Oh, well. Just another ho-hum high school football playoff weekend across the RVA….

I mean, other than sensational showings from Varina and Huguenot in Class 4, Region B, another history-making night for the Armstrong Wildcats, a heavyweight fight in Roanoke won in the final round by Hermitage to set up a rematch with a resurgent Highland Springs, and Petersburg’s return to prominence, what else was there?

Oh, there was that final play between Manchester and Thomas Dale that may forever alter one’s view of throwing a Hail Mary in a tie game at the end of regulation….

See? We told you it could be the best week of the season.

Week 13 standouts:

Vinny Chavarria, Thomas Dale: The ultimate “unsung hero” of 2025. You’re taught to knock the football down as a defensive back on a Hail Mary throw to prevent a “carom and catch” scenario. The Knights are so glad Chavarria forgot about that Friday night. Extra credit for excellent downfield vision to plant a foot at the 24-yard line, find his blocking help, and finish the miracle.

Dexter Richardson, Thomas Dale: Watch the video once more, and look at how Richardson signals Chavarria to pivot back towards the home sideline, then makes sure he doesn’t do anything that would draw a flag. He simply gets in the way of two Manchester would-be tacklers, sets the stage for a teammate to make the final block downfield, and the rest is history.

Donzell Jones-Teal, Armstrong: The senior was a one-man wrecking crew in the Wildcats’ win over Thomas Jefferson, registering ten total tackles, three for losses, plus a forced fumble. 

Jonathan Carter, Highland Springs: The junior picked a perfect night to shine with eighteen carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns as the Springers dominated William Fleming 37-7. His scores were on runs of 53, 25, and 16 yards.

PLAYOFF GAME OF THE WEEK

Class 4, Region B Championship: #4 Varina (10-2) at #3 Huguenot (11-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Defense. That’s how we find ourselves salivating over the matchup in the title game in, for our money, the toughest region in Virginia. Varina sent undefeated Dinwiddie packing with, perhaps, its best win this year, shutting out the Generals 34-0. 

Then, Huguenot stepped into The Jungle at Louisa Saturday and made Michigan commit Savion Hiter look human, with only 70 yards on 21 carries, as the Falcons also put up 34 points in victory, giving the Lions their only loss of the season, 34-11.

Conventional wisdom says we likely will see very few points light up the scoreboard on Forest Hill Avenue this Saturday. One possible advantage? Huguenot has not faced a defense the likes of Varina this season, while Varina’s two losses came against teams with tremendous defensive units in Maury and Grimsley (NC). 

It may come down to the game’s two impressive signal-callers: Kaleb Wyche of Varina and Charles Scott, Jr. of Huguenot. Who can be most proficient when opportunities present themselves? Both have sensational go-to receivers: DaMari Carter, the Virginia commit for Varina, and Iveon Lewis, the junior for Huguenot who recently received an offer from Ohio State.

Another concern for the Falcons? Last week, they committed 15 penalties for 161 yards. The Blue Devils can make you pay dearly for those errors.

OTHER REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class 6, Region A: #2 Thomas Dale (10-1) at #1 Oscar Smith (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

The Knights ended their victory celebration at 12:01am Saturday, knowing the task ahead of them. Since an opening week loss to private powerhouse Gonzaga (whom Benedictine defeated later in the season), the Tigers have won 10 straight, scoring 48 points or more in six of their last seven contests, including a 50-0 pasting of L.C. Bird in last week’s semifinal.

This will be the toughest test for the Thomas Dale defense, by far. The Knights will need to force at least a turnover or two, create short fields, and, most importantly, find a way to run the football well enough to create time-consuming drives, keeping Oscar Smith’s offense on the sidelines.

Class 5, Region C: #5 Hermitage (10-2) at #2 Highland Springs (9-3), Friday, 2:30pm: 

Exactly 10 years to the day after one of the greatest high school football games in area history between these two historic institutions, the Panthers and Springers will do battle again, again in the third round of postseason play, and it will, once again, be a rematch of a regular season clash.

In 2015, Highland Springs built a seemingly insurmountable lead. But Hermitage stormed back to tie the game before the Springers scored in the final seconds to continue their journey to the first of four straight state championships.

So, what about the encore? The Springers eked out a 31-28 win October 24 in a back-and forth-battle. The road back to each other wasn’t easy for either squad. Highland Springs managed just three points in a loss to rival Varina, escaped Hanover with a last-minute win, and struggled in the first half of their opening playoff game with Glen Allen.

Hermitage, meanwhile, pulled out a 9-7 win over Thomas Jefferson to end the regular season, then used a defensive touchdown from Andre Clarke to eliminate Midlothian. But after both teams put up stellar performances last Friday, the stage is set for another titanic battle.

