Virginia Playoffs Thread

[MA Fan]

Pairings: http://www.vhsl.org/brackets/football/

They made some changes to the format this year (again). Each class now has four regions. Most regions have eight teams in the playoffs, but a couple went with six or seven. For whatever reason, they got rid of the "A" naming and now it is just Class 6, Class 5, and so on.

Some quick thoughts:

Class 6
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Region A--Oscar Smith looking vulnerable after last week's loss but still the favorite until someone beats them in the playoffs. Undefeated Landstown has their best team since Percy Harvin was roaming the sidelines. Ocean Lakes has bounced back nicely.

Region B--There are only eight teams in this region, so they decided to qualify seven for the playoffs and give the top seed a bye. That top seed is Colonial Forge, who ran into Ocean Lakes and Oscar Smith superteams in the past but may finally have a shot to win it all this year. The other main contender is Manchester, whose only loss was early in the year against unbeaten Monacan.

Region C--Freedom opened in 2005 and won just eight games in their first ten years of football. That's changed. They feature the most explosive large-school offense in the state, but the defense is still a question after a 48-42 shootout win over Hylton midway through the season. Second seed Woodbridge was thrashed by Freedom in their regular season matchup. Dark horses are Lake Braddock, who have won seven straight after an 0-3 start under a new coach, and Hylton, who have lost three close games to teams with a combined record of 29-1.

Region D--Two-time defending state champs Westfield reloaded and posted their first unbeaten regular season since 2012. Recent history has been that they do better in the playoffs after a rockier regular season. Westfield's one close game was against Madison, who have an interesting rematch with a Centreville team that beat them handily last week. Centreville also handed #2 seed South Lakes their only loss of the season. Fourth seed Marshall comes in at 9-1 but against a weak schedule.

Class 5
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Region A--No one here is better than 7-3, I have no idea who's the favorite.

Region B--Top seed Hermitage suffered their first loss of the season against Manchester last week, but wins over #2 seed Highland Springs and #3 seed Henrico probably make them the favorite. LC Bird can't be counted out.

Region C--Stone Bridge once again a championship contender, although Broad Run and Tuscarora both gave them tough games in the regular season.

Region D--Another battle royale of closely matched teams. #5 seed Mountain View went just 5-5, but beat both #4 seed North Stafford and #1 seed Brooke Point in the regular season.

Class 4
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Region A--King's Fork riding high after last week's upset of Oscar Smith, which came on the heels of an overtime win against #3 seed Deep Creek. Lake Taylor an underdog for once.

Region B--Four of the eight teams here are undefeated, but everyone is looking forward to a Dinwiddie-Monacan final.

Region C--The top four seeds traded wins during the regular season. Any one of them could take it but #4 seed Sherando may be in the best form.

Region D--Last year's 3A champ Blacksburg moved up and snagged the top seed, dropping defending 4A champs Salem 49-12 in September. Expecting to see a rematch in the regional final.

Class 3--With Blacksburg moving up, is this finally the year for undefeated Phoebus? Last year's 3A runners-up Staunton River have again put up big numbers out of their single wing.

Class 2--Two-time defending champs Appomattox finally dropped a game this year, but still rank among the favorites. Union went undefeated but has a tricky first-round matchup against perennial power Richlands, who slumped to 4-6 but faced a very difficult schedule.

Class 1--No unbeaten teams in this class. Defending champs Riverheads the favorites again?

VISAA Division I--Semis are Flint Hill vs. Benedictine and Collegiate vs. St. Christopher's. Flint Hill is undefeated and probably the favorites after beating Collegiate early in the season.

VISAA Divisions II and III--Absolutely no clue about these teams. Blue Ridge is the top seed in Division II and they were crushed by Flint Hill and Benedictine. Roanoke Catholic the top seed in Division III.

[MA Fan]

As usual there are not a ton of great games in the first round but here are some to watch:

Class 6

South County (5-5) at Freedom-Woodbridge (10-0)--South County played a tough schedule and took Westfield to overtime early in the season. Potentially a thorny matchup for a Freedom squad going into the playoffs with expectations for the first time in school history.

Hylton (7-3) at Hayfield (8-2)--Expect lots of points. Hylton is the lower seed but the favorite IMO.

Madison (7-3) at Centreville (8-2)--Centreville won 31-7 last week. Madison hadn't given up more than 16 points in a game before that, so it will be tough for Centreville to repeat that performance.

Class 5

Mountain View (5-5) at North Stafford (7-3)--North Stafford has one of the top 2019 RBs in the country in Devyn Ford.

Varina (7-3) at LC Bird (7-3)--The six losses for these teams came against opponents with a combined 53-7 record.

Class 4

Lake Taylor (7-3) at Smithfield (8-2)--Smithfield gave up 61 points in their season opener against Dinwiddie, and only 49 points in the remaining nine games. Lake Taylor has won four straight after a 3-3 start. Smithfield eliminated Lake Taylor from last year's basketball playoffs with a halfcourt shot at the buzzer.

