Very excited about the matchups for this weekend in Virginia High School League Football as we're seeing some playoff preview type of regular season encounters. I might even make the argument that come Friday, this week's A-List games are the best we've had yet to this point out of four weeks in the regular season. Going to sleep on it tonight, though.
But before I take my nap - likely after some old re-run around 2 AM of Miami Vice on STARZ - we have some games to forecast for tonight. One is a BIG showdown out in Southwest Virginia between two Region 2D title hopefuls that have moved up to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in our Class 2 state rankings today by virtue of Appomattox falling to Heritage-Lynchburg last Friday.
It's Union and Graham squaring off at Mitchell Stadium. My take on that one, plus a few others on the docket, two of which are in Tidewater where yours truly and my ESPN Radio 94.1 sidekick - Coach Ed Young - will make predictions.
Coach Young one upped Hatfield to bring them even on the season in their head-to-head Tidewater battle, while Matt had a rough Week 3 following the unblemished Thursday of action, dropping the percentage two full points from 78.9% to 76.9%...
Hatfield's Friday - Tuesday Total: 24-9 (72.7%)
Hatfield's Season Total: 80-24 (76.9%)
Hatfield's 757 Total from Fri - Tues: 13-3 (81.3%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total: 40-11 (78.4%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Total from Fri - Tues: 14-2 (87.6%)
Coach Ed Young's Season Total: 40-11 (78.4%)
Ed would like to congratulate Jesse Litton and his Princess Anne Cavaliers from rallying from 14 down to beat First Colonial 20-14 to ruin Hatfield's opportunity of moving up multiple games on Coach and instead deadlocking their head-to-head Tidewater battle.
Now it's time to get on to tonight's games...
THURSDAY 9/16/21 GAMES:
Union (2-0) at Graham (2-0) . . . Since this series started in 2012, these two have had six playoff meetings. Union leads the all-time series 5-2 and that included a 30-24 thriller in the Region 2D semis last spring when Johnny Satterfield, then a sophomore, scored on a 59-yard touchdown on the game's final play. It marked the third time these two schools have had a game decided by eight points or less, so it's a safe assumption to say it'll go down to the wire with these two squads.
Union handled Lee 56-8 and then J.I. Burton 50-20 to come into this one unblemished, while Graham shut out Richlands 35-0 a week ago to follow up their 34-6 rout of Tazewell. Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw is probably going to be the most electric player on the field as he found the end zone three times against Richlands, one of which came of the 68-yard variety. Blocking for him up front is a massive offensive tackle headed to UVA in Brody Meadows, plus there's a developing quarterback in Zack Blevins who continues to get better and better.
Union isn't lacking for star power with Zavier Lomax having rushed for 244 yards and 4 TD's in just two contests. Members of their state title winning basketball team - QB Bradley Bunch, Malachi Jenkins, Peyton Honeycutt to single out a few - play key roles as well. This one comes down to defense in my mind. Who can get those crucial third down stops and eliminate the big plays? The Graham defense is playing a pinch better to this point, and at home with revenge on their minds, look for some unsung heroes to emerge on that side of the ball in another great battle.
Matt Hatfield Says - Graham 28-20
Rye Cove (0-2) at Thomas Walker (0-2) . . . Both are giving up more than 30 points per game and to avoid that here, their offenses will have to help the defense out with ball-control, plus taking care of the pigskin to not give the opposition a short field. Thomas Walker won 20-14 back in March in a matchup that figures to be a coin flip outcome yet again.
Matt Hatfield Says - Thomas Walker 16-6
Meanwhile in Tidewater:
Denbigh (0-2) at Warwick (1-2) . . . The Patriots had their 52-7 loss to Menchville last Friday called at half-time, so it's hard to imagine they have the necessary ingredients to slow down shifty Raiders tailback Bryce Buchanan.
Matt Hatfield Says - Warwick 48-8
Coach Ed Young Says - Warwick 40-6
New Kent (2-0) at Warhill (3-0) . . . This is quietly a good game between two under-the-radar Bay Rivers District teams that won't stay that way for long if they continue to win. Warhill does lead the all-time series 11-3, including four straight wins. One of those was 13-7 back in March. The Lions will have to slow down New Kent's Joe Batkins, who ran for 150 yards and 4 TD's against Bruton, to keep that streak going.
