Covenant (3-4) at St. Anne’s-Belfield (2-4) 7 p.m. WINA
The Basics: This cross-town rivalry game may not have the same name recognition on either side that it had in 2008 — gone are Quincey September, Alex Asher and a host of others for STAB, while Covenant lost Luke Heinsohn and Andy Colberg, among others. But it remains a battle between a pair of top 10 schools in VISSA Division 2, and with the emergence of Covenant’s passing game and an improving St.Anne’s squad that hung tight last week with Collegiate until late, it should be a solid matchup.
Key Matchup: Covenant wideout Sam Dale against the STAB secondary, led by cornerback Willie McGhee. Dale went for huge numbers against a weak Hargrave squad and another 147 yards against Virginia Episcopal. He’s been red-hot of late, but STAB will give him a more stout challenge with athletes like McGhee on defense.
Who to Watch: STAB’s Aaron Clark. If Clark can kick the STAB offense into high gear early against the Eagles, it’d be a big lift for the Saints.
Line: St. Anne’s by 1.5. Only because STAB is at home, this one is a total toss-up.
Louisa County (5-2, 3-1) at Goochland (6-1, 3-1) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Win or go home. That’s what might be on the line for these teams in a critical battle with playoff implications. The winner here will likely qualify for the playoffs while the loser could possibly be on the outside looking in.
Key Matchup: Both team’s defensive lines versus the opposing offenses. These two teams are so similar in style that this game all comes down to assignment football. It’s going to be a short game with both rushing attacks cranked up, so the defense that’s on the field the shortest stints will have the best chance at making the stops needed.
Who to Watch: C.J. Lambert, Louisa return specialist. With two quality defenses and two teams that eat up clock with the ground game don’t be surprised if special teams is the difference maker down the stretch. Lambert has shown on multiple occasions that he can take kickoffs to the house.
Line: Push. These teams are pretty similar and that should create an interesting showdown.
Collegiate (5-1) at Fork Union (5-2) 3:30 p.m.
The Basics: Fork Union is coming off of two straight losses to two of the best teams in the state in Woodberry Forest and Liberty Christian Academy. The Blue Devils looked like the best team in the state three weeks ago on both sides of the ball, but have allowed opponents to score at least four touchdowns on their vaunted defense in the last two games while they’ve managed just one. Collegiate makes it three top caliber teams in a row for FUMA and the Cougars put on a passing clinic in their victory over St. Anne’s-Belfield last week.
Key Matchup: Fork Union’s secondary versus the Collegiate receiving corps. Collegiate spreads the field with four or five wide every play. If the Blue Devils can keep up, then their talented defensive line should get a chance to go after the quarterback. If not, the Cougars can turn this into a shoot out quickly, something that doesn’t play well for Fork Union’s hand.
Who to Watch: Collegiate quarterback/safety Jake McGee. He can throw, he can run, he can hit.
Line: Collegiate by .5. FUMA hasn’t lost at home, but they’ll have to battle to hold off the Cougars.
Appomattox (5-2) at Nelson County (1-5) 7 p.m.
The Basics: The time is now if Nelson County wants a shot at getting back into the Dogwood District race and a playoff spot. The Governors have been hampered by some injuries and fell 46-6 against Dan River last week
Key Matchup: Nelson’s defense needs to shut down Appomattox’s Joe Reed who rushed for 156 yards against traditional power William Campbell. If he runs wild it’ll be a long night for the Governors.
Who to Watch: Nelson’s Rondell Smith. Smith had 83 rushing yards and a touchdown catch in the Dan River loss, can he give Nelson a lift?
Line: Appomattox by 1.5. Nelson faces another tough opponent.
Buckingham County (7-0) at Randolph Henry (4-2) 7 p.m.
The Basics: With a big win at home in a rivalry game against Cumberland, Buckingham is in control of its own destiny. If Maurice Taylor plays the way he did against Cumberland—233 yards and three carries — there might not be anyone left on the Knights’ schedule that can derail Buckingham. But if there is, this team is it.
Key Matchup: Randolph Henry’s run game takes on Buckingham’s defense on the edge. The Knights are speedy and athletic when defending outside running plays. Expect the Statesmen to have to pound it inside if they’re going to have any success on the ground.
Who to Watch: Senior guard Tavon Gregory. Where Buckingham’s guards go, the Knights’ running game isn’t far behind. Gregory is listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, but he plays much bigger, laying blocks that clear the way for Taylor and other backs.
Line: Buckingham County by 14.5. The Knights keep it rolling on the road.
Albemarle (0-7) at Stafford (1-6) 7:15 p.m.
The Basics: Things just haven’t gone as planned for the Patriots this season, and the difficulties continued against Massaponax last week at home in a 65-0 loss. Albemarle faces another team that’s having a rough go against the rest of the Commonwealth in Stafford.
Key Matchup: Albemarle’s running backs take on Stafford’s defensive line. The Patriots need to get something going in the run game, and Stafford gave up almost 300 yards to North Stafford. Getting the ground attack started against
Who to Watch: Albemarle’s own front seven. Like Stafford, the Patriots struggled to stop the run last week, surrendering 365 yards on the ground to Massaponax. If the Albemarle front seven can step up against Stafford, the Patriots could end their current slide.
