Pitt @ UNC
Appy St @ Marsh
KS @ AZ ST
MO @ TXAM
TT @ AZ
BC @ UVA
Duke @ GT
MS @ SC
Clem @ FSU
TN @ AR
IA @ OH ST
AUB @ GA
WV @ OK ST*
MI @ WA*

DAL @ PIT*
NO @ KC*
CLE @ WA
IN @ JAX
MIA @ NE
GB @ LAR
BAL @ CIN
LV @ DEN
AZ @ SF
MN @ NYJ

*GOW 2 pts each

Doug Roper, who coached Tabb High wrestling for 34 seasons, dies at 68

Highland Springs Springers
28
Final
Riverbend Bears
7

Brooke Point (-7) @ Stafford
Lewis @ Edison (-6)
Justice @ Mount Vernon (-30)
West Potomac @ Fairfax (-17)
Madison (-28) @ South County
Centreville @ Yorktown (-10)
South Lakes @ Chantilly (-7)
Wakefield @ Westfield (-35)
Marshall @ Langley (-6)
Washington-Liberty (-3) @ Herndon

Greetings from Beard-DeLong-Easley Field at Oscar Smith High School, where tonight it's the Tigers (3-0) playing host to the visiting Nansemond River Warriors (2-0).

We'll have updates all evening long for you here on the Blog and via Twitter or 'X' @hatfieldsports

Before we get to that, my 757 Saturday Sports Talk Podcast partner on CoVA Sports TV, Coach Ed Young, and I disagree on who wins this one tonight...


Nansemond River (2-0) at Oscar Smith (3-0) . . .

A year ago, the Warriors of Nansemond River rolled up 475 total yards with 242 through the air and 233 on the ground on its way to beating Oscar Smith 42-28. It ended a 19-game losing streak in the head-to-head series with the Tigers, who hadn’t lost to Nansemond River prior since 2002. A couple of players that found the end zone for the Warriors in that game, such as Taivon Douglas and Josiah Johnson, will be on the field in this one, but the same can be said for Oscar Smith, which got a 90-yard kickoff return to the house from Buffalo commit Alvin ‘Trey’ Jones that night to go with his 51-yard scoring reception.

We’ve got ourselves a nice quarterback duel here between Nansemond River’s Tyrell Grant Jr. (36 of 48 for 393 yards, 6-1 TD/Int. ratio) and Oscar Smith sophomore triggerman Lonnie Andrews III, who has connected on 27 of 48 passes for 397 yards and a 4-2 TD/Int. ratio. Each has a host of supporting weapons in the playmaker depart with Melvin Brown over 200 yards rushing already, while Oscar Smith’s thunder and lightning combo of Brandon Nesbit and Ty’jae Curtis has produced 430 yards on the ground with 8 TD’s.

Xavier Gresham and Calvin Holloway have combined for seven sacks for a Warriors team that is becoming more and more physical on each side of the ball. They’ve given up just 21 points through two wins, over Bethel and Deep Creek. Meanwhile, the Oscar Smith defense has yielded 22 points with a recent shutout of Great Bridge and they have playmakers at each level, including two highly regarded DB’s already headed to the next level in Jahmari DeLoatch (Cincinnati) and Jaden Dabbs (Army).

For Nansemond River to beat Oscar Smith for a second straight year, it’s going to require their offensive line keeping the pocket clean for Grant and keeping the Smith receiving talent on the perimeter, such as Jones and big-time junior talent Travis Johnson, at bay.

Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 30-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Nansemond River 28-24

WEEK 5:
Final Scores from the fifth full week of the 2024 Virginia High School Football season - from Thursday, September 26, 2024 through Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - can be seen below...

