There are really four 'marquee matchups' in my eyes for Friday 9/23/22 around the Commonwealth with Class 1 contenders Essex (4-0) and King & Queen (4-0) hooking up, Class 3 title hopefuls Liberty Christian (4-0) and Brookville (4-0) squaring off, Southeastern District rivals Western Branch (4-0) and King's Fork (3-0) tangling in Suffolk, and Norfolk the site for an Eastern District clash of recent State Champs as Maury (1-1) hosts Lake Taylor (3-0) at Powhatan Field.
Before we get to the Friday matchups of much intrigue around the Commonwealth on this 'Fall' like day in September, let's update where the Picks stand between VaPreps Publisher Matthew Hatfield and his ESPN Radio 94.1 co-host on Saturday mornings, Coach Ed Young.
A perfect 3-0 sweep for both Hatfield and Young on Thursday. Here's the latest standings update...
Hatfield's Thursday Total - 3-0 (100%)
Hatfield's 2022 Season Total - 134-25 (84.3%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total - 83-9 (90.2%)
Coach Young's Thursday Total - 3-0 (100%)
Coach Young's 2022 Season Total - 78-15 (83.9%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Season Total - 78-14 (84.8%)
... Let's get to some of those marquee battles.
Liberty Christian (4-0) at Brookville (4-0) . . . In the Seminole District, every week it feels like it will be a dogfight. Coach Frank Rocco of LCA and Jon Meeks of Brookville know this, but when these two get together, it will feature the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the state in Class 3. Back in the spring season of 2020-21, Brookville pulled out a 25-14 victory in the cold. LCA has won the past three meetings though, including in the playoffs on a couple of occasions. That was highlighted by a 42-6 playoff win for the Bulldogs on their way to winning the Region 3C title and reaching the Class 3 State Final last season.
The brother combo of Gideon and Caleb Davidson have been spectacular for LCA to date with 775 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns. However, the matchup to watch could be the Brookville defensive front trying to get after LCA QB Joe Borchers (423 pass yards) with end Micah Pennix leading that charge. Pennix would love nothing better than to get a couple of sacks and make it a happy birthday for d-coordinator Dayn Washburn.
On the other side of the ball, the LCA defense will have to prove it can slow down a balanced Brookville attack on the road headed up by QB Drake McDaniel with backs Michael Viar and Jor'Dyn Whitelaw. This is one of those games that figures to go down to the wire and the team with the ball last possibly winning.
Hatfield Says - Liberty Christian 32-28
GAME OF THE WEEK in NORFOLK:
Lake Taylor (3-0) at Maury (1-1) . . . After dropping ten straight in the series, Maury has won two of the past three meetings with Lake Taylor, prevailing by a count of 49-7 in 2019 and 48-12 last year with a 27-14 loss to the Titans sandwiched in between. Lake Taylor breezed through its first three foes of Norcom, Currituck (NC) and Norview by a combined count of 144-28, pitching a pair of shutouts. The likes of Tarreon Washington-Jacobs (527 yards, 6 TD’s rushing), WR Elijah Washington (16Rec. 302Yds. 5 TD’s) and TE Justin Edwards each found the end zone twice in the 41-0 shutout of Norview.
Can Maury handle the running game of Lake Taylor? New Bern (NC) ran the ball 57 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-14 win over the Commodores two Fridays ago. The Commodores saw their stud linebacker, Nathaniel ‘Booga’ Knox suffer a preseason injury in their scrimmage against King’s Fork. If the First Team All-State performer is unable to go, then it’ll be up to sophomore Dylan Goad and freshman Ike Simmons, who already holds a Virginia Tech offer, to step up in his place. There are also two former Titans on the Maury defense in senior DB Syncere Hawkins and edge rusher Aaron McDaniel that will play pivotal roles.
Even with one of the best running backs around in Duke commit Peyton Jones, it’s clear that the Commodores want to test the Lake Taylor secondary by throwing the ball. Their passing game, headed up by senior Mario Miller, completed 11 of 15 passes for 243 yards and 5 TD’s in a 66-0 shellacking of Granby. The Commodores had 52 points before half-time in that contest, including scores on defense and special teams.
