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# Was that one of Richmond's greatest weeks of high school football ever?
- URL: https://www.richmonder.org/was-that-one-of-richmonds-greatest-weeks-of-high-school-football-ever/
- Published: 2026-09-06T22:38:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-06T22:38:49.000Z
- Description: With games ending with scores from 55-33 to 3-2, Week 2 was certainly one for the record books.
- Author: Rob Witham
- Tags: Sports

It would not be hyperbole to say that Week 2 of the regular season for high school football ranks among the greatest ever throughout the Richmond area. Consider this:

Class 4 state champion Varina went to Class 5 state champion Maury, took the lead, waited out a weather delay, watched the Commodores come back to force overtime, then answered a Maury touchdown with one of their own, capped off by a game-winning two-point conversion from Kaleb Wyche to avenge a 2025 loss in a 35-34 classic.

A year after starting their season flat in a home loss to St. Christopher’s, Huguenot went to Highland Springs and delivered a masterful performance, winning 28-7 with the only Springer points coming in the fourth quarter.

L.C. Bird looked primed to end a losing streak in the Battle of Chester dating back to 2018, but the Dark Zone defense of Thomas Dale announced their presence in a 24-6 victory.

Trinity Episcopal made an even bigger statement by shutting down, and shutting out, defending Division I private school champion and bitter rival Benedictine 7-0 to send both teams to 1-1 starts.

Then there was the scary situation which unfolded in the stifling heat and humidity at Armstrong, where the Wildcats took a 17-14 lead thanks to a late field goal into the locker room. And that’s where the game stands. Both teams had players be treated for medical concerns due to the weather, and officials of both schools decided it would be best for everyone’s safety to wait to play the second half.

The Wildcats and Vikings will finish the game on Monday October 5th. Fans at Thursday’s game can use their ticket receipt for admission.

With other games ending with scores from 55-33 to 3-2 (yes, 3-2!) Week 2 was certainly one for the record books. There’s movement in our latest Super 12 Poll, which can be seen here.

[SUPER 12 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Week ThreeOne of the best weeks of regular season high school football created nail-biting finishes, many weather delays, and some surprises! As more…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/icon/favicon-e5e28f4d-3e65-4209-8ae4-04d7decda8e5.ico)robwitham![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/thumbnail/RVA-logo_opt-37726ae0-9794-44eb-bad7-37e356e57272.png)](https://rvasportsnetwork.blogspot.com/2026/09/super-12-high-school-football-rankings.html)

### Standout performances

**Lawrence Hewlett, Prince George:** After a 177-yard performance against Glen Allen, the East Carolina commit rushed for 231 yards in a single quarter in the Royals’ 62-20 win over J.R. Tucker.

**K’Sean Hill, King William:** After accounting for five touchdowns in the Cavaliers’ opening win over Amelia, Hill rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns of 28, 37, and 45 yards, and threw two touchdown passes to Julius Schools, and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score as King William bested Westmoreland to move to 2-0.

**Joel Nicholson and Kayden Hughes, Hanover:** This dynamic duo paired for four touchdowns through the air in the Hawks’ 55-33 win at Monacan. Nicholson ended the game with 246 passing yards on just seven completions and five scores, the other to JK Daniel.

**The Midlothian Offense:** A balanced attack churned out 433 total yards, bouncing back from their struggles at L.C. Bird to get a key road win in Class 5, Region C, 28-14 over Douglas Freeman.

**William Sterling, St. Christopher’s:** Broke the school record with a 48-yard field goal, one of two made in the Saints’ 27-14 triumph over Christchurch.

**Charles Scott Jr. and Iveon Lewis, Huguenot:** It would be impossible not to laud this pair, who led the charge at Highland Springs, Scott throwing for 339 yards and three touchdowns, Lewis catching four balls for 184 yards and two scores, including a 92-yard touchdown that set the pace in the Falcon victory.

### Unsung hero

**Ben Choffel, Louisa:** Another weather-related game came down to a 35-yard field goal attempt by the Lions senior to put Louisa at 2-0 in Class 4, Region B, besting region mate Courtland 17-14.

### Eye opener

**The Colonial Heights Offensive Line:** There were many raised eyebrows after the Colonials opened a 26-0 lead on a talented Caroline squad, eventually winning by a 42-18 count.