Patrick Henry-Ashland (6-4) at Eastern View (10-0)--EV outscored opponents by a massive 556-73 margin during the regular season, but Patrick Henry plays a much tougher schedule.

William Byrd (9-1) at EC Glass (7-3)--Rare first-round road game for a 9-1 team. Byrd's only loss came with their star RB suspended.

Class 1

Stonewall Jackson-Quicksburg (0-10) at Altavista (2-8)--Playoff football!

(edited to reflect that Mountain View actually did not beat North Stafford in the regular season)

[MA Fan]

Quote

Class 6

South County (5-5) at Freedom-Woodbridge (10-0)--South County played a tough schedule and took Westfield to overtime early in the season. Potentially a thorny matchup for a Freedom squad going into the playoffs with expectations for the first time in school history.

Hylton (7-3) at Hayfield (8-2)--Expect lots of points. Hylton is the lower seed but the favorite IMO.

Madison (7-3) at Centreville (8-2)--Centreville won 31-7 last week. Madison hadn't given up more than 16 points in a game before that, so it will be tough for Centreville to repeat that performance.

Freedom 48 South County 12--more competitive than the final score looks though.

Hylton 47 Hayfield 13--Hylton ready for rematch with Hayfield next week

Madison 22 Centreville 15--Madison reverses last week's result with a last-minute touchdown.

Also of note, Oscar Smith needed overtime to beat Cox, 28-21. They face Ocean Lakes next week.

 

Quote

Class 5

Mountain View (5-5) at North Stafford (7-3)--North Stafford has one of the top 2019 RBs in the country in Devyn Ford.

Varina (7-3) at LC Bird (7-3)--The six losses for these teams came against opponents with a combined 53-7 record.

North Stafford 31 Mountain View 0

Varina 33 LC Bird 7

No real upsets in this class, barely any close games.

Quote

Class 4

Lake Taylor (7-3) at Smithfield (8-2)--Smithfield gave up 61 points in their season opener against Dinwiddie, and only 49 points in the remaining nine games. Lake Taylor has won four straight after a 3-3 start. Smithfield eliminated Lake Taylor from last year's basketball playoffs with a halfcourt shot at the buzzer.

Patrick Henry-Ashland (6-4) at Eastern View (10-0)--EV outscored opponents by a massive 556-73 margin during the regular season, but Patrick Henry plays a much tougher schedule.

William Byrd (9-1) at EC Glass (7-3)--Rare first-round road game for a 9-1 team. Byrd's only loss came with their star RB suspended.

Smithfield 15 Lake Taylor 8--Smithfield breaks Lake Taylor's hearts in football too, scoring the winning touchdown with 40 seconds left. LT's worst season in a long time.

Eastern View 54 Patrick Henry-Ashland 6

EC Glass 31 William Byrd 7--the seeds hold up

HIgher-seeded teams won all fourteen games in Class 4.

 

[MA Fan]

Far more attractive matchups this week
http://www.vhsl.org/brackets/football/

Some highlights:

Class 6
Oscar Smith (9-2) at Ocean Lakes (10-1)--It can be hard to get a read on the Virginia Beach teams since they only play each other during the regular season, but Ocean Lakes comfortably passed their first-round test against Granby last week, while another beach team, Cox, took Oscar Smith to overtime.

Thomas Dale (9-2) at Manchester (10-1)--Both teams won 50-0 last week.

Hylton (8-3) at Freedom-Woodbridge (11-0)--Freedom won the regular-season meeting 48-42, and has scored at least 41 points in every game this year. Hylton's starting QB is supposed to be back after sitting out injured last week--it didn't make much difference as the backup ran for over 200 yards.

Patriot (9-2) at Westfield (11-0)--Patriot looking to avenge a 46-33 regular-season loss that wasn't as close as it looks. Their other loss was to similarly undefeated Colonial Forge. 

Madison (9-2) at South Lakes (10-1)--By far the biggest test for South Lakes since their September loss to Centreville.

Class 5
Nansemond River (7-4) at Indian River (8-3)--Indian River won the regular season meeting 26-10. Both teams lost to Oscar Smith, King's Fork, and Deep Creek, all of whom are still alive in the playoffs.

Varina (8-3) at Hermitage (10-1) and Henrico (9-2) at Highland Springs (10-1)--all these Richmond-area teams played each other during the regular season, with Hermitage coming away with the sweep.

John Champe (8-3) at Stone Bridge (11-0) and Tuscarora (9-2) at Broad Run (10-1)--again four teams that played during the regular season. Stone Bridge and Broad Run won these matchups comfortably.

North Stafford (8-3) at Brooke Point (9-2)--Brooke Point scored a last-minute touchdown to win 24-21 in October.

Class 4
Deep Creek (9-2) at Lafayette (10-1)--Both teams concede less than 10 points per game.

Eastern View (11-0) at Dinwiddie (11-0)--EV made a statement with last week's big win but Dinwiddie is probably the championship favorite.

Louisa (11-0) at Monacan (11-0)--Monacan the other probable championship favorite.

