Nm

So I figured I would post this on the 4A board because it typically seems to be the most active. With this latest heat wave, it got me to thinking about schools, athletic trainers, coaches, AD's and if they follow the protocols or not. VHSL guidelines say that if the heat index is 95-104 NO equipment can be worn during outside practices and if over 105, there cannot be any outside practices. As I am typing I am also searching weather.com for current heat indexes throughout Virginia and cannot find many under 95.

So my question is, does your school abide by the VHSL guidelines and require athletes to either stay indoors, if that is an option, or practice without any equipment? I have several friends who are coaches and it seems to vary by school. Some have not been permitted to practice with even helmets this week, where as others have told me that they have important games coming up and they need to get the work in and are practicing with helmets and shoulder pads. Another question is, are schools that follow the guidelines then at a disadvantage if their opponent is getting in full practices, while they do walk throughs in a gym?

Just something that dawned on me as I sit in my air conditioned house, lol

nm

1 point per game, 2 points for GOTW give points total for GOTW- for tie breaker. Picks made/edited after kickoff will not count. Winning picker each week will pick GOTW for following week. Good Luck!!

GW vs Graham
K&Q vs Sussex
RR vs Grayson
BG vs Clarke Co
Galax vs CC
Northumberland vs Charles City
Holston vs JB
Narrows vs Chilhowie
JIB vs PH
East Mont vs Northwood

GOTW- Franklin vs CB

Spotsylvania @ Caroline
North Stafford @ Courtland
Hanover @ King William
Lakeland @ Manor (PPD Mon)
Louisa Co (C5) @ Massaponox (C5)
Western Branch (C6) @ King's Fork (C5)
Glen Allen @ Patrick Henry Ash
Lake Taylor (C3) @ Hopewell (C3)*
Highland Springs (C6) @ Maury (C5)*

EC Glass @ GW Danville*
Tuscarora @ Loudoun Co*
Orange Co @ Goochland (PPD Mon)
Skyline @ James Wood
Stone Bridge @ Woodgrove (canceled)
Dematha, MD @ Freedom WB (canceled)
Appomattox (C2) @ Heritage Lyn (C3)
William Byrd (C3) @ Christiansburg (C3)
Rustburg (C3) @ Stuart's Draft (C2)
Cave Spring (C3) @ Glenvar (C2)


*GOW 2 pts each

Heritage or Appomattox

VirginiaPreps.com's Robert Anderson broke the news on Thursday that longtime Radford Head Basketball Coach Rick Cormany has decided to retire.

Get an in-depth report about it below...

More on Cormany Retiring Here

Greetings from Darling Stadium on this hot and humid Thursday night. While the NFL season kicks off tonight with the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs play host to the Detroit Lions, we have Peninsula District football action with temperatures above 90 degrees - and the heat index at triple-digits.

It's the Warwick Raiders at 2-0 taking on the 1-1 Kecoughtan Warriors.

We'll have updates here and via X or Twitter @hatfieldsports and here.

Before we begin, a quick review of our write-up and Predictions earlier on the V.I.P. Board...


Warwick (2-0) at Kecoughtan (1-1) . . . After dropping seven straight in the series from 2012-18, the Warwick Raiders have beaten Kecoughtan in each of the past four meetings, which includes an 8-7 escape in October of 2021. Since allowing a touchdown on the opening kickoff at Grassfield to begin the season, Warwick has outscored its foes 95-0. Kecoughtan was on its way to a 2-0 start before allowing Granby to put together an 80-yard touchdown drive in a span of 1:33 late in the fourth quarter in a 26-24 loss last Thursday. It will be a long night for the Warriors defense, unless they find an answer for Warwick QB Eduardo Rios Jr., who is completing nearly 84% of his passes through two games.

Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 34-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 24-12

Is it number of plays, time or???

Warriors received the opening kick. Drive kept alive on a 3rd down PI. 1st & 10 at their 49 9:40 1st qtr.

Posted on the official Huguenot High School Facebook page.