Junior tackle Colby English, freshman guard Braden Williams, senior center Noah Doughty, junior guard Declan Clevenger and junior tackle Richard Duke may not comprise the biggest offensive line in the area, but they make up for it in technique and heart. Even when down one running back, they led the Colonial Heights rushing attack to a 374-yard, five-rushing-touchdown performance.

“This offense is unique,” noted Colonials head coach Justin Keeler. “The kids this year, they’re really smart, and they just know their roles. Caroline showed a defense we had not seen at all in our scout film, and it didn’t bother them at all.”

Keeler knows just how tough the road will be as a Central District team, with Petersburg, Prince George, Hopewell and Meadowbrook all on the horizon. But in year two of this new, to him, offensive approach, the traction is there.

“The last two games surprised me as well,” Keeler admitted. “We did well in our scrimmages but didn’t know what to expect.”

Now he does.

### Game of the week

#1 Varina (2-0) at Oscar Smith (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

What do you do for an encore if you’re the Blue Devils? Get back on the bus, return to Interstate 64 and face your second defending state champion in as many weeks in Class 6 winner Oscar Smith. Without their star quarterback Lonnie Andrews III (injured), the Tigers turn to Justice Culler, a freshman. Their rushing attack led the way in a 29-6 lightning-shortened win over Warwick over the weekend. If the Varina defense can stop the run and rattle Culler, they could hit the buses home as happy as they were Friday night.

### Games we're watching

**#12 Trinity Episcopal (1-1) at #5 Hermitage (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.:** It’s amazing how a week can change the perspective of an upcoming matchup. Hermitage bested Henrico but didn’t have the first half performance they were hoping for. The Titans could have sulked over their overtime loss in their opener, but instead clamped down on the Benedictine offense, taking a 7-0 victory. This game is a major step up in opponent strength for the Panthers.

**#4 Highland Springs (1-1) at #6 Dinwiddie (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.:** A third straight home game for Navy Nation as they brace for impact against a Springer team coming off a disappointing loss to Huguenot while bearing the marks of revenge after falling at home to the Generals in overtime last season. This may be a case of the proverbial bear coming in having been poked, multiple times. The first twelve minutes will be key for Dinwiddie, for it would be harder to have to overcome another 14-0 first half deficit as was the case a year ago.

**Douglas Freeman (1-1) at Hanover (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.:** It will be an emotional night as the Hawks plan an evening-long commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. On the field, Kevin Symonds’ Mavericks will look to bounce back after struggling on offense during a 28-14 loss to Midlothian. The defense must contend with Hanover quarterback Joel Nicholson, who played out of his mind in the Hawks’ opener with five touchdown twirls. Hanover has high hopes in Class 4, Region B, and needs wins in games like this to pile up points in the standings.

### Under the radar

Essex (1-1) at King William (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Trojans become the latest team to try to stop the K’Sean Hill express. The senior has 545 yards of total offense in two games. But Essex, having uncharacteristically fallen in their opener to Sussex Central, could, in Class 1, really use a win over a quality Class 2 opponent. Thus, both teams have a lot to play for even in early September. The Trojans can pile up yardage as well.

### Beyond the headlines

–Keep an eye on a pair of “M”’s! Mechanicsville won a slugfest at Goochland Thursday night, using a halfback option play for a touchdown en route to a 28-21 victory. The Mustangs look for their first 3-0 start this decade at J.R. Tucker Friday. Meanwhile, Quinn Tobias’ Meadowbrook Monarchs built a sizable lead, then held off a Kecoughtan charge for a 29-20 win to also improve to 2-0\. After a bye, Meadowbrook travels to Deep Run September 18th.

–Joining Tobias in the 2-0 Club for a new head coach was Bryan Jennings at James River, who has yet to yield a point in two games, handling rival Cosby 6-0\. Next, though, is a Thursday evening trip to #7 Manchester, who are off to a hot start after wins over Monacan and Glen Allen.

–Kudos to all of the officials involved in the decision to postpone the second half of the Armstrong-TeeJay game. With players from both teams, as well as a Viking coach, needing medical assistance, and with no relief in sight from the combination of heat and humidity, it was best to not jeopardize anyone. It’s the second straight season this game was suspended due to weather.

