High school football: Playoffs picture beginning to take focus
The second weekend of October is a tipping point while jockeying for playoff position in high school football. The separation has begun.
Teams all but in postseason play are Thomas Dale, which stayed unbeaten by besting Matoaca, and Manchester, which won at home in overtime 42-40 over L.C. Bird, a game that featured a wild fourth quarter and a costly penalty by the Skyhawks as they lined up for the tying 2-point conversion in the extra session.
Mechanicsville earned, arguably, its biggest win in a decade, beating county rival Hanover to move to 5-1. The Mustangs are in fourth place in Region 4B, but they are still far behind Louisa, Huguenot and Varina. Douglas Freeman held on in a slugfest for a 16-14 win over Thomas Jefferson, whose week began with stunning second-half performance to hand Armstrong its first loss in a game delayed a month by weather.
Petersburg earned its first win over Dinwiddie in 20 years, Glen Allen and Meadowbrook earned key victories over Region 5C rivals Mills Godwin and Prince George, respectively, while Hopewell’s offensive explosion continued against Colonial Heights.
Check out the complete Week 7 scoreboard and the latest RVA Sports Network Super 12 Poll below.
Week 7 standouts
Meadowbrook’s rushing offense: By committee, the Monarchs outmuscled Central District rival Prince George with 31 carries for 264 yards, scoring all four of their touchdowns on the ground in a 28-12 win. Michael Wesley headed the effort, gaining 118 yards on 14 rushes with a score.
Connor Goad, Mechanicsville: Goad had a 218-yard night on the ground, with 107 coming on fourth-quarter touchdowns of 37 and 70 yards. The latter put the Mustangs up for good as their 20-0 run in the final stanza gave them a 39-29 win over Hanover.
Jakeem Dandridge, Glen Allen: An electrifying season continues for the Jaguars’ tailback, who had an 80-yard score in the first half as part of a 145-yard, three-touchdown effort in Glen Allen’s 40-13 homecoming win over Mills Godwin. With three games left in the regular season, Dandridge already has more than 1,000 yards on the ground.
William Sterling, St. Christopher’s: Give a kicker some love! Earlier this year, Sterling broke the Saints’ record for longest field goal at 48 yards. Friday, he connected from 49, one of two critical field goals as the St. Christopher’s defense got a big stop in the final seconds to best St. Michael The Archangel 20-14 to stay alive in the VISAA Division I playoff race.
Unsung hero
Damarion Wiggins, Mechanicsville: Normally a player who scores three touchdowns doesn’t make this category, but this is all about timing. Wiggins, a senior, had two scoring receptions in the second quarter, but it was his other score that changed everything. With the Mustangs’ starting defensive-back unit together for the first time this season, Wiggins took an early fourth-quarter interception 47 yards to paydirt to kick off Mechanicsville’s run to victory.
Game of the week
Glen Allen (5-2) at No. 10 Hermitage (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: A little more than three miles, most of it via Staples Mill Road, separate these two schools. While the Jaguars enter in fifth place in Region 5C, the Panthers, ranked 10th in the RVA Sports Network Super 12 Poll, are seventh. The homestretch is daunting for both, as Glen Allen still has Trinity Episcopal and Douglas Freeman after a bye week, while Hermitage faces Highland Springs, Freeman and Thomas Jefferson. Luke Perini versus Myles Brooks. We’re ready for this.
Other games we’re watching
No. 6 Petersburg (6-0) at Meadowbrook (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Monarchs enter this game in the eighth and final playoff spot in Region 5C. Handing the Crimson Wave their first loss, though, would do wonders in solidifying a postseason spot after their 6-4 finish wasn’t enough a year ago. Petersburg trails Hopewell for the top spot in Region 3A, though the Blue Devils have a loss. That is to Highland Springs, and remember, the power-point system rewards you for losses to higher classification schools and to teams with better records.
Roanoke Catholic (6-0) at Benedictine (3-3), Friday, 4 p.m.: Luke Kincaid has taken over in the Cadets’ injury-ravaged quarterback room, playing well in Benedictine’s 28-0 win over Collegiate. Now, the Cadets welcome the unbeaten Celtics, who gave Trinity Episcopal its lone loss 43-37 in overtime in their season opener.
Rappahannock (5-1) at Essex (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: The past two Class 1 state champions collide in Tappahannock. To no one’s surprise, the Raiders top the Region 1A standings, while the Trojans are right behind them. Their 2025 postseason game was a 19-16 Raiders win on the road. Can they do it again?