Sherando (9-2) at Millbrook (9-1) and Kettle Run (9-2) at Liberty-Bealeton (8-2)--Another case where all four teams played each other during the season, and this time it's the lower-seeded teams that won both matchups. Not sure the bye week will do Millbrook and Liberty any favors.

GW-Danville (10-1) at Salem (9-2)--GW averaging 56 points a game but their past high-powered offenses haven't been able beat top teams in the playoffs.

Class 3
Hopewell (7-4) at Phoebus (11-0)--All of Hopewell's losses came against bigger schools.

Class 2
Lee-Staunton (10-1) at Woodstock Central (11-0)--Central has outscored opponents 555-89.

Class 1
Washington & Lee (8-3) at Sussex Central (9-2)--Sussex was the runner-up last year. W&L coming off an upset win last week.

Once we get to the quarterfinals I'll try to give more detail about the teams.

[MA Fan]

Class 6
Landstown 14 Woodside 10--Unbeaten Landstown avenged last year's playoff elimination.
Oscar Smith 31 Ocean Lakes 6--OS continues to get the better of OL, pulling away after halftime.
Colonial Forge 24 Riverbend 14--Forge needed a fourth-quarter comeback to hold off 4-7 Riverbend.
Manchester 41 Thomas Dale 7--Manchester exploded for 34 points in the second half.
Hylton 45 Freedom-Woodbridge 28--Hylton avenges their regular-season loss as Ricky Slade ran for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
Woodbridge 20 Lake Braddock 2--Woodbridge's defense hasn't conceded a point in two playoff games.
Westfield 35 Patriot 6--Westfield shuts down a Patriot team that scored 60 in the first round.
South Lakes 35 Madison 0--Surprising blowout as SL put a running clock by the middle of the third quarter.

Class 5
Nansemond River 35 Indian River 21--Nansemond River ran for over 400 yards.
Salem-VB 7 Hampton 6--Hampton receiver ruled out the back of the end zone when catching the apparent winning touchdown late.
Hermitage 21 Varina 7--Three interceptions for Hermitage, including a pick six by Mateo Jackson to give them the lead for good.
Highland Springs 28 Henrico 14--HS eases to another regional title game.
Stone Bridge 45 John Champe 22--Daniel Thompson caught three first-half touchdown passes for Stone Bridge.
Tuscarora 14 Broad Run 12--Broad Run missed a short field goal late.
Brooke Point 22 North Stafford 20--Brooke Point stopped a late two-point conversion attempt.
Stafford 48 Harrisonburg 27--Lovell Armstead ran for 264 yards as Stafford cruised.

Class 4
King's Fork 37 Smithfield 14--KF outscored Smithfield 27-0 in the second half.
Lafayette 42 Deep Creek 13--Cesar Ward ran for four touchdowns and Lafayette outgained Deep Creek 338-25 on the ground.
Dinwiddie 40 Eastern View 37--Dinwiddie won it with a late field goal.
Louisa 35 Monacan 28--Louisa racked up almost 400 yards rushing as they rallied from a 21-7 deficit.
Sherando 35 Millbrook 32--Late interception in the end zone sealed the win for Sherando.
Liberty-Bealeton 28 Kettle Run 14--Liberty broke open a 14-14 tie after three quarters.
Blacksburg 21 EC Glass 6--Blacksburg defense carried them through a turnover-filled game.
Salem 42 GW-Danville 13--Salem shut out GW's high-powered offense for three quarters.

Class 3
Hopewell 7 Phoebus 6--The playoff collapses getting worse every year for the Phantoms as they go down by the same score as their archrivals Hampton.
Culpeper 14 Thomas Jefferson-Richmond 7--A rare playoff run by a Richmond city team ended when TJ fumbled just short of the goal line in the final minute.
Staunton River 72 Northside 47--Staunton River ran for 651 yards.

Class 2
Lee-Staunton 49 Woodstock Central 21--Perennial basketball powers pulling an upset

VISAA
Division I--Flint Hill 33 Collegiate 21--Flint Hill capped an undefeated season by beating Collegiate for a second time. First time a Northern Virginia team has ever won the Division I title.
Division II--Christchurch 43 Norfolk Christian 27--The bottom seed wins the championship.
Division III--Roanoke Catholic 54 Fuqua 36--Roanoke Catholic with their 21st straight win and second straight championship.

[MA Fan]

Class 4-6 quarterfinal previews:

Class 6

Oscar Smith (10-2) at Landstown (12-0)--Oscar Smith may be on their third coach in three years, they may have graduated a four-year starting QB, and they may have lost their 99-game district winning streak, but those things haven't stopped them from advancing to the quarterfinals for the eleventh straight year, or posting double-digit wins for the fourteenth straight year. The Tigers continue to churn out the D1 defensive players, with Keshon Artis (Virginia Tech), Kyle Thomas (maybe Rutgers), and 4* junior Cam'Ron Kelly leading the way. The offense, led by senior RB Khalid Wilson (15 TD) has been good enough. Landstown hadn't won a playoff game since 2005, but dual-threat QB Brent Stukes (over 1,000 yards passing and rushing) and RBs Victor Jones and Luqman Haskett have the Eagles flying high. Landstown has won five games by six points or less.