Dear Huguenot Falcons and Thomas Jefferson Vikings,

Our first priority is the safety and well-being of the RPS community. RPS is aware of a recent social media post regarding tomorrow's football game at Huguenot High School. The Huguenot and Thomas Jefferson administration teams are in active communication with the RPS Safety & Security team and the Richmond Police Department.

The scheduled game will proceed with the following conditions:

No spectators will be allowed.

The only individuals allowed to attend are HHS and TJHS coaches, football team, band, cheerleaders, and staff sponsors.

School administration, safety and security personnel, and law enforcement will be present at all times.

The Huguenot High School campus and parking lots will be closed during the duration of the game and no other visitors are allowed on school grounds.

Previously purchased tickets will be refunded directly from the GoFan Finance team within 5 - 10 business days.

Spectators will be able to live-stream the game by visiting our website at www.rvaschools.net/hhs-tjhs

We want to emphasize that the safety of our school communities has been the primary consideration behind this decision. We eagerly anticipate an exciting and secure game.

To ensure everyone stays informed, we will consistently share updates through RPS Direct, Remind text messages, and our official website.

Game called due to lightning.

Here's a Recap of how Matt Hatfield + Coach Ed Young did last week on High School Football Picks across Tidewater...

Hatfield’s Week 2 Total in Tidewater: 19-6 (76%)
Hatfield’s Tidewater Season Total: 36-13 (73.5%)
Hatfield’s VHSL Season Total: 64-21 (75.3%)

Young’s Week 2 Total in Tidewater: 17-8 (68%)
Young’s Tidewater Season Total: 33-16 (67.3%)

Neither competitor fared that great last week in missing Benedictine/Western Branch, Lafayette/St. Chris, Kellam/Kempsville, Warhill/Matoaca, Gloucester/York and Deep Creek/Currituck. Matt extended his lead in Tidewater games, thanks to the results of Hickory/Manor and Granby/Kecoughtan.


Thursday’s Action for 9/7/23:

Warwick (2-0) at Kecoughtan (1-1) . . . After dropping seven straight in the series from 2012-18, the Warwick Raiders have beaten Kecoughtan in each of the past four meetings, which includes an 8-7 escape in October of 2021. Since allowing a touchdown on the opening kickoff at Grassfield to begin the season, Warwick has outscored its foes 95-0. Kecoughtan was on its way to a 2-0 start before allowing Granby to put together an 80-yard touchdown drive in a span of 1:33 late in the fourth quarter in a 26-24 loss last Thursday. It will be a long night for the Warriors defense, unless they find an answer for Warwick QB Eduardo Rios Jr., who is completing nearly 84% of his passes through two games.

Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 34-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 24-12


Bethel (0-2) at Menchville (1-1) . . . The Bethel Bruins are in serious jeopardy of suffering their first 0-3 start since 1985 when they opened 0-7 on their way to a 2-8 finish. In both of their losses, they’ve allowed 40+ points in surrendering 41 to Nansemond River and 42 to Warwick. In a nail-biting 21-20 win over Heritage, junior running back Charlie Wilson was thrust into the lineup and delivered in a huge way with 33 carries for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Amir Harrison has accounted for 395 yards and 3 TD’s in a pair of games for the Monarchs, and defensively Jamere Peterson has made two interceptions. Following a 24-game losing streak in the series, Menchville has won three straight.

Matt Hatfield Says – Menchville 21-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Menchville 30-12


Tabb (1-0) at Jamestown (1-1) . . . Seven of the past eight meetings have gone in favor of Tabb, including by margins of 35-8 last year and 50-7 in 2021. Jamestown’s lone triumph in that stretch came by a 42-32 margin in 2019. The Eagles are making strides defensively in giving up just 19 points total to Nottoway and Essex through the first two games with Sam Tighe and Khayri Waller combining for 32 tackles for Jamestown. They’re going to need them to contain Tabb’s strong ground attack, which piled up 335 yards rushing in a 28-19 comeback win over Heritage with Cam Dixon gaining 158 of those with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns.

