeks ago, LCA has won 49-0 against Maury (Norfolk) and 34-12 against a good Charlotte Christian team. Both squads have played great out of conference/league schedules so far. The argument could be easily made that these teams are in the exact same position, two traditionally strong programs looking to make the big push at the end favorable playoff seeding. This should be a barn burner of a game with the weapons the two have offensively.
Key matchup: LCA’s secondary against the Fork Union receiving corps. We’ve seen it in person. If you can pass on LCA, you can put up the points necessary to win. While the Blue Devils have a stronger ground game than passing attack, they do have Taurus Carroll to pass to. FUMA needs to give quarterback Chris Basso the time to look down field the way that Woodberry’s line did for Lindell Stone when the Bulldogs suffered their last loss. Carroll is explosive and will get his chances because FUMA’s ground game has to be respected. We’ll argue that which ever corps is more successful here, the Blue Devils receivers or the Bulldogs’ secondary wins this game.
Who to watch: Fork Union’s defensive line. Josh Nevers and the unit up front last week were just dominant. They were in the backfield and stuffing the run. They put non-stop pressure on the quarterback last week, and probably wish they had more sacks than they finished with given that pressure. Still, the bottom line is that if Fork Union’s front four plays as well as it did last week this defense will be off on the right foot. And if Hackenberg is back at linebacker, things only get better for the Blue Devils.
The line: LCA by 1. Homefield advantage here. FUMA hasn’t won at LCA since 2010 when they knocked the home team off in the postseason en route to a state championship. The Blue Devils can win this game, but they have to get rid of the turnovers and especially the drive killing penalties from last week.
Buckingham (6-1) at Amelia County (5-1), 7 p.m.
The basics: This will be the third game for the Knights in seven days… that rarely ever happens in football. Last Friday Buckingham came up with its biggest win in program history since they knocked off Dan River on the road in the 2013 playoffs. Then on Monday they rolled past Bluestone to avoid a hangover. Now they get an Amelia team that hasn’t lost since… you guessed it, against Goochland back in week two. Amelia can play, and a road win over Brunswick and another road win over a much improved Randolph Henry team show that. But there’s something brewing for Buckingham right now. This team is just clicking on both sides of the ball and specifically in the trenches.
Key matchup: Buckingham’s offensive line takes on Isaac Mosby and the Amelia defensive line. Strength on strength. The Knights offensive line is just mashing people right now. Mosby presents a similar problem that this unit saw last week with Goochland’s KK Timberlake. If Buckingham meets that challenge with similar results as last Friday, it’s going to be awfully tough for Amelia. It will also be interesting to see how this line handles the wear and tear of three physical games in a row in such a short window. The results right now say that maybe Buckingham should schedule scrimmages instead of practicing right now, because this group is just man-handling defenses right now, and doing it for a running back in Leon Ragland who is playing at a level that no other back in Central Virginia is on right now.
Who to watch: Buckingham’s defensive line. It was so impressive to see the way the Knights dealt with Goochland up front, a team that’s always found a way to run the ball, night in, night out. Senior lineman Michael Mabry is on a tear again and this Buckingham defensive line is a problem. They stop the run, they can get to the quarterback, and they play behind an athletic secondary. It’s easy to give all the credit to the offense for the six straight wins, especially given the stats, but since week one, the defense for Buckingham has been the phenomenal and it starts up front.
The line: Buckingham by 6. Physical up front on offense, physical up front on defense. That plus the ridiculousness of Ragland’s play right now? Nope, nope, nope. Buckingham is too hard to pick against right now.
Nottoway (1-5) at Goochland (3-3), 7 p.m.
The basics: The Bulldogs don’t have “one of those nights” very often, but that’s what it boils down to after last week’s loss to a very good Buckingham team. That said, nobody wants to play a Goochland team that’s closing out its season looking to prove a point. This team is not only better than it’s record, it’s capable of being a big time player in the playoffs. Now getting over that hump is not nothing. You can’t be beaten on both sides of the line of scrimmage like last week, not just because it’s hard to win games that way, but also because that’s been a point of pride for Goochland for as long as coach Joe Fowler’s been at the helm. So that’s the good news for Nottoway. They get a Bulldogs team that’s 3-3, but one that’s going to likely come out with an axe to grind. The bad news for Nottoway is that they are facing an offense that is balanced and its defense has given up 26 points or more in the last four games. Oh, and they have to play on the road.
