Ah yes, the 2024 Virginia High School Football season gets underway this evening – Thursday, August 29, 2024 – with a partial slate of games, then more to follow on Friday and a matchup of on Saturday.
We are back for another year with our Tidewater Predictions, battle featuring yours truly, Matthew Hatfield, and my longtime radio now turned Podcast partner, Coach Ed Young.
You can check out our weekly 757 Saturday Sports Talk Show via CoVA Sports TV here, plus you don’t want to miss our big 2024 VA Football Preview Show that has district-by-district picks here.
Before we jump to this week’s Picks, let’s review the 2023 final tally, shall we?
High School Football Predictions Battle: 2023 Regular Season Totals
Matthew Hatfield – 212-46 (82.2%) on Tidewater games
Coach Ed Young – 199-59 (77.1%) on Tidewater games
Hatfield was at 87.5% and Young at 85.1% during the regular season in 2022. Will the percentages be worse or better in 2024?
Johnny Shaw and the reigning Region 5A Champion Braves face a tough test to open the 2024 season at Varina (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Indian River at Varina . . . This is a matchup of two teams ranked in the Top 10 in the state in their respective classes with Varina checking in at No. 5 in our Class 4 rankings on VaPreps, while Indian River is No. 9 in Class 5 after winning the Region 5A title last year. Brandon Carr’s Braves fell at home to the Blue Devils last season, 13-0, where Varina junior Da’Mari Carter put on a show with five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Both Carter and DT Jay’Sean Richardson, offered by Liberty this week, give Head Coach Marcus Lewis of Varina two of the best prospects in the entire state in the Class of 2026.
Indian River has several new faces, including at QB in Bayside transfer Kam Kirby. Until some of them underclassmen are acclimated, look for them to rely on the run game with RB Ravon Moore, a 1000-yard candidate, and a defense that aims to play fast and aggressive behind LB Johnny Shaw and DB Trey Voskanyan, who has 12 interceptions over the past two seasons.
This figures to be another defensive tussle, and with Varina at home, it’s hard to imagine them being flat whatsoever. Plus, their QB – sophomore Kaleb Wyche – showed plenty of poise when thrust into action against rival Highland Springs last season in a hostile environment.
Matt Hatfield Says – Varina 14-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Varina 20-12
Matt Hatfield Says – Bayside 22-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Bayside 26-12
Cox at Landstown . . . In Tyler Noe’s first season at the helm, the Cox Falcons notched five wins by seven points or less. That included a 21-18 comeback triumph over Landstown, where they scored the go-ahead touchdown with 16 seconds to play. Gage Trefrey found Gerard Johnson, who’s now playing at Virginia Tech, for that winning score. Robert Jackson’s Eagles try to break a four-game losing skid in the head-to-head series.
Matt Hatfield Says – Cox 20-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Cox 14-12
Kellam at First Colonial . . . With their 27-25 victory over Kellam last year, First Colonial beat the Knights for the first time since 2011 and ended a 10-game losing streak in the series. Second-year Patriots Head Coach Lemort Smith is trying to get that mojo back they had during the 2-0 start a season before closing on an eight-game losing streak. Senior RB Rahquim Hobbs will be crucial to that effort, but finding room to operate against a Knights defensive front that features D-1 prospect Zion Copeland on the line could be tricky.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 17-15
Coach Ed Young Says – Kellam 20-14
K'Saan Farrar and the Stallions look to continue their mastery of the Beach District when they host Tallwood (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Tallwood at Green Run . . . Riding a 33-game Beach District winning streak, the Stallions of Green Run have won the past four meetings with Tallwood and done so averaging 56.5 points per game. Last year’s 47-7 final might look a bit deceiving because it was a 14-7 game at the break before they erupted with 300 of their 487 total yards after half-time. Tallwood is confident about what its offense can do this season behind QB Jacob Rojas, whose 21 TD’s marked a single-season program record, and WR Amari Harmon (29Rec. 350Yds.). But is their defense built to slow down a high-octane Stallions offense that’s led by UConn commit K’Saan Farrar at quarterback?
