It's probably the marquee matchup on the schedule this week (at least in 5A South). Let's look back at the great games of the past.
The Annual Richmond Playoff Rumble:
L.C. Bird opened in 1978; Hermitage opened in 1952. They never played a football game against one another until 2004, and that was the only time until 2010. However, the last six seasons have turned this game into annually one of the best playoff games in the state. Here’s a recap of the past matchups.
2015 Hermitage 21, L.C. Bird 12
Both teams came into the game at 11-0 and both had looked fantastic all season, but the winner would still have to get through Highland Springs to get to the state championship. Hermitage used short, quick passes to move the ball effectively as Eli Odom was 15 of 25 for 234 yards. The Panthers got out to a 21-6 halftime lead, and shut down Bird’s running game in the second half to hold on to the victory. The 21 points for Hermitage came against a team that had only allowed 25 in their first 11 games. Hermitage’s season would come to an end the following week vs. Highland Springs (42-35—what a game!), the eventual state champions.
2014 L.C. Bird 28, Hermitage 7
The Skyhawks jumped out to an early 12-0 lead on long runs by Stephen Mines, and added another rushing score to go up 20-0 at halftime. Hermitage struggled to move the ball and trailed 28-0 before adding a late score. Bird would win their next three games to claim their 3rd straight state title. Many people had written the Skyhawks off after losing 2 games in the regular season.
2013 L.C. Bird 28, Hermitage 14
Hermitage jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a slant, but Bird responded with a TD pass of their own and they went out at halftime with Hermitage leading 7-6. After trading another pair of touchdowns early in the second half Hermitage led 14-12, but Earl Hughes took over with the ground game and the Skyhawks added two late TD’s to pull away. Bird was on a giant winning streak at the time, and finished 15-0 for their second straight state title.
2012 L.C. Bird 24, Hermitage 20
The weirdest game of the series. Hermitage seemed to dominate the game and no one was surprised they would since they had won every Central Region playoff game in 3 years. The Panthers had a 20-10 lead with less than 5 minutes to go. Bird, however answered with Paul Robertson to cut it to 20-17, and then after an intercepting threw a late TD for the improbable 24-20 win. The team then won two more to claim their first state title.
2011 Hermitage 10, L.C. Bird 0
Hermitage used a suffocating defense to beat L.C. Bird in the Central Region Championship game, 10-0. This game was a defensive battle and the Panthers led 3-0 at the break, and Salvador Acosta provided the spark in the fourth quarter for Hermitage. Acosta stormed through the line to block a Skyhawk punt, setting up a Derrick Green touchdown rush on the next play to round out the scoring. Patrick Kane's defense held Bird's Yahkee Johnson, who entered just shy of the 2,500 yard rushing mark, to just 67 yards on 26 carries. Hermitage’s best defensive team would lose the next week in the state semis by a score of 10-9.
2010 Hermitage 17, L.C. Bird 14
This one had a freaky end as Bird had gone up 14-10 in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Ant Harris. However, Hermitage drove the field and looked to score when their quartback fumbled into the end zone, but Curtis Grant fell on the ball for the winning score. Hermitage would advance to the state finals where it would fall 26-7 to Battlefield.
2004 L.C. Bird 15, Hermitage 13
A great game dominated by Bird statistically, but where they couldn’t seem to score. Finally getting a big score through the air (a rare thing for Bird in those days). I don’t remember a lot of details on this one, except that Bird attempted a very long field goal near the end of the game and it came up short and died on the one inch line. In high school this is just like a punt and the Panthers had to take it there. Hermitage couldn’t recover from the horrible field position and the game was Bird’s. Bird was walloped the next week at Landstown as Percy Harvin and company beat the Skyhawks 40-7.
The Annual Richmond Playoff Rumble:
L.C. Bird opened in 1978; Hermitage opened in 1952. They never played a football game against one another until 2004, and that was the only time until 2010. However, the last six seasons have turned this game into annually one of the best playoff games in the state. Here’s a recap of the past matchups.
2015 Hermitage 21, L.C. Bird 12
Both teams came into the game at 11-0 and both had looked fantastic all season, but the winner would still have to get through Highland Springs to get to the state championship. Hermitage used short, quick passes to move the ball effectively as Eli Odom was 15 of 25 for 234 yards. The Panthers got out to a 21-6 halftime lead, and shut down Bird’s running game in the second half to hold on to the victory. The 21 points for Hermitage came against a team that had only allowed 25 in their first 11 games. Hermitage’s season would come to an end the following week vs. Highland Springs (42-35—what a game!), the eventual state champions.
2014 L.C. Bird 28, Hermitage 7
The Skyhawks jumped out to an early 12-0 lead on long runs by Stephen Mines, and added another rushing score to go up 20-0 at halftime. Hermitage struggled to move the ball and trailed 28-0 before adding a late score. Bird would win their next three games to claim their 3rd straight state title. Many people had written the Skyhawks off after losing 2 games in the regular season.
2013 L.C. Bird 28, Hermitage 14
Hermitage jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a slant, but Bird responded with a TD pass of their own and they went out at halftime with Hermitage leading 7-6. After trading another pair of touchdowns early in the second half Hermitage led 14-12, but Earl Hughes took over with the ground game and the Skyhawks added two late TD’s to pull away. Bird was on a giant winning streak at the time, and finished 15-0 for their second straight state title.
2012 L.C. Bird 24, Hermitage 20
The weirdest game of the series. Hermitage seemed to dominate the game and no one was surprised they would since they had won every Central Region playoff game in 3 years. The Panthers had a 20-10 lead with less than 5 minutes to go. Bird, however answered with Paul Robertson to cut it to 20-17, and then after an intercepting threw a late TD for the improbable 24-20 win. The team then won two more to claim their first state title.
2011 Hermitage 10, L.C. Bird 0
Hermitage used a suffocating defense to beat L.C. Bird in the Central Region Championship game, 10-0. This game was a defensive battle and the Panthers led 3-0 at the break, and Salvador Acosta provided the spark in the fourth quarter for Hermitage. Acosta stormed through the line to block a Skyhawk punt, setting up a Derrick Green touchdown rush on the next play to round out the scoring. Patrick Kane's defense held Bird's Yahkee Johnson, who entered just shy of the 2,500 yard rushing mark, to just 67 yards on 26 carries. Hermitage’s best defensive team would lose the next week in the state semis by a score of 10-9.
2010 Hermitage 17, L.C. Bird 14
This one had a freaky end as Bird had gone up 14-10 in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Ant Harris. However, Hermitage drove the field and looked to score when their quartback fumbled into the end zone, but Curtis Grant fell on the ball for the winning score. Hermitage would advance to the state finals where it would fall 26-7 to Battlefield.
2004 L.C. Bird 15, Hermitage 13
A great game dominated by Bird statistically, but where they couldn’t seem to score. Finally getting a big score through the air (a rare thing for Bird in those days). I don’t remember a lot of details on this one, except that Bird attempted a very long field goal near the end of the game and it came up short and died on the one inch line. In high school this is just like a punt and the Panthers had to take it there. Hermitage couldn’t recover from the horrible field position and the game was Bird’s. Bird was walloped the next week at Landstown as Percy Harvin and company beat the Skyhawks 40-7.