Lake Taylor will have many of their key players go both ways, and from a defensive standpoint, getting solid play from those outside of their mainstays in Washington-Jacobs, Washington and UVA commit Anthony Britton is going to be important. Maury doesn’t depend on just one player in the passing game, so look for Dyrri McCain’s bunch to spread the ball around to Delaware commit Kelvin ‘K.T; Seay, juniors Da’Vontae Floyd, Fred Johnson and Josh Powell, plus sophomore LeBron Bond. How well the Lake Taylor secondary, headed up by Aquan Ballard, Titus Holte and Khamarie Trueblood, holds up is going to tell a lot.
This has the makings to be a high-scoring battle. For Maury to get an outcome similar to last year, they will need their defensive front to break down the Lake Taylor o-line and harass new Titans QB Jamir ‘Sporty’ Freeman (33 of 50 for 563 yards, 10 TD’s), who has been effective both with his legs and arm to this point.
Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 35-27
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 30-14
GAME OF THE WEEK in the SED:
Western Branch (4-0) at King’s Fork (3-0) . . . When these two teams met a season ago, Western Branch was receiving plenty of attention with three straight shutouts. It ended up being the King’s Fork defense stealing the show, holding the Bruins to 91 total yards in a 17-3 victory. More than anything else, the King’s Fork defense made life tough on the Western Branch ground game that was held to negative yards.
The experience and playmakers are certainly there for a better showing by the Bruins this time, even on the road. UNC commit Paul Billups (9Rec. 207Yds. 3 TD’s) at wide receiver and corner is widely regarded as the top prospect in all of Hampton Roads. Billups has accounted for 372 yards and six scores in three different facets – passing, rushing and receiving. Not to mention, he was their leading tackler the last time out with four stops for loss in the 47-0 shutout of Grassfield, where teammate C.J. Fraser had a pair of interceptions on defense.
In the backfield, Bruins RB Shimique Blizzard (30Car. 394Yds. 7 TD’s) is averaging over 13 yards per carry. Giving them balance, QB Taquan Trotman (19 of 34 for 378 yards, 5-1 TD/Int. ratio) has shown some improvement and wants to redeem himself for completing only 7 of 25 passes for 58 yards in last year’s matchup.
On the other side, King’s Fork was dominant in its first two wins defensively, shutting out Smithfield and Indian River, then scored on their first eight offensive possessions in blasting Great Bridge 70-20. Offensively, senior QB Cameron Butler (35 of 56 for 510 yards, 7 TD’s passing) has been masterful, extending plays with his feet and converting key third and fourth downs. Butler has added 150 yards on the and a couple of scores on 16 attempts. Sophomore tailback JaVon Ford (44Car. 440Yds. 4 TD’s) is built for games like this, and senior WR Kaletri Boyd has found the end zone six times on 24 touches from scrimmage, three rushing and three receiving.
Where Western Branch hopes to have an edge is up front with a massive line, anchored by seniors Jahazari Priester (6-8, 250) and Jayden Chappell (6-5, 310) as well as juniors Cam’Ron Warren (6-6, 290) and Aiden Lorsong (6-3, 270). Even though three starters are back on the o-line for King’s Fork, a trio of sophomores and two juniors are getting considerable playing time.
Conversely, King’s Fork believes it can force the Western Branch offense into miscues and capitalize with All-State DB Antoine Gray (21 tackles, FF), senior LB Latavion Wynn (18 tackles, 4 sacks) and junior DE Jalcobe Leonard (4 sacks) spearheading that effort But if the Bulldogs can get to the second and third levels of the Western Branch defense early on, then King’s Fork will have an opportunity to play in front and give their own defense some breathing room.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 26-21
Coach Ed Young Says – Western Branch 28-27
Essex (4-0) at King & Queen (4-0) . . . There is plenty of star power in this matchup, which could be a preview of the Region 1A Championship. Dylan DeHart's Tigers come in with a fantastic offensive backfield combo of QB Malik Holmes and RB Kam Berry. Coming into the season, Holmes accounted for over 6200 yards and 73 TD's in his career. All Berry did last week was roll up 241 all-purpose yards in a 44-0 shutout of Northumberland, a game that saw King & Queen erupt for 38 points after half-time.
Now, Essex won't be daunted by that offensive firepower. They are solid on the lines and have better depth at every position than they in recent seasons under Coach Todd Jones. Their bona-fide stud is Kam Robinson, a UVA commit set to play linebacker for the Cavaliers in college.
