> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.richmonder.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # High school football: Trojans' turnaround is picking up steam - URL: https://www.richmonder.org/high-school-football-trojans-turnaround-is-picking-up-steam/ - Published: 2026-10-05T01:59:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T02:02:06.000Z - Description: Fifth-ranked Midlothian is making a habit of beating previously unbeaten teams - Author: Rob Witham - Tags: Sports Last year, Midlothian lost to Huguenot and Manchester by a combined score of 100-7\. This year, the Trojans circled these games for playoffs preparation. They seem very ready. Another week, another win over a previously unbeaten team as Midlo bested Manchester 34-30 in the most exciting game of a very entertaining Week 6 of the high school football season. The Trojans were coming off a 17-7 win over Huguenot the previous week to hand the Falcons their first loss. In Eastern Henrico, Highland Springs destroyed Phoebus, while Varina went into overtime with two-time defending 4A North Carolina state champion Grimsley before the Whirlies survived 24-17\. Meanwhile Thomas Dale outslugged Meadowbrook 7-3 to stay unbeaten, Thomas Jefferson exacted revenge on Heritage-Lynchburg, Armstrong improved to 5-0 by defeating Henrico, and Trinity Episcopal throttled Blue Ridge 34-14 to continue its winning ways. Check out the complete Week 6 scoreboard and the latest RVA Sports Network Super 12 Poll below. [RVA Sports Network![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/icon/favicon-8a43bfab-665b-493e-8326-e916ff439ffe.ico)robwitham![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/thumbnail/RVA-logo_opt-62fc03f7-e9a7-4bc5-b9a0-0216030e36aa.png)](https://rvasportsnetwork.blogspot.com/) ### Week 6 standouts **Gibson Gross, Midlothian:** The Trojans’ quarterback ran for four scores and threw for another, collecting 328 total yards while breathing a sigh of relief as the Midlo defense stopped Manchester late to seal the 34-30 triumph. **Dior Barnes, Manchester:** Against a Midlothian defense that shut out Huguenot a week earlier, Barnes carried the rock 27 times for 221 yards and three touchdowns for the Lancers. **Aadyn Allen, Armstrong:** The Wildcats’ rushing attack is bruising, but their defense is quietly speaking volumes. Allen registered nine tackles, one sack and an interception in Armstrong’s 24-6 win at Henrico. **Ar’King Holloway, Hopewell:** A freshman quarterback who plays like a grown man, Holloway tore through Dinwiddie for 256 rushing yards and three touchdowns, adding 96 yards through the air as the Blue Devils tallied 40 or more points for the fourth straight game in routing the Generals 47-14. **Dustin Nelson, Louisa:** Savion who? The post-Hiter era is in good hands in The Jungle as Nelson scored three of his four rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to lead the Lions past Charlottesville 51-7\. Nelson has 797 yards and nine scores as Louisa (5-0) is the lone remaining unbeaten in Region 4B. ### Unsung heroes **Terrell Bailey Jr., Rasean Jones Jr., and Teriq Drew, Petersburg:** Early in the Crimson Wave’s 46-8 win over Matoaca, all three defenders were relentless in forcing a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown by Tymarion Pope that set the tone for the night. **Nathaniel Jackson and Joseph Carter, Glen Allen:** Midway through the fourth quarter up 21-7, Jackson ended a Deep Run comeback threat with an interception near midfield, while Carter sped past Jackson and executed a key block to spring his teammate to the end zone and seal the eventual 28-14 victory. ### Game of the week **Hanover (4-1) at Mechanicsville (4-1), Friday, 7 p.m.:** It’s the biggest game to be played in Mustang Country this decade. Both teams are just behind Louisa, Varina and Huguenot in Region 4B, so, not only is this battle for playoff hopes, it could decide whether a team hosts a quarterfinal in November or has to travel. The quarterbacks, Camden Metzger of Mechanicsville and Joel Nicholson of Hanover, can generate a ton of offense. Metzger has his top receiving weapon in Damarion Wiggins while Nicholson is missing his as Kayden Hughes continues to rehab an injury suffered against Atlee. ### Other games we’re watching **No. 11 Douglas Freeman (4-1) at Thomas Jefferson, Friday, 7 p.m., Hovey Field, Virginia Union:** The Vikings will be coming off the finish of their game with Armstrong on Monday that was suspended Sept. 3 at halftime due to heat issues. The Mavericks got to rest some starters in their win over J.R. Tucker. TeeJay’s