Let's get to the Picks as the month of August closes out and the month of September opens with some great games across the board, especially in Tidewater and Richmond...
See Matt Hatfield & Coach Ed Young's Tidewater Predictions Battle + Preview for Week 2 Here
Below is my updated record...
Hatfield Tidewater Total: 17-7 (70.8%)
Hatfield 2023 VHSL Football Picks: 29-14 (67.4%)
Matt's Must-See Matchups:
Thursday, August 31 Action....
Freedom-PW at Varina - The Blue Devils were outstanding on defense against Indian River last week in pitching their third consecutive season-opening shutout. Can the Blue Devils come up with the answers for an offense that put up 65 points per game last season with almost its entire offensive components back? It's hard to imagine them slowing down QB Tristan Evans, RB Jeff Overton Jr. and a host of dynamic receivers for a full 48 minutes.
Hatfield Says - Freedom-PW 36-8
L.C. Bird at Thomas Dale - It's the Battle of Chester and Thomas Dale wants to show its strength at home behind UVA commit Ethan Minter at quarterback. The Knights aren't afraid to take some shots with its passing game. Meanwhile, Troy Taylor's Skyhawks want to be physical and pound the rock, which they did quite well in beating James River 45-12 a week ago.
Hatfield Says - Thomas Dale 26-14
Colonial Forge at Alexandria City - Ethen Horne had a hand in three touchdowns as Colonial Forge beat Woodbridge 48-22 in its opener. This is the type of game that the Eagles can signal they are back as a contender with a decisive score, but their defense must perform better than it did against the Vikings for that to take place.
Hatfield Says - Colonial Forge 28-7
Lake Braddock at Madison - Will there be a hangover effect? Madison won an absolute thriller, 28-24 at Stone Bridge last week with a reverse kickoff return for a touchdown by Dom Knicely. Charlie Backman then iced the win with an interception. Lake Braddock always tends to produce a proficient passing game. Up front, UVA commit Ben York anchors their offensive line. If the Bruins can win the battle in the trenches, then it could be enough to beat the Warhawks for a second straight year. Remember, the Warhawks started 0-3 last year with losses to Stone Bridge, Lake Braddock and Yorktown, all by seven points or less, before reeling off 11 consecutive victories.
Hatfield Says - Madison 20-16
Loudoun County at Briar Woods (1-0) - Somewhat quietly, Briar Woods QB Brady Carmical is ascending into one of the state's best. The Falcons defeated John Champe 27-13 in the opener, where his 60-yard aerial connection to wide receiver and fellow junior Colin Capistrant was the highlight play. To keep Briar Woods from erupting and moving to 2-0
Hatfield Says - Briar Woods 27-16
Independence (0-1) at Tuscarora (1-0) - It's hard to call a game at the end of August or September a must-win, especailly in this day and age where many more teams go to the playoffs than several years ago. That being said, Independence does not want to drop to 0-2, knowing they still have to play Region 5D favorites Stone Bridge and Briar Woods at the end of their schedule. The Tuscarora defense might be a bit on the underrated side after pitching a 9-0 shutout of Heritage-Leesburg. Independence is going to have to show it can sustain offense, plus the Huskies should have an edge up front with massive Florida commit Fletcher Westphal at left tackle.
Hatfield Says - Tuscarora 30-17
Westmoreland (1-0) at Eastern View (1-0) - In what was viewed as a toss-up game against fellow Class 1 contender West Point, the Westmoreland Eagles cruised 38-16 behind a star-studded performance from QB Jordan Tolson, who connected on 12 of 18 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns without a turnover. Now, duplicating that performance in a step up in weight class, against Class 4 Eastern View with Power 5 recruit and All-State linebacker Brett Clatterbaugh, would be a different story. The Cyclones are ultra consistent, having started at least 2-0 in every season dating back to 2012.
Hatfield Says - Eastern View 46-12
Friday, September 1st Action...