Matt Hatfield Says – Tabb 27-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Tabb 33-16

Pur @ VT
NE @ CO
Mar @ E Car
Appy St @ UNC
Cin @ Pitt
OR @ TT
UCF @ Boise St
IA @ ISU*
TXAM @ Mia*
MS @ Tulane*
TX @ AL*


MIA @ LAC*
PHI @ NE*
TB @ MN*
SF @ PIT*
DET @ KC (Thur)
CAR @ ATL
HOU @ BAL
CIN @ CLE
JAX @ IN
TN @ NO
AZ @ WAS
GB @ CHI
LV @ DEN
LAR @ SEA
DAL @ NYG
BUF @ NYJ

*GOW 2 pts each

If your cell phone is in your pocket you can pull it out, download enough information on the global commercial airline industry, study it and become expert enough to start up, taxi, take off and fly a jet airplane of any size. Landing might be a little difficult.

My point is that when high school football starts we are left with no rosters, conflicting information and paranoid people directly connected to the schools.

The Peninsula District only has 2 stadiums in the nearly 50 years that I have been watching football in Newport News/Hampton, yet there are 3 games listed as starting within 30 minutes of each other for tonight on Scorestream.com. WHY!? Is there a new stadium that has not been advertised?

Back in the day if there was a big game there were the best game day full color collectable programs for sale with pictures, coupons for food, rosters and stats. Fast forward and when I worked as a reporter in the 2010s I was treated as if I was trying to break into Fort Knox for asking if accurate rosters was available.

Not only are the worst online articles digitally monetized by mainstream media but the included information is incomplete and at times inaccurate and written by artificial intelligence. The reason is greed. Money. High school football is not a sport. It is a business that has been fully infiltrated by Warren Buffet and the entire Disney Family. That used to be a conspiracy theory. Everything is for sale.

The Daily Press sports staff should be ashamed of themselves. In 2003 they ridiculed anyone involved with online freelance reporting. 20 years on and they hoard the littlest of Peninsula District football information like spiders with OCD.

Warwick plays Kecoughtan 7 pm at Darling.
Bethel plays Menchville 7 pm at Todd.

There is no 3rd game tonight in the Peninsula District.

This past weekend all seven Shenandoah District teams were in action again, hoping for significant improvement after a 1-6 start on opening weekend. Things worked out a little bit better, as they went 3-4 this time, with Riverheads, Staunton and Stuarts Draft each picking up impressive road wins. In all three cases, the teams needed those victories after each one suffered a frustrating one-point loss in their season opener.

As for the other four district members, Wilson was shut out by Turner Ashby after being the only team in the district to win its season-opener. So the Hornets are tied with the above three teams, all 1-1 at this very early stage. That leaves Buffalo Gap, Fort Defiance and Waynesboro at 0-2 and still seeking that first win of the year. The Bison especially have come close, as they have lost to James River by a single point and to Luray in overtime. But I am sure things will get better and we will have several teams finish .500 or better when all is said and done.

So with the threat of rain hovering over us for the weekend, let's take a peek at Week Number Three. All seven teams will again be in action and if there is a highlight game, it would have to be the first district game of the season as Fort Defiance will travel to Riverheads. Usually the district games are in the second half of the season, but as we have certainly seen already, teams have had to REALLY get creative this year to fill out their schedules, so hats off to all the hard-working ADs that make it happen. Here is the slate for this weekend's action, all Friday night games as of the moment.........

CLARKE COUNTY AT BUFFALO GAP: The Eagles don't get much publicity down this way, but it sounds like they raised some eyebrows Friday night with a surprisingly easy romp over a very good King William team. So even though they will have a long trip to face the Bison, on paper it looks as if they will simply be too much for the Gap and that the Black and Gold will have to wait at least one more week to crack the victory column.

