State Semifinals: 13-0 King George @ 13-0 Phoebus
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Rooting for King George, but think the Phoebus defense will be too much. Two great teams. I think it'll be 21-17, Phantoms.
Rooting for Phoebus but King George will be a tough team to beat. They are very good. They rely on big plays to overwhelm opponents. This is a great matchup.
Good stuff @blackknight_pride and @fattyhawk2013. Without a doubt, I think the two best teams in Region A and B are in the semi-final. Varina did a fairly good job against the KG offense and the Phoebus defense is even better.
I have seen KG live and watched at least five Phoebus games via video. This is really a unique matchup and wow this is going to be a good one.
I think Phoebus will wreak havoc on the Foxes offensive line and because of that I think KG will struggle to run and pass the ball. Not saying the Foxes will be held scoreless, but the King George defense must match the Phantoms intensity and keep things close.
Both teams commit a lot of penalties and field position will be key. The KG kicker and punter is very good and if this game turns out like the Phoebus vs. Warwick game I have the Foxes winning 20-14.
I have seen KG live and watched at least five Phoebus games via video. This is really a unique matchup and wow this is going to be a good one.
I think Phoebus will wreak havoc on the Foxes offensive line and because of that I think KG will struggle to run and pass the ball. Not saying the Foxes will be held scoreless, but the King George defense must match the Phantoms intensity and keep things close.
Both teams commit a lot of penalties and field position will be key. The KG kicker and punter is very good and if this game turns out like the Phoebus vs. Warwick game I have the Foxes winning 20-14.
We here a lot about the KG offense but don't sleep on KG defense. They looked solid today.
After watching a couple KG condensed games I can say Phoebus should dominate in the trenches. Don’t think their QB will have much time to get it to those studs on the outside.
What has Phoebus run game been like all year? Is the offense physical like the defense?
Back has about 1200 yards for season. Phoebus doesn’t play that ground and pound offense anymore. We are more of a spread now but do run a lot. Phoebus does a lot of WR runs too. But the line is very physical and had probably their best game of the season yesterday.
I expect KG to try to key in on the run with plans on forcing the freshman to beat them thru the air.
I believe the winner of this game once again steamrolls in the Championship
I think Salem will be a formidable opponent. If they somehow lose to Tusk then I think Tusk will be blown out in state title game
KG reminds me of that Louisa team in 2017. I’ve been talking a lot of 💩 about the 804 all year but KG is the only C4 team that I see consistently scoring on Phoebus. They are legit and put up 24 on a very very good Varina defense yesterday. I’m very impressed with their offensive scheme and that defense put some absolute licks on Varina at times and it set the tone. @VolNation85 brought up a great point on KG’s special teams unit. That may very well be the determining factor. Their kicker is probably good for 45 yards out if it comes down to a FG. I don’t make predictions but I like KG in this one. The 757 will definitely represent and The 🅿️ is the standard high school football program in the whole state of Virginia. All love over here.
I haven't seen KG this year so I can't speak to them. I have watched Phoebus a couple times. I won't say KG can beat them but if they watch the film against Warhill they might figure out something on offense that Warhill saw. I know the WRs are top notch; if the QB is at least Joe Burrow mobile, they can have success in the passing game. If he's a statue, Godspeed. That D. Line is SPOOKY.
As for offense - Phoebus will run you into submission. The O. Line bullies in the run game and is good in the pass game. They are prone to holding though.
Essentially, Phoebus is going to keep punching for 48 minutes. Is KG willing and able to CONSISTENTLY counterpunch?
As for offense - Phoebus will run you into submission. The O. Line bullies in the run game and is good in the pass game. They are prone to holding though.
Essentially, Phoebus is going to keep punching for 48 minutes. Is KG willing and able to CONSISTENTLY counterpunch?
Salem's defense is championship caliber and they have a championship caliber running back that is committed to Tennessee but their offense seems very one dimensional. That's not necessrily uncommon for Salem but their OL isn't as dominant as it was in their recent championship years. I say all of that to say, I am no longer convinced that Salem beats Tusky. Tusky will be better on the DL than Glass was which leads me to believe that Peyton Lewis will not have as many big runs as he did last week. I can see the Salem-Tusky game going either way.
I think this take about Phoebus DL is spot on and will be the deciding factor. KG is talented enough to make some plays but I don't see the QB consistently having a clean pocket to go through his progressions to find the open receiver. I also don't see KG (or anyone in Class 4) being able to run the ball effectively and efficiently enough to beat Phoebus either.
