Firstly, let's start off with a new round of power rankings
1: Oscar Smith
2: Madison
3: Freedom
4: Battlefield
5: Centreville
6: West Potomac
7: South County
8: Western Branch
Yeah, I know Western Branch is like 10-2 or something, but a one-off win against Manchester by two points doesn't mean that the 48-0 loss to Oscar Smith a couple of weeks ago is going to change. West Po is ranked above SoCo because of the head-to-head, and I'll bite the bullet and put Freedom ahead of Battlefield
Region A
To me, the WB win over Manchester was a surprise, as I didn't expect WB to win that one at all. I'm still not great with the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region, so IDK if this was expected, but for me before the game, WB hadn't shown a high ceiling against good teams, as all of their wins were against teams under .650. That being said, their two losses were to Smith and King's Fork, so I wasn't quite sure what to make of them. I'm not quite sure whether either team had a good or bad game yesterday, or whether one team was simply better than the other (I'm sure 757 can enlighten me), but it was a surprise to see WB moving on. That being said, Smith is still Smith, and despite 757's concerns, the Tigers are going to the Region A Championship with barely a scratch inflicted by Cosby or James River. I don't see this game being any different than the one in the regular season, and I still have Oscar Smith as the favorite to win it all.
Region B
Alright, it's come down to the matchup everyone's been expecting. I've ranked Battlefield over Freedom in the past simply because of the 0 in the BF loss column, but I think this might be the week that changes. Freedom has a stellar offense and defense combination, and it'll be hard to stop their offense especially, but the Bobcats have shown they can play on defense, having allowed the 3rd least amount of points out of anybody in 6A. Battlefield's offense is the main question. Large offensive wins over Unity Reed, Osbourn, and Patriot have shown that they can play on a high level, but Freedom's defense has been shutting down pretty much everything in its path, and if you exclude the Stone Bridge game, they've allowed only 11 points per game. That being said, both of these teams have shown weaknesses. Freedom's was the loss to Gar-Field, which the Bobcats should look to for inspiration on how to stop the high-flying Eagle offense, and Battlefield has had close games with Patriot (42-41) and John Champe (27-24), the Champe game especially so. Both teams are producing on a high level this season, and if I wasn't in Lorton next Friday, I would be watching this game. Speaking of Lorton, that brings us to...
Region C
I love my region. Region A: 1 vs 2. Region B: 1 vs 2. Region D: 1 vs 2. Region C: 4 vs 6. One of the main things that has been said about Region C is how a lot of the good teams are evenly matched, and I think that these two teams are great examples of that. SoCo has lost to Lake Braddock and West Po but still can beat West Springfield twice, admittedly closer than expected the second time, and Robinson as well to reach the championship. West Po has 4 losses on the schedule, although all of them were to teams that made the playoffs, although none of them are still in the playoffs currently. Wins over AC, SoCo, Fairfax, and Lake Braddock have proven that the Wolverines can compete on the highest level and win in Region C. I also get a treat as a West Po fan, which is another trip down to Lorton to meet the Stallions on their own turf again to prove that we are the best team. Let's start with SoCo. From what the box score looks like (I haven't had a chance to watch the game yet), Robinson controlled the 1st quarter, but SoCo won with the rushing game and won the turnover battle to tie it at 28 in the 4th. One deep pass and an interception later, SoCo wins a hard-fought battle 34-28. While it is good to see the SoCo offense back, this is still a team that put up just 21 points against a stellar Wolverine defensive performance. Now, I can't speak on players that didn't play in that game, but West Po's trick to winning that game was the pass rush. SoCo didn't have a QB that could make plays out of the pocket, so the pass rush allowed 4 sacks and a safety by the West Po defense. The second key to the Wolverines' win was a rock-solid rush defense. Against teams without a running QB, the Wolverines allow very few rushing yards, and allowed just 38 to the Stallions all game (this does include sack yard losses). SoCo does have players back from injury, but so does West Po. If you want to see more about that last game, go read my reply to the "West Potomac over South County" thread, as it gives a more in-depth view of my thoughts on that game. As for the Wolverines, they have as of late gotten their starting quarterback #7 Owen Joachim (OJ) back from injury, allowing their previous QB #2 George Stamos to return to his usual position at WR. This also allows for Stamos to run plays at QB when running the option, a system especially helpful on the goal line. Aside from that, 1st team all-district RB #21 Emmanuel Annor is still an absolute beast, and stopping him is so difficult that for the first quarter of the LB game, West Potomac attempted only one passing play. The offense has certainly ramped up recently, but the defense is the reason why they win games, and over the last two games the Wolverines have allowed very few offensive yards, although they do have trouble when up 14+ in the second half, as they allow big plays then. The team's biggest strength is their fans, and this is shown by West Po having almost as many fans as LB in Burke yesterday, as well as an ample showing in SoCo and Fairfax. The Wolverines right now have to potential to beat any team, but can they put it all together? We'll have to see.
Region D
Not much to say here. A dominant win by Madison and a solid one by Centreville sets up the matchup everyone knew was coming. While the game last time was a 21-17 Madison win over Centreville, I don't see it being that close this time. Madison's been on a tear as of late, and Centreville has looked mortal. That being said, anything can happen, and this will also be an interesting game to watch.
Overall, should be a fun Friday this week, and I'll be looking forward to seeing who wins their region and goes to states.
