The first week of the VHSL playoffs is in the books. Upsets were plentiful all around the Commonwealth, and the Roanoke/Lynchburg area was no exception. From top seeds fallings, to defending state champions rolling, Friday, November 14th was a memorable one under the lights. Let's took a closer look at the week that was in this playoff edition of Roanoke Rewind.
Wild and Wacky 3A West:
In many ways, last Friday night closely resembled the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament, with several upsets that few saw coming. Nobody was safe, as several state title contenders were sent packing well before they ever dreamed.
The biggest shocker in the entire state of Virginia came in the 3A West bracket, when last-place Waynesboro took top-ranked Hidden Valley to school. The Titans' early exit from the playoffs is a cruel twist of fate, in that Hidden Valley played the role of the giant killers last fall, advancing all the way to the 3A West final four from the number 12 seed. Fast forward one year later, and the Little Giants flipped the script and walloped the Titans 45-16 in front of a stunned Hidden Valley home crowd. This game was never close, as Waynesboro scored six touchdowns on its first six possessions, and built an insurmountable 18-point halftime lead. Excluding the blowout loss to Salem, the Titans had surrendered more than two touchdowns in a game just once this season, and that was back in August. Despite facing the toughest defense that they seen all season, the Little Giants piled up 452 yards and a remarkable 46 points. Waynesboro's upset win changed the dynamic in the race for the 3A state crown, and set the table for two more upsets on the west side of the bracket.
Elsewhere in the region, 13th seed Christiansburg made the 90-minute trip east, and left city stadium with a 13-12 upset of fourth-ranked Heritage. The Demons' blue print to beat Heritage was simple; keep the Pioneer offense off the field. Christiansburg did just that, dominating the time of possession, holding onto the ball for nearly 33 minutes, and running an impressive 68 plays. Leading by a point with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Demon offense took over, and aimed to take as much time off the clock as possible. Christiansburg did that, and then some. The Blue Demons ran 14 plays, bleeding the clock completely dry to walk away with a one-point win. The victory was quite the bounce-back performance for the Blue Demons, who were shutout by rival Blacksburg just seven days prior.
Just down the road in Bedford, the 11th ranked Brookville Bees kept the surprises coming. Head coach Jon Meeks' troops appeared likely for an early playoff exit after two straight stinkers in the final weeks of the regular season, but his troops righted the ship against rival Liberty. The Bees scored 10 points in the final 1:07 of regulation to take down the Minutemen for the second time this fall, 24-16. Place kicker Jed Fulmer booted in a 27-yard field goal to give Brookville a one-point lead with just over a minute to play. After returning the ensuing kickoff the 43-yard line, Liberty's Matt Smith dropped a backward pass, and Jamal Napier scooped it up for a 52-yard Brookville touchdown return to preserve the win.
While Lord Botetourt's loss to Western Albemarle was not a surprise as far as rankings go, the red and grey have to be disappointed by their performance. Despite a courageous effort from fullback Bradley Lythgoe, the Cavaliers committed a pair of crucial turnovers in a 37-13 loss to Western Albemarle. While Botetourt was without the services of tailback Noah Fletcher, that does not excuse the play of its defense. The Cavaliers watched Warrior tailback Oliver Herndon to gain a career-high 205 yards, and allowed a season-high 37 points in their biggest game of the year. Lord Botetourt loses some key lineman, but the Cavaliers are stacked at the skill positions, and will be a team to be reckoned with next fall.
No Quarterbacks? No Problem:
While many of the host seeds in 3A West were bitten by the upset bug, second ranked Magna Vista and #3 Northside both took care of business in the opening round of the playoffs.
Magna Vista was without the services of quarterback Shoalin McGuire, but that did not stop the Warriors from piling up over 500 yards of total offense in a 47-1 shellacking of Cave Spring. Treveon Redd has done just about everything for Magna Vista, and the speedster gave the quarterback position a try against the Knights. Redd totaled 294 yards and two touchdowns in his first career varsity start under center.
In Roanoke, defending state champion Northside took a step towards getting back to the promise land with a 45-22 triumph over Blacksburg. The Vikings played their first game of the year without starting quarterback Josh Hardister, who suffered a a broken leg in the regular season finale. With Hardister out of the picture, the Vikings turned to their running game, accumulating all but 56 of their 491 total yards on the ground. The Northside victory marked the final game of Blacksburg head coach David Crist's 40-year career on the sidelines.