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 35-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 30-6
Salem-VB at Kempsville . . . Season openers have not been too kind to the Chiefs of Kempsville, who have dropped 13 of their last 14 with the lone breakthrough coming when they beat Cox 20-12 to start off the 2021 campaign. Salem had lost three in a row to the Chiefs until last year’s 13-7 victory. When these two get together, it’s generally a lower scoring matchup as the last time either put up more than 20 on the other was when the Sun Devils blanked Kempsville 42-0 in 2019. The key to this game could be what type of pass rush the Chiefs defense, headed up by LB Darryl Veal, can apply on Salem QB Jason ‘Scooter’ Williams, a Navy commit.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem-VB 26-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem-VB 18-16
Devan Anthony will play a vital role on both sides of the ball for the Crabbers this year (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Woodside at Hampton . . . It’s the coaching debut of Alonzo Coley, former Kecoughtan head man and Phoebus assistant, at the helm of Woodside. The Wolverines had an uncharacteristic 1-9 season last year where the only triumph came over winless Denbigh. A couple of standouts from their back-t-back state title winning basketball team have come out for football to try to give them a spark. Meanwhile, the Crabbers, albeit undersized and still young on some positions, seem to be closer to the top of the Peninsula District than the Wolverines. Both DT/RB Devan Anthony and DB/WR Casey Lassiter showed well in their preseason scrimmage at Kempsville.
Matt Hatfield Says – Hampton 19-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Hampton 28-0
Kecoughtan at Gloucester . . . This marks the coaching debut at Kecoughtan for Zecharie James. Only four starters are back for the Warriors, who won the opener over Gloucester 23-6 last season. The Dukes have dropped the past three meetings with Kecoughtan after taking three of four during a time when they had Isaiah Spencer, who went on to Old Dominion, star for them. Second-year Head Coach Noah Crouch hopes some tweaks on offense will make them more potent and get them in range of All-State kicker Corey Skay, who had a couple of 47-yard field goals in 2023.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kecoughtan 17-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Kecoughtan 16-10
Booker T. Washington at Petersburg . . . This begins the new era at Booker T. Washington under Mason Williams, a former King’s Fork assistant and Norfolk native that played at Norview. The Bookers don’t have a deep roster, but believe players like sophomore QB Kelvin Battle and junior RB Keon Bratten, among others, will make names for themselves by season’s end. Five starters are back on defense for Mike Scott’s Petersburg Crimson Wave, highlighted by All-Region LB Xavier Scott. That experience along with three-year starting QB Stanley Green on offense is likely enough to move them to 6-2 all-time in the series vs. the Bookers.
Matt Hatfield Says – Petersburg 26-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Petersburg 28-0
Manor at Warhill . . . Former Texas Tech wide receiver Anton Paige is the new Head Coach at Manor and he got hired late in the summer. Don’t expect a quick turnaround for the Mustangs as they break in a bunch of new starters. Warhill has some shoes to fill, but William & Mary commit Elijah Williams is one of the holdovers from a Lions team that reached the Region 4A Finals a year ago, handling the Mustangs 49-8 in the opener on their journey to Thanksgiving weekend.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warhill 42-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Warhill 33-0
Matthew Outten, a Virginia Tech commit, looks to get Norcom off on the right foot as a pivotal matchup with Oscar Smith looms (Dan Trevino, VirginiaPreps.com)
Grafton at Norcom . . . It’ll be the coaching debut of Ananias Boyd at Grafton and he takes over a situation that is in pretty good shape when you consider two of his running backs, Makale Bennett and Colton Sandiford, have rushed for over 1000 yards in a season before. There’s also one of the top pass catchers in the Bay Rivers District in Jaden Brown, who had 29 catches for 634 yards and 4 TD’s last year. Beating Norcom will be a different kind of task, though. The Greyhounds , who defeated Grafton 38-14 in their previous encounter, didn’t get a chance to compete in the playoffs in 2023, ruled ineligible from a scuffle at the conclusion of their regional semifinal vs. Phoebus in 2022. Virginia Tech commit Matthew Outten gives Norcom the most lethal player on the field.
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 29-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Norcom 22-14
Currituck County, NC at Deep Creek . . . Coach Andre Twine of the Hornets could only shake his head about the 24-20 loss on a steamy Saturday in September last year at Currituck in North Carolina because they had chances to win, even in spite of seven turnovers. Deep Creek took Green Run to the wire in the opening round of the playoffs, boosting the morale and confidence of the group returning for 2024. Two of the headliners will be senior QB Brehon Cuffee and DE Treyvon Litton, someone that figures to spend a lot of time in opposing backfields.