Phoebus at Oscar Smith (1-0) . . . Much has been about how this game has not lived up to its billing each of the past two years, which came in the regular season finale both times instead of at the front of the schedule. These two schools have been the flag carriers of Hampton Roads football over the past 25 years, combining for 13 State Championships since 2001 with Phoebus capturing nine, seeking a three-peat this year. Oscar Smith dominated at home by a 42-0 count in 2021, whereas Phoebus got revenge to the tune of 56-0 at Darling Stadium on a Saturday last year with the aerial fireworks of Nolan James to Jordan Bass (Pittsburgh).
There won’t be a James or Bass on the field for Phoebus this time. There won’t be a game-wrecker in the trenches like Caleb Jones was for Oscar Smith two years ago or even Ethan Vasko at QB (Coastal Carolina). Both teams are still smoothing out their offenses, but the real edge looks to be on defense for Phoebus as it brought back a boatload of starters, headed up by Maryland commit Anthony Reddick and ODU pledge Taysean Stevenson off the edge.
A severe ankle sprain is likely to sideline Tigers tailback Brandon Nesbit Jr. That could make it even tougher for the Oscar Smith offensive to sustain drives and score on a stingy Phoebus defense that allowed just 4.6 points per game and pitched seven shutouts. Jamar Wright connected on 10 of 18 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown – a 33-yard strike to junior Trey Jones – in his first start at QB for the Tigers. The matchup on the outside with Jones and coveted 2025 prospect Jahmari DeLoatch against the Phoebus WR’s and DB’s like All-State performer Keyontae Gray and Ricardo Underwood is worth watching closely.
Phoebus QB Trenton Mitchell is getting his first start and much of his night may consist of handing the ball off and not taking too many risks down the field. What would concern me from an Oscar Smith perspective is that Hermitage ran for 288 yards in its 39-25 loss to the Tigers a week ago. That included two 100-yard rushers. Phoebus is known to pound the rock and they have more than capable options there with Davion Roberts alongside Woodside transfer Paul Stephen Davis and a very seasoned o-line, headed up by Markus Hopson, to create running room.
Matt Hatfield Says - Phoebus 21-7
Coach Ed Young Says - Phoebus 30-14
Manchester at Highland Springs (1-0) - These two programs have been two of Richmond's finest for quite a while now. Under Loren Johnson, the Springers have won five state titles in the past eight years. They went down to his alma mater in Miramar from Florida and came out with a hard-fought 20-14 win. A 74-yard touchdown run by Eric Byrd wrested momentum from Miramar and gave the Springers a jolt. Byrd ran for 108 yards on eight carries.
In this particular matchup, the Springers may be more inclined to attack with their passing game, headed up by Maryland commit Khristian Maritn. Manchester's defense, led by West Virginia commit Makai Byerson off the edge, will have to keep Martin in the pocket and not give him a lot of time to operate. Given that the Lancers have lost the past five meetings and not beaten Highland Springs since 1964, it's hard to go against the Springers in this spot.
Hatfield Says - Highland Springs 28-14
Patrick Henry-Roanoke at E.C. Glass - One of the most impressive scores in the state last week was a 58-25 win by Patrick Henry-Roanoke over Brookville, who beat the Patriots a year ago. Jamar Lovelace won his coaching debut at E.C. Glass, thanks in large part to the play of new starting QB Marty Kittrell, who connected on all eight of his passes for 83 yards, plus added 63 yards on the ground in a 14-7 triumph over Class 3 contender Lord Botetourt. Defense can set the tone in this one and the Patriots have to feel they have the best defender on the field in linebacker Bodie Kahoun, a Notre Dame commit.
Hatfield Says - PH-Roanoke 28-20
Franklin County (1-0) at Salem (1-0) - While the Spartans and their faithful may be lamenting some of the miscues and missed opportunities from the 21-14 loss to Liberty Christian, they played in one heck of a football game that should get them better prepped for the playoffs. Franklin County is a sneaky team, but the Eagles will have to play a superb game when it comes to run defense to slow Tennessee commit Peyton Lewis and Jayveon Jones. Even then, Salem has weapons at receiver to do damage if you force them to the air.