–If you were searching for scores for the opening night of flag football, the games were postponed to later in the season at the request of some teams, and, we suspect, due to the heat and humidity. This Saturday now marks the kickoff for 2026 with four games at Huguenot High School. 

### They said it

“We probably don’t have a superstar, but we have a lot of kids that can do different things, position versatility…the good thing is the fan base is really excited.” – Colonial Heights head coach Justin Keeler.

“Kayden and I have been playing together all of our high school career. I’d say we really started connecting during the offseason going into our junior year. Our numbers are just the result of our offensive execution, with the big guys up front giving me enough time to go through my reads and deliver good passes.” – Hanover quarterback Joel Nicholson reflecting on a five-touchdown performance, four of which were to fellow senior Kaden Hughes.

“It was an audible. We saw the linebacker creeping up, so we checked to a slant. Me being a playmaker caught the ball. Went for 90\. Touchdown.” – Huguenot wideout Iveon Lewis speaking with our Weldon Bradshaw about the opening touchdown pass after the Falcons dominated Highland Springs Friday night.

### Our final play

The latest issue giving school activities directors and principals headaches concerns something not occurring on the football field, but along the boundary.

Since the return of fall high school football in 2021 after the pandemic, we began to see a steady rise in the number of people on the sidelines, many proclaiming themselves members of the “media.”

Front Office Sports [reported this week](http://frontofficesports.com/article/high-school-football-sidelines-clogged-with-creators/) that a recent Texas game that usually garners 10 to 15 members of local and regional media was beset by 70 to 80 other people labeled as photographers or videographers. They also said these “private content creators” are, in Texas, sometimes there because they were hired by players or their parents. Is this happening here? We do not know.

We do know this phenomenon has exploded since 2024, to the point where AD’s are now using two methods in order to keep order on the part of the field where there’s not to be any action. The same is true at high school basketball events.

Many schools now have media members request and be granted access with passes, and only allow a certain number of “media” on the field. Other schools, both here in the Richmond area and in other states, have begun charging a fee for media access.

But let’s separate the wheat from the tares. No one, for example, should ever consider making Lane Casadonte or Sean Robertson have to pay to cover football games for Final Score Friday on CBS 6, nor any other traditional media. We hedge at using the term “traditional” since many use it as a moniker for “old” media (print, television, radio, etc.). Today’s traditional media, how it’s produced and consumed, is not the same as even 20 years ago.

Remember, the media are at an event to cover it. That means game stories, highlights, interviews, and other angles of coverage for the purpose of telling the story of said event. We do not come to create videos for Instagram for a certain student-athlete or to build a TikTok portfolio for ourselves.

My daughter, Rachel, has been chief photographer for the RVA Sports Network since she was in high school in 2013\. Last year at a game, a so-called “media” member left an equipment bag directly in the way of an official, who, preparing for the next down, promptly picked it up, and threw it out of the “no press zone”, and rightfully so.

She has witnessed, as have I from many a press box, people spending as much time rooting for a certain team or goofing off rather than focusing their equipment on the next play.

We suggest that, going forward, the term “media” be exclusively given to entities that follow the long-held standards that earn that moniker. We don’t root for a certain team, we follow the rules of school and in-game officials, and maintain professional protocol at all times. That is what earns the receiving, and keeping of, a media pass. Schools with A/V technology departments and classes should certainly allow eligible students to be there as part of their class grade, and part of growing the next generation.

But whether it is “private content creators” or “influencers”, it’s time to find a term to label this very different group of people using the latest technology for these other reasons and more. Create a different kind of pass for their purposes so school and game officials know the difference. For it’s not the technology that allows one to proclaim one’s self a media member. It’s how, and what, you do with it. 

[WEEK THREE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULEWEEK THREE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10: St. Anne’s-Belfield at Collegiate, 4pm Thomas Jefferson at Amelia, 7pm James River at Manchester, 7pm…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/icon/favicon-31d1d2a1-1c5d-4385-a279-f2e9d83bcf96.ico)robwitham![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/thumbnail/RVA-logo_opt-1fd54bf2-83ba-4cf2-9d81-2d9b86dbea01.png)](https://rvasportsnetwork.blogspot.com/2026/09/week-three-high-school-football-schedule.html)