King & Queen has four shutouts on the campaign to date, and while Essex isn't putting up the same type of eye-popping numbers, they showed resolve in a comeback win over reigning Class 2 State Champ King William that could come in handy in this battle on the road. The potential is there for offensive fireworks, but don't sell these defenses short. That is especially true in King & Queen's case as they have four shutouts on the year to date.
Hatfield Says - Essex 20-16
More Matchups Around VA:
Galax (3-1) at Graham (4-0) . . . Brayden Meadows has been solid at the QB spot for the G-Men and their attack appears more multi-dimensional and consistent right now than Galax, coming off a tough loss to Radford last week and trying to avoid a second straight defeat.
Hatfield Says - Graham 30-13
George Wythe (3-1) at Rural Retreat (2-1) . . . Since a season-opening loss by 14 to Radford, Wythe has been one of the better teams in all of Class 1 and can prove it again on a Rural Retreat that came into the season with an awful lot of hype.
Hatfield Says - George Wythe 28-21
Mountain View (4-0) at Massaponax (1-2) . . . Can the Panthers defense step up to slow down the MV QB-RB combo of Jackson Sigler and Syracuse commit Ike Daniels?
Hatfield Says - Mountain View 42-28
Westfield (3-1) at Yorktown (3-1) . . . What a huge win for Kyle Simmons and the Bulldogs last week over South County. They'll try to follow it up by beating Yorktown. The Bulldogs have scored 21+ points only once this season, but they are 3-0 all-time against the Patriots.
Hatfield Says - Yorktown 18-16
Christiansburg (3-0) at Radford (4-0) . . . What a hard game to call because Landen Clark has been playing QB at a very high level for a Bobcats team that features Virginia Tech commit Marcell Baylor. The Bobcats beat Galax by 21 and George Wythe by 14. Meanwhile, Christiansburg defeated Radford 63-0 last year and they have won seven straight in this series. Radford's last win in the series came by a 26-7 count in 2000.
Hatfield Says - Christiansburg 23-21
Tuscarora (3-0) at Briar Woods (3-1) . . . Mike Burnett leads Briar Woods against his old school Tuscarora, which he led to the State Championship game on a couple of occasions.
Hatfield Says - Tuscarora 23-17
King William (3-1) at Westmoreland (2-1) . . . To respond from the humbling 60-point loss to King George last week, it'll be imperative that Westmoreland gets playmaker Jordan Saunders, who had 4 TD's through their first two wins, more touches in space.
Hatfield Says - King William 31-22
Heritage-Lynchburg (3-1) at Rustburg (3-1) . . . Quarterback Jaicere 'Hov' Bateman took a step last week in leading Heritage to a 12-0 Jug Bowl win over E.C. Glass. His dual-threat skills should be on display again versus a Rustburg defense that may go through spells of struggling to stop the run.
Hatfield Says - Heritage-Lynchburg 34-16
More Tidewater Clashes:
First Colonial (1-2) at Bayside (2-2) . . . Coming off a 20-0 shutout of Landstown, the Marlins will try to get their third shutout of First Colonial in four meetings. The Patriots have not beaten Bayside since a 28-27 triumph in 2006 and will need a sudden offensive explosion to end the 15-game losing skid in the series.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bayside 28-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Bayside 30-0
Cox (3-1) at Salem-VB (3-0) . . . It’s a re-match from the opening round of last year’s Region 5A playoffs, where Salem held on to defeat Cox 27-20 one week after also taking the regular season finale by a count of 20-13. Mark Hall, a former standout at Green Run and UVA, won his debut as interim Head Coach in a 20-0 shutout of Tallwood last week, whereas the Falcons beat Ocean Lakes 37-13 for their first victory in that series since 2016. Two of the best defensive linemen around will be on display in this one in Cox junior Gerard Johnson and Salem sophomore Ari Watford, both of whom hold quite a few scholarship offers.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem-VB 20-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem-VB 24-21
Green Run (4-0) at Princess Anne (0-4) . . . Freshman receiver Jahvon Wiggins has been a bright spot for PA with eight catches for an area-best 357 yards and four touchdowns. Green Run has a special receiver talent of their own in junior Keylen ‘Brodie’ Adams (12Rec. 329Yds. 6 TD’s) and a lot of other talented pieces around him, including QB Kevin White Jr. (44 of 57 for 736Yds. 11-1 TD/Int. ratio) as the Stallions seek a fifth straight double-digit win over a Beach District foe to open this season.