Hatfield Says - Salem 24-8
Rustburg (1-0) at Appomattox (1-0) - Trailing Spotswood 24-6 in the third quarter, Rustburg managed to score the final 22 points with a pair of long touchdown passes from Mike Knight. One was a 54-yard scoring strike to Alex Dunn and the other a 55-yard TD pass to Ace Thornton. Appomattox had to grind out its win over Buckingham to open the season before Demontay Fleshman and Tre Kelso made the necessary spark plays in a 23-6 win over hte Knights. It feels like it will be hard for either to gain great separation from the other in this matchup.
Hatfield Says - Appomattox 33-27 in OT
King William (1-0) at Clarke County (1-0) - Both of these Class 2 contenders want to establish the running game first and foremost. For Clarke County, it's out of their single-wing with seniors Carson Rutherford and Will Booker. King William brought back four offensive line starters from a season ago with 2nd Team All-State performer Carter Hamilton and 2nd Team All-Region selection Derek Baker II as the headliners. A standout on defense can swing this one and Hamilton is a good candidate for King William. For Clarke County, keep your eye on Carson Chinn, who has 237 tackles in the previous two seasons from his linebacker spot.
Hatfield Says - Clarke County 20-19
Graham (1-0) at Galax (0-1) - The Maroon Tide should not be too discouraged about a 39-21 loss to Glenvar, one of the better Class 2 teams in the state. Tedruhn Tucker is a 2000-yard rusher for Galax and means as much to them as Ty'Drez Clements, the reigning Class 2 State Offensive Player of the Year, does to Graham in many respects. Where the G-Men probably wear Galax down is up front, where Omarri Hill and company can really dig in and assert their strength. Graham had to win a close one with neighboring rival Bluefield last week, and this one does not figure to be quite as tight even thought it should be competitive.
Hatfield Says - Graham 28-7
Central-Lunenburg (1-0) at William Campbell (1-0) - In their win over Altavista, the Chargers of Lunenburg saw Connor Mattox really step up with 159 yards rushing and 3 TD's on 24 attempts. William Campbell made easy work of Cumberland, 46-16. Lunenburg is trying to notch their fourth straight win over the Generals and even up the all-time series at 11-apiece. Line play likely determines this one.
Hatfield Says - Central-Lunenburg 18-16
Narrows (1-0) at Holston (1-0) - Will it be the Kolier Pruett show for the Green Wave? In just under three quarters in a rout of Auburn, Pruett racked up 315 total yards with five touchdowns, which included two special teams scores, seven catches totaling 121 yards with two more scores and a pair of rushng scores. Holston is coming off a 41-8 thumping of Eastern Montgomery. Narrows won a 29-27 thriller in this matchup a year ago and another down to the wire game seems almost inevitable.
Hatfield Says - Narrows 26-22
Saturday, September 2 Action...
Quince Orchard, MD at South County (1-0) - Coming off a 14-0 campaign, Quince Orchard is the top public school in Maryland and has been unblemished dating back to 2019. In Rivals 4-Star DE Jaylen Harvey, they have one of the nation's top prospects who will be looking to apply constant heat on South County signal caller Jordan Dennis. The Stallions are facing perhaps their toughest regular season foe ever here, but they looked like a worthy title contender in the opener with a dominant 39-0 shutout of Robinson. So taking that into consideration, this should not be a ho-hum beatdown.
Hatfield Says - Quince Orchard 30-16
Riverheads (0-1) at Tazewell - By falling to Central-Woodstock 8-7 in a defensive slugfest that might've been the first chapter of two, with the squads potentially set to run into each other again in the Region 2B playoffs, it marked the first time that Riverheads lost a season opener since 2010. So when's the last time the Gladiators opened 0-2? It was when they started 0-3 in 1997. If Cayden Cook-Cash and his linemen have anything to say about it, this will be a Riverheads win, maybe even a romp.