Matt Hatfield Says – Deep Creek 27-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Deep Creek 28-8
Western Branch at Menchville . . . In last year’s 21-12 season-opening victory for Western Branch over Menchville, it was the Ky’Nique Baines show. Baines ran the ball 11 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns, both coming before half-time. After intermission though, the Menchville defense settled in and made it difficult for the Bruins to sustain drives. Rodney Taylor’s Monarchs will miss their main source of offense from 2023 in Amir Harrison, who accounted for 1816 yards and 15 TD’s, primarily from the QB spot as a slippery runner. However, a monster season on both sides of the ball could be in store for SS/LB/RB/WR Ladarius Adams, who pulled in an offer from Hampton University in the spring.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 16-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Menchville 16-13
Jamestown at Nottoway . . . It’s hard to believe, but James Riley became the ninth Head Coach in 12 years for Jamestown during the off-season. The Eagles had a deflating end to 2023 with an unfathomable 104-0 loss to Phoebus in the Region 4A quarterfinals. Jamestown’s lone win in 2023 was a 24-5 victory over Nottoway in the opener. This Nottoway team figures to be improved, though, behind RB Anton Carter, the James River District Offensive Player of the Year and a D-1 prospect who’s one of 16 returning starters on the roster.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nottoway 16-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Nottoway 26-8
Davonte Brown and the Truckers try to hand King's Fork its first regular season loss in two years (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Churchland at King’s Fork . . . This game has a lot of intrigue as one can argue you have the two best running backs in all of Hampton Roads squaring off with JaVon Ford of the Bulldogs, who has rushed for more than 3500 yards in his career at the Suffolk school, and Dontavius Booker for the Truckers. Booker may not be getting the recruiting attention Ford has, but his 1674 yards and 23 TD’s last year were nothing to sneeze at in leading their offense. Word has it that Churchland is planning to start highly regarded freshman Logan Wynne at QB, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he does against a fast and ferocious Bulldogs defense that features multiple D-1 prospects like DE/LB Joshua Pittman and DT Shimyael Holt.
Matt Hatfield Says – King’s Fork 28-14
Coach Ed Young Says – King’s Fork 26-8
Poquoson at Lake Taylor . . . Never before have the Titans of Lake Taylor and Poquoson Bull Islanders square off on the gridiron, so there is some curiosity about this matchup with two very accomplished coaches; three-time State Champ Hank Sawyer for the home crew in Norfolk and reigning two-time Region 2A Champ Elliott Duty for the Bay Rivers District visitors. Speaking of the BRD, Lake Taylor’s last time out was a humbling 41-7 loss to Lafayette in the second round of the playoffs. Gone are some standouts like Elijah ‘Moss’ Washington, who’s now at Syracuse, but Sawyer’s group could be flying under the radar, led by All-State LB Jerome Brown. How well Poquoson can run it, beginning life without All-State RB Baker Green, could determine the tone of this game. That may even mean with QB Eli Tyndall, a three-year starter who was the Class 2 State Player of the Year in baseball.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lake Taylor 27-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Lake Taylor 21-20
Norview at Smithfield . . . It really stung for Norview when leading rusher Charles Jackson departed in the off-season for Green Run. Nonetheless, there are some talented athletes on the roster for second-year Head Coach Herb Lawrence and the Pilots. It means the keys to the offensive car will be driven by junior QB Jamir Vaughan. Smithfield felt it let one get away in last year’s 11-10 loss at Norview. The Packers bring back the top rusher in the Bay Rivers District in Kinye Martin, who had 11 TD’s to go with his more than 1500 yards on the ground.
Matt Hatfield Says – Smithfield 16-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Smithfield 21-18
Warwick will look to Julio Carrecter to help generate explosive plays, both in the opener vs. Grassfield and throughout the 2024 campaign (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Grassfield at Warwick . . . When the Grizzlies ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown in last year’s opener, it put the Raiders on upset alert. However, that was short-lived because Warwick scored the next 53 points and would not give up their first defensive touchdown of the year until the fourth quarter of the regular season finale vs. Phoebus. Much of that stingy defense for the Raiders is back, save injured All-State DB Messiah Delhomme, a Maryland commit who broke his leg back in May. Can up-and-coming sophomore QB Landen Curles and the Grassfield offense take advantage of Delhomme’s absence?
Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 30-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 26-0
Nansemond River at Bethel . . . Many around the Peninsula District feel that David Porter has Bethel pointed in the right direction as they recovered from an 0-2 start, which included falling to Nansemond River 41-21, by winning four straight on their way to a playoff berth. Sophomore QB Derek Fisher is showing promise and RB Amari Pryear nearly ran for 1000 yards last season, finishing with 960 to go with 12 TD’s rushing. Alonzo Ricks Jr. has a new, yet talented QB himself in Norcom transfer Tyrell Grant, looking to stretch the field and complement the ground game led by Melvin Brown. A win would move the Warriors to 4-0 all-time on the gridiron against Bethel.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nansemond River 24-23
Coach Ed Young Says – Bethel 21-20
Hermitage at Oscar Smith . . . Coming off a 6-5 campaign, the Hermitage offense put up just a shade under 23 points per game last year and had reasonable success against Tidewater powerhouse Oscar Smith. Problem was they didn’t get enough stops in the 39-25 home loss to the Tigers, who bring back sophomore starting QB Lonnie Andrews III and a pair of D-1 talents at the receiver position in Buffalo commit Alvin ‘Trey’ Jones and junior Travis Johnson. Of course, the Hermitage defense welcomes back eight returning starters, one of which is four-star junior DB Andre Clarke Jr. Oscar Smith’s defense, meanwhile, is much more experienced and ought to contain mobile Panthers QB Ben Yeanay so that he’s unable to escape the pocket
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 29-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 30-6
Heritage-NN at Tabb . . . Rallying from a 19-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, Tabb surprised Heritage in last year’s opener behind two touchdown runs in the final stanza by Cam Dixon. Coach John Byron’s graduated some very instrumental seniors like Dixon, All-District lineman Diego Marin and Lance Koontz, so now is the time for some new faces to step forward and make their mark. Ditto for Heritage, which had a wild run to the Region 3A Final after toppling No. 1 seed Hopewell in the second round of the playoffs during a six-game winning streak. Whichever o-line dictates the flow should hold the upper hand.
Matt Hatfield Says – Heritage-NN 20-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Heritage-NN 26-20
Chosen 2nd Team All-State as a freshman last year, receiver Anthony Henderson will be a focal point for the Bruton offense (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Bruton at Northampton . . . Coach Barrington Morrison of Bruton saw his Panthers get off to a 4-0 start last year, beginning with a 41-3 rout of Northampton. His Panthers have a ways to go before they’re competing with the upper echelon in the Bay Rivers District. After all, Bruton has dropped 26 straight BRD games. But keep an eye on sophomore WR Anthony Henderson (43Rec. 695Yds. 6 TD’s) and versatile senior athlete Brandon Freeman, an All-State performer from the basketball team.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bruton 30-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Bruton 28-12
Lafayette at Spotsylvania . . . All the Rams did to open the 2023 campaign was man-handle Spotsylvania 43-6, marking the fourth straight victory in the head-to-head series. Spotsylvania hasn’t prevailed over Lafayette since 1997 in a 27-7 triumph. Even though six players chosen First or Second Team All-State graduated from the Class 3 runner-up Rams, this team is more than equipped to make another deep run. There’s a reason they have put up no less than 34 points per game in any of Andy Linn’s seasons and that is because they are strong running the ball, fundamentally sound in blocking and minimize mistakes.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lafayette 42-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Lafayette 33-6
Can Denbigh, behind sophomore triggerman Kevin Parker, spring the upset and knock off Granby? (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Granby at Denbigh . . . Second-year Denbigh Head Coach Tommy Reamon has coached some big-time QB’s over the years, such as Aaron Brooks and Michael Vick. He’s confident that sophomore Kevin Parker is his next star in the making. The Patriots are in the midst of a 31-game losing streak, but believe better days are forthcoming. Here they face a Granby team that began its turnaround under Head Coach Kendal Jefferson one year ago by beating Denbigh 49-7 to ignite a 7-4 season, their best campaign since 2012 after going 2-39 in the previous 41 outings. Parker has to be careful throwing the ball in the direction of Comets DB Eamon Cuffee, the area’s leader in interceptions last year with nine.
Matt Hatfield Says – Granby 49-20
Coach Ed Young Says – Granby 36-13
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.
We are back for another year with our Tidewater Predictions, battle featuring yours truly, Matthew Hatfield, and my longtime radio now turned Podcast partner, Coach Ed Young.
You can check out our weekly 757 Saturday Sports Talk Show via CoVA Sports TV here, plus you don’t want to miss our big 2024 VA Football Preview Show that has district-by-district picks here.