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 49-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 40-0
Kellam (1-2) at Ocean Lakes (0-4) . . . In four games, the Dolphins have scored a mere 26 points. Kellam had more than that in their season opener, a 38-21 triumph over First Colonial. Outside of a 2009 forfeit win, Kellam hasn’t beaten Ocean Lakes since 2006 when they prevailed 35-28. The last two meetings were close with Ocean Lakes winning 14-12 and 18-9.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 14-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Kellam 21-12
Kempsville (3-1) at Tallwood (0-3) . . . The Lions are trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2014 when they finished 3-7. That year, Tallwood beat Kempsville by a count of 21-6. But this is a Chiefs team playing at a different gear. They’ve scored 40-plus points in three straight games for the first time since 1981 during the Ralph Gahagan era when they hit for 53 on Maury, 55 on Cox and 58 on Princess Anne in consecutive weeks. Can they make it a record four in a row? The Tallwood defense is allowing 30 PPG.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kempsville 41-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Kempsvile 42-12
Churchland (2-1) at Norview (1-3) . . . After dropping five straight to Norview, the Churchland Truckers have won three in a row over the Pilots, including shutouts of 7-0 and 6-0 during the calendar year of 2021. Through three contests this season, the Truckers have rushed for 1150 yards and 14 TD’s on 8.6 yards per pop, led by the trio of Leon Clark, Dontavious Booker and dual-threat QB Brandyn Hillman.
Matt Hatfield Says – Churchland 36-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Churchland 30-14
Granby (0-3) at Norcom (3-1) . . . First-year Norcom Head Coach Anthony Hawkins has the Greyhounds riding a three-game winning streak, and in taking on a Comets team that has been outscored 113-3, a fourth consecutive victory looks imminent.
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 30-0
Coach Ed Young Says – Norcom 44-0
Deep Creek (2-1) at Grassfield (0-4) . . . The Grizzlies, blanked the last two games by Oscar Smith and Western Branch by a combined 101-0, haven’t found much success lately against Deep Creek. In fact, the last time the Hornets lost to Grassfield was 2016 as they look to extend their win streak in the series to six games. Grassfield will need to slow the running of Hornets backs Brandon Nesbit (33Car. 333Yds. 7 TD’s) and Hunter Barnes (27Car. 221Yds. 3 TD’s) in order to keep this one competitive.
Matt Hatfield Says – Deep Creek 29-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Deep Creek 26-12
Lakeland (1-3) at Great Bridge (1-2) . . . Sandwiched in between losses to Nansemond River (13-3) and King’s Fork (70-20) for the Wildcats was a 20-13 triumph over Manor, where Donte Little got them off on the right note with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Great Bridge won that game, despite being out-gained 326-246. A key reason was coming up with four takeaways. Lakeland, which led Smithfield 14-0 in the first quarter after touchdowns from Allen Dockery and R.J. Jones, saw the Packers score 24 unanswered points on their way to suffering a 40-20 loss, their third in a row. Lakeland has won seven of the past ten meetings with Great Bridge, including 48-7 last year.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lakeland 30-28
Coach Ed Young Says – Lakeland 28-14
Oscar Smith (2-0) at Hickory (0-4) . . . Coming off its second bye in three weeks, Oscar Smith will be out to continue to its dominance of Hickory in the head-to-head series. The Hawks are 3-23 all-time against Oscar Smith its last win over the Tigers coming in 2006 by a count of 23-15. Regardless of who plays QB for the Tigers, look for the wide receiving core with West Virginia commit Tory Johnson Jr. as well as Jamauri ‘Bam’ Knox and Xavier Lewis to stretch out the Hickory defense with regularity in this one.
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 56-3
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 49-0
Indian River (2-1) vs. Nansemond River (3-1) at Lakeland . . . A win over Indian River in the regular season hasn’t happened for Nansemond River since 2016. To get to 4-1, the Warriors have to beat a Braves team well-rested off its bye week and angry from a 28-0 home shutout loss to King’s Fork. Through four games, the Warriors have 11 takeaways and in each game they forced multiple turnovers, Nansemond River won. The game that they didn’t was a 38-8 loss to Western Branch. So in essence, getting a couple of interceptions of Braves QB Tyler Allison would be huge for the Warriors defense so that dual-threat QB Alkendric Overton and the offense stay on the field.