Hatfield Says - Riverheads 27-17
See Matt Hatfield & Coach Ed Young's Tidewater Predictions Battle + Preview for Week 2 Here
Below is my updated record...
Hatfield Tidewater Total: 17-7 (70.8%)
Hatfield 2023 VHSL Football Picks: 29-14 (67.4%)
Matt's Must-See Matchups:
Thursday, August 31 Action....
Freedom-PW at Varina - The Blue Devils were outstanding on defense against Indian River last week in pitching their third consecutive season-opening shutout. Can the Blue Devils come up with the answers for an offense that put up 65 points per game last season with almost its entire offensive components back? It's hard to imagine them slowing down QB Tristan Evans, RB Jeff Overton Jr. and a host of dynamic receivers for a full 48 minutes.
Hatfield Says - Freedom-PW 36-8
L.C. Bird at Thomas Dale - It's the Battle of Chester and Thomas Dale wants to show its strength at home behind UVA commit Ethan Minter at quarterback. The Knights aren't afraid to take some shots with its passing game. Meanwhile, Troy Taylor's Skyhawks want to be physical and pound the rock, which they did quite well in beating James River 45-12 a week ago.
Hatfield Says - Thomas Dale 26-14
Colonial Forge at Alexandria City - Ethen Horne had a hand in three touchdowns as Colonial Forge beat Woodbridge 48-22 in its opener. This is the type of game that the Eagles can signal they are back as a contender with a decisive score, but their defense must perform better than it did against the Vikings for that to take place.
Hatfield Says - Colonial Forge 28-7
Lake Braddock at Madison - Will there be a hangover effect? Madison won an absolute thriller, 28-24 at Stone Bridge last week with a reverse kickoff return for a touchdown by Dom Knicely. Charlie Backman then iced the win with an interception. Lake Braddock always tends to produce a proficient passing game. Up front, UVA commit Ben York anchors their offensive line. If the Bruins can win the battle in the trenches, then it could be enough to beat the Warhawks for a second straight year. Remember, the Warhawks started 0-3 last year with losses to Stone Bridge, Lake Braddock and Yorktown, all by seven points or less, before reeling off 11 consecutive victories.
Hatfield Says - Madison 20-16
Loudoun County at Briar Woods (1-0) - Somewhat quietly, Briar Woods QB Brady Carmical is ascending into one of the state's best. The Falcons defeated John Champe 27-13 in the opener, where his 60-yard aerial connection to wide receiver and fellow junior Colin Capistrant was the highlight play. To keep Briar Woods from erupting and moving to 2-0
Hatfield Says - Briar Woods 27-16
Independence (0-1) at Tuscarora (1-0) - It's hard to call a game at the end of August or September a must-win, especailly in this day and age where many more teams go to the playoffs than several years ago. That being said, Independence does not want to drop to 0-2, knowing they still have to play Region 5D favorites Stone Bridge and Briar Woods at the end of their schedule. The Tuscarora defense might be a bit on the underrated side after pitching a 9-0 shutout of Heritage-Leesburg. Independence is going to have to show it can sustain offense, plus the Huskies should have an edge up front with massive Florida commit Fletcher Westphal at left tackle.
Hatfield Says - Tuscarora 30-17
Westmoreland (1-0) at Eastern View (1-0) - In what was viewed as a toss-up game against fellow Class 1 contender West Point, the Westmoreland Eagles cruised 38-16 behind a star-studded performance from QB Jordan Tolson, who connected on 12 of 18 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns without a turnover. Now, duplicating that performance in a step up in weight class, against Class 4 Eastern View with Power 5 recruit and All-State linebacker Brett Clatterbaugh, would be a different story. The Cyclones are ultra consistent, having started at least 2-0 in every season dating back to 2012.
Hatfield Says - Eastern View 46-12
Friday, September 1st Action...