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That's cool. How's Tuscy putting points up on the board? Only time Tuscy has gone over 40 this season (and never over 50) was against 2-8 Dominion, 4-7 Independence, 3-6 Rock Ridge, and 3-8 Broad Run. They scored 9 against 3-7 Heritage-Leesburg, 7 against 7-5 LoCo, they needed 3 OTs to score 20 on 6-5 Lightridge, 30 on 4-6 Potomac Falls, 14 on 7-5 Loudon Valley, and 28 on 4-7 Woodgrove. Like, that's a problem and then some.
Tuscarora won't have seen a D remotely as good as Salem's all year so, given the above struggles against what could at most be charitably defined as mediocre-to-average defenses, where exactly do you see them succeeding where others have failed and putting enough points on the board to win (while also keeping Salem's offense off the board)?
I don't know enough about Tusky's offensive scheme to say how they will score points on offense but I would try to make Salem play in space as much as possible. Salem is really good in the box so I would try to counter that by making their DL and LBs have to make plays outside of the box. I am not saying that will guarantee a win for Tusky but I do believe tackling in space is the most difficult thing to do for any defense at any level.
You could make the same argument about Glass' offense coming into the Salem game but they scored 2 TDs, had two others called back for penalties, and was inside the Salem 10 another time. So potentially they could have put up 28-35 points on Salem's defense. I mention that because they were able to move the ball most consistent when they spread the field and forced Salem to tackle in space. In my opinion, Tusky will need to do the same in order to have a chance because it will be very difficult to beat Salem by running right at them.
I think the two 4A games this weekend will be good. There are no bad teams when you get this far, they are all good. Add to that that all 4 are used to getting this far, so there is nothing about being in this game that will surprise either team in either game. Of the 4, I've only seen KG play so I can't really predict. I'll say from what I've read and the scores of the games that Phoebus and Salem have both had impressive runs to the state semis. KG has as well. Haven't really kept up with Tusky but they are still playing and that is what counts.
I agree with those praising the KG defense. KG held Varina to fewer points than 6A powers Freedom-Woodbridge and HIghland Springs did. That speaks volumes.
Good luck to all 4 teams. Have a good one!
I agree with those praising the KG defense. KG held Varina to fewer points than 6A powers Freedom-Woodbridge and HIghland Springs did. That speaks volumes.
Good luck to all 4 teams. Have a good one!
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The two others were called back because the holds that glass performed sprung the td. Let’s not forget about the 3 passes that would have probably been td’s that were uncharacteristically dropped. It is what it is. Could have easily been 35-7 at the half
I do think a lot of Glass’s success came from curl routes to extend drives because Salem was playing way to soft zone. Thats how Glass scored on the first drive of the game!! That’s why Glass had more success. #2 for Glass is a helluva hard runner as well!!
I was wondering how long it would take for a Salem fan to mention the two holding calls. 😂 You are right but that doesn't change anything about my post. The point is that Glass was able to get inside the redzone and to be in those positions by spreading the field and making Salem tackle in space. Glass didn't try to run directly at Salem. I didn't have a dog in the fight so it wouldn't have made a difference to me if it was 35-7 at halftime.
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The D line for Phoebus disrupts the LOS so effectively that it allows their LBs to make big plays. They alley and shoot the gaps better than most high school teams that you're ever going to see. They're extremely aggressive, which has allowed a few big runs this year but not many points have been scored. Their defense has been lights out all year. KG in my opinion is going to have to play flawless football. This is going to be the game of the week in the state... should be a classic.
Trenches will dominate. King George doesn’t have anyone that can block Reddick and Stevenson. Taysean Stevenson is easily the most underrated player in the state. Big 6’4 220 dog coming off the edge. ODU is getting a steal. Would not be surprised to see a bigger school step in. Here goes his highlights
Tuscarora's only hope is holding Salem to 21 or less and getting 2 turnovers. Tuscarora can score. Their offense looks better now than earlier in the year. Region C is down, hopefully an anomaly, not permanently. John Champe has a better offense than Tuscarora but would have been unable to stop Salem at all. There was a part of the Salem/EC Glass game where EC Glass looked like the better team for about a quarter, than Salem took over. Hopefully Salem drives up north the day of and comes out stale.
They always drive the day of the game. You never know what you're going to get from kids.
Drove day of game when State Championships were at William and Mary and they played Dinwiddie and Louisa back to back years.