Manchester (11-1) at Colonial Forge (11-0)--Manchester has won nine straight after an early loss to Monacan, including big wins over Hermitage and LC Bird. The Lancers average almost 45 points a game, led by junior QB Brendon Clark (1,836 yards, 26 TD passing, 645 yards and 11 TD rushing), already committed to Wake Forest, and sophomore RB Isaiah Todd (854 yards), whose best performances have come against the strongest opponents. Junior WR Collin Harding (54 catches) is Clark's main receiving threat. Colonial Forge is playing in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in six years but has never made the championship game. QB Ethan Garwood has spread his 20 TD passes around to Joshua Sarratt, DJ Dennis, and Zack Kindel, and Jadon Redding is one of the top kickers in the state. Forge beat Manchester 27-19 in last year's playoffs.

Hylton (9-3) at Woodbridge (11-1)--Woodbridge won the regular-season meeting 23-20 on a last-second field goal. Hylton lost three tight games to top teams during the regular season and is definitely a contender, led by Penn State RB commit Ricky Slade (1,942 yards, 30 TD). Big question for the Bulldogs is at QB, where transfer Keyshawn Copeland has thrown for over 1,500 yards, but missed the two playoff games so far with an injury. Last year's starter Jordan Davis, who had been playing defense, has stepped in and is more of a running threat. Woodbridge's defense, led by Dashaun Jerkins (Vanderbilt) hasn't conceded a point the last three games.

South Lakes (11-1) at Westfield (12-0)--Rematch of last year's state semi, won by Westfield 42-12. South Lakes has the core of that team, with do-everything RB/WR/DB/KR Spencer Alston (1,475 yards and 22 TD rushing, 792 yards and 11 TD receiving) and bruising Albert Mensah (873 yards, 16 TD) in the backfield alongside QB Devin Miles, who completed 19 of 23 against Madison on Friday and hasn't thrown an interception since September. The Seahawks' defense has allowed more than 14 points just once this season. Two-time defending state champs Westfield graduated most of their offense, but reloaded behind sophomore QB Noah Kim (23 TD passes and 12 more on the ground) and junior RB Eugene Asante (1,481 yards). Army-bound DE Nolan Cockrill leads a stout defense which has only conceded one first-half touchdown in the last seven games. 

Class 5
Nansemond River (8-4) at Salem-Virginia Beach (8-4)--Nansemond River hadn't won a playoff game since 1995. Gerard Stringer (East Carolina LB commit) and Kevin Johnson lead the Warriors' ground-based attack. Salem managed to get by Hampton last week despite notching just 140 yards of offsense. Sophomore RB Kaelon Black has racked up 1,469 yards for the Sun Devils. 

Highland Springs (11-1) at Hermitage (11-1)--If it's an odd-numbered year, these two must be squaring off in the playoffs. Hermitage eliminated Highland Springs in 2007, 2009, and 2013, before the Springers returned the favor in 2015 on their way to the first of consecutive state championships. Hermitage won the season-opening matchup 14-9 back in August, but they won the regular-season meeting two years ago also. LB Mateo Jackson (James Madison) sealed the regular-season win with an endzone interception and he keyed last week's win over Varina by returning a pick for a score. WR Ali Jennings has caught 13 TD passes from QB James Carney for the Panthers. Highland Springs's defense had four first-half interceptions last week.

Tuscarora (10-2) at Stone Bridge (12-0)--Tuscarora gave Stone Bridge their biggest scare of the season, 14-13, in October. Junior QB Justin Allen has thrown for 1,915 yards and 16 TD, while Jaylon Lundy paces the rushing game with 758 yards. The Huskies may be boosted by the return of Leron West, who was averaging almost 12 yards a carry before a midseason injury. Stone Bridge, looking to make their seventh state title game appearance in eleven years, saw their top returning back injured early on, but reloaded behind RB Nick Mell and big-play receiver Daniel Thompson.

Stafford (9-3) at Brooke Point (10-2)--Stafford was 10-40 the past five seasons, but received a big boost when RB Lovell Armstead (1,481 yards, 18 TD) transferred in. Brooke Point's Paul Pierce (17 TD passes) hit twin brothers Tre and Tavon Ross for long scores against North Stafford on Friday. 

Class 4
Lafayette (11-1) at King's Fork (11-1)--Lafayette lost a regular-season game for the first time since 2012, but they've outscored oppinents 453-68 since then. QB Cesar Ward threw for three touchdowns in the first round of the playoffs and ran for four last week. King's Fork, on a roll after their upset of Oscar Smith, is led by QB Justin German (2,273 yards, 22 TD) and junior RB Darran Butts (over 1,700 yards and 25 TD).