defense has come alive after giving up 47 points to Hopewell in their lone loss thus far. **L.C. Bird (3-3) at No. 7 Manchester (5-1), Friday, 7 p.m.:** The Lancers will try to bounce back from their loss to Midlothian while keeping their eye on Thomas Dale, who sit atop Region 6A. But with a win, the Skyhawks would vault into the conversation for at least third place in the region, and they’ll only have three games remaining after this one. ### Game under the radar **Collegiate (5-0) at Benedictine (2-3), Friday, 4 p.m.:** This is the biggest test yet for the Cougars. It’s always a tough environment for the visitors at Bobby Ross Stadium, and this will be no different as the Cadets, who are coming off their bye week needing wins to secure a return to the VISAA postseason. ### Beyond the headlines **– The young guns:** You can excuse No. 12 Hopewell for coming out of the gate sluggish. After all, scheduling perennial power Highland Springs for your opening game presents a daunting task. The lessons learned from that late August night have served Blue Devils coach Ricky Irby and his talented squad well. Hopewell is fronted by freshman quarterback Ar’King Holloway and has piled up 183 points in four straight wins ahead of Friday’s home game with Colonial Heights. “It really started in January,” Irby told The Richmonder on Friday. “Our kids just did an awesome job. We revamped our weight training program, installed a new offense, and the kids have just really worked their tails off.” That’s quite a bit of change for a truly community high school football team with a coach entering his 17th season. What was the driving factor? “One of our biggest takeaways from last year, being a (Class) 3 school, we play a lot of kids both ways,” Irby explained. “We felt like we needed to be obviously more conditioned, but we needed to be physically stronger. Not only that, we needed to generate more mental toughness.” With a Central District schedule that features Class 6 teams Thomas Dale, Meadowbrook and Prince George and Matoaca from Class 5, those elements are a must. Hopewell is conditioning, through the body and the brain, for every fourth quarter they play. Irby slyly realizes that Holloway, whom he described as not well known outside their circle before the season, is on everyone’s radar now. “Throwing the ball and running the ball, he’s special,” Irby noted. “We’ve had some good players come through here. He’s got a chance to be right there with those guys.” At 5-7 last season, the Blue Devils are coming off a rare losing season, and they are poised to complete a turnaround. “They’re just focused,” Irby said. “We just finished watching film and to have their attention so dialed in, and it helps when you’re winning games and they see the results of all the hard work. A lot of hours go into a Friday night, just being prepared for it. To see the results paying off for our guys, it makes them a little more focused.” **– Playoff races:** If the VHSL follows the lead of last year, we should see official standings from the 24 state regions early this week. In 2025, the league stopped releasing football standings, handing the responsibility to region directors. Until then, it was the only sport where the VHSL handled standings and power point calculations. The headlines to expect? No. 3 Thomas Dale will top Region 6A with No. 7 Manchester and, yes, Oscar Smith, closely behind. No. 2 Highland Springs and No. 5 Midlothian have emerged as the top two teams in Region 5C, but Patrick Henry-Roanoke and James River are also 5-1 with weaker schedules thus far, No. 11 Douglas Freeman is 4-1, with Glen Allen and No. 10 Hermitage, who square off next Friday, at 4-2. As mentioned earlier, Louisa sits atop Region 4B as the lone unbeaten. After No. 1 Varina, No. 9 Huguenot, Mechanicsville and Hanover, it’s a jumbled mess. Six teams, including Dinwiddie, Patrick Henry and Monacan, are fighting for the final three slots, with four additional teams, including Atlee and Caroline, ready to pounce. No. 6 Petersburg, No. 12 Hopewell and Tabb are separating themselves in Region 3A. Colonial Heights and Booker T. Washington are falling after consecutive losses. The outlook in Region 2A will change Monday night on Cool Lane with the conclusion of Armstrong-Thomas Jefferson. A win by the eighth-ranked Wildcats would make them 6-0 and with a great shot to be atop the rankings. Central Lunenburg also is unbeaten in the region. **– Dodging the bullet:** Imagine this. You’re ahead by four points late in a game and, as the quarterback, you’re trying to slam the door shut. Midlothian’s Gibson Gross faced