FORT DEFIANCE AT RIVERHEADS: As mentioned someone will have the district lead at 1-0 after this one. The Indians had high hopes this year, so that 0-2 start is not what they were counting on. They hung with TA for a while in their season-opener and they might be able to at least throw an early scare into the Big Red but Riverheads will just have too many weapons. In fact in Saturday's 35-7 win over Tazewell, the Gladiators unveiled some offensive firepower they might not have even known about themselves as a quintet of running backs kept the Bulldog defense off guard all day, plus quarterback Levi Dunlap connected with Brody Phillips for about as pretty a touchdown pass as you could ask for. CCC will likely be out again, but the Gladiators should not need him to win this one.

CENTRAL AT STAUNTON: This is a good example of a game in which you can tell that the ADs had to do some serious negotiating because I doubt if these two have too much of a history. However having said that, this one should be quite interesting. After The Falcons' miracle win over Riverheads on opening night, everyone wants to know just how good they are, so The Storm will be a good measuring stick and you can bet a lot of Riverheads folks will keep an eye or an ear out for scores from this one. I picked Staunton as my number three Shenandoah team this year, so I will not be at all surprised if they give Central all they can handle. I will go with the Falcons but not by much, and a Staunton win will not be that much of an upset.

RUSTBURG AT STUARTS DRAFT: Yet another example of doing what you have to do to fill out each Friday night. In fact the Cougars get the award for having the most interesting schedule so far. Again Rustburg will be an unknown quantity around here but on opening night, playing at home, they came from behind to knock off a very good Spotswood team. So how will they fare in the Cougar Den? Although I have mad respect for the Cougars and expect great things from them, I will go out on a limb and go with the Devils in this one.

BROADWAY AT WAYNESBORO: This one matches a pair of old Valley District foes who do know each other pretty well. Friday night, Waynesboro had a 17-0 lead on Monticello but squandered it away and lost 27-17. So they can be mad as hell about that and come out fired up Friday or they can let it go to their heads and if so, Broadway will take full advantage. The Little Giants need a win badly, but I have to go with the Gobblers to win this one.

WILSON AT SPOTSWOOD: Even The Hornets' own fans have to be puzzled. Are they the team that put up 41 points in the FIRST QUARTER against Charlottesville or are they team that failed to find the end zone even once against Turner Ashby? I think they will score against the Blazers but my gut feeling is that they will leave Penn Laird with a 1-2 record.

Although I didn't plan it this way, I now see that I have only Riverheads as a projected winner, which will be a step back for the district. So maybe one or more of the others can answer the challenge and prove me wrong. It could happen because none of the other five games are really slam dunks.

Flint Hill opened their season with a 53-13 win over Woodberry Forest. Junior Caleb West, a 6-foot-7 quarterback, was outstanding throwing for 377 yards and six touchdowns for the Huskies. West threw two touchdown passes in the 1st quarter to give Flint Hill a 12-0 lead.

However, Woodberry Forest led 13-12 after the 1st quarter with two scores in the final two minutes. Mark Wamhoff scored on a quarterback sneak with two minutes to go then the Tigers took the lead when Dyzier Carter caught a 50-yard seam pass from Wamhoff. It would be the Tigers final score as they did not score again the rest of the game.

Flint Hill added three touchdowns in the 2nd quarter and led 33-13 at halftime. The Huskies added two more scores in the 3rd and their final score in th 4th quarter started the running clock.

University of Richmond commit Andrew King finished with 190 yards from scrimmage while scoring a rushing touchdown and a pass reception. Virginia Tech commit Josh Clarke had two tochdowns on his only two receptions and Ty Harris added two touchdown receptions.


Click here for Photos from the Game

Fort Chiswell takes on a pissed off Tazewell team. Can they get to 3-0?

Will Galax start the year 0-3? I think so. They fall to an improved Carroll County.

GW starts the year 0-2 after the thumping they’ll get Friday.

Will Craig run from Auburn two weeks and two years in a row? Starting to think Craig County is afraid to play football.

My Blues dominate JR!