Both defenses are on notice. The unit that can at least slow down the running attack of their opponent, and create turnovers, likely will be the one hoisting the region title trophy around sundown. Keep an eye on special teams play, too.

Class 3, Region D: #2 Petersburg (9-3) at #1 Lake Taylor (10-2), Friday, 7pm:

Let’s be honest. No one outside of Petersburg expected the Crimson Wave to be practicing on Thanksgiving. But first-year head coach Jerome Mathis and his staff have done a tremendous job getting this storied program back to prominence, way ahead of schedule.

Friday’s tilt against the top-seeded Titans will be tough. Lake Taylor’s only losses were to Maury and Hampton. Nine of their ten wins are by two scores or more. The Wave absolutely cannot get into a shootout with the Titans.

Once again, we have a situation where a team needs forced turnovers, short fields for their offense, and time-consuming drives. Win or lose, however, Petersburg is back.

Class 2, Region A: #2 Poquoson (11-1) at #1 Armstrong (12-0) , Friday, 7pm:

Since losing to Class 4 Warhill 42-35, the Islanders have won four straight, scoring 42, 42, 44 and 42 points respectively. 

The Wildcats’ defense will have their hands full on Friday as they look to finally lay claim to a region championship and a Class 2 state semifinal berth. They certainly have the talent to do so, as Jones-Teel, A’Veri Hornes, Aladin Simms, Ronald Jackson and Isaiah Charity all have the potential to change a game on any play.

Quarterback Anthony “Shug” Hansom has accounted for 40 total touchdowns in twelve games. If the Wildcats can get Shadarus Pickett’s running game back to form (he has just 67 rushing yards in two playoff games), that helps in the time of possession battle. They want to run down the Islander defense, especially along the front, so they can impose their will in the fourth period.

Armstrong’s offense must be firing on all cylinders from the opening kick. You do not want Poquoson to grab, and build, an early advantage.

A LOOK TO DECEMBER

Just as the Virginia High School League (VHSL) gave regions the autonomy, and responsibility, for determining their own standings and formulas this season, the regions in each of the six classes were allowed to create their own way to either seed regional champions for the state semifinals on December 6, or decide which regions would square off against each other.

The higher seeded team in any semifinal matchup will host. Rankings will be based on final regular season power rankings.

In Class 2, the winner of Poquoson/Armstrong will face the Region B champion, either Stuarts Draft or Strasburg. It looks all but certain that the Wildcats would host with a victory Friday night. The Class 2 State Championship is Saturday December 13 at 11:30 a.m. at Salem Stadium near Roanoke.

Class 3 will have the Region A champion face the Region D winner. Thus, the winner of Petersburg/Lake Taylor will square off against the winner of Magna Vista and Lord Botetourt. Lake Taylor would host the semifinal with a win regardless of the outcome of the Region A final.

Class 4 will reseed its four region champions based on power rankings. If Varina defeats Huguenot, they would likely host a state semifinal. If the Falcons win, it will be up to other results as to whether they could play at home or have to travel December 6.

Class 5 will have the Region C champion, either Hermitage or Highland Springs, play the Region A winner between Green Run and Indian River. Green Run is guaranteed to host the state semifinal with a victory Friday night. Hermitage, with a win, would likely travel east for the semis regardless of Region A’s outcome.

Class 6 pits the Region A champion (Oscar Smith or Thomas Dale) with the Region D champion, which will be determined Saturday between James Madison and Westfield. The Region A champion should host regardless of results thanks to superior regular season power rankings.

The Class 3 and 4 state title games on December 13 will be held at Williams Stadium at Liberty University in Lynchburg, while Classes 5 and 6 will hold their finals at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

OUR FINAL PLAY

It was fantastic to see the electric finish to Thomas Dale/Manchester garner national attention, and the top spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Ten Saturday morning.

It’s also great to see that we don’t have to handle a situation like the VHSL’s counterpart in Georgia is dealing with right now.

A second-round game between Gainesville and Brunswick took a very ugly turn in the third quarter when a Brunswick player forced the helmets off two Gainesville players, shoving one of them. 

Players began rushing off the benches, and a melee ensued. Gainesville led the game 42-0 at the time of the incident.

Gainesville saw 39 players suspended for their playoff game set for Friday night, while 41 Brunswick players were suspended for their roles. Gainesville’s program was fined $5,000, and Brunswick’s program was placed on probation for the 2026 season, meaning ineligibility for next year’s playoffs.

We sincerely hope that we can make it to, and through, December 13, without anything close to this happening here. From players and coaches on the field to fans and even public address announcers in the stands, everyone is accountable to make these final few weeks of high school football memorable for the right reasons.