Game under the radar
Atlee (2-4) at No. 11 Armstrong (6-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Armstrong’s wild week, which included losing to Thomas Jefferson then beating Greensville in Emporia, dropped the Wildcats to fifth in the Region 2A standings. With three games left, including a trip to Hanover, Armstrong needs wins to hope to at least have one playoff game on Cool Lane. Enter a dangerous Raiders team that likely must win out to sneak into the Region 4B playoffs. Atlee looked strong in a 31-19 rivalry win at Patrick Henry on Friday.
Beyond the headlines
–What would you do? Up 26-19 after three quarters, Manchester went back and forth with L.C. Bird, watching the Skyhawks force overtime at 34 apiece. Lancers coach Jason Harrell watched his offense score and convert the 2-point conversion. Jaylen Tyler rushed for an L.C. Bird touchdown, and the Skyhawks set up to try their own 2-point conversion to tie the game.
A flag flies. A 5-yard penalty on the Skyhawks. Instead of the conversion coming from the 2-yard line, it’s now at the 7. It certainly may change what the offense tries to do, but what about Manchester’s defense? Is there time to change things with a little more real estate to cover? We asked Harrell.
“No. The defensive coordinator said he wanted to keep pressure up since he knew they had to pass,” Harrell told The Richmonder. “So he kept the same call.”
Formerly the defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach in 2024, Harrell’s trust in his staff was rewarded as Manchester kept pressure on top-seeded Thomas Dale in the Region 6A playoff race.
–Playoff races: With four Fridays to go before the postseason, how do area teams stack up in the regional standings?
Thomas Dale, No. 3 in the Super 12 Poll, and No. 7 Manchester essentially have clinched bids in Region 6A, where only six teams qualify, giving the top seeds a quarterfinal-round bye. The Knights are first, the Lancers second. L.C. Bird is trying to keep Landstown at bay in the battle for fourth place, while Cosby is a half-point out of the sixth and final berth. An upset win at by the Titans at No. 5 Midlothian on Friday changes that.
No. 2 Highland Springs, Midlothian and No. 9 Douglas Freeman are closing in on Region 5C bids. Patrick Henry-Roanoke is fourth, barely ahead of Glen Allen, followed by James River, Hermitage and Meadowbrook. William Fleming, Mills Godwin and Prince George are all within two points of eighth place.
Louisa (6-0) remains the leader in Region 4B by more than a point over No. 8 Huguenot and nearly two in front of No. 1 Varina. Mechanicsville and Hanover are fourth and fifth. Dinwiddie, Monacan, Atlee and Patrick Henry are outside the top eight but are less than three points out of the final playoff spot. The three teams ahead of them are from the northern portion of the region: Courtland, King George and Spotsylvania.
No. 12 Hopewell leads No. 6 Petersburg in Region 3A, with New Kent holding on to sixth place just in front of Lake Taylor. Losers of four straight, Colonial Heights is in the eighth and final spot. In Region 3B, Goochland’s 49-10 loss to Louisa drops the Bulldogs to sixth. But with a nearly seven-point lead over ninth-seeded William Monroe, the Bulldogs’ chances to miss the playoffs are slim.
A week ago, No. 11 Armstrong was looking for the top spot in Region 2A, but the Wildcats are in fifth place after losing to Thomas Jefferson on Monday and beating Greensville on Friday. The Vikings are second, three-tenths of a point behind undefeated Central Lunenburg. Four-time defending region champion Poquoson is third, followed by King William. John Marshall is slightly more than three points out of the eighth and final slot after winning at Charles City.
–This one’s for the girls: We’re getting into the heart of girls flag football season in the city and south of the river. But the big news this week will be off the field, and it could be seismic.
The Virginia High School League will hold a membership meeting Thursday in Midlothian. On the agenda is a presentation discussing the possible adoption of flag football as an “emerging sport.”
This classification, if approved, would give the sport a three-year window to prove it is worthy of official sanctioning.
With the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens heavily supporting team creation in schools in the Beltway and down to our area and with the impressive growth in participation numbers in the Commonwealth and nationally, proving the sport is worthy shouldn’t be a problem.
We don’t have official word, but we expect schools in Henrico and Hanover counties to get on the flag football train in the near future. It would be wise for the VHSL to give itself the flexibility to approve official sanctioning of the sport in less than three years.
And, though the “official” statistics won’t count down the road, there are plenty of firsts happening on the field:
Petersburg’s first two wins in program history were both on the road as the Crimson Wave defeated Henrico and Highland Springs.
And L.C. Bird took the first “Girls Battle of Chester” 26-15 over rival Thomas Dale. For the Knights, the name Ariyah Heckstall is etched in school history as she scored the program’s first-ever touchdown.