Louisa (12-0) at Dinwiddie (12-0)--After upsetting Monacan last week, things don't get any easier for Louisa, who are looking to return to the state semis for the first time since 2006. QB Malik Bell has run for 20 touchdowns, thrown for 10, and added 2 more on defense for the Lions. Job Whalen adds 1,115 yards and 17 rushing TD, while 4* LB Brandon Smith keys the defense. Ohio State LB/WR recruit K'Vaughan Pope is Dinwiddie's big name, but his brother, QB K'ymon Pope, was the hero last week against Dinwiddie, accounting for 318 yards of offense and running for three touchdowns. Army-bound RB Zyan Sturdivant was also over 100 yards last week after missing several games with an injury.

Sherando (10-2) at Liberty-Bealeton (9-2)--Liberty won 31-28 in the regular season. Sherando's other loss was to national power Martinsburg by the same score. A pair of junior leads the Warriors' offense in QB Hunter Entsminger (2,321 yards, 28 TD) and RB TJ Washington (1,433 yards and 17 TD rushing, 576 yards and 10 TD receiving). Aaron Banks adds 47 catches for 803 yards. In the regular season win over Sherando, Liberty's Ja'Von White scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, and intercepting, while playmaker Markael Gaskins is another multuple rushing/receiving/returning threat.

Salem (10-2) at Blacksburg (11-1)--Salem is two-time defending Class 4 state champs, while Blacksburg was last year's Class 3 winner. Blacksburg won the regular-season meeting 49-12, their first win over the Spartans since 2003. In fact, Salem had won each of the previous six meetings by more than 30 points. RB De'Angelo Ramsey (1,630 yards, 21 TD), who disappeared from the roster during last year's playoff run, carries the Salem ground game, while Viante Tucker, who had a huge game in last year's state final, is the main receiving target for QB Jack Gladden. Virginia Tech-bound track star Cole Beck (1,535 yards, 24 TD), who ran for over 1,200 yards in last years playoffs, returns to lead Blacksburg, while Tiquest Terry (800 yards, 13 TD) gives the Bruins a speedy receiving threat.

[954gator]

37 minutes ago, MA Fan said:

Landstown (12-0)

Home of the most talented player I've ever seen play the game.   Any studs I should look out for?

[MA Fan]

39 minutes ago, 954gator said:

Home of the most talented player I've ever seen play the game.   Any studs I should look out for?

DB/WR Joseph White is committed to Virginia, and QB/ATH Brent Stukes has some good offers too. No Percy Harvin though.

[MA Fan]

Quarterfinal recaps. Lots of regular-season losses avenged this weekend. Five of last year's six state champs are still alive, and the only one to be eliminated moved up a class and lost to another defending champion.

Class 6
Oscar Smith 38 Landstown 0--Total domination by Oscar Smith, as Khalid Wilson ran for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and Cam'Ron Kelly returned one of his two interceptions 100 yards for a score.

Colonial Forge 48 Manchester 27--Colonial Forge outscored Manchester 21-0 in the third quarter to pull away. Josh Sarratt had 187 yards of total offense, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an interception as well.

Woodbridge 28 Hylton 14--Woodbridge's defense did it again, holding Ricky Slade to 36 yards rushing and contributing a key fourth quarter score when Andrew Hardin returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown. Antevious Jackson ran for two touchdowns for the Vikings.

Westfield 27 South Lakes 7--Noah Kim three for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth, while the Bulldog defense held South Lakes under 200 yards.

Class 5
Nansemond River 28 Salem-VB 27 (OT)--Nansemond River blocked an extra point in overtime to win it. Salem had tied the game late in regulation after Nansemond fumbled a snap deep in their territory. 

Highland Springs 24 Hermitage 14--The Springers overcame early turnovers and a 14-0 deficit to avenge their only loss of the season. D'Vonte Waller threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Stone Bridge came back from a 21-7 halftime deficit as Mason Tatum hooked up with Daniel Thompson for three touchdown passes, but Leron West's 5-yard run with under two minutes left and the ensuing extra point gave Tuscarora the win.

Tuscarora 28 Stone Bridge 27--For the second straight week Tuscarora's opponent missed a late field goal, and for the second straight week the Huskies avenged a regular-season loss. 

Stafford 59 Brooke Point 26--Jalen Smith threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, while the Stafford defense contributed two scores of their own.

Class 4
Lafayette 17 King's Fork 7--DeaMario Tyler ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns as Lafayette ended King's Fork's ten-game winning streak.

Louisa 37 Dinwiddie 28--Louisa beat an undefeated favorite on the road for the second straight week, leading 31-21 at the half and clamping down on defense in the second half. Malik Bell ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for two more scores. Louisa outgained Dinwiddie 336-33 on the ground.

Sherando 33 Liberty-Bealeton 21--Liberty cut a 27-7 deficit to 27-21 but couldn't complete the comeback. Sherando stopped Liberty inside the 10-yard line twice in the first half.

Salem 33 Blacksburg 32--Salem scored twice in the fourth-quarter for the comeback win. De'Angelo Ramsey ran for 175 yards, including 39 for the winning score with under five minutes left. Blacksburg's Cole Beck had 272 yards of offense and five touchdowns.

Class 3
Hopewell 34 York 6--Ronnie Walker ran for three second-half touchdowns as Hopewell outscored York 25-0 after the break. Hopewell had over 450 yards of offense.