Key matchup: Nottoway’s secondary versus Cordell Mattox. Given the way that teams have run on the Cougars, trying to figure out Goochland’s misdirection run game looks fairly futile here. Instead, Nottoway needs to make sure that Goochland doesn’t get to go for the jugular too often with quarterback Reid Chenault launching the ball down field. If there was one bright spot last week for Goochland it was that Chenault played pretty well under duress and against a defense that knew when Goochland had to pass i.e., all of the second half. Chenault and Mattox average 16.9 yards per reception. Keeping them from connecting will be important.
Who to watch: The Goochland running backs. Were it not for Calvin Martin’s 61-yard touchdown dash, this unit would have nothing to speak of from last week. That’s unheard of for the Bulldogs. Martin’s too good, and behind him, Wyatt Smith, Marcus Burke and Daric Clarke are all too good not put up the usual numbers. Now a lot of that stems from the play upfront, but against this Nottoway defense, that shouldn’t be a problem. Look for these for to pile up big totals.
The line: Goochland by 17. Bad matchup paired up with the bad taste the Bulldogs have from last week means for a long night for the Cougars.
Madison County (2-4) at William Monroe (0-6) 7:30 p.m.
The basics: The Mountaineers fell a step back after two good wins over Warren County and Riverside in their 41-21 loss to Central Woodstock. Monroe just missed getting their first win of the year with their 14-13 loss to Warren on the road. While this rivalry is as heated as it gets and has a bit of that “throw out the record books” whenever they meet, one of these two is playing for the playoffs and the other isn’t. Now maybe Monroe’s desire to hand a heavy blow to Madison’s hopes cancels outs with Madison’s chances to improve its standings at the hand of its rival on the road.
Key matchup: Madison’s defensive line against Monroe quarterback Malique Shackleford. Get this one right and the Moutnaineers have a clear path to victory. The Dragons have yet to score more than 18 points this year. Shackleford’s ability as a runner is the engine of this offense, but he got banged up last week. He’ll need help, but Madison’s front seven is coming off a tough showing. They’ll have to be better this week, and Monroe will look to try and win the battle for Shackleford with the push up front from the offensive line.
Who to watch: Madison sophomore Jake Price. He’s leading the Mountaineers in tackles right now and that’s a big deal because the other three in the top four are seniors and they are not far off his mark. To make a playoff push, Madison needs its youth to provide a boost. Price looks poised to the be that guy to help out the Gabe Farmers and Jerry Manuels.
The line: Madison by 4. Isiah Smith, a mandatory mention each week, and his play on offense, defense and special teams proves to be the difference, even on the road against a rival like this.
Charlottesville (3-3) at Powhatan (2-4), 7:30 p.m.
The basics: After a solid start, the Black Knights were unable to hang on on the road against Albemarle last week, 22-14. Powhatan knows the feeling as it fell to Louisa County 8-7 in a mud-bowl, it’s third straight loss. Both teams are dealing with the slide right now. The Indians have dropped three of four and all three JD contests, but against three of the top of the standings between Orange County, Western Albemarle and Louisa. Charlottesville has fallen to Monticello and Albemarle after beating Fluvanna County to open up it’s JD slate. A loss for either side proves costly here. Offensively, we’ve got two teams that want to run the ball. This could be game easily decided by an extra point. Or simply a lone field goal. Either way, expect a battle.
Key matchup: Charlottesville’s defensive front against Powhatan running back Justin Deleon. It’s this simple — but obviously easier said than done — keep Deleon quiet and you’ve got a chance to win. The Indians aren’t going to win through the air. They’re going to do it with their offensive line and then Deleon’s legs. If the Black Knights answer the call up front on defense they have a clear path to victory. They just need to channel the energy they had against Albemarle and maintain it.