Matt Hatfield Says - Warhill 21-18
Coach Ed Young Says - Warhill 18-12
But before I take my nap - likely after some old re-run around 2 AM of Miami Vice on STARZ - we have some games to forecast for tonight. One is a BIG showdown out in Southwest Virginia between two Region 2D title hopefuls that have moved up to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in our Class 2 state rankings today by virtue of Appomattox falling to Heritage-Lynchburg last Friday.
It's Union and Graham squaring off at Mitchell Stadium. My take on that one, plus a few others on the docket, two of which are in Tidewater where yours truly and my ESPN Radio 94.1 sidekick - Coach Ed Young - will make predictions.
Coach Young one upped Hatfield to bring them even on the season in their head-to-head Tidewater battle, while Matt had a rough Week 3 following the unblemished Thursday of action, dropping the percentage two full points from 78.9% to 76.9%...
Hatfield's Friday - Tuesday Total: 24-9 (72.7%)
Hatfield's Season Total: 80-24 (76.9%)
Hatfield's 757 Total from Fri - Tues: 13-3 (81.3%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total: 40-11 (78.4%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Total from Fri - Tues: 14-2 (87.6%)
Coach Ed Young's Season Total: 40-11 (78.4%)
Ed would like to congratulate Jesse Litton and his Princess Anne Cavaliers from rallying from 14 down to beat First Colonial 20-14 to ruin Hatfield's opportunity of moving up multiple games on Coach and instead deadlocking their head-to-head Tidewater battle.
Now it's time to get on to tonight's games...
THURSDAY 9/16/21 GAMES:
Union (2-0) at Graham (2-0) . . . Since this series started in 2012, these two have had six playoff meetings. Union leads the all-time series 5-2 and that included a 30-24 thriller in the Region 2D semis last spring when Johnny Satterfield, then a sophomore, scored on a 59-yard touchdown on the game's final play. It marked the third time these two schools have had a game decided by eight points or less, so it's a safe assumption to say it'll go down to the wire with these two squads.
Union handled Lee 56-8 and then J.I. Burton 50-20 to come into this one unblemished, while Graham shut out Richlands 35-0 a week ago to follow up their 34-6 rout of Tazewell. Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw is probably going to be the most electric player on the field as he found the end zone three times against Richlands, one of which came of the 68-yard variety. Blocking for him up front is a massive offensive tackle headed to UVA in Brody Meadows, plus there's a developing quarterback in Zack Blevins who continues to get better and better.
Union isn't lacking for star power with Zavier Lomax having rushed for 244 yards and 4 TD's in just two contests. Members of their state title winning basketball team - QB Bradley Bunch, Malachi Jenkins, Peyton Honeycutt to single out a few - play key roles as well. This one comes down to defense in my mind. Who can get those crucial third down stops and eliminate the big plays? The Graham defense is playing a pinch better to this point, and at home with revenge on their minds, look for some unsung heroes to emerge on that side of the ball in another great battle.
Matt Hatfield Says - Graham 28-20
Rye Cove (0-2) at Thomas Walker (0-2) . . . Both are giving up more than 30 points per game and to avoid that here, their offenses will have to help the defense out with ball-control, plus taking care of the pigskin to not give the opposition a short field. Thomas Walker won 20-14 back in March in a matchup that figures to be a coin flip outcome yet again.
Matt Hatfield Says - Thomas Walker 16-6
Meanwhile in Tidewater:
Denbigh (0-2) at Warwick (1-2) . . . The Patriots had their 52-7 loss to Menchville last Friday called at half-time, so it's hard to imagine they have the necessary ingredients to slow down shifty Raiders tailback Bryce Buchanan.
Matt Hatfield Says - Warwick 48-8
Coach Ed Young Says - Warwick 40-6
New Kent (2-0) at Warhill (3-0) . . . This is quietly a good game between two under-the-radar Bay Rivers District teams that won't stay that way for long if they continue to win. Warhill does lead the all-time series 11-3, including four straight wins. One of those was 13-7 back in March. The Lions will have to slow down New Kent's Joe Batkins, who ran for 150 yards and 4 TD's against Bruton, to keep that streak going.
Matt Hatfield Says - Warhill 21-18
Coach Ed Young Says - Warhill 18-12