This week's slate in 3A West :
#16 Waynesboro at #8 Broadway
#13 Christiansburg at #5 Western Albemarle
#7 Monticello at #2 Magna Vista
#11 Brookville at #3 Northside
Let the Good Times Roll:
The expanded VHSL postseason often leads to colossal mismatches in the opening round. While Waynesboro shocked the world and defeated a number one seed, the other top teams in our area cruised to easy wins.
Salem proved just why it was the top team in 4A North with a decisive 55-13 win over Charlottesville.
Fellow 4A North unbeaten Jefferson Forest remained perfect with a 43-21 victory over Loudon County.
Down in 2A West, Giles County won its 26th straight game, demolishing Martinsville 63-0.
One week after narrowly escaping Luray, Riverheads got back on track with a 49-0 trouncing of visiting Burton in the opening round of the 2A East playoffs.
Speaking of undefeated teams, Parry McCluer climbed to 11-0 with a 48-12 win over Northumblerand. The Fighting Blues are the sixth seed in 1A East, but will be a whale of a test for third-ranked Washington & Lee this Friday night.
Rematch Set:
East Rockingham came into the season with a goal of defeating one or both of the Shenandoah heavyweights Riverheads or Wilson Memorial. The Eagles failed both tests, losing the regular season matchups by a combined score of 66-14. After a narrow 33-29 victory Robert E. Lee in the opening round of the 2A East playoffs, East Rock earned itself a shot at redemption. The Eagles will travel to Wilson Memorial this Friday night for another crack at the powerful Green Hornets.
Wilson looked to be in post-season form last week, cruising by Prince Edward County 49-0 for its seventh shutout of the fall.
More Upsets:
Though they came into the playoffs as underdogs, Auburn and Covington helped shake things up in the 1A West bracket.
The knock on Auburn all season was that the Eagles played just fine against the lesser schools, but could beat any playoff caliber teams. Last Friday night, the 12th ranked Eagles got their signature win, upsetting fifth-ranked Fort Chiswell 25-20. Jeremy Nelson led Auburn with 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Eleventh-ranked Covington hardly looked like an underdog, pounding number 6 Northwood 32-6.
So long, Farewell:
In addition to the aforementioned 3A West schools, the curtain fell on the 2014 season for several other area teams. Patrick Henry, William Fleming, Pulaski County, Buffalo Gap, Luray, and Robert. E. Lee all saw their seasons come to an end. Congratulations to each team for qualifying for the 2014 playoffs.
Wild and Wacky 3A West:
In many ways, last Friday night closely resembled the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament, with several upsets that few saw coming. Nobody was safe, as several state title contenders were sent packing well before they ever dreamed.
The biggest shocker in the entire state of Virginia came in the 3A West bracket, when last-place Waynesboro took top-ranked Hidden Valley to school. The Titans' early exit from the playoffs is a cruel twist of fate, in that Hidden Valley played the role of the giant killers last fall, advancing all the way to the 3A West final four from the number 12 seed. Fast forward one year later, and the Little Giants flipped the script and walloped the Titans 45-16 in front of a stunned Hidden Valley home crowd. This game was never close, as Waynesboro scored six touchdowns on its first six possessions, and built an insurmountable 18-point halftime lead. Excluding the blowout loss to Salem, the Titans had surrendered more than two touchdowns in a game just once this season, and that was back in August. Despite facing the toughest defense that they seen all season, the Little Giants piled up 452 yards and a remarkable 46 points. Waynesboro's upset win changed the dynamic in the race for the 3A state crown, and set the table for two more upsets on the west side of the bracket.
Elsewhere in the region, 13th seed Christiansburg made the 90-minute trip east, and left city stadium with a 13-12 upset of fourth-ranked Heritage. The Demons' blue print to beat Heritage was simple; keep the Pioneer offense off the field. Christiansburg did just that, dominating the time of possession, holding onto the ball for nearly 33 minutes, and running an impressive 68 plays. Leading by a point with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter, the Blue Demon offense took over, and aimed to take as much time off the clock as possible. Christiansburg did that, and then some. The Blue Demons ran 14 plays, bleeding the clock completely dry to walk away with a one-point win. The victory was quite the bounce-back performance for the Blue Demons, who were shutout by rival Blacksburg just seven days prior.