Who to watch: Charlottesville’s Rashard Brock. Since the recipe for Orange, Western and Louisa was to simply run downhill on Powhatan’s defense, we’d love to see what a 25-carry game from Brock would look like. He’s arguably the most gifted running back in the Jefferson District. Can he put together a 150-200 yard game against a vulnerable defense? It’d make a huge defense if his line will give him the push up front.
The line: Charlottesville by 1. This would go Powhatan’s way but Charlottesville’s defense has shown up each week, Powhatan’s has not. Brock and Deleon look like they might cancel out. CHS has other options offensively, and until proven other wise, Powhatan does not.
Christchurch (1-3) at Blue Ridge (3-1), Saturday 2 p.m.
The basics: Now we’re starting to get an idea of who Blue Ridge really is, and the answer is that they’re a vastly improved squad. The Barons have rolled twice in a row in home games against Blessed Sacrament and Covenant, and now Blue Ridge is entrenched at No. 2 in the VISAA Division II rankings, though it appears that that slot could largely be determined by the Barons’ head-to-head battle with STAB that’ll close the regular season. That’s getting too far ahead right now though because Blue Ridge has three games in six days starting with Christchurch, followed by road games with North Cross Tuesday and Virginia Episcopal next Friday. This is a gauntlet that’ll likely determine the course of Blue Ridge’s season. Can the Barons take care of step one Saturday at home?
Key matchup: Blue Ridge tries to contain Christchurch’s Jarius Monroe. The Barons haven’t been bitten in a big way by their struggles against the run just yet, but they surrendered 117 yards to Blessed Sacrament’s lead back last week and they’ll need to play better against Monroe, a physical, pounding tailback.
Who to watch: Blue Ridge’s Juan Mareco. The Barons’ sophomore linebacker picked off a pass for Blue Ridge in the win over Blessed Sacrament, adding to a five-forced-turnover effort by the Barons that allowed Blue Ridge to pull away. If Mareco and the rest of the Blue Ridge defense continues to play lockdown football, that’ll go a long way toward letting them handle this three-game stretch.
The line: Blue Ridge by 10. The Barons are simply to quick on the boundary for Christchurch to handle.
Trinity Episcopal (5-1) at Woodberry Forest (4-2), Saturday 2 p.m.
The basics: Give credit to the Titans here. The defending VISAA Division 2 champions want to play a big boy schedule, well by playing up to the team regarded by most as the best in Division 1 over the last seven years, they are doing just that. The Titans are coming off back-to-back wins over Bishop Sullivan and St. Anne’s-Belfield. Woodberry bounced back last week to beat Collegiate after falling to Avalon the week before. The offense is rolling for the Tigers. Can the defense find its form from week one against Bishop McNamara or week four against LCA? That will be key with a big game against Benedictine looming.
Key matchup: Woodberry’s secondary against the Trinity receiving corps. The best asset the Titans have is Trevian Armstrong who’s headed to the University of Nevada next year and Jake Brown, another gifted receiver likely also to play on Saturday’s, TBD. The Tigers’ secondary has been through this before, and it’s tune up against pass-happy Collegiate should help, but they still have a big job ahead of them. Now if Logi Portugal, Bebe Olanyian and Michael Davenport company have their way, this game is going to go south quickly for the Titans.
Who to watch: Pick a Woodberry receiver. Any of them. It doesn’t matter. Tigers quarterback Lindell Stone is like a broken slot machine in Las Vegas right now, just spitting out yardage instead of change and his receiving corps is like a bus full of senior citizens that have just discovered that broken machine. Zach Roderick is averaging 133.3 yards per game, Terrell Jana is just behind at 110.2, Khalid Thomas is just as dangerous and Thomas Radke at tight end is a tough cover in the middle of the field. Stone is throwing for more than 330 a game. At the high school level that’s just unheard of. His receivers are getting open early and often and Stone is making them all happy, and that’s not easy to do.
The line: Woodberry by 14. Trinity can score, but not at the rate that the Tigers can.