James Monroe 51 Culpeper 27--AJ Johnson ran for 221 yards and four touchdowns as James Monroe overturned an early 14-7 deficit.

Heritage-Lynchburg 62 Brookville 20--Elijah Davis scored five first-half touchdowns as Heritage led 40-6 at the break.

Staunton River 49 Lord Botetourt 31--Staunton River was held to just 476 yards rushing after putting up 651 last week. The state's alltime leading rusher and scorer, Grayson Overstreet, put up 296 yards and five TDs, while Kalip Jones contributed 169 yards.

Class 2
Poquoson 21 Goochland 10--Three-loss Poquoson upset their unbeaten opponents.

Lee-Staunton 38 Luray 6--Jayden Williams ran for two and threw for two as the Leemen emphatically reversed their only defeat of the year.

Appomattox 26 Glenvar 14--Appomattox kept their hope of a third-straight championship alive, as Omar Bailey ran for two first-half touchdowns and Javon Scruggs hit De'Von Graves for a late 51-yard touchdown reception to seal it.

Union 37 Graham 0--unbeaten Union forced four turnovers, while James Mitchell and Mason Polier each scored twice. Dakota Owens added 165 yards rushing.

Class 1
Essex 23 Sussex Central 22--Both teams scored four times but Essex was a little more efficient on the conversions.

Riverheads 42 William Campbell 14--Defending champs Riverheads took control after trailing 14-7. Freshman Zach Smiley scored three times as the Gladiators put up 414 rushing yards.

Galax 28 Narrows 27--Keaton Beeman ran for 214 yards and four touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 3:22 remaining. Narrows had missed an extra point earlier in the fourth quarter.

Chilhowie 42 JI Burton 7--Chilhowie jumped to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

[MA Fan]

Semifinals, with a little focus on the smaller-school teams I didn't cover last week. All games are on Saturday afternoon:

Class 6
Oscar Smith (11-2) at Colonial Forge (12-0)--OS has eliminated CF from the playoffs three of the last four years, including a last-second win last season. The Tigers sent a message with their destruction of Landstown last week, but Forge has a lot of weapons and will be the host for the first time in this series.

Woodbridge (12-1) at Westfield (13-0)--Westfield beat Woodbridge 42-14 in the 2007 state championship game. This will be a battle of two of the top defenses in the state.

Class 5
Nansemond River (9-4) at Highland Springs (12-1)--Springers now the favorite for their third-straight state title.

Stafford (10-3) at Tuscarora (11-2)--Both teams look to be in top form, avenging losses the last couple weeks.

Class 4
Lafayette (12-1) at Louisa (13-0)--When the VHSL did their big realignment a few years ago and prohibited teams from playing up in a higher class, people expected Class 4A to be dominated by teams that had played in the old AAA classification and continue to play larger schools in the regular season. For the first two seasons that proved to be true, as Dinwiddie and Lake Taylor thrashed opponents from the old AA classification on their way to state titles. That started to change the last two years as Salem pulled out tight state championship wins, but the Spartans have always been a powerhouse. This year, the myth was definitively busted, with Louisa going on the road and beating undeated Dinwiddie and Monacan in consecutive weeks, and Lafayette shutting down King's Fork, who had conquered Oscar Smith just a few weeks earlier. Lots of respect gained by these two teams. 

Sherando (11-2) at Salem (11-2)--Two-time defending champs Salem looking to avenge a 2013 semifinal loss to Sherando.

In the seven regular season rematches in last week's Classes 4-6 regional finals, the team that lost the regular season meeting won six, with only Woodbridge beating an opponent for the second time.

Class 3
James Monroe (7-6) at Hopewell (9-4)--James Monroe trying to outdo their 2013 four-loss run to the state finals. Hopewell lost their final three games of the regular season against larger schools, but have picked it up in the playoffs behind a stout defense and Indiana-bound RB Ronnie Walker (1,165 yards, 15 TD).

Heritage-Lynchburg (12-1) at Staunton River (13-0)--A battle of the big-number running backs, with Heritage's Elijah Davis (2,966 yards and a state record 53 TD) dueling Staunton River's Grayson Overstreet (2,724 yards, 45 TD)

Class 2
Poquoson (10-3) at Lee-Staunton (12-1)--Poquoson gave up their first points of the playoffs in a 21-10 win over previously unbeaten Goochland. All three of the Islanders' losses came against larger schools, including Class 4 semifinalist Lafayette. Lee is much better known as a basketball power, but dual threat QB Jayden Williams (45 combined TD rushing and throwing) is putting them on the football map. 

Appomattox (12-1) at Union (13-0)--Rematch of last year's quarterfinal won by Appomattox 43-0. The Raiders saw a 32-game winning streak snapped by Heritage-Lynchburg earlier in the season, but have averaged almost 50 points a game since then. QB/DB JaVon Scruggs, a Liberty commit, has rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards each. Union is led by James Mitchell, an SEC/ACC tight end recruit who took over at QB early in the season after an injury to the regular starter. 

