The playoffs kicked off for our Piedmont area teams on Friday night and
the action was thrilling in several cases. There were a few
"upsets" while several of the favored teams are moving on towards round
two. We'll be previewing those next round matchups for our
remaining teams a bit later in the week but for right now, let's take a
look at what transpired in the first round playoff action over the
weekend.
Conference 6A South Conference 3 and 4
Thomas Dale 45, Riverbend 42 3OT
The
Bears returned to the postseason for the second time in the young
school's history and nearly lived to see another day but came up short
after being stopped at the one yard line on a fourth down attempt to
score a touchdown in the third overtime of the game. On multiple
attempts prior to the Knights huge defensive stop, Riverbend had the
opportunity to pull away but were unable to distance themselves from
the pesky nights. The team will lose several seniors but it
appears that the squad has found an offense that they can deliver
points and should give hope for the team to find themselves in similar
situations in the coming years.
Colonial Forge 49, Patrick Henry-Roanoke 0
easier buForge made its' first step towards attempting to make a
playoff run similar to that of 2013 on Friday night with the thrashing
of the Patriots. There were concerns about the team with the
tough beginning to 2013 but the group began a win streak that has now
reached 8 games when they defeated the same Patrick Henry team during
the regular season. At the moment, Forge appears to be playing
its best football and with some of the upsets that occured on Friday
they have just as good of a chance as anyone to make a deep run.
It will certainly be one game at a time and the competition
doesn't get any easier but these Eagles have earned to be where they are.
5A North
Briar Woods 50, Mountain View 13
The
Falcons scored early and often and by halftime left the Wildcats in a
dizzy. Mountain View couldn't find the endzone in the second half
and the 36-13 deficit at intermission proved to simply be too much for
the team to overcome against the more powerful Falcons club. This
marks the second straight season that Mountain View ends their season
against Briar Woods on the road and leaves a bitter taste after the
team had hoped to come away with an upset on the road. Monday
will be back to the gridiron for the squad while the Falcons move ahead
in hopes of reaching the state championship for the fifth straight
season.
Massaponax 30, Brooke Point 0
In
their second meeting in as many weeks, the two teams battle with much
more on the line in this first round playoff matchup. It wasn't until
the third quarter in this game that the Panthers were able to pull away
and produce a similar final result as last week. A key difference in
this contest was that Brooke Point failed to find it's way onto the
scoreboard against a Massaponax defense that is led by Maryland commit
Gus Little. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound linebacker hopes to lead his team
beyond their final destination in 2013 as they seek their first ever
trip to the state championship game.
North Stafford 41, Falls Church 0
The
Wolverines return to the gridiron for the first time in three weeks was
a monumental one as they shutout the Jaguars in first round playoff
action. Sophomore Malachai Harrison scored four touchdowns in the
North Stafford victory and the team that has struggled most of the
season appeared dominant against their 5A counterparts. Each week will
be a difficult test for the Wolverines as they look to journey deep
into the playoffs as they have become accustomed to doing. Time will
tell if they will be able to reach their destination but the victory
against Falls Church was a solid start.
4A South
Booker T. Washington 40, Powhatan 37
After
a 9-1 regular season that included a sweep of the Jefferson District,
the Indians fell in the first round of the playoffs, in large part due
to their own errors. The Indians turned the ball over four times in
the evening including a costly fumble during what could have been the
game-winning drive for the team. Logan Allen accounted for all five of
the Powhatan touchdowns in the game and accumulated 318 rushing yards
in the process to go well beyond the 2,000 yard mark for the season but
it simply wasn't enough for a team that was thought to be a serious
contender entering the postseason.
4A North
Woodgrove 21, Louisa County 7
The
Lions offense was held to single digit scoring for just the second time
this season against a solid Wolverines defense and fell victim after
returning to the postseason following a two year absence. The two
teams battled to a 7-7 tie at halftime with neither being able to
establish much offensive success in the first half. Louisa used its'
time consuming offense to grind at the clock and gain bits of yardage
at a time but Woodgrove found an answer to their own offensive woes in
the second half. Charlie Clewis scored the eventual game winning
touchdown late in the third quarter to set up the Wolverines with a
showdown at Salem on Friday night.
George Washington-Danville 63, Fauquier 21
After
a long journey south, the Falcons made things interesting for a bit
beyond the first quarter when they made the score 14-7 on a Louis
Heisler touchdown pass to Chris Jefferies. In the blink of an eye,
however, the faster more athletic Eagles team had scored three
touchdowns and took a 35-7 lead into halftime. The Falcons responded
with a pair of third quarter touchdowns but in each instance, George
Washington wasted little time to respond with a score of their own.