Before we jump to this week’s Picks, let’s review the 2023 final tally, shall we?
High School Football Predictions Battle: 2023 Regular Season Totals
Matthew Hatfield – 212-46 (82.2%) on Tidewater games
Coach Ed Young – 199-59 (77.1%) on Tidewater games
Hatfield was at 87.5% and Young at 85.1% during the regular season in 2022. Will the percentages be worse or better in 2024?
Game of the Week on Thurs. 8/29/24:
Johnny Shaw and the reigning Region 5A Champion Braves face a tough test to open the 2024 season at Varina (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Indian River at Varina . . . This is a matchup of two teams ranked in the Top 10 in the state in their respective classes with Varina checking in at No. 5 in our Class 4 rankings on VaPreps, while Indian River is No. 9 in Class 5 after winning the Region 5A title last year. Brandon Carr’s Braves fell at home to the Blue Devils last season, 13-0, where Varina junior Da’Mari Carter put on a show with five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Both Carter and DT Jay’Sean Richardson, offered by Liberty this week, give Head Coach Marcus Lewis of Varina two of the best prospects in the entire state in the Class of 2026.
Indian River has several new faces, including at QB in Bayside transfer Kam Kirby. Until some of them underclassmen are acclimated, look for them to rely on the run game with RB Ravon Moore, a 1000-yard candidate, and a defense that aims to play fast and aggressive behind LB Johnny Shaw and DB Trey Voskanyan, who has 12 interceptions over the past two seasons.
This figures to be another defensive tussle, and with Varina at home, it’s hard to imagine them being flat whatsoever. Plus, their QB – sophomore Kaleb Wyche – showed plenty of poise when thrust into action against rival Highland Springs last season in a hostile environment.
Matt Hatfield Says – Varina 14-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Varina 20-12
Rest of Thursday's Action for 8/29/24:
Princess Anne at Bayside . . . In his second season as Head Coach, Phillip Sims – the former record-setting QB at Oscar Smith – is trying to get Princess Anne to snap a 27-game losing streak. PA hasn’t beaten Bayside since 2017 and for that to change will need some big plays from RB A.J. Martin throughout this tilt. Bayside had a large roster turnover, but Head Coach Jon White sees RB/LB Zavion Guidry and speedster Halim Hardnett providing both the leadership and timely plays needed for them to be in contention for a 14th playoff trip in 16 seasons.Matt Hatfield Says – Bayside 22-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Bayside 26-12
Cox at Landstown . . . In Tyler Noe’s first season at the helm, the Cox Falcons notched five wins by seven points or less. That included a 21-18 comeback triumph over Landstown, where they scored the go-ahead touchdown with 16 seconds to play. Gage Trefrey found Gerard Johnson, who’s now playing at Virginia Tech, for that winning score. Robert Jackson’s Eagles try to break a four-game losing skid in the head-to-head series.
Matt Hatfield Says – Cox 20-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Cox 14-12
Kellam at First Colonial . . . With their 27-25 victory over Kellam last year, First Colonial beat the Knights for the first time since 2011 and ended a 10-game losing streak in the series. Second-year Patriots Head Coach Lemort Smith is trying to get that mojo back they had during the 2-0 start a season before closing on an eight-game losing streak. Senior RB Rahquim Hobbs will be crucial to that effort, but finding room to operate against a Knights defensive front that features D-1 prospect Zion Copeland on the line could be tricky.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 17-15
Coach Ed Young Says – Kellam 20-14
K'Saan Farrar and the Stallions look to continue their mastery of the Beach District when they host Tallwood (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Tallwood at Green Run . . . Riding a 33-game Beach District winning streak, the Stallions of Green Run have won the past four meetings with Tallwood and done so averaging 56.5 points per game. Last year’s 47-7 final might look a bit deceiving because it was a 14-7 game at the break before they erupted with 300 of their 487 total yards after half-time. Tallwood is confident about what its offense can do this season behind QB Jacob Rojas, whose 21 TD’s marked a single-season program record, and WR Amari Harmon (29Rec. 350Yds.). But is their defense built to slow down a high-octane Stallions offense that’s led by UConn commit K’Saan Farrar at quarterback?