that scenario against Manchester on Friday. Your top priority? Ball control. So what happens? As our Ben Cates reported, the Lancers’ defense forced Gross to cough up the football at his own 18\. Now you’re helplessly watching, praying your defense bails you out. What goes through your mind? We asked Gross. “I’m not going to lie, I was terrified. We had fought so hard to come back, and the last thing I wanted was for it to be all for naught,” Gross recalled, adding an interesting pivot. “However, when I think of it, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! Year after year, our defense has shut down stellar offenses, and really our motto for this game was bend, don’t break. I trusted my brothers to make a play with all my heart.” More on the moment of elation for Midlothian, and relief for Gross personally, in a moment. ### They said it “We’ve had some really good moments, but we know we have to eliminate mistakes, stay disciplined, and continue to get better each week. We know the second half of the season is going to be a big challenge, so we have to stay hungry.” – Mechanicsville senior quarterback Camden Metzger, discussing bye-week priorities ahead of hosting Hanover on Friday. The Mustangs haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 “At some point in a game you just have to stop thinking and be an athlete. The touchdown was exactly that.” – Midlothian quarterback Gibson Gross, analyzing his 46-yard scamper that gave the Trojans the lead for good against Manchester “I’m biased, but I think it’s the toughest district in the state.” – Hopewell coach Ricky Irby discussing the gauntlet that is the Central District ### Our final play On a fifth-grade field trip to Washington, D.C., in 1978, my social studies teacher handed me a really nice camera, sending me on my first photography adventure. I always tell people that I’m a picture taker, not a photographer, and I have an incredible respect for those who have earned the latter tag. While enjoying our coverage of Friday’s games here at The Richmonder, a picture caught my eye. At the conclusion of Ben Cates’ wonderful chronicling of the Midlothian-Manchester game, Ryan M. Kelly perfectly encompassed the emotion that exploded along the sideline at Midlothian’s Poates Stadium as the clock reached 0:00. Two students mob a Trojans player. But in the age of the selfie and the influencer-planned “photograph”, this picture breaks through. You look at the smile on the player’s face. It says everything. I love the story of a team, and a program, breaking through to new heights. Midlothian is certainly such a story in 2026\. It carries me back to two other breakthrough memories for high school football programs that I witnessed. The first, in December 2015, was when my daughter shot the moment coach Loren Johnson brought his Highland Springs Springers onto the field at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. There, after years of disappointment, Highland Springs finally won its first on-field state championship. The confidence shown in that moment, in hindsight, proved the Springers wouldn’t be denied that day. The picture not taken but seared into my mind’s eye, took place outside the Springers’ locker room after the game as quarterback Juwan “Pootie” Carter sat in the middle of the tunnel, overcome with emotion at what was just accomplished. The other time travel took me to November 1982\. On the cover of the now-defunct Hanover Herald-Progress was a picture of first-year Patrick Henry coach Ray Long being carried off the field after completing a 7-3 season with a victory over Douglas Freeman. The Patriots had been also-rans for more than a decade before Long’s arrival. He previously had been the coach across the road at Liberty Junior High School. And, in the autumn of 1982, I moved schools, too, becoming a Patriots sophomore. I wouldn’t become a broadcaster for another year, so I got to enjoy this renaissance season as just a fan. I vividly remember storming the field when Patrick Henry upset the then-consolidated power Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe 3-0. Longtime high school football fans know the rest of the story. Long reached the playoffs in Year 2 and won a state championship in 1994, retiring in 2009 with 228 career victories. But it was the first seven wins, encapsulated in that one photograph, that were the foundation of all that was to come. For the young men in Kelly’s wonderful shot from Friday night, I only hope that, decades from now, you’ll remember the elation and the emotion of that moment. You are etched forever in Midlothian history.