Just down the road in Bedford, the 11th ranked Brookville Bees kept the surprises coming. Head coach Jon Meeks' troops appeared likely for an early playoff exit after two straight stinkers in the final weeks of the regular season, but his troops righted the ship against rival Liberty. The Bees scored 10 points in the final 1:07 of regulation to take down the Minutemen for the second time this fall, 24-16. Place kicker Jed Fulmer booted in a 27-yard field goal to give Brookville a one-point lead with just over a minute to play. After returning the ensuing kickoff the 43-yard line, Liberty's Matt Smith dropped a backward pass, and Jamal Napier scooped it up for a 52-yard Brookville touchdown return to preserve the win.
While Lord Botetourt's loss to Western Albemarle was not a surprise as far as rankings go, the red and grey have to be disappointed by their performance. Despite a courageous effort from fullback Bradley Lythgoe, the Cavaliers committed a pair of crucial turnovers in a 37-13 loss to Western Albemarle. While Botetourt was without the services of tailback Noah Fletcher, that does not excuse the play of its defense. The Cavaliers watched Warrior tailback Oliver Herndon to gain a career-high 205 yards, and allowed a season-high 37 points in their biggest game of the year. Lord Botetourt loses some key lineman, but the Cavaliers are stacked at the skill positions, and will be a team to be reckoned with next fall.
No Quarterbacks? No Problem:
While many of the host seeds in 3A West were bitten by the upset bug, second ranked Magna Vista and #3 Northside both took care of business in the opening round of the playoffs.
Magna Vista was without the services of quarterback Shoalin McGuire, but that did not stop the Warriors from piling up over 500 yards of total offense in a 47-1 shellacking of Cave Spring. Treveon Redd has done just about everything for Magna Vista, and the speedster gave the quarterback position a try against the Knights. Redd totaled 294 yards and two touchdowns in his first career varsity start under center.
In Roanoke, defending state champion Northside took a step towards getting back to the promise land with a 45-22 triumph over Blacksburg. The Vikings played their first game of the year without starting quarterback Josh Hardister, who suffered a a broken leg in the regular season finale. With Hardister out of the picture, the Vikings turned to their running game, accumulating all but 56 of their 491 total yards on the ground. The Northside victory marked the final game of Blacksburg head coach David Crist's 40-year career on the sidelines.
This week's slate in 3A West :
#16 Waynesboro at #8 Broadway
#13 Christiansburg at #5 Western Albemarle
#7 Monticello at #2 Magna Vista
#11 Brookville at #3 Northside
Let the Good Times Roll:
The expanded VHSL postseason often leads to colossal mismatches in the opening round. While Waynesboro shocked the world and defeated a number one seed, the other top teams in our area cruised to easy wins.
Salem proved just why it was the top team in 4A North with a decisive 55-13 win over Charlottesville.
Fellow 4A North unbeaten Jefferson Forest remained perfect with a 43-21 victory over Loudon County.
Down in 2A West, Giles County won its 26th straight game, demolishing Martinsville 63-0.
One week after narrowly escaping Luray, Riverheads got back on track with a 49-0 trouncing of visiting Burton in the opening round of the 2A East playoffs.
Speaking of undefeated teams, Parry McCluer climbed to 11-0 with a 48-12 win over Northumblerand. The Fighting Blues are the sixth seed in 1A East, but will be a whale of a test for third-ranked Washington & Lee this Friday night.
Rematch Set:
East Rockingham came into the season with a goal of defeating one or both of the Shenandoah heavyweights Riverheads or Wilson Memorial. The Eagles failed both tests, losing the regular season matchups by a combined score of 66-14. After a narrow 33-29 victory Robert E. Lee in the opening round of the 2A East playoffs, East Rock earned itself a shot at redemption. The Eagles will travel to Wilson Memorial this Friday night for another crack at the powerful Green Hornets.
Wilson looked to be in post-season form last week, cruising by Prince Edward County 49-0 for its seventh shutout of the fall.
More Upsets:
Though they came into the playoffs as underdogs, Auburn and Covington helped shake things up in the 1A West bracket.
The knock on Auburn all season was that the Eagles played just fine against the lesser schools, but could beat any playoff caliber teams. Last Friday night, the 12th ranked Eagles got their signature win, upsetting fifth-ranked Fort Chiswell 25-20. Jeremy Nelson led Auburn with 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Eleventh-ranked Covington hardly looked like an underdog, pounding number 6 Northwood 32-6.
So long, Farewell:
In addition to the aforementioned 3A West schools, the curtain fell on the 2014 season for several other area teams. Patrick Henry, William Fleming, Pulaski County, Buffalo Gap, Luray, and Robert. E. Lee all saw their seasons come to an end. Congratulations to each team for qualifying for the 2014 playoffs.