They said it
“I can’t be more proud of our team on both sides of the ball. We are a very young team. With only four senior starters, (coach Gary Brock) has developed successful schemes that allow the underclassmen to make vital contributions each week. We are looking to further develop our underclassmen in preparation for a possible playoff run.” – Blessed Sacrament Huguenot senior two-way lineman Scott Krohn on how the young Knights have bolted to a 6-1 record and eyeing postseason play in VISAA
“I don’t know. You do this so long, you start to compare teams, and I’m trying not to do that. Like I’ve always been told, comparison is the thief of joy, so I’m just trying to enjoy the moment with this group.” – Highland Springs coach Loren Johnson on ESPN 106.1 when asked if his team is where he hoped they would be at this point, now coming off their bye week
“I am excited for what’s to come. This offense is electric, and it’s always fun to have great athletes like (Jakeem) Dandridge and Jabari Harris around you. It definitely makes my job a lot easier, along with a great offensive mind like (coach Jacob) Hodges.” – Glen Allen senior quarterback Luke Perini, who threw for 169 yards and two scores in the win over Mills Godwin in his return from injury
Our final play
Let the kids be kids.
We made a few observations about our great game from outside the field of play this week. All of them are tied together, however, with the glue that, if it should ever disappear, would put high school football in peril.
At Mechanicsville High School, it wasn’t just a rivalry game. The Mustangs hadn’t beaten Hanover since they were known by another name.
So, rightfully so, students, when instructed they could, stormed the field to celebrate their team’s 39-29 comeback win. The Mustangs’ student body hasn’t had a reason to do that since Barack Obama was president. We thought, how does a senior on the football team view it all? How did this turnaround occur? We asked wideout and defensive back Blake Whitley.
“It’s been everyone stepping up and putting in work every day in the offseason, whether it was getting stronger or faster,” Whitley explained. “Another big thing was the fact that every senior has stepped up and been doing more than their part on and off the football field.”
The Mustangs’ program had a brief suspension in 2022, and Mechanicsville has lost 10 straight Tomato Bowl games to archrival Patrick Henry, including its only loss this season. But the work put in on days where fans don’t cheer, or complain, from the stands made a night like Friday possible. Everyone in “Mustang Country” deserved to celebrate.
Now, the question is, can the Mustangs build on a 5-1 record and become a team that is not only successful on the field but can change the trajectory of the program’s future? Doing the latter is not easy.
Look no further than Midlothian for an example. The Trojans had a playoff win in 2021, a 9-2 record in 2022 and got off to a 5-1 start in 2023. But Midlothian lost its last four that season, seeing a postseason bid slip away. It returned to the postseason but lost in the region quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025.
Now, the Trojans look like a team finally primed for a long postseason run.
For the Mustangs, enjoy the moment and what lies ahead. When they gather in 25 years for a reunion, they won’t be reminiscing about biology class. But everyone will remember “when we beat Hanover.”
Let the kids be kids.
On social media after their tough 16-14 loss to Douglas Freeman on Friday night, Thomas Jefferson coach Eric Harris said the following, in part:
“Had someone told me before the season we would play four games against four top teams in 13 days and would have to start my JV QB in the last one, I would have told them: line them up and prepare for the best. Not only did we battle through this gauntlet, but of those four teams, three were undefeated, one had one loss and we came out of this gauntlet 3-1, losing by two points. I want to say publicly that I am extremely proud of my guys.
“Now, we are not done! But, with a bye week and time to heal before our final push I wanted to publicly give my players, our trainer who worked overtime keeping my guys on the field, my AD, and most importantly, my staff some love.”
He finished with the hashtag “#weallwegotweallweneed”.
Sounds like a proud coach, right? Certainly. But there’s more to this picture, and we don’t need to know about it.
The other way to let kids be kids is to remember this is Friday night, not Sunday afternoon. Teams have issues and adversities most fans have no clue about.
All teams have injuries. Some teams have great support systems. Others struggle to have one. The coaching staff mentors their roster more so off the field than on, making sure they are succeeding on the classroom scoreboard, too.
Players must be disciplined when infractions occur. And lest we forget, a program, whether 6-0 or 0-6, will have those nagging detractors, complaining about everything from their son’s playing time to the decision to punt on fourth down.
All the while, coaches are doing their best trying to mold kids into young men, yet allowing them to enjoy the experience. Yes, we know coaches make mistakes. They’re human. But we invite you to give it a try, a task of mentoring dozens of teenagers at a rate of mere pennies per hour when it comes to the job’s year-round responsibilities.
When one has a legitimate concern, air it correctly. Speak to the school’s principal and director of student activities. As a fan, your postgame social media rant will solve nothing.
Most of all, in every decision we make, let the kids be kids.
