High school football report: Freeman-Glen Allen matchup highlights high-stakes final week
Thanks to Week 10 action, one region already knows its eight playoff participants, another sees two Chesterfield schools fighting for a coveted bye to the region semifinals, while another has six teams fighting for four remaining playoff bids, with two of them playing each other Friday night.
There aren’t any undefeated private school teams thanks to Trinity Episcopal’s 26-21 win over Benedictine Saturday to leapfrog the Cadets and grab the top seed in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division I Championship.
Davion Brown, who recently decommitted from Penn State after the Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin, scored on a 96-yard pass play in the final minute to snare the victory. The Titans host Norfolk Academy in one semifinal this Saturday, while Benedictine will host St. Christopher’s in the other.
Varina asserted its supremacy in the East End, keeping Highland Springs out of the end zone in an impressive 21-3 win. While the top seed in Class 4, Region B is out of reach, clinched by Dinwiddie after they concluded their regular season 10-0 with a 19-0 shutout of Prince George, they are guaranteed at least one home playoff game.
And then there’s Armstrong, which continues to roll over opponents. At 9-0, the Wildcats have outscored foes 401-49. They defeated Hanover 47-16, the 16 points the most they’ve allowed in a game so far. They’ll look to finish the perfect regular season Thursday night at Mechanicsville.
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WEEK TEN STANDOUTS:
Dashaun Chisem, Meadowbrook: In the heat of a playoff race for the first time this decade, the young Monarch quarterback went 18-of-22 for 304 yards and three touchdowns in Meadowbrook’s victory over Colonial Heights.
The St. Christopher’s Defense: The Saints stymied their archrival Collegiate Saturday, holding the Cougars to four first downs and just 89 yards of total offense in a 38-0 win on the road. Collegiate only converted one of ten third downs.
Shadarus Pickett, Armstrong: 17 carries for 158 yards and three touchdowns against a stout Hanover defense as the Wildcats stayed unbeaten on Senior Night.
Avery Curtis, Hermitage: Another outstanding performance with four touchdowns to go with 251 yards on 18 carries in the Panthers’ win over Douglas Freeman. Curtis’ body of work should at least put him in the conversation for Player of The Year honors in the area.
UNSUNG HEROES:
The Atlee Defense: Don’t say the Raiders have nothing to play for. With the postseason out of reach, Atlee dominated rival Mechanicsville 49-3 in the 35th renewal of The Stew Bowl, holding the Mustangs to just 49 yards rushing, handing the ball to a Raider offense who chewed up 314 yards on the ground.
Ronald Jackson, Armstrong: A one-man wrecking crew against Hanover, Jackson had twelve tackles, two for losses, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
WEEK ELEVEN GAME OF THE WEEK: Douglas Freeman (5-4) at Glen Allen (5-4), Friday, 7pm
Before Huguenot and Manchester fans strongly object to this choice, hear me out.
In Class 5, Region C, the Jaguars are currently sixth, while Douglas Freeman sits in ninth, 1.77 points behind Glen Allen, but, more importantly, over .222 of a point behind #8 Franklin County, who face William Fleming, currently third. The Mavericks must win to get in the playoffs, and may need some help.
For Glen Allen fans, it’s been a gut-wrenching last three weeks, going from 5-2 to 5-4 with home losses to Hermitage and Trinity Episcopal, not to mention the loss of quarterback Ralphie Puccinelli for the season to a broken clavicle. A month ago, the talk was if the Jaguars could be in the mix for at least one, maybe two home games. Now, they’re in survival mode.
PLAYOFF RACE – THE LATEST
We can congratulate more teams in our area for officially clinching playoff bids in their respective regions:
Class 6, Region A: Manchester, Thomas Dale, L.C. Bird
Class 5, Region B: Highland Springs, Midlothian
Class 4, Region B: Dinwiddie, Louisa, Varina, Huguenot, Hanover
Class 3, Region A: Petersburg, New Kent, Hopewell
Class 3, Region B: Goochland
Class 2, Region A: Armstrong, King William, Thomas Jefferson
Now, let’s discuss plausible scenarios for the teams still fighting to keep their seasons alive this week:
Class 6, Region A: Cosby must defeat Powhatan and have Landstown lose for a chance to jump one spot to clinch the sixth and final bid available.
Class 5, Region C: This is, by far, the messiest race of all. Positions 5 through 10 are currently Hermitage, Glen Allen, Meadowbrook, Franklin County, Douglas Freeman and James River. Only four of these six teams will be able to play on past Friday.
Hermitage is in the driver’s seat here. A win over Thomas Jefferson puts them in. Should Glen Allen knock off Douglas Freeman, the Jaguars are in. Then, well, it gets tricky.
Meadowbrook needs a win at Matoaca. Franklin County must face William Fleming, currently the #3 seed in the region. If the Monarchs, Glen Allen and William Fleming all win, then Meadowbrook clinches.
Then it comes down to three teams for the final berth. And, should Franklin County and Douglas Freeman both lose and James River defeat L.C. Bird, the Rapids will be celebrating. But, if Franklin County wins, they’ll have the inside track on the final berth. There’ll be lots of number crunching come Friday night.
Class 4, Region B: The eight-team field is set, which is highly unusual for a region in a higher classification. The question now is who winds up with what seed.
We know Dinwiddie will be the #1 seed, which is huge for home field advantage for a team a lot of people thought would have a rebuilding year. Louisa and Varina are neck and neck for the #2 seed, which affords you two home playoff games (assuming you win the first one) and keeps you on the opposite side of the bracket from the Generals.
Should Louisa and Varina both win (the Lions play 2-7 Monticello while the Blue Devils have 3-6 Patrick Henry), Varina moves to less than a half-point behind Louisa, meaning results of other games will determine the seeding.