Thursday, September 26, 2024:
Alleghany 27, Radford 9
Altavista 64, William Campbell 13
Amherst County 18, E.C. Glass 0
Battlefield 63, Freedom-South Riding 7
Broadway 41, Rockbridge County 0
Brookville 41, Liberty-Bedford 20
Dinwiddie 22, Hopewell 7
Eastern View 42, Caroline 21
Floyd County 46, James River-Buchanan 12
Fluvanna 52, Charlottesville 13
Fort Defiance 21, Madison County 13
Franklin 18, Windsor 8
GW-Danville 17, Staunton River 13
Greensville County 36, Sussex Central 28
Gretna 20, Appomattox 7
Halifax County 26, Bassett 12
Hickory 21, Great Bridge 20
Jefferson Forest 28, Rustburg 7
King’s Fork 32, Nansemond River 27
Liberty Christian 34, Heritage (Lynchburg) 27
Lloyd Bird 57, Richmond City School of the Arts 0
Lord Botetourt 72, Rocktown 0
Louisa 40, Western Albemarle 0
Magna Vista 47, Tunstall 8
Manchester 37, James River 13
Meadowbrook 14, Petersburg 7
Menchville 37, Kecoughtan 0
Monticello 34, Goochland 14
Oscar Smith 49, Grassfield 0
Page County 27, Stonewall Jackson 12
Salem 41, Patrick Henry-Roanoke 24
Southampton 59, Lakeland 0
Spotswood 46, William Monroe 0
Staunton 21, Stuarts Draft 14
Strasburg 28, King William 17
Thomas Dale 35, Prince George 6

Friday, September 27, 2024:
Alexandria City 22, C. G. Woodson 0
Atlee 17, Hanover 7
Bayside 21, Landstown 6
Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot 18, Broadwater Academy 16
Brentsville 28, Meridian 14
Broad Run 31, Dominion 12
Bruton 35, Grafton 6
Centreville 7, Oakton 0
Cosby 32, Clover Hill 0
Douglas Freeman 42, Deep Run 0
Essex def. King & Queen, forfeit (2-0)
Forest Park 42, Potomac 7
Frank Cox 42, Kellam 0
Gainesville 80, Osbourn Park 0
Gar-Field 74, Freedom-Woodbridge 0
George Marshall 42, McLean 3
Good Counsel, Md. 48, Stone Bridge 10
Green Run 24, Kempsville 7
Hayfield 63, South County 0
Hermitage 31, Mills Godwin 0
Highland Springs 28, Riverbend 7
Isle of Wight Academy 26, Washington, Md. 14
James Madison 43, Chantilly 13
James Robinson 36, West Potomac 27
John Champe 49, Heritage-Leesburg 21
King George 50, James Monroe 0
Lafayette 47, Smithfield 0
Lake Braddock 35, Fairfax 21
Langley 38, Lightridge 13
Loudoun County 17, Loudoun Valley 14, OT
Mount Vernon 51, John R. Lewis 0
Mountain View 21, Massaponax 0
Norfolk Academy 35, Fork Union Prep 0
North Stafford 34, Brooke Point 20
Ocean Lakes 64, Princess Anne 7
Patrick Henry-Ashland 33, Mechanicsville 16
Patriot 56, Unity Reed 7
Rappahannock 72, Middlesex 16
Rock Ridge 37, Luray 30
Salem-Va. Beach 62, First Colonial 7
Sherando 58, Liberty-Bealeton 7
Spotsylvania 39, Chancellor 14
St. Anne’s-Belfield 41, Hargrave Military 19
Stafford 35, Colonial Forge 31
Tuscarora 30, Potomac Falls 0
Varina 40, Henrico 7
Wakefield 34, Edison 26
Warren County 14, Fauquier 7
Washington-Liberty 49, Falls Church 14
West Springfield 29, Yorktown 28, OT
Westfield 71, Justice 0
Westmoreland 26, Nandua 0
Woodbridge 53, C.D. Hylton 2
Woodgrove 54, Park View-Sterling 0

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS=
North Cross vs. Blue Ridge School, ccd.

