October is winding down, which means Halloween is right around the corner. Plenty of tricks and treats are sure to be in store when it comes to Virginia High School Football before the playoffs arrive in November.
Let’s take a look at how those are going for both VirginiaPreps.com Publisher Matthew Hatfield and his weekly 757 Saturday Sports Talk Podcast compadre, Coach Edward Young…
A 7-3 mark for Hatfield in the Terrific Ten, misfiring on Strasburg/Clarke County, South Lakes/Madison and Mountain View/Patriot.
That brings the season totals to the following below...
Hatfield's 10/20/23 Statewide Picks on VIP Board: 7-3 (70%)
Hatfield's Week 9 Total in Tidewater: 23-2 (92%)
Hatfield's VHSL Season Total: 237-68 (77.7%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total: 170-43 (79.8%)
Young’s Week 9 Total in Tidewater: 19-6 (76%)
Young’s Tidewater Season Total: 156-57 (73.2%)
... Of the six disagreements, Hatfield got the better of Young on five of them with Granby over Norcom, Churchland over Lake Taylor, King's Fork over Oscar Smith, Kellam over Landstown and Grafton over Tabb. Young's only saving grace was Bayside blanking Ocean Lakes.
Now time for Hatfield's Terrific Ten for the final weekend of October 2023 VHSL Football...
Matt's Must-See Matchups:
Phoebus (8-0) at Warwick (9-0) . . . The reigning two-time State Champions from Phoebus come in riding a 27-game winning streak, the longest at the moment in all of Virginia. In their head-to-head series with Warwick, the Phantoms have simply dominated with 24 straight wins. Warwick's last breakthrough in this series came in 2001 by a count of 10-7 during the regular season - with Michael Vick's younger brother Marcus at quarterback - before the Phantoms got revenge to the tune of 49-14 in the postseason. That was on the way to the first of their now nine state titles they've achieved. Meanwhile, Warwick is trying to sit atop the Peninsula District for the first time in its history as they come into this matchup having not allowed a single touchdown with its defense as the lone score on them came via a kickoff by Grassfield in the season opener.
So while the Raiders are giving up less than a point per game, Phoebus has allowed just eight points on the year, which include a touchdown pass by archival Hampton and an intentional safety in their double-digit win at Oscar Smith to begin the season. Both defenses are littered with standouts; for Warwick it is a junior DB by the name of Messiah Delhomme with 15 FBS offers and counting. Delhomme, who was the Region 4A Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, has five interceptions with two returned for touchdowns. Phoebus has a pair of big-time standouts rushing the passer off the edge in Maryland commit Anthony Reddick and ODU pledge Taysean Stevenson, each of whom was active causing pressure in last week's shutout of Bethel where they limited the Bruins to a mere three total yards of offense.
Offensively, Warwick is a bit more potent in terms of the raw numbers in averaging 46.6 per game compared to 37.1 PPG for Phoebus. While the Phantoms tend to go with more of a grind-it-out approach with RB's Davion Roberts and Paul Stephen Davis, the Raiders want to test teams through the air behind QB Eduardo Rios Jr. (64 of 93 for 1627 yards, 17-4 TD/Int. ratio) and a deep cast of receivers that include Mike Alleyne, Keon Batts, Dakota Brodus and former Phoebus receiver Julio Carrecter (12Rec. 477Yds. 5 TD's). Key components for each offense will be two-way playmaker Keyontae Gray of Phoebus as he has assumed that go-to role that Jordan Bass, now at Pittsburgh, flourished in for them a season ago, and Woodside transfer Ri'jon Hammond is vital for the Warwick run game as he comes in just 214 rushing yards shy of 1000 on the season.
It would not surprise me one bit to see this game go to overtime scoreless because these two defenses have been that fierce and consistent at all three levels from the line to the linebackers and secondary members. When push comes to shove, a spark play in the form of a strip-sack or takeaway can set one of the offenses up with great field position and swing momentum in a major way. The big-game experience that Phoebus possesses is hard to ignore and overlook, giving them maybe the slightest of edges in a game that Warwick certainly can win, particularly if their offense comes out and clicking and gains a multi-score advantage in the first half that forces Phoebus to take chances with the passing game.