The victory extended the Eagles 2014 season record to 11-0 while
Fauquier was left with a difficult trip home after the game.
Eastern View 42, William Fleming 19
The
Cyclones coasted to victory over the Colonels Friday night but suffered
a devastating blow in the process. After scoring three touchdowns to
open the game, running back Kendrick Kube suffered a mild concussion in
the second quarter of action against Fleming and did not return to the
game. The injury could be detrimental to the squad as the postseason
heats up. Against the Colonels, Eastern View showed depth that allowed
the team to provide the overwhelming victory without their star running
back but Kube's absence for any length of time will likely pose
problems for the squad.
Salem 52, Charlottesville 13
The
Black Knights put forth all they had but they simply weren't able to
provide much resistance to a Spartans squad that has dominated
competition all season long. Salem scored on its first five
possessions of the evening and coasted the rest of the way to advance
to the second round of competition.
Liberty-Bealeton 48, Pulaski County 0
The
Eagles continued their domination in the ground game and on defense and
made a short nights work of the Cougars and will now prepare to face
Sherando for the second time this season on Friday night.
Courtland 15, Dominion 13
The
Cougars rushing attack didn't have the results that it has in the last
two games, or most of the season for that matter, but the Courtland
defensive attack came through when it was called upon to help Courtland
advance its season against a determined Titans squad.
Not too be Overlooked
3A West
Waynesboro 46, Hidden Valley 15
Western Albemarle 37, Lord Botetourt 13
Monticello 48, Tunstall 35
3A East
John Champe 10, William Monroe 3
James Monroe 49, Warren County 0
Hopewell 24, Skyline 21
Petersburg 46, Kettle Run 38 OT
Loudoun Valley 20, Culpeper County 14
2A East
King William 37, Strasburg 12
Clarke County 44, Nandua 0
East Rockingham 33, R.E. Lee-Staunton 29
Wilson Memorial 49, Prince Edward County 0
Robert
Edmonds
joined the Virginia Preps staff midway through 2013 and is in his
second year with the site. He provides insight on player profiles
and recruiting
news for players from around the state as well as in-season game and
team
reports. In 2014, Robert is covering the Piedmont area during the
regular and postseasons. He has been contributing sports coverage
in the
newspaper
industry since 2006 and also currently does correspondence work with
the Daily
Progress in Charlottesville. Follow him on twitter@bigrob2523
and send feedback and suggestions to him directly at bigrob2523@gmail.com.
the action was thrilling in several cases. There were a few
"upsets" while several of the favored teams are moving on towards round
two. We'll be previewing those next round matchups for our
remaining teams a bit later in the week but for right now, let's take a
look at what transpired in the first round playoff action over the
weekend.
Conference 6A South Conference 3 and 4
Thomas Dale 45, Riverbend 42 3OT
The
Bears returned to the postseason for the second time in the young
school's history and nearly lived to see another day but came up short
after being stopped at the one yard line on a fourth down attempt to
score a touchdown in the third overtime of the game. On multiple
attempts prior to the Knights huge defensive stop, Riverbend had the
opportunity to pull away but were unable to distance themselves from
the pesky nights. The team will lose several seniors but it
appears that the squad has found an offense that they can deliver
points and should give hope for the team to find themselves in similar
situations in the coming years.
Colonial Forge 49, Patrick Henry-Roanoke 0
easier buForge made its' first step towards attempting to make a
playoff run similar to that of 2013 on Friday night with the thrashing
of the Patriots. There were concerns about the team with the
tough beginning to 2013 but the group began a win streak that has now
reached 8 games when they defeated the same Patrick Henry team during
the regular season. At the moment, Forge appears to be playing
its best football and with some of the upsets that occured on Friday
they have just as good of a chance as anyone to make a deep run.
It will certainly be one game at a time and the competition
doesn't get any easier but these Eagles have earned to be where they are.
5A North
Briar Woods 50, Mountain View 13
The
Falcons scored early and often and by halftime left the Wildcats in a
dizzy. Mountain View couldn't find the endzone in the second half
and the 36-13 deficit at intermission proved to simply be too much for
the team to overcome against the more powerful Falcons club. This
marks the second straight season that Mountain View ends their season
against Briar Woods on the road and leaves a bitter taste after the
team had hoped to come away with an upset on the road. Monday
will be back to the gridiron for the squad while the Falcons move ahead
in hopes of reaching the state championship for the fifth straight
season.
Massaponax 30, Brooke Point 0
In
their second meeting in as many weeks, the two teams battle with much
more on the line in this first round playoff matchup. It wasn't until
the third quarter in this game that the Panthers were able to pull away
and produce a similar final result as last week. A key difference in
this contest was that Brooke Point failed to find it's way onto the
scoreboard against a Massaponax defense that is led by Maryland commit
Gus Little. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound linebacker hopes to lead his team
beyond their final destination in 2013 as they seek their first ever
trip to the state championship game.