Saturday, September 28, 2024:
Armstrong 90, Manassas Park 0
Atlantic Shores 27, Nansemond-Suffolk 0
Benedictine 14, St. Christopher's 7
Buffalo Gap 51, Waynesboro 20
Carroll County 21, Patrick County 0
Christiansburg 26, Pulaski County 6
Churchland 50, Norview 0
Courtland 34, Culpeper 0
Fishburne Military 22, Randolph-Macon Academy 12
Fort Chiswell 36, Eastern Montgomery 14
Fredericksburg Christian 42, St. John Paul the Great 0
George Wythe 28, Rural Retreat 18
Graham 27, Virginia High 14
Granby 77, Booker T. Washington 0
Grundy 42, Honaker 8
Hampton 48, Denbigh 14
Herndon 26, South Lakes 14
Holston 48, Hurley 24
Huguenot 36, Powhatan 17
Indian River 49, Deep Creek 10
John Handley 57, James Wood 16
Kettle Run 62, Skyline 0
Lancaster 64, Arcadia 62, 4OT
Landon, Md. 44, Bishop O'Connell 10
Matoaca 34, Colonial Heights 0
Maury 62, Lake Taylor 0
Orange County 43, Albemarle 20
Paul VI Catholic 20, Collegiate-Richmond 7
Phoebus 56, Bethel 21
Poquoson 28, Tabb 21
Princeton, W.Va. 70, Tazewell 13
Rappahannock County 53, Greenbrier Christian 33
Ridgeview 52, Lee High 0
Riverheads 14, Wilson Memorial 13
Rye Cove 55, Castlewood 14
Sidwell Friends, D.C. 42, Colonial Beach 16
St. Michael 40, Episcopal 17
Tennessee, Tenn. 21, Abingdon 0
Trinity Episcopal 22, Flint Hill 20
Twin Springs 24, Cumberland Gap, Tenn. 6
Virginia Episcopal def. Chincoteague, forfeit (2-0)
Warhill 34, New Kent 24
Woodside 36, Heritage-Newport News 7
York 27, Jamestown 23

Monday, September 30, 2024:
Blacksburg 27, Cave Spring 13
I. C. Norcom 47, Manor 0
J.R. Tucker 45, John Marshall 30
Patrick Henry-Glade Spring 42, John Battle 12
The Covenant School 44, Kenston Forest 0
Union 28, Gate City 19
Warwick 56, Gloucester 7

Tuesday, October 1, 2024:
Grayson County 28, Giles 7
James Monroe (WV) 34, Narrows 6


Scores compiled from information obtained by Associated Press, Score Stream, VirginiaPreps posters (a big thanks to pizzzzza), Twitter and other various news sources.

... See a missing score or result reported incorrectly? Please post a replay here on this thread and/or shoot an e-mail to hatfieldsports@gmail.com.

Due to the distance involved and an early Saturday morning obligation, I have to bow out of my usual responsibility of writing up this game. So if anyone else wants to give live updates or fill in for me this time, please feel free to do so. I will be able to chime in sometime over the weekend to add my two cents worth, but just not Friday night as I usually do. Good luck to both teams and of course to all the RHS fans for safe travels.

Hermitage Panthers
41

2nd Quarter

Deep Run Wildcats
0

Strange game as both teams pushed to score until the end,

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 35 Catholic HS 0

Salem 56 Hidden Valley 6

Greetings from Yorktown on this 70-degree night as the sun sets in Yorktown at Bailey Field, where the reigning Region 3A Champion Lafayette Rams (4-0) visit the Grafton Clippers (1-4).
We'll have updates on this first Thursday of October 2024 throughout the night here and via Twitter or 'X' as it is more commonly known @hatfieldsports

Before we kick it off, let's get to our mini capsule and picks from the game earlier on the V.I.P. Board...


Lafayette (4-0) at Grafton (1-3) . . . Andy Linn’s Rams of Lafayette have won 13 straight in the head-to-head series with Grafton, which last prevailed over the Bay Rivers District power in 2010 by a count of 35-31. Ironically enough, that was the final season under Paul Wheeler as Head Coach for Lafayette before Linn took over. The Clippers are putting up just 9.3 points per game, being held to single-digits in each of the past three games since a 46-14 home loss to Grafton. Conversely, the Rams are putting up 49.3 points per contest, fresh off a 47-0 thumping over Smithfield where they piled up 525 total yards of offense. Tailback Brayden Smalls ran wild with 180 yards rushing and 3 TD’s in the shutout.

Matt Hatfield Says – Lafayette 42-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Lafayette 38-6

A win is a win but this is not a good sign for the Salem defense. With how strong 4D is this year a lot of teams in 4D could very well knock off Salem in the first round if this defense does not shape up.

We've got Thursday night Football Predictions - the first of October 2024 - in the next post...