Hatfield Says - Phoebus 13-7
Varina (6-1) at Highland Springs (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Highland Springs 20-7
Hopewell (6-2) at Thomas Dale (8-0) . . .
Hatfield Says - Thomas Dale 27-20
Briar Woods (7-1) at Stone Bridge (4-4) . . .
Hatfield Says - Stone Bridge 38-21
South County (6-2) at Lake Braddock (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - South County 35-28
Christiansburg (7-2) at Salem (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Salem 34-20
Union (7-1) at Abingdon (5-3) . . . The Bears certainly got the state's attention earlier this season when they beat Graham, who they could certainly run into in the Region 2D Finals come November. Abingdon is fresh off a stunning 49-14 rout of Ridgeview, which was 7-1 overall prior to that setback. Now the Falcons must come up with the solution defensively to slow down Union QB Reyshawn Anderson, who has done damage with both his arm and legs to the tune of 1845 total yards accounted for, plus has a dangerous WR on the outside in Paul Huff that can get deep.
Hatfield Says - Union 24-17
Fairfax (6-2) at West Springfield (6-2) . . . Injuries have affected the Fairfax Lions greatly, including that to Georgia commit and four-star talent Kris Jones, who did major work at both linebacker and running back. Without him, the defense and special teams will need to pick up the slack and create some scoring chances against a Spartans attack that can pile up points in a hurry. West Springfield is on track to average 29 points per game or better for the fifth straight season. Senior wideout Devante Rudolph is a field-stretcher for West Springfield, averaging 32.5 yards per reception with six of his 22 grabs going for scores.
Hatfield Says - West Springfield 32-26
Chatham (6-2) at Gretna (6-2) . . . The Hawks of Gretna are looking to extend their winning streak to nine games in this head-to-head series after winning a tight one, 19-17, a season ago. The Chatham offense is putting up 30.4 points per game, which is on pace to be their highest clip since averaging 34.6 PPG in 2013. Stopping Gretna QB Melvin Wooden - who has passed for 1143 yards and rushed for another 578 - will be a tall order for a defense that gave up 51 to Appomattox just two weeks ago, though.
Hatfield Says - Gretna 36-16
Langley (5-3) at Washington-Liberty (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Washington-Liberty 20-13
Let’s take a look at how those are going for both VirginiaPreps.com Publisher Matthew Hatfield and his weekly 757 Saturday Sports Talk Podcast compadre, Coach Edward Young…
A 7-3 mark for Hatfield in the Terrific Ten, misfiring on Strasburg/Clarke County, South Lakes/Madison and Mountain View/Patriot.
That brings the season totals to the following below...
Hatfield's 10/20/23 Statewide Picks on VIP Board: 7-3 (70%)
Hatfield's Week 9 Total in Tidewater: 23-2 (92%)
Hatfield's VHSL Season Total: 237-68 (77.7%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total: 170-43 (79.8%)
Young’s Week 9 Total in Tidewater: 19-6 (76%)
Young’s Tidewater Season Total: 156-57 (73.2%)
... Of the six disagreements, Hatfield got the better of Young on five of them with Granby over Norcom, Churchland over Lake Taylor, King's Fork over Oscar Smith, Kellam over Landstown and Grafton over Tabb. Young's only saving grace was Bayside blanking Ocean Lakes.
Now time for Hatfield's Terrific Ten for the final weekend of October 2023 VHSL Football...
Matt's Must-See Matchups:
Phoebus (8-0) at Warwick (9-0) . . . The reigning two-time State Champions from Phoebus come in riding a 27-game winning streak, the longest at the moment in all of Virginia. In their head-to-head series with Warwick, the Phantoms have simply dominated with 24 straight wins. Warwick's last breakthrough in this series came in 2001 by a count of 10-7 during the regular season - with Michael Vick's younger brother Marcus at quarterback - before the Phantoms got revenge to the tune of 49-14 in the postseason. That was on the way to the first of their now nine state titles they've achieved. Meanwhile, Warwick is trying to sit atop the Peninsula District for the first time in its history as they come into this matchup having not allowed a single touchdown with its defense as the lone score on them came via a kickoff by Grassfield in the season opener.