Class 1
Riverheads (10-2) vs Essex (12-1)--Essex can't host this at their home field, so this is being played at nearby Middlesex High School. Riverheads beat Essex 38-0 on their way to a state championship last year, but this season Essex has bounced back to the form that saw them make the championship game three years in a row between 2012-14. Freshman RB Zac Smiley has surpassed 100 yards in both playoff games for Riverheads. KJ Dameron scored all three touchdowns for Essex last week as they avenged their lone regular-season loss against Sussex Central.

Chilhowie (10-3) at Galax (10-3)--2015 champs Galax looking to get back on top after getting crushed by Riverheads in last year's semis. The Maroon Tide always seem to have a back who gets a million carries and yards, and when Dougie Peoples (1,645 yards and 29 TD) went down in the first week of the playoffs, freshman Keaton Beeman stepped right in and carried the ball 43 times for 214 yards against Narrows last week. Chilhowie, playing in their first semifinal since 1975, has outscored their three playoff opponents 133-15. The Warriors are led by junior RB Greg Sanchez's 1,617 rushing yards. Fellow junior Anthony Blevins is also over 1,000 yards.

[954gator]

Thx man keep it up with the updates!

[MA Fan]

Oscar Smith just got a transfer. How many states would it be legal to add a transfer in the middle of the playoffs?

https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-school/football/oscar-smith-gets-an-unexpected-arrival-two-sport-star-briquan/article_77534a2d-09b3-55a2-9f7d-c357576a321c.html

[MA Fan]

Semifinals:

Class 6
Oscar Smith 27 Colonial Forge 20 (2 OT) (Highlights)--Same score as last year, and maybe even more painful for the Forge, as Oscar Smith overcame a 17-3 deficit and recovered a fumble in the second overtime to seal it.

Westfield 18 Woodbridge 7 (Highlights Highlights 2)--Two second-half touchdown runs by Eugene Asante powered Westfield past a stiff Woodbridge defense. Westfield missed all three extra points, each uglier than the last.

Class 5
Highland Springs 28 Nansemond River 18 (Highlights)--The Springers scored 28 straight points to overturn a 10-0 deficit and turn back Nansemond's upset bid. D'Vonte Waller threw for 231 yards and freshman Dre'Shaun Taylor ran for two touchdowns.

Tuscarora 20 Stafford 17--After watching opposing kickers miss late game-winning field goals the last two weeks, Tuscarora's Max Skirkanich nailed a 32-yarder as time expired to win it for the Huskies. The teams had traded interceptions in the final minute.

Class 4
Louisa 20 Lafayette 13 (Highlights)--Lafayette cut a 17-0 halftime lead to 17-13, but Louisa's defense held strong in the fourth quarter. Lafayette had just 121 yards of offense.

Salem 49 Sherando 14 (Highlights)--De'Angelo Ramsey ran for 242 yards and four first-half touchdowns as Salem led 35-0 at the break.

Class 3
Hopewell 48 James Monroe 14 (Highlights)--Ronnie Walker carried the ball 14 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns as Hopewell led 34-7 at halftime. James Monroe finishes with an unusual record for a high school team, 7-7.

Heritage-Lynchburg 49 Staunton River 35 (Highlights)--Heritage's Elijah Davis won the battle of running backs with video-game numbers, racking up 396 yards (287 in the first alf) and five touchdowns, including the two decisive fourth-quarter scores. Davis now has 3,358 yards on the season, breaking Thomas Jones's state record. For their part, Staunton River rushed for 357 yards, Grayson Overstreet closing out his record-setting career with 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Class 2
Lee-Staunton 27 Poquoson 24 (2 OT) (Highlights)--Jayden Williams rushed for 137 yards and all four of Lee's touchdowns, winning it with an 8-yard run in the second overtime.

Appomattox 23 Union 20 (Highlights Highlights 2)--Union rallied from a 20-0 halftime deficit to get within a field goal with 59 seconds left, but the onside kick went out of bounds. James Mitchell ran for 191 yards and threw for a touchdown for Union.

Class 1
Riverheads 17 Essex 14 (Highlights)--Riverheads scored twice in the final minute of the first half, and recovered a late onside kick to hold on for the victory. 

Chilhowie 25 Galax 21 (Highlights)--Greg Sanchez's 2-yard run with 2:26 remaining put Chilhowie in their first state championship game since 1970. Zach Cale threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns on just nine completions for the Warriors. Touchdown runs from Caxton Vaught and Blake Brown (109 yards) had given Galax a 21-10 lead early in the second half.

[World Citizen]

@MA Fan. Excellent work.  Appreciate it.

[ORabidOne]

On 11/20/2017 at 11:41 PM, MA Fan said:

DB/WR Joseph White is committed to Virginia, and QB/ATH Brent Stukes has some good offers too. No Percy Harvin though.

Better than George Rogers or Hershel Walker or Charlie Ward? I saw the first two in their senior seasons in high school, when their teams were SHUT OUT! And Charlie beat my Packers 7-6, running the FABLED De la Salle SPLIT BACK VEER! I also saw UGA'S starting QB Jake Fromm his senior season! When HIS team missed the playoffs and he threw SIX picks against Lee Co.! NO SIR, GHSA football is NOT for the faint of heart!