Dinwiddie @ Thomas Dale
Caroline @ Culpeper Co
Chancellor @ James Monroe
King George @ Courtland
Patrick Henry Ash @ Hanover
Monacan @ Manchester
Norview @ Manor
Hampton @ Phoebus
Glen Allen (C6) @ Freeman (C5)
Indian River (C5) @ King's Fork (C5)
Green Run (C5) @ Salem VB (C5)
Prince George (C5) @ Petersburg (C3)
Lake Taylor (C3) @ BT Washington (C3)
Powhatan @ LC Bird*
Eastern View @ N Stafford*

GW Danville @ Magna Vista*
Loudoun Co @ Riverside*
James Wood @ Meridian
Woodgrove @ Independence
Franklin Co (C5) @ Brookville (C3)
Riverbend (C5) @ Mountain View (C6)
Briar Woods (C5) @ Fort Hill MD (C2)
Northside (C3) @ Heritage Lyn (C3)
Glenvar (C2) @ Radford (C2)
Riverheads (C2) @ Christiansburg (C3)

*GOW 2 pts each

1. Sherando 24.50
2. EC Glass 22.50
3. Jefferson Forest 22.25
4. Mecklenburg County 21.75
5. GW-Danville 21.33
6. John Handley 21.25
6. James Wood 21.25
7. Salem 20.75
8. Orange County 19.33
9. Amherst County 17.66
10. Blacksburg 17.25
11. Millbrook 17.00
12. Halifax County 12.66
13. Charlottesville 12.33
14. Liberty-Bealeton 12.00

Context:

So yesterday in my news feed was a headline "Virginia High School Football Rankings". So I clicked on it and it said that some college professor had created an algorithm, yada yada, yada to come up with these rankings. So I clicked on it to find.........
Rappahannock County is ranked 5th! The professor didn't even know they play 8-man football!!! Plus, Auburn and Cumberland were ranked (although much lower on the ladder) and both even had records despite not fielding teams this season! I immediately swiped left!

1. Clarke County(4-0): 23.00
2. Strasburg (5-0): 22.80
3. Buckingham (4-0): 21.00
3. Central (3-1): 21.00
5. Riverheads (4-1): 20.20
6. Fort Defiance (3-2): 19.80
7. Madison (2-2): 16.75
8. Stuarts Draft (3-2): 16.20

9. Page (2-2): 13.25
10. Luray (1-4): 12.80
11. Stonewall Jackson (1-4): 12.4

Updated with the CW news. Page was WAY off, and I did the math a bunch of times. It never looked right to me. Fixed

I added Hampton @ Phoebus a few minutes after my original post.

Going to have these up at noon today since some games are moving to Thursday night.

*HereForTheRumors you got till noon to get a GOTW picked if not I guess I’ll pick.

Both games were in our weekly pickem also.

Grayson Co 28 Giles 7
James Monroe (WV) 34 Narrows 6

TJ pulled out Varina JV matchup for 10/3, any JV teams looking for a game in the upcoming weeks?

It took a couple of extra days but the Shenandoah District teams managed to squeeze in their first full week of district play with Staunton, Riverheads, and Buffalo Gap coming out victorious. The district race still looks completely wide open with six out of the seven teams still very alive for the district title, not to mention regional play afterwards.

Three teams.........Staunton, Buffalo Gap and Fort Defiance.......are all 1-0 in district play and three others........Stuarts Draft, Wilson and Waynesboro...........are 0-1. Riverheads is the only team to have played two district games and they are 1-1, although Wilson tried their darnedest to make sure the Big Red opened district play at 0-2.

With such a tight race, there are many possibilities for how things may turn out. If one team stays hot and wins out, they will obviously be the district champs, but one thing is for sure, those three 1-0 teams cannot ALL finish unbeaten, so something will have to give.

For at least two teams, injuries may have an impact on the rest of their season. Riverheads has lost a couple of guys for the year, most notably Austin Roberts, and Saturday they had another half dozen out of action, only to see yet another one, Jaden Dotson, leave the game with a possible neck issue. Meanwhile up at Fort Defiance, their amazing pass receiver Talyn Armentrout is out for an extended time, possibly the whole season, so their chances may hinge on who else can step up and give Miller some reliable targets. There may be other injuries at other schools that I have not heard about.