Line: Stafford by 1.5. Albemarle might pull off a big win here.
Monticello (2-5, 1-3) at Charlottesville (3-4, 2-2)
The Basics: Monticello has a tough week. The Mustangs fell to Western in a Monday game that was postponed, and now they have to take on a Charlottesville squad that’s hungry after two straight district losses to perhaps the JD’s top two squads, Western and Louisa. The question is, can Charlottesville bounce back and try and close out this season with a string of victories? They’ve got three winnable games left if CHS can control the turnovers.
Key Matchup: The Mustangs’ secondary takes on Charlottesville wideout Adrian Thurston. E.J. Johnson and the rest of the Monticello defensive backs have their work cut out for them against the explosive Thurston.
Who to Watch: Monticello’s CJ Page. Held under 100 yards against Western for the first time in several games, Page will be looking to bounce back against Charlottesville.
Line: Charlottesville by 1.5. This one should be close late.
Madison County (6-0) at George Mason (5-2) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Undefeated Madison had two weeks to prepare for this game with a bye week coming off of their drubbing of Stonewall Jackson. Outside of Clarke County, the Mustangs are the best team that the Mountaineers will face the rest of the regular season, and they do so on the road.
Key Matchup: Madison’s linebacking corps versus the Mustangs’ rushing attack. Mason running back Yates Jordan has shown big play ability out of the back field this year, it’ll be up to the Mountaineers’ second tier defenders to make sure he doesn’t break a small gain into something larger.
Who to Watch: Antonio Childress. The Madison receiver/safety has been a big play machine that often serves as the straw that breaks the camel’s back. With the Madison ground game always a threat, look for Childress to catch defenses sleeping as he has since the season began.
Line: Madison by 3.5. The Mountaineers should pass this tough test.
Orange County at Fluvanna County 7:30 p.m. ESPN840
The Basics: Orange had no trouble with William Monroe last week. And at homecoming, Fluvanna played solid in the first half against Goochland but couldn’t hold on in the second half. The Hornets haven’t been able to put together back to back wins so far this year and have struggled on the road. The Flucos are looking for JD win number two on the year, and beating Orange would go along way for this team’s confidence.
Key Matchup: Fluvanna’s offensive line versus the Orange defensive front.
Who to Watch: Orange defensive tackle Dakota Connell. When Fluvanna quarterbacks Ryan Foster or Christian Hackenburg have time to make decisions, the Flucos’ offense can move the ball, but Connell is a one-man wrecking crew.
Line: Orange by 3.5. The Hornets need a quality road win and they can get it here.
Western Albemarle (7-0, 4-0) at William Monroe (0-7, 0-4) 7:30 p.m.
The Basics: Western remains unbeaten while Monroe has yet to taste victory. The Warriors are experienced and talented where it counts the most and the Dragons are still in the developmental stages.
Key Matchup: Monroe’s secondary versus the senior laden Western receiving corps. The Warriors have a quarterback that can both run and throw in Stephen Schuler, and the only way to force him into mistakes is to make sure his weapons aren’t wide open.
Who to Watch: Western linebacker Mitchell Parks. No one has scored more than 14 points on the Warriors defense and Parks is a big reason why.
Line: Western by 10.5. The Warriors keep it going.
Blue Ridge School at Virginia Episcopal 2 p.m.
The Basics: Blue Ridge struggled early against Christchurch last week but flipped the switch without much trouble, erasing a 14-0 deficit with 31 unanswered points. VES picked up their first victory of the year against Covenant last week in a dramatic come from behind win.
Key Matchup: The Barons’ receiving corps versus the Bishops secondary. The Bishops struggled to defend Covenant’s tall wideouts and Blue Ridge boasts a similar set of playmakers than can hurt teams on fly routes or cutting across the middle.
Who to Watch: Blue Ridge’s Andre Roberts. Roberts can line up at both receiver and quarterback and can give defensive coordinators some headaches when he spells starting signal caller Speedy McCauley. Roberts has the speed to make big plays on the run but can also turn to a talented set of receivers if he decides to drop back and pass.
Line: Blue Ridge by 6.5. If Blue Ridge can capitalize on some athletic mismatches, they should snag another win.
Woodberry Forest (4-1) at Benedictine (5-2) 2 p.m.
The Basics: Woodberry fell for the first time this year in overtime to Landon last week and now the Tigers will try and bounce back for the first time against Benedictine. The Cadets have reeled off five straight wins — including a narrow victory over powerful Poly Prep out of New York — after back-to-back losses to open the season.
Key Matchup: Benedictine’s front seven takes on Woodberry running back Ade Oyalowo. He doesn’t get a lot of carries but he makes them count. The senior had two rushes of 70-yards or more that each went for scores against the Bears last week.
Who to Watch: Woodberry quarterback Alex Hagood. With Robert Spillman’s injury, Hagood will have to re-take the reins for the Tigers.
Line: Woodberry by 3.5. The Tigers get back on track with a road win.