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 35-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 30-6
Salem-VB at Kempsville . . . Season openers have not been too kind to the Chiefs of Kempsville, who have dropped 13 of their last 14 with the lone breakthrough coming when they beat Cox 20-12 to start off the 2021 campaign. Salem had lost three in a row to the Chiefs until last year’s 13-7 victory. When these two get together, it’s generally a lower scoring matchup as the last time either put up more than 20 on the other was when the Sun Devils blanked Kempsville 42-0 in 2019. The key to this game could be what type of pass rush the Chiefs defense, headed up by LB Darryl Veal, can apply on Salem QB Jason ‘Scooter’ Williams, a Navy commit.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem-VB 26-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem-VB 18-16
Devan Anthony will play a vital role on both sides of the ball for the Crabbers this year (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Woodside at Hampton . . . It’s the coaching debut of Alonzo Coley, former Kecoughtan head man and Phoebus assistant, at the helm of Woodside. The Wolverines had an uncharacteristic 1-9 season last year where the only triumph came over winless Denbigh. A couple of standouts from their back-t-back state title winning basketball team have come out for football to try to give them a spark. Meanwhile, the Crabbers, albeit undersized and still young on some positions, seem to be closer to the top of the Peninsula District than the Wolverines. Both DT/RB Devan Anthony and DB/WR Casey Lassiter showed well in their preseason scrimmage at Kempsville.
Matt Hatfield Says – Hampton 19-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Hampton 28-0
Kecoughtan at Gloucester . . . This marks the coaching debut at Kecoughtan for Zecharie James. Only four starters are back for the Warriors, who won the opener over Gloucester 23-6 last season. The Dukes have dropped the past three meetings with Kecoughtan after taking three of four during a time when they had Isaiah Spencer, who went on to Old Dominion, star for them. Second-year Head Coach Noah Crouch hopes some tweaks on offense will make them more potent and get them in range of All-State kicker Corey Skay, who had a couple of 47-yard field goals in 2023.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kecoughtan 17-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Kecoughtan 16-10
Booker T. Washington at Petersburg . . . This begins the new era at Booker T. Washington under Mason Williams, a former King’s Fork assistant and Norfolk native that played at Norview. The Bookers don’t have a deep roster, but believe players like sophomore QB Kelvin Battle and junior RB Keon Bratten, among others, will make names for themselves by season’s end. Five starters are back on defense for Mike Scott’s Petersburg Crimson Wave, highlighted by All-Region LB Xavier Scott. That experience along with three-year starting QB Stanley Green on offense is likely enough to move them to 6-2 all-time in the series vs. the Bookers.
Matt Hatfield Says – Petersburg 26-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Petersburg 28-0
Manor at Warhill . . . Former Texas Tech wide receiver Anton Paige is the new Head Coach at Manor and he got hired late in the summer. Don’t expect a quick turnaround for the Mustangs as they break in a bunch of new starters. Warhill has some shoes to fill, but William & Mary commit Elijah Williams is one of the holdovers from a Lions team that reached the Region 4A Finals a year ago, handling the Mustangs 49-8 in the opener on their journey to Thanksgiving weekend.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warhill 42-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Warhill 33-0
Matthew Outten, a Virginia Tech commit, looks to get Norcom off on the right foot as a pivotal matchup with Oscar Smith looms (Dan Trevino, VirginiaPreps.com)
Grafton at Norcom . . . It’ll be the coaching debut of Ananias Boyd at Grafton and he takes over a situation that is in pretty good shape when you consider two of his running backs, Makale Bennett and Colton Sandiford, have rushed for over 1000 yards in a season before. There’s also one of the top pass catchers in the Bay Rivers District in Jaden Brown, who had 29 catches for 634 yards and 4 TD’s last year. Beating Norcom will be a different kind of task, though. The Greyhounds , who defeated Grafton 38-14 in their previous encounter, didn’t get a chance to compete in the playoffs in 2023, ruled ineligible from a scuffle at the conclusion of their regional semifinal vs. Phoebus in 2022. Virginia Tech commit Matthew Outten gives Norcom the most lethal player on the field.
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 29-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Norcom 22-14
Currituck County, NC at Deep Creek . . . Coach Andre Twine of the Hornets could only shake his head about the 24-20 loss on a steamy Saturday in September last year at Currituck in North Carolina because they had chances to win, even in spite of seven turnovers. Deep Creek took Green Run to the wire in the opening round of the playoffs, boosting the morale and confidence of the group returning for 2024. Two of the headliners will be senior QB Brehon Cuffee and DE Treyvon Litton, someone that figures to spend a lot of time in opposing backfields.
