You blinked, didn’t you?

The high school football regular season is, indeed, complete. Strap in for a five-week sprint that’s been 14 weeks in the making. From January lifts before school to seven-on-sevens in May and scrimmages in mid-August, everything culminates into the ultimate motivator: win or go home.

This week is a deep dive into the region quarterfinal matchups, and a preview of the title game in Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division I.

WEEK 11 STANDOUTS

Hezekiah Anderson, Richmond High School For The Arts: In his final game as a Bulldog, Anderson led a tenacious defense with twelve tackles, four of them for loss, picking up their first win 14-12 over Clover Hill, ending an 18-game losing skid.

Stephen Ankiel, Matoaca: Put this young man on your 2026 season radar. 335 yards and four passing touchdowns helped the Warriors stun rival Meadowbrook, knocking them out of the Class 5, Region C playoffs. Matoaca won three of their last four games after an 0-6 start.

Ben Whitver, Powhatan: The new king of receiving yards in Virginia High School League (VHSL), Whitver racked up a 257-yard performance in his high school finale Friday, breaking the 3,500 yard career mark, 1,004 of them in 2025. Next stop: James Madison.

Anthony Hansom, Armstrong: We watched this young man overcome a slow start, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more with 209 yards of total offense as the Wildcats blanked Mechanicsville 37-0.

UNSUNG HEROES

Patrick Liptrap, Hanover: Though he really shouldn’t be “unsung” by now, this senior must appear on anyone’s first-team all-defense in the Metro Richmond region this year. An absolute ball hawk, the senior forced a fumble along with seven tackles, two for loss and a sack against Highland Springs.

The Hanover Playbook: Despite knowing they were in the playoffs, head coach Sam Rogers and his staff pulled out all the stops, including a successful fake punt inside their own 15, a touchdown pass on a fourth and eighteen, and a halfback option score in an effort that fell just short 30-27 to Highland Springs.

The Douglas Freeman Playbook: Their season on the line, and down 15-0, the Mavericks score on a 90-yard bomb, a flea flicker, force overtime, then punch their ticket into the Class 5, Region C playoff field when lineman Hank Beach scores in overtime to stun Glen Allen 21-18.

PLAYOFF GAME OF THE WEEK

VISAA Division I Championship: #2 Benedictine (10-1) at #1 Trinity Episcopal (9-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

For the fourth time in five years, the Cadets and Titans will decide the state champion in the highest division of Virginia private school football. The Titans won it all in 2021 and 2022, while the Cadets are two-time defending state champs, exacting some revenge in 2023 by defeating Trinity Episcopal, then besting St. Michael the Archangel last year.

The Titans handed the Cadets their only loss two weeks ago in the regular season finale, which also occurred two years ago, only to see Benedictine win the championship game. Can they do it again on Trinity’s home field?

GAMES WE’RE WATCHING

All of them! So, let’s go through the regional quarterfinal schedule by class and region and look at the matchups. All games are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.

Class 6, Region A:

#5 Western Branch at #4 L.C. Bird: The Skyhawks experience their first postseason in Class 6 and, thanks to last week’s win over James River, they make the Bruins hit the bus from Chesapeake to Chester. Ball control, no turnovers and limiting penalties are key to getting L.C. Bird to Oscar Smith next week.

#6 Landstown at #3 Manchester: There’s no shame in losing to Huguenot. And, if the Lancers couldn’t grab that second bye (which went to Thomas Dale), at least Manchester stayed out of the Oscar Smith side of the bracket. A quality performance, which starts with no hangover from last week, will send the Lancers to Chester next Friday.

By the way, 18-7, 40-21, 38-35. Those are the final scores of the last three Thomas Dale postseason losses, all of them to Manchester, all in the last three years.

Class 5, Region C:

#8 Franklin County at #1 Patrick Henry-Roanoke: The top-seeded Patriots, the only unbeaten in this region, defeated the Eagles 36-14 on September 12. It would be a shock if they don’t repeat that performance.