Phoebus at Oscar Smith (1-0) . . . Much has been about how this game has not lived up to its billing each of the past two years, which came in the regular season finale both times instead of at the front of the schedule. These two schools have been the flag carriers of Hampton Roads football over the past 25 years, combining for 13 State Championships since 2001 with Phoebus capturing nine, seeking a three-peat this year. Oscar Smith dominated at home by a 42-0 count in 2021, whereas Phoebus got revenge to the tune of 56-0 at Darling Stadium on a Saturday last year with the aerial fireworks of Nolan James to Jordan Bass (Pittsburgh).
There won’t be a James or Bass on the field for Phoebus this time. There won’t be a game-wrecker in the trenches like Caleb Jones was for Oscar Smith two years ago or even Ethan Vasko at QB (Coastal Carolina). Both teams are still smoothing out their offenses, but the real edge looks to be on defense for Phoebus as it brought back a boatload of starters, headed up by Maryland commit Anthony Reddick and ODU pledge Taysean Stevenson off the edge.
A severe ankle sprain is likely to sideline Tigers tailback Brandon Nesbit Jr. That could make it even tougher for the Oscar Smith offensive to sustain drives and score on a stingy Phoebus defense that allowed just 4.6 points per game and pitched seven shutouts. Jamar Wright connected on 10 of 18 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown – a 33-yard strike to junior Trey Jones – in his first start at QB for the Tigers. The matchup on the outside with Jones and coveted 2025 prospect Jahmari DeLoatch against the Phoebus WR’s and DB’s like All-State performer Keyontae Gray and Ricardo Underwood is worth watching closely.
Phoebus QB Trenton Mitchell is getting his first start and much of his night may consist of handing the ball off and not taking too many risks down the field. What would concern me from an Oscar Smith perspective is that Hermitage ran for 288 yards in its 39-25 loss to the Tigers a week ago. That included two 100-yard rushers. Phoebus is known to pound the rock and they have more than capable options there with Davion Roberts alongside Woodside transfer Paul Stephen Davis and a very seasoned o-line, headed up by Markus Hopson, to create running room.
Matt Hatfield Says - Phoebus 21-7
Coach Ed Young Says - Phoebus 30-14
Manchester at Highland Springs (1-0) - These two programs have been two of Richmond's finest for quite a while now. Under Loren Johnson, the Springers have won five state titles in the past eight years. They went down to his alma mater in Miramar from Florida and came out with a hard-fought 20-14 win. A 74-yard touchdown run by Eric Byrd wrested momentum from Miramar and gave the Springers a jolt. Byrd ran for 108 yards on eight carries.
In this particular matchup, the Springers may be more inclined to attack with their passing game, headed up by Maryland commit Khristian Maritn. Manchester's defense, led by West Virginia commit Makai Byerson off the edge, will have to keep Martin in the pocket and not give him a lot of time to operate. Given that the Lancers have lost the past five meetings and not beaten Highland Springs since 1964, it's hard to go against the Springers in this spot.
Hatfield Says - Highland Springs 28-14
Patrick Henry-Roanoke at E.C. Glass - One of the most impressive scores in the state last week was a 58-25 win by Patrick Henry-Roanoke over Brookville, who beat the Patriots a year ago. Jamar Lovelace won his coaching debut at E.C. Glass, thanks in large part to the play of new starting QB Marty Kittrell, who connected on all eight of his passes for 83 yards, plus added 63 yards on the ground in a 14-7 triumph over Class 3 contender Lord Botetourt. Defense can set the tone in this one and the Patriots have to feel they have the best defender on the field in linebacker Bodie Kahoun, a Notre Dame commit.
Hatfield Says - PH-Roanoke 28-20
Franklin County (1-0) at Salem (1-0) - While the Spartans and their faithful may be lamenting some of the miscues and missed opportunities from the 21-14 loss to Liberty Christian, they played in one heck of a football game that should get them better prepped for the playoffs. Franklin County is a sneaky team, but the Eagles will have to play a superb game when it comes to run defense to slow Tennessee commit Peyton Lewis and Jayveon Jones. Even then, Salem has weapons at receiver to do damage if you force them to the air.