[MA Fan]

Saturday's championship games:

Class 6: Westfield (14-0) vs. Oscar Smith (12-2)

Class 5: Highland Springs (13-1) vs. Tuscarora (12-2)

Class 4: Louisa (14-0) vs. Salem (12-2)

Class 3: Hopewell (10-4) vs. Heritage-Lynchburg (13-1)

Class 2: Appomattox (13-1) vs. Lee-Staunton (13-1)

Class 1: Riverheads (11-2) vs. Chilhowie (11-3)

Online program: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/910927-vhsl-2017-football-championships

All games should be on NFHS Network. Class 1, 3, and 5 games start at 12:00, Class 2 and 6 are at 4:30, while Class 5 gets underway at 5:30.

[MA Fan]

On 12/1/2017 at 9:16 AM, MA Fan said:

Oscar Smith just got a transfer. How many states would it be legal to add a transfer in the middle of the playoffs?

https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-school/football/oscar-smith-gets-an-unexpected-arrival-two-sport-star-briquan/article_77534a2d-09b3-55a2-9f7d-c357576a321c.html

http://www.fredericksburg.com/sports/fls_varsity/high-school-football-oscar-smith-s-roster-addition-still-bugs/article_24513a10-bc8d-5a8f-bc00-f7564a9eeaf7.html

Quote

“You’ve played 13 games and all of a sudden you’re playing against a quarterback who can throw the ball like ours and you decided you need another defensive back,” Brown said. “There aren’t that many coincidences in the stars with the way this thing has gone down.”

 

[golfaddict1]

Let’s hope Westfield beats Oscar Mayer.  

[MA Fan]

Championship games have been postponed to Sunday because we don't do snow in Virginia.

[MA Fan]

Championship results. All the repeaters and threepeaters won:

Class 6
Westfield 28 Oscar Smith 21 (Highlights Highlights 2)--It didn't take overtime this year, but Westfield edged Oscar Smith in the championship game for the third straight season. Noah Kim's 88-yard pass to Gavin Kiley late in the third quarter provided the winning points for the Bulldogs, who twice intercepted Oscar Smith passes in the end zone in the final minutes.

Class 5
Highland Springs 40 Tuscarora 27 (Highlights)--The Springers rolled to a 33-0 first-half lead and held off a third-quarter Tuscarora comeback. D'Vonte Waller threw for three touchdowns and Rayquan Smith added two more on the ground. Tuscarora's Justin Allen threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns in a losing cause.

Class 4
Salem 43 Louisa 22 (Highlights)--Holding on to a 28-22 lead midway through the fourth, Salem stopped Louisa on fourth down deep inside Spartan territory, and on the next play De'Angelo Ramsey took it 79 yards to put Salem back up by two scores. Ramsey finished with 262 rushing yards on the evening. For Louisa, who had trailed 28-6 before mounting a comeback, Job Whalen put up 178 yards and two scores. 

Class 3
Hopewell 20 Heritage-Lynchburg 14 (Highlights Highlights 2)--Hopewell scored three times in the last four minutes of the first half and sealed it with a late fourth-and-15 conversion. Heritage's Elijah Davis rushed for 229 yards and a score to finish his record-setting his record-setting season with 3,596 yards and 61 touchdowns (59 rushing).

Class 2
Appomattox 38 Lee-Staunton 34 (Highlights Highlights 2)--Lee...surrendering...Appomattox...the bad headlines write themselves. A touchdown pass from JaVon Scruggs to Devin Dews with 1:46 left won it for Appomattox, capping off a wild fourth quarter that saw six lead changes.

Class 1
Riverheads 42 Chilhowie 0 (Highlights)--The Gladiators outgained Chilhowie 424-89 on their way to a second straight championship. Devin Morris and Dalton Jordan combined to run for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
 

[MA Fan]

VHSL makes the common sense move and passes legislation to prevent playoff transfers:

http://www.richmond.com/sports/high-school/vhsl-closes-postseason-transfer-loophole/article_773323bc-0149-11e8-887f-275823e2fa1b.html

[Eddyr2]

11 hours ago, MA Fan said:

VHSL makes the common sense move and passes legislation to prevent playoff transfers:

http://www.richmond.com/sports/high-school/vhsl-closes-postseason-transfer-loophole/article_773323bc-0149-11e8-887f-275823e2fa1b.html

Wow...thought California’s transfer policy was nuts...glad they changed the rule.

[TheBlockIsHot]

Damn before this rule, players could transfer DURING the season and play for another team, to include the playoffs?

[MA Fan]

You can still transfer during the season as long as all the requirements are met, you just can't do it during the playoffs anymore. Vast majority of impact in-season transfers (there are not that many) are kids transferring from private schools (which are not part of the VHSL) to their home public school, this is mostly a basketball thing.

VA also lets soccer players spend the whole season with their academy team and then join their high school team for the playoffs.