So while the Raiders are giving up less than a point per game, Phoebus has allowed just eight points on the year, which include a touchdown pass by archival Hampton and an intentional safety in their double-digit win at Oscar Smith to begin the season. Both defenses are littered with standouts; for Warwick it is a junior DB by the name of Messiah Delhomme with 15 FBS offers and counting. Delhomme, who was the Region 4A Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, has five interceptions with two returned for touchdowns. Phoebus has a pair of big-time standouts rushing the passer off the edge in Maryland commit Anthony Reddick and ODU pledge Taysean Stevenson, each of whom was active causing pressure in last week's shutout of Bethel where they limited the Bruins to a mere three total yards of offense.
Offensively, Warwick is a bit more potent in terms of the raw numbers in averaging 46.6 per game compared to 37.1 PPG for Phoebus. While the Phantoms tend to go with more of a grind-it-out approach with RB's Davion Roberts and Paul Stephen Davis, the Raiders want to test teams through the air behind QB Eduardo Rios Jr. (64 of 93 for 1627 yards, 17-4 TD/Int. ratio) and a deep cast of receivers that include Mike Alleyne, Keon Batts, Dakota Brodus and former Phoebus receiver Julio Carrecter (12Rec. 477Yds. 5 TD's). Key components for each offense will be two-way playmaker Keyontae Gray of Phoebus as he has assumed that go-to role that Jordan Bass, now at Pittsburgh, flourished in for them a season ago, and Woodside transfer Ri'jon Hammond is vital for the Warwick run game as he comes in just 214 rushing yards shy of 1000 on the season.
It would not surprise me one bit to see this game go to overtime scoreless because these two defenses have been that fierce and consistent at all three levels from the line to the linebackers and secondary members. When push comes to shove, a spark play in the form of a strip-sack or takeaway can set one of the offenses up with great field position and swing momentum in a major way. The big-game experience that Phoebus possesses is hard to ignore and overlook, giving them maybe the slightest of edges in a game that Warwick certainly can win, particularly if their offense comes out and clicking and gains a multi-score advantage in the first half that forces Phoebus to take chances with the passing game.
Hatfield Says - Phoebus 13-7
Varina (6-1) at Highland Springs (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Highland Springs 20-7
Hopewell (6-2) at Thomas Dale (8-0) . . .
Hatfield Says - Thomas Dale 27-20
Briar Woods (7-1) at Stone Bridge (4-4) . . .
Hatfield Says - Stone Bridge 38-21
South County (6-2) at Lake Braddock (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - South County 35-28
Christiansburg (7-2) at Salem (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Salem 34-20
Union (7-1) at Abingdon (5-3) . . . The Bears certainly got the state's attention earlier this season when they beat Graham, who they could certainly run into in the Region 2D Finals come November. Abingdon is fresh off a stunning 49-14 rout of Ridgeview, which was 7-1 overall prior to that setback. Now the Falcons must come up with the solution defensively to slow down Union QB Reyshawn Anderson, who has done damage with both his arm and legs to the tune of 1845 total yards accounted for, plus has a dangerous WR on the outside in Paul Huff that can get deep.
Hatfield Says - Union 24-17
Fairfax (6-2) at West Springfield (6-2) . . . Injuries have affected the Fairfax Lions greatly, including that to Georgia commit and four-star talent Kris Jones, who did major work at both linebacker and running back. Without him, the defense and special teams will need to pick up the slack and create some scoring chances against a Spartans attack that can pile up points in a hurry. West Springfield is on track to average 29 points per game or better for the fifth straight season. Senior wideout Devante Rudolph is a field-stretcher for West Springfield, averaging 32.5 yards per reception with six of his 22 grabs going for scores.
Hatfield Says - West Springfield 32-26
Chatham (6-2) at Gretna (6-2) . . . The Hawks of Gretna are looking to extend their winning streak to nine games in this head-to-head series after winning a tight one, 19-17, a season ago. The Chatham offense is putting up 30.4 points per game, which is on pace to be their highest clip since averaging 34.6 PPG in 2013. Stopping Gretna QB Melvin Wooden - who has passed for 1143 yards and rushed for another 578 - will be a tall order for a defense that gave up 51 to Appomattox just two weeks ago, though.
Hatfield Says - Gretna 36-16
Langley (5-3) at Washington-Liberty (7-1) . . .
Hatfield Says - Washington-Liberty 20-13