Hatfield Says - Salem 24-8
Rustburg (1-0) at Appomattox (1-0) - Trailing Spotswood 24-6 in the third quarter, Rustburg managed to score the final 22 points with a pair of long touchdown passes from Mike Knight. One was a 54-yard scoring strike to Alex Dunn and the other a 55-yard TD pass to Ace Thornton. Appomattox had to grind out its win over Buckingham to open the season before Demontay Fleshman and Tre Kelso made the necessary spark plays in a 23-6 win over hte Knights. It feels like it will be hard for either to gain great separation from the other in this matchup.
Hatfield Says - Appomattox 33-27 in OT
King William (1-0) at Clarke County (1-0) - Both of these Class 2 contenders want to establish the running game first and foremost. For Clarke County, it's out of their single-wing with seniors Carson Rutherford and Will Booker. King William brought back four offensive line starters from a season ago with 2nd Team All-State performer Carter Hamilton and 2nd Team All-Region selection Derek Baker II as the headliners. A standout on defense can swing this one and Hamilton is a good candidate for King William. For Clarke County, keep your eye on Carson Chinn, who has 237 tackles in the previous two seasons from his linebacker spot.
Hatfield Says - Clarke County 20-19
Graham (1-0) at Galax (0-1) - The Maroon Tide should not be too discouraged about a 39-21 loss to Glenvar, one of the better Class 2 teams in the state. Tedruhn Tucker is a 2000-yard rusher for Galax and means as much to them as Ty'Drez Clements, the reigning Class 2 State Offensive Player of the Year, does to Graham in many respects. Where the G-Men probably wear Galax down is up front, where Omarri Hill and company can really dig in and assert their strength. Graham had to win a close one with neighboring rival Bluefield last week, and this one does not figure to be quite as tight even thought it should be competitive.
Hatfield Says - Graham 28-7
Central-Lunenburg (1-0) at William Campbell (1-0) - In their win over Altavista, the Chargers of Lunenburg saw Connor Mattox really step up with 159 yards rushing and 3 TD's on 24 attempts. William Campbell made easy work of Cumberland, 46-16. Lunenburg is trying to notch their fourth straight win over the Generals and even up the all-time series at 11-apiece. Line play likely determines this one.
Hatfield Says - Central-Lunenburg 18-16
Narrows (1-0) at Holston (1-0) - Will it be the Kolier Pruett show for the Green Wave? In just under three quarters in a rout of Auburn, Pruett racked up 315 total yards with five touchdowns, which included two special teams scores, seven catches totaling 121 yards with two more scores and a pair of rushng scores. Holston is coming off a 41-8 thumping of Eastern Montgomery. Narrows won a 29-27 thriller in this matchup a year ago and another down to the wire game seems almost inevitable.
Hatfield Says - Narrows 26-22
Saturday, September 2 Action...
Quince Orchard, MD at South County (1-0) - Coming off a 14-0 campaign, Quince Orchard is the top public school in Maryland and has been unblemished dating back to 2019. In Rivals 4-Star DE Jaylen Harvey, they have one of the nation's top prospects who will be looking to apply constant heat on South County signal caller Jordan Dennis. The Stallions are facing perhaps their toughest regular season foe ever here, but they looked like a worthy title contender in the opener with a dominant 39-0 shutout of Robinson. So taking that into consideration, this should not be a ho-hum beatdown.
Hatfield Says - Quince Orchard 30-16
Riverheads (0-1) at Tazewell - By falling to Central-Woodstock 8-7 in a defensive slugfest that might've been the first chapter of two, with the squads potentially set to run into each other again in the Region 2B playoffs, it marked the first time that Riverheads lost a season opener since 2010. So when's the last time the Gladiators opened 0-2? It was when they started 0-3 in 1997. If Cayden Cook-Cash and his linemen have anything to say about it, this will be a Riverheads win, maybe even a romp.
Hatfield Says - Riverheads 27-17
