Region 4A West Quarterfinals: No. 8 Charlottesville (7-4) at No. 1 Woodgrove (10-0), 7 p.m.
The Basics: It was pretty obvious last week that John Champe wasn’t exactly sure how to stop Charlottesville’s option attack. When the Black Knights are playing with confidence and getting the job done on that side of the ball, they’re flat out tough to stop. The option could end up being the Black Knights’ trump card as not too many teams run it, making preparation particularly tough for squads that don’t see the Black Knights each year. Of course, on the flip side, Woodgrove is coming out of a bye week where they had a chance to heal up and prepare. There’s no question that this is a challenging opponent for the Black Knights and that they’ve got some serious work to do after a long bus ride. Woodgrove is averaging 46.9 points per game and the last time they were held under 48 was mid-September. Still, the Black Knights have been on fire lately, so there’s reason to think that if the same version of the Black Knights shows up Friday, Woodgrove is going to face a serious challenge of their own.
Key Matchup: Charlottesville’s secondary takes on Woodgrove’s passing attack. The Wolverines’ aerial assault gets a big lift from Mason Gryniuk, a 6-foot-2 receiver who led Loudoun County with 927 receiving yards in the regular season. That’s going to be an interesting matchup for the Black Knights who have given up some significant yards at times against passing offenses like in a win over Western where they surrendered 223 yards through the air. The Black Knights will need Rakeem Davis, Tre Durrett and company to play big-time football in the secondary. Throw in a Sam Neale pick like they got against John Champe and Charlottesville will be in it with the Wolverines.
Who to Watch: Charlottesville’s Sabias Folley. With 1,089 yards of rushing and 18 touchdowns, Folley has truly emerged as one of the area’s best power backs this year, and in the triple option he’s got the potential to give Woodgrove fits. Plus, if you load up against him, Lorenzo Louderback or Rakeem Davis can fry the Wolverines on the edge. You’ve got to play great fundamental defense against Charlottesville and Woodgrove is capable of it, but that’s easier said than done.
The line: Woodgrove by 10. Group 4A teams that are unbeaten at this point in the year are generally the real deal, but the Black Knights are red-hot and with the right breaks could steal one here.