1: Oscar Smith
2: Madison
3: Freedom
4: Battlefield
5: Centreville
6: West Potomac
7: South County
8: Western Branch
Yeah, I know Western Branch is like 10-2 or something, but a one-off win against Manchester by two points doesn't mean that the 48-0 loss to Oscar Smith a couple of weeks ago is going to change. West Po is ranked above SoCo because of the head-to-head, and I'll bite the bullet and put Freedom ahead of Battlefield
Region A
To me, the WB win over Manchester was a surprise, as I didn't expect WB to win that one at all. I'm still not great with the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region, so IDK if this was expected, but for me before the game, WB hadn't shown a high ceiling against good teams, as all of their wins were against teams under .650. That being said, their two losses were to Smith and King's Fork, so I wasn't quite sure what to make of them. I'm not quite sure whether either team had a good or bad game yesterday, or whether one team was simply better than the other (I'm sure 757 can enlighten me), but it was a surprise to see WB moving on. That being said, Smith is still Smith, and despite 757's concerns, the Tigers are going to the Region A Championship with barely a scratch inflicted by Cosby or James River. I don't see this game being any different than the one in the regular season, and I still have Oscar Smith as the favorite to win it all.
Region B
Alright, it's come down to the matchup everyone's been expecting. I've ranked Battlefield over Freedom in the past simply because of the 0 in the BF loss column, but I think this might be the week that changes. Freedom has a stellar offense and defense combination, and it'll be hard to stop their offense especially, but the Bobcats have shown they can play on defense, having allowed the 3rd least amount of points out of anybody in 6A. Battlefield's offense is the main question. Large offensive wins over Unity Reed, Osbourn, and Patriot have shown that they can play on a high level, but Freedom's defense has been shutting down pretty much everything in its path, and if you exclude the Stone Bridge game, they've allowed only 11 points per game. That being said, both of these teams have shown weaknesses. Freedom's was the loss to Gar-Field, which the Bobcats should look to for inspiration on how to stop the high-flying Eagle offense, and Battlefield has had close games with Patriot (42-41) and John Champe (27-24), the Champe game especially so. Both teams are producing on a high level this season, and if I wasn't in Lorton next Friday, I would be watching this game. Speaking of Lorton, that brings us to...
Region C
I love my region. Region A: 1 vs 2. Region B: 1 vs 2. Region D: 1 vs 2. Region C: 4 vs 6. One of the main things that has been said about Region C is how a lot of the good teams are evenly matched, and I think that these two teams are great examples of that. SoCo has lost to Lake Braddock and West Po but still can beat West Springfield twice, admittedly closer than expected the second time, and Robinson as well to reach the championship. West Po has 4 losses on the schedule, although all of them were to teams that made the playoffs, although none of them are still in the playoffs currently. Wins over AC, SoCo, Fairfax, and Lake Braddock have proven that the Wolverines can compete on the highest level and win in Region C. I also get a treat as a West Po fan, which is another trip down to Lorton to meet the Stallions on their own turf again to prove that we are the best team. Let's start with SoCo. From what the box score looks like (I haven't had a chance to watch the game yet), Robinson controlled the 1st quarter, but SoCo won with the rushing game and won the turnover battle to tie it at 28 in the 4th. One deep pass and an interception later, SoCo wins a hard-fought battle 34-28. While it is good to see the SoCo offense back, this is still a team that put up just 21 points against a stellar Wolverine defensive performance. Now, I can't speak on players that didn't play in that game, but West Po's trick to winning that game was the pass rush. SoCo didn't have a QB that could make plays out of the pocket, so the pass rush allowed 4 sacks and a safety by the West Po defense. The second key to the Wolverines' win was a rock-solid rush defense. Against teams without a running QB, the Wolverines allow very few rushing yards, and allowed just 38 to the Stallions all game (this does include sack yard losses). SoCo does have players back from injury, but so does West Po. If you want to see more about that last game, go read my reply to the "West Potomac over South County" thread, as it gives a more in-depth view of my thoughts on that game. As for the Wolverines, they have as of late gotten their starting quarterback #7 Owen Joachim (OJ) back from injury, allowing their previous QB #2 George Stamos to return to his usual position at WR. This also allows for Stamos to run plays at QB when running the option, a system especially helpful on the goal line. Aside from that, 1st team all-district RB #21 Emmanuel Annor is still an absolute beast, and stopping him is so difficult that for the first quarter of the LB game, West Potomac attempted only one passing play. The offense has certainly ramped up recently, but the defense is the reason why they win games, and over the last two games the Wolverines have allowed very few offensive yards, although they do have trouble when up 14+ in the second half, as they allow big plays then. The team's biggest strength is their fans, and this is shown by West Po having almost as many fans as LB in Burke yesterday, as well as an ample showing in SoCo and Fairfax. The Wolverines right now have to potential to beat any team, but can they put it all together? We'll have to see.
Region D
Not much to say here. A dominant win by Madison and a solid one by Centreville sets up the matchup everyone knew was coming. While the game last time was a 21-17 Madison win over Centreville, I don't see it being that close this time. Madison's been on a tear as of late, and Centreville has looked mortal. That being said, anything can happen, and this will also be an interesting game to watch.
Overall, should be a fun Friday this week, and I'll be looking forward to seeing who wins their region and goes to states.