But what about Huguenot? Yes, with a win over unbeaten Manchester, the Falcons could move up from their current #4 seed. But if they lose, and Courtland is victorious, the teams could swap.
Caroline is on the road at 6-3 Culpeper, so they are not a lock for the #6 seed. Hanover could drop to #8 with a loss to Highland Springs, but a win could see them rise to #6 with a Caroline loss. Spotsylvania rounds out the eight-team roster.
Class 3, Region A: A Lake Taylor win over Norview clinches the top spot. Petersburg needs a win at Prince George to ensure the second seed. New Kent is just .7 behind the Crimson Wave as they travel to face Jamestown. The Trojans will root for Prince George to give them a shot at the second seed.
Hopewell, regardless of result Thursday against Thomas Dale, seems locked into the #6 seed, which could mean a trip to either New Kent or Petersburg next week. Colonial Heights hangs on to the final berth, trying to hold off Heritage-Newport News.
Class 3, Region B: Goochland is in the eight-team field and will most likely stay in the #7 slot regardless of this week’s result.
Class 2, Region A: Armstrong finally overtakes Poquoson for the number one spot by just under a half-point. However, the Islanders face 6-3 Smithfield while the Wildcats go to 3-6 Mechanicsville. Both opponents are Class 4 schools, thus, a win over a team with more victories would give Poquoson the edge when all is said and done.
Unbeaten Central-Lunenburg is third, while Thomas Jefferson leads King William and Southampton in the battle for #4, which would give the Vikings a home game in the quarterfinal round. Thomas Jefferson can’t finish higher than the #4 seed.
GAMES WE’RE WATCHING
#3 Manchester (9-0) at #6 Huguenot (8-1), Friday, 7pm
Why not this game for Game of The Week honors? While this contest will have profound implications for both teams going forward, both know that they are in their respective regional playoff fields.
For the Lancers, a win will give them the second bye in the six-team Class 6, Region A field over county rival Thomas Dale. It would also complete their first 10-0 regular season since 2018. If they lose, they would fall no further than third, and have a home playoff game next Friday.
Huguenot, arguably, has more at stake. A win seals a home game in the quarterfinal round of Class 4, Region B. But a defeat, coupled with a Courtland win over James Monroe, and the Falcons may have to travel to Spotsylvania County next weekend.
With Landon Abernethy and Charles Scott, Jr. engineering their respective offenses, the team whose defense gets a few extra stops or forces a big turnover will be the one to win.
#8 Highland Springs (6-3) at Hanover (7-2), Friday, 7pm
There are positives and negatives to a grueling regular season schedule. The Springers have three regular season losses for the first time in well over a decade, yet hold the second spot in Class 5, Region C. They need to avoid the upset on the road against a Hanover team who started 7-0, but have not performed well in losses to Varina and Armstrong.
Both teams know they’ll play next weekend, but a Hanover loss likely puts them at the #8 seed in Class 4, Region B. That would mean a trip to Dinwiddie in the quarterfinal, renewing a playoff rivalry that dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s.
GAMES UNDER THE RADAR
Thomas Jefferson (6-3) at #10 Hermitage (7-2), Friday, 7pm
The Vikings look to finish the regular season on a three-game winning streak, hoping to earn home field advantage in the Class 2, Region A quarterfinals. A loss likely puts them on the road. For the Panthers, the chances of playing another game at Chester Fritz Stadium are slim. But a victory would keep their momentum earned in the back half of the regular season and make them a dangerous opponent for anyone in Class 5, Region C.
James River (5-4) at L.C. Bird (5-4), Friday, 7pm
The Skyhawks are tough to beat at home. But that’s the assignment for the Rapids if they want to sneak into the Class 5, Region C playoffs, currently in tenth, a half-point behind Douglas Freeman and three-quarters of a point behind #8 Franklin County.
L.C. Bird has something to play for, too. A win, coupled with a Western Branch loss this week, could flip the two schools in the standings, giving the Skyhawks home field when those two teams meet next week in a Class 6, Region A quarterfinal.
THE RECRUITING CAROUSEL
Two top area prospects verbally committed to in-state schools have decided to re-open their recruitment this week.
Isaiah “Zay” Harris of Thomas Jefferson, who had said yes to Old Dominion, announced on X Tuesday that he will “decommit and re-open my recruitment”.
On Sunday, Michael Farley of Varina decided to leave behind his decision to attend Hampton University.
Harris and Farley join Brown in returning to the recruiting world, where, in this new age of paying players and NIL opportunities at the college level, there are few guarantees.
OUR FINAL PLAY
Early November brings the usual fan chatter as to why the Virginia High School League (VHSL) sponsors, in some minds, too many football championships. There are those who are still upset with the reset of classifications in 2013 which ended the importance of districts and, for postseason purposes, grouped schools by enrollment levels, not by geography.
Another driving force for that change was the amount of schools with records of 9-1 or 8-2 missing the postseason prior to 2012.
With the change, the pendulum swung, and, yes, we do have dozens of teams with losing records still qualifying for the playoffs. Regions do have autonomy to shrink their eight-team fields, as Class 6, Region A has. But in the case of Richmond-area regions this year, 5C, 4B, and 2A are the strongest and won’t have teams below .500 playing next week. Class 3, Region A has had an off year, while Class 3, Region B has not been strong in recent years.
As for the main point of the naysayers? The VHSL has been awarding six state football championships, not since 2013, but since 1986. Each “group” in that era (AAA, AA, A) had two champions, broken into “divisions”.
While we understand that teams with two wins really shouldn’t be playing in mid-November, it’s a better scenario than watching a 9-1 school with a state-championship caliber team go home because they couldn’t win their district.