Drove day of game when they played John Champe.
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It’s a whole thread for that Tusk and Salem game…why y’all talking bout it on this post?
I may be out of line saying this, but King George was able to manage to block the Varina defensive line effectively enough to get the win. I couldn’t imagine the defensive line being much better than the Varina defensive line. I know the blue devils have at least one monster that everyone seemed to have to change their offensive scheme to deal with. You cannot cover those wide receivers 1 on 1 either!
Varina doesn’t have the caliber of edge rushers Phoebus has, no knock of them guys. The secondary for Phoebus is made up of guys with the type of mentality that matches up well with KG receivers. Should be a great game. I’ll go 28-24 Phoebus.
I'm a basketball guy through and through, so I try to not get too specific when talking about the X's and O's of football to avoid sounding like a fool, but I have been able to watch a bit of Phoebus and King George on NFHS this week. As many have said, I think what gives Phoebus the upper-hand is their defensive line. KG's offensive line hasn't seen pass rushers like Phoebus all year...even the Varina defense was a tier below. If the QB can get the ball out quick/make plays with his feet, and avoid getting sacked multiple times, they've got a shot. I feel like getting into a hurry-up rhythm and lasering the ball on drives here and there to keep the defense breathing heavy could work, but could also be a disaster. Keep the Phantoms guessing and tired, capitalize on big plays and avoid sacks, and KG's offense can get some points up. Phoebus's DBs look good, but if KG can get the ball out and into the hands of their receiving corps, then their chances of keeping up skyrocket.
For Phoebus on offense, their ground and pound strategy should continue to work. I expect KG's defense to make them work for it, but I have a feeling if KG's offense can't keep up, Phoebus will continue to march down the field and score more often than not and it could get away from them in a hurry. Personally, I am rooting for the Foxes, as the Phantoms have won titles recently before and I would love to see a new program rise to the top. Plus, at the beginning of the season, my state title prediction was King George vs Salem...maybe I do have some football knowledge! Good luck to both teams. Phoebus is an excellent football team. 31 points against on the season...what the....
For Phoebus on offense, their ground and pound strategy should continue to work. I expect KG's defense to make them work for it, but I have a feeling if KG's offense can't keep up, Phoebus will continue to march down the field and score more often than not and it could get away from them in a hurry. Personally, I am rooting for the Foxes, as the Phantoms have won titles recently before and I would love to see a new program rise to the top. Plus, at the beginning of the season, my state title prediction was King George vs Salem...maybe I do have some football knowledge! Good luck to both teams. Phoebus is an excellent football team. 31 points against on the season...what the....
I've been impressed with King George's kicker all season. I've seen them play four times and the kid is great (someone in the King George stands told me that he's headed to JMU by the way).
But, two things are slightly concerning. One, is that he missed everything from 43 yards and beyond during pregame warmups on Saturday (he sounded like he was kicking a cinderblock and a lot of his kicks came off flat). Some might scoff at this and feel free to do so. That's fine. I've seen him drill field goals from 51 in pre-game and nail field goals of over 40 that would have been good from 50 during a game.
However, it was chilly this past Saturday and his long kicks were slightly more erratic than any other game I've seen King George play this season. So fortunately for the Foxes, this past Saturday's game didn't come down to a very long kick to win it. Is it a big deal? I don't know. But it's something I wanted to point out.
Secondly, rain is in the forecast for this coming weekend. Darling Stadium is a grass surface. The King George kicker kicks his field goals off the ground and not the tee. Could be a factor when it comes to making a decision on whether to go for it or kick a long field goal? Maybe.
Just a couple of things to think about.
Not a fan of the higher classifications playing first on State Title Saturday. But remember that Phoebus played the then-12:00PM game last season. Should not be too much of a difference for them.
the game is at 2 and most of Phoebus games this year have been played Saturdays at noon…
I’m sorry but the Varina Dline is not Phoebus lol. Varina edge rushers are not on the same level as Reddick and Stevenson. Varina does remind me of Phoebus a little but Phoebus is a much better team with state titles experience.
And KG might want to emphasize to their fans or whoever it is to not come on Phoebus Instagram trash talking. I get you’re hype about the game but coming on Phoebus IG pics to call the team trash is just stupid at this point.
He bent the goal post at EV warming up at halftime
The State Title Game for Class 4 is at 11:30AM. I think that's what the poster meant assuming Phoebus beats King George.
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