Matt Hatfield Says – Deep Creek 27-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Deep Creek 28-8
Western Branch at Menchville . . . In last year’s 21-12 season-opening victory for Western Branch over Menchville, it was the Ky’Nique Baines show. Baines ran the ball 11 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns, both coming before half-time. After intermission though, the Menchville defense settled in and made it difficult for the Bruins to sustain drives. Rodney Taylor’s Monarchs will miss their main source of offense from 2023 in Amir Harrison, who accounted for 1816 yards and 15 TD’s, primarily from the QB spot as a slippery runner. However, a monster season on both sides of the ball could be in store for SS/LB/RB/WR Ladarius Adams, who pulled in an offer from Hampton University in the spring.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 16-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Menchville 16-13
Jamestown at Nottoway . . . It’s hard to believe, but James Riley became the ninth Head Coach in 12 years for Jamestown during the off-season. The Eagles had a deflating end to 2023 with an unfathomable 104-0 loss to Phoebus in the Region 4A quarterfinals. Jamestown’s lone win in 2023 was a 24-5 victory over Nottoway in the opener. This Nottoway team figures to be improved, though, behind RB Anton Carter, the James River District Offensive Player of the Year and a D-1 prospect who’s one of 16 returning starters on the roster.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nottoway 16-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Nottoway 26-8
Friday's Slate for 8/30/24:
Davonte Brown and the Truckers try to hand King's Fork its first regular season loss in two years (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Churchland at King’s Fork . . . This game has a lot of intrigue as one can argue you have the two best running backs in all of Hampton Roads squaring off with JaVon Ford of the Bulldogs, who has rushed for more than 3500 yards in his career at the Suffolk school, and Dontavius Booker for the Truckers. Booker may not be getting the recruiting attention Ford has, but his 1674 yards and 23 TD’s last year were nothing to sneeze at in leading their offense. Word has it that Churchland is planning to start highly regarded freshman Logan Wynne at QB, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he does against a fast and ferocious Bulldogs defense that features multiple D-1 prospects like DE/LB Joshua Pittman and DT Shimyael Holt.
Matt Hatfield Says – King’s Fork 28-14
Coach Ed Young Says – King’s Fork 26-8
Poquoson at Lake Taylor . . . Never before have the Titans of Lake Taylor and Poquoson Bull Islanders square off on the gridiron, so there is some curiosity about this matchup with two very accomplished coaches; three-time State Champ Hank Sawyer for the home crew in Norfolk and reigning two-time Region 2A Champ Elliott Duty for the Bay Rivers District visitors. Speaking of the BRD, Lake Taylor’s last time out was a humbling 41-7 loss to Lafayette in the second round of the playoffs. Gone are some standouts like Elijah ‘Moss’ Washington, who’s now at Syracuse, but Sawyer’s group could be flying under the radar, led by All-State LB Jerome Brown. How well Poquoson can run it, beginning life without All-State RB Baker Green, could determine the tone of this game. That may even mean with QB Eli Tyndall, a three-year starter who was the Class 2 State Player of the Year in baseball.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lake Taylor 27-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Lake Taylor 21-20
Norview at Smithfield . . . It really stung for Norview when leading rusher Charles Jackson departed in the off-season for Green Run. Nonetheless, there are some talented athletes on the roster for second-year Head Coach Herb Lawrence and the Pilots. It means the keys to the offensive car will be driven by junior QB Jamir Vaughan. Smithfield felt it let one get away in last year’s 11-10 loss at Norview. The Packers bring back the top rusher in the Bay Rivers District in Kinye Martin, who had 11 TD’s to go with his more than 1500 yards on the ground.
Matt Hatfield Says – Smithfield 16-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Smithfield 21-18
Warwick will look to Julio Carrecter to help generate explosive plays, both in the opener vs. Grassfield and throughout the 2024 campaign (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Grassfield at Warwick . . . When the Grizzlies ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown in last year’s opener, it put the Raiders on upset alert. However, that was short-lived because Warwick scored the next 53 points and would not give up their first defensive touchdown of the year until the fourth quarter of the regular season finale vs. Phoebus. Much of that stingy defense for the Raiders is back, save injured All-State DB Messiah Delhomme, a Maryland commit who broke his leg back in May. Can up-and-coming sophomore QB Landen Curles and the Grassfield offense take advantage of Delhomme’s absence?
Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 30-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 26-0
Nansemond River at Bethel . . . Many around the Peninsula District feel that David Porter has Bethel pointed in the right direction as they recovered from an 0-2 start, which included falling to Nansemond River 41-21, by winning four straight on their way to a playoff berth. Sophomore QB Derek Fisher is showing promise and RB Amari Pryear nearly ran for 1000 yards last season, finishing with 960 to go with 12 TD’s rushing. Alonzo Ricks Jr. has a new, yet talented QB himself in Norcom transfer Tyrell Grant, looking to stretch the field and complement the ground game led by Melvin Brown. A win would move the Warriors to 4-0 all-time on the gridiron against Bethel.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nansemond River 24-23
Coach Ed Young Says – Bethel 21-20
Hermitage at Oscar Smith . . . Coming off a 6-5 campaign, the Hermitage offense put up just a shade under 23 points per game last year and had reasonable success against Tidewater powerhouse Oscar Smith. Problem was they didn’t get enough stops in the 39-25 home loss to the Tigers, who bring back sophomore starting QB Lonnie Andrews III and a pair of D-1 talents at the receiver position in Buffalo commit Alvin ‘Trey’ Jones and junior Travis Johnson. Of course, the Hermitage defense welcomes back eight returning starters, one of which is four-star junior DB Andre Clarke Jr. Oscar Smith’s defense, meanwhile, is much more experienced and ought to contain mobile Panthers QB Ben Yeanay so that he’s unable to escape the pocket
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 29-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 30-6
Heritage-NN at Tabb . . . Rallying from a 19-14 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, Tabb surprised Heritage in last year’s opener behind two touchdown runs in the final stanza by Cam Dixon. Coach John Byron’s graduated some very instrumental seniors like Dixon, All-District lineman Diego Marin and Lance Koontz, so now is the time for some new faces to step forward and make their mark. Ditto for Heritage, which had a wild run to the Region 3A Final after toppling No. 1 seed Hopewell in the second round of the playoffs during a six-game winning streak. Whichever o-line dictates the flow should hold the upper hand.
Matt Hatfield Says – Heritage-NN 20-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Heritage-NN 26-20
Chosen 2nd Team All-State as a freshman last year, receiver Anthony Henderson will be a focal point for the Bruton offense (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Bruton at Northampton . . . Coach Barrington Morrison of Bruton saw his Panthers get off to a 4-0 start last year, beginning with a 41-3 rout of Northampton. His Panthers have a ways to go before they’re competing with the upper echelon in the Bay Rivers District. After all, Bruton has dropped 26 straight BRD games. But keep an eye on sophomore WR Anthony Henderson (43Rec. 695Yds. 6 TD’s) and versatile senior athlete Brandon Freeman, an All-State performer from the basketball team.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bruton 30-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Bruton 28-12
Lafayette at Spotsylvania . . . All the Rams did to open the 2023 campaign was man-handle Spotsylvania 43-6, marking the fourth straight victory in the head-to-head series. Spotsylvania hasn’t prevailed over Lafayette since 1997 in a 27-7 triumph. Even though six players chosen First or Second Team All-State graduated from the Class 3 runner-up Rams, this team is more than equipped to make another deep run. There’s a reason they have put up no less than 34 points per game in any of Andy Linn’s seasons and that is because they are strong running the ball, fundamentally sound in blocking and minimize mistakes.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lafayette 42-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Lafayette 33-6
Saturday Action on 8/31/24:
Can Denbigh, behind sophomore triggerman Kevin Parker, spring the upset and knock off Granby? (Matthew Hatfield, VirginiaPreps.com)
Granby at Denbigh . . . Second-year Denbigh Head Coach Tommy Reamon has coached some big-time QB’s over the years, such as Aaron Brooks and Michael Vick. He’s confident that sophomore Kevin Parker is his next star in the making. The Patriots are in the midst of a 31-game losing streak, but believe better days are forthcoming. Here they face a Granby team that began its turnaround under Head Coach Kendal Jefferson one year ago by beating Denbigh 49-7 to ignite a 7-4 season, their best campaign since 2012 after going 2-39 in the previous 41 outings. Parker has to be careful throwing the ball in the direction of Comets DB Eamon Cuffee, the area’s leader in interceptions last year with nine.
Matt Hatfield Says – Granby 49-20
Coach Ed Young Says – Granby 36-13
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.