#5 Hermitage at #4 Midlothian: Arguably one of the most intriguing quarterfinals in the Commonwealth. Two teams that almost never see each other. A Midlothian defense that began strong, then got stung by Huguenot and Manchester in Dominion District play, must find a way to defend Andre Clarke in the Panther passing game and slow down Avery Curtis, the star Hermitage running back.

One way to do that? Keep your own offense on the field. Time-consuming drives and no turnovers, especially in your own territory. They are essential for a Midlothian squad playing at home while many consider them the underdog here.

#6 Douglas Freeman at #3 William Fleming: With the way the Mavericks have played the second half of the season, no one should count them out of this one. However, they can’t get down big early. The Colonels have won five straight, giving up just 28 points during that stretch. If Douglas Freeman can make this game a grinder, with minimum possessions and a final score much like last week’s at Glen Allen, they can pull the upset.

#7 Glen Allen at #2 Highland Springs: The Springers enter the postseason in an unusual position. They regressed a bit last week, needing a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the final two minutes to survive Hanover 30-27. Four fumbles given away, an interception, and play that was not to Highland Springs standards.

It will be stunning if they don’t elevate their game, big time, as they welcome the Jaguars, a team that put a scare in them a year ago before falling 23-20 in the Class 6, Region A semis. Both teams came down to Class 5, and, voila, the rematch. 

Class 4, Region B:

#8 Hanover at #1 Dinwiddie: This matchup has a rich playoff history, with the former Group AAA, Division 5 Central Region title road going through these teams in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. The last time out, in 2022, Dinwiddie bested the Hawks 49-12 en route to their second state championship. 

Joel Nicholson threw three touchdown passes in the Highland Springs game a week ago, and now must go toe-to-toe with the Generals’ general, Zion Boisseau. It’s never easy to win at Dinwiddie, but Coach Rogers knows the history, and knows how Billy Mills works. But Mills knows Rogers, too. This could turn out to be a fascinating chess match.

#5 Courtland at #4 Varina: The Blue Devils are playing at a championship level right now. They’re arguably two or three plays away from being 10-0. The Cougars have had a great season, only losing to Louisa in the regular season back in early September. Courtland will need Varina to commit unforced errors and take full advantage of them if they have a hope at the upset.

#6 Spotsylvania at #3 Huguenot: Points allowed by the Falcons to St. Christopher’s in their season opener: 20.

Points allowed by the Falcons in their last nine games: 21.

While Charles Scott, Iveon Lewis and the Huguenot offense is humming on all cylinders, for the Falcons to chase the Class 4 crown, and try to get out of Virginia’s toughest region, it will rest on their defense. And it’s hard to argue that anyone is playing better defense right now. The Knights must find a way to create short fields, and take advantage of any Falcon turnovers.

#7 Caroline at #2 Louisa: The Cavaliers have a lot of talent, and lots of speed. Caroline is an interesting matchup against the 10-0 Lions and may be able to go toe-to-toe with them for a while. 

But Louisa averages 10.5 yards per rushing attempt, thanks to not only the nation’s top running back recruit, Savion Hiter, but also Lavatrell Creasy, who quietly has scored ten touchdowns, rushing for 616 yards in 67 attempts. Caroline may not want this one to turn into a track meet, but it may be their best chance to stun the region, and the Lions.

Class 3, Region A:

#8 Colonial Heights at #1 Lake Taylor: This is exhibit A for those who do not like the current VHSL playoff format, as discussed last week. The Titans will likely overwhelm the Colonials, who enter this game at 1-9. It’s a down season for a usually stronger region. Colonial Heights can still, though, take advantage of an extra week of practice, and begin building for 2026.

#5 Tabb at #4 I.C. Norcom: A 757 battle that could go either way, with the winner likely heading to Lake Taylor.

#6 Hopewell at #3 New Kent: It’s been another disappointing season by Hopewell standards. However, they won’t have to face Highland Springs, Thomas Dale or Dinwiddie in the region playoffs. 