North Stafford 41, Falls Church 0
The
Wolverines return to the gridiron for the first time in three weeks was
a monumental one as they shutout the Jaguars in first round playoff
action. Sophomore Malachai Harrison scored four touchdowns in the
North Stafford victory and the team that has struggled most of the
season appeared dominant against their 5A counterparts. Each week will
be a difficult test for the Wolverines as they look to journey deep
into the playoffs as they have become accustomed to doing. Time will
tell if they will be able to reach their destination but the victory
against Falls Church was a solid start.
4A South
Booker T. Washington 40, Powhatan 37
After
a 9-1 regular season that included a sweep of the Jefferson District,
the Indians fell in the first round of the playoffs, in large part due
to their own errors. The Indians turned the ball over four times in
the evening including a costly fumble during what could have been the
game-winning drive for the team. Logan Allen accounted for all five of
the Powhatan touchdowns in the game and accumulated 318 rushing yards
in the process to go well beyond the 2,000 yard mark for the season but
it simply wasn't enough for a team that was thought to be a serious
contender entering the postseason.
4A North
Woodgrove 21, Louisa County 7
The
Lions offense was held to single digit scoring for just the second time
this season against a solid Wolverines defense and fell victim after
returning to the postseason following a two year absence. The two
teams battled to a 7-7 tie at halftime with neither being able to
establish much offensive success in the first half. Louisa used its'
time consuming offense to grind at the clock and gain bits of yardage
at a time but Woodgrove found an answer to their own offensive woes in
the second half. Charlie Clewis scored the eventual game winning
touchdown late in the third quarter to set up the Wolverines with a
showdown at Salem on Friday night.
George Washington-Danville 63, Fauquier 21
After
a long journey south, the Falcons made things interesting for a bit
beyond the first quarter when they made the score 14-7 on a Louis
Heisler touchdown pass to Chris Jefferies. In the blink of an eye,
however, the faster more athletic Eagles team had scored three
touchdowns and took a 35-7 lead into halftime. The Falcons responded
with a pair of third quarter touchdowns but in each instance, George
Washington wasted little time to respond with a score of their own.
The victory extended the Eagles 2014 season record to 11-0 while
Fauquier was left with a difficult trip home after the game.
Eastern View 42, William Fleming 19
The
Cyclones coasted to victory over the Colonels Friday night but suffered
a devastating blow in the process. After scoring three touchdowns to
open the game, running back Kendrick Kube suffered a mild concussion in
the second quarter of action against Fleming and did not return to the
game. The injury could be detrimental to the squad as the postseason
heats up. Against the Colonels, Eastern View showed depth that allowed
the team to provide the overwhelming victory without their star running
back but Kube's absence for any length of time will likely pose
problems for the squad.
Salem 52, Charlottesville 13
The
Black Knights put forth all they had but they simply weren't able to
provide much resistance to a Spartans squad that has dominated
competition all season long. Salem scored on its first five
possessions of the evening and coasted the rest of the way to advance
to the second round of competition.
Liberty-Bealeton 48, Pulaski County 0
The
Eagles continued their domination in the ground game and on defense and
made a short nights work of the Cougars and will now prepare to face
Sherando for the second time this season on Friday night.
Courtland 15, Dominion 13
The
Cougars rushing attack didn't have the results that it has in the last
two games, or most of the season for that matter, but the Courtland
defensive attack came through when it was called upon to help Courtland
advance its season against a determined Titans squad.
Not too be Overlooked
3A West
Waynesboro 46, Hidden Valley 15
Western Albemarle 37, Lord Botetourt 13
Monticello 48, Tunstall 35
3A East
John Champe 10, William Monroe 3
James Monroe 49, Warren County 0
Hopewell 24, Skyline 21
Petersburg 46, Kettle Run 38 OT
Loudoun Valley 20, Culpeper County 14
2A East
King William 37, Strasburg 12
Clarke County 44, Nandua 0
East Rockingham 33, R.E. Lee-Staunton 29
Wilson Memorial 49, Prince Edward County 0
Robert
Edmonds
joined the Virginia Preps staff midway through 2013 and is in his
second year with the site. He provides insight on player profiles
and recruiting
news for players from around the state as well as in-season game and
team
reports. In 2014, Robert is covering the Piedmont area during the
regular and postseasons. He has been contributing sports coverage
in the
newspaper
industry since 2006 and also currently does correspondence work with
the Daily
Progress in Charlottesville. Follow him on twitter@bigrob2523
and send feedback and suggestions to him directly at bigrob2523@gmail.com.