What they will have to do is stop a gritty, gutsy Trojan squad that began the year 1-2 before ripping off six wins in their last seven. Only a 13-12 heartbreaker to Warhill kept them from being 8-2. First-year head coach Scott Girolmo has molded this group of young men quickly, and there won’t be any motivation necessary for a team playing at home after their first seven-win regular season since 2003.

#7 York at #2 Petersburg: Maybe the biggest feel good story this season comes from the south. While Meadowbrook took all the early headlines in this category, the Crimson Wave’s 36-0 pasting of the Monarchs down the stretch was critical in Petersburg earning the number two seed.

However, the Wave will need more consistency from their offense to make a deep playoff run, breaking the 30-point mark only once (Meadowbrook) over their last eight games, averaging just under 20 per contest during that time. 

Class 3, Region B:

#7 Goochland at #2 Culpeper: The lone area team in this eight-team region field, the Bulldogs are in rebuild mode, but picked up a big win in their finale 34-14 over Charlottesville. Culpeper has won two of their last three, both over playoff teams in James Monroe and Caroline.

Class 2, Region A:

#8 Nottoway at #1 Armstrong: The Wildcats are fresh off their first-ever 10-0 regular season. Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt got back to Cool Lane last Thursday night, went to the white board, and wrote “0-0” across it, for sure. Armstrong needs a quicker start on offense than they had at Mechanicsville, and should be ready for a Cougar squad that will provide physicality from both lines. Nottoway knows that they can’t allow Hansom and company to crank things up. That’s why the Wildcats need to crank it up early.

#5 King William vs. #4 Thomas Jefferson: This contest will be held at Hovey Field at Virginia Union. The Vikings’ number one priority is to find a way to slow down the Cavalier running back sensation K’Sean Hill. Hill finished the regular season with 133 carries for 1,437 yards and 21 touchdowns, including a 417-yard performance against Mecklenburg. 

The Cavaliers have put up 48 points or more in their last five games, all victories. The Vikings, however, does have a defense that, when playing well, can stymie opponents. Despite their loss at Hermitage last week, people were shocked at the 9-7 final score. 

The Vikings cannot (neither can Armstrong) overlook this week’s opponent, pining for a rematch between rivals. Keeping Hill in check will go a long way toward doing so.

NOTE: The other half of the Region 2A bracket sees #7 Greensville at #2 Poquoson, while #6 Southampton travel to #3 Central-Lunenburg.

THEY SAID IT:

“I believe we have the best defense in the state,” Huguenot head coach Charles Scott to the media following their 27-7 win over Manchester.

“10-0 is a good feeling, but it means nothing. It’s just practice for the next five,” Armstrong head coach Jeremy Pruitt on the field after a 37-0 win at Mechanicsville.

“The biggest thing I saw tonight was communication on the defensive side, and grit on the offensive side. We went into a power set and we punched it, we pounded it,” Pruitt when asked what he saw out of his Armstrong team in the victory.

OUR FINAL PLAY:

For many teams, their hopes of a championship run came to an end last Friday night. Instagram was filled over the past week with photos of senior football players waxing poetic over how quickly their career had come, and suddenly gone.

I was a theatre kid in high school. My sports career was as a public address announcer. I’ll never forget as we approached the performance week of my first major production, our director warned us of a post-production depression that can occur.

After weeks of four, sometimes five nights of rehearsal, followed by the euphoric high of actual performances, the week after the curtain closed felt like the world had ended in my then 15-year old brain.

Please keep in mind that for almost every player who heard their final whistle last week, that they won’t don that uniform that meant so much to them ever again, and likely won’t play football at an organized level again, either.

For those especially who have been playing since youth league, it’s a jarring reality. Football teaches so many lessons about life, about succeeding in society, as a person, a spouse, a parent, a community member. 

It’s about sacrifice, going to battle, doing things for others that you wouldn’t do even for yourself. And, maybe more than anything, football reminds us that what we do, our work ethic, when no one is watching, is just as important as what we do on third down.

So, to a senior whose gridiron days just ended, I suggest a hug, a congratulations for a job well done, and, if they are struggling with navigating life without it, well, just sit down, and listen.