Matt Hatfield Says – Indian River 28-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Indian River 22-20
Denbigh (0-4) at Bethel (1-3) . . . It has not been a pretty start for Denbigh, getting outscored 250-0 in four straight running clock losses. Expect the Bethel offense, held to 82 total yards by Nansemond River and 66 by Phoebus in lopsided losses, to kick into high-gear similar to what they showed in a 34-0 shutout of Gloucester.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bethel 39-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Bethel 40-0
Hampton (1-3) at Warwick (3-1) . . . Hampton’s last 1-3 start resulted in a 4-6 finish during the 2018 campaign. That ended a string of 15 straight playoff trips. The last time the Hampton Crabbers started 1-4? Well, they haven’t that many losses through five games since their winless season of 1961. As for Hampton against Warwick, they notched 43 straight wins in the series from 1966-2008, but the Raiders have broken through with three victories over the Crabbers since 2009.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 34-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 28-20
York (2-1) at Grafton (2-1) . . . Doug Pereira’s Falcons couldn’t quite keep up in a 35-21 loss to Lafayette, where the Rams had multiple backs rush for over 100 yards. More than anything, the 11 penalties for 75 yards and pick-six that gave Lafayette a three-score advantage probably bothered them. In Grafton, they take on a Clippers team that routed Jamestown 47-3, but was far less competitive in its meeting with Lafayette, falling 48-0.
Matt Hatfield Says – York 30-15
Coach Ed Young Says – York 33-30
New Kent (2-1) at Poquoson (2-1) . . . History is on Poquoson’s side as the Islanders lead the all-time series with New Kent 24-18. They had won 13 in a row until falling short in the spring-abbreviated campaign, 41-31, before responding with a 27-15 triumph over the Trojans last September. New Kent held close with Warhill before the Lions pulled away, getting a punt return for a score in the 41-20 victory. Baker Green ran the ball 17 times for 93 yards and a pair of touchdown in Poquoson’s 21-7 win over Tabb where they generated six takeaways to complement their ball-control offense.
Matt Hatfield Says – New Kent 30-28
Coach Ed Young Says – Poquoson 30-28
Smithfield (2-1) at Warhill (2-2) . . . Both teams have recovered from rough starts, and in Smithfield’s case, it was understandable with the late hire of new Head Coach Tracey Parker, former defensive coordinator at Phoebus. Since a 41-0 loss to King’s Fork, the offense has found its groove with a 51-7 rout of Jamestown and doubling up Lakeland 40-20. They were able to win last week without RB Chris Dennis (5 TD’s rushing vs. Jamestown), but his presence would help immensely vs. Warhill, which rallies from double-digit losses to Warwick and Norcom by blanking Tabb 7-0 and pulling away from New Kent 41-20. The Lions may possess more offensive balance with developing QB Chase O’Neil and a stable of backs, headed up by Liam Francisque and Taylen Eady.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warhill 22-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Warhill 24-22
SATURDAY 9/24/22 Action:
Gloucester (0-4) at Woodside (3-0) . . . Just like fellow PD member Denbigh, the Gloucester Dukes are one of the lone teams around Tidewater that has yet to score on the season. Don’t expect Danny Dodson’s Wolverines to be too cooperative. They have won 21 in a row since Dodson dropped his first two meetings with the Dukes back in 1999 and 2000.
Matt Hatfield Says – Woodside 42-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Woodside 40-0
Heritage-NN (2-2) at Phoebus (3-0) . . . Give Scott Woodlief and his Hurricanes credit; they’re getting better. In fact, Heritage led Woodside last week 20-8 at half-time before falling by a count of 21-20. Now have they improved enough to hang with the Phantoms? That’s highly doubtful as the reigning Class 3 State Champs have outscored its foes 129-6 behind the superb play of dual-threat QB Nolan James, WR/DB Jordan Bass (Pitt commit) and OL/DL Mychal McMullin (JMU pledge).
Matt Hatfield Says – Phoebus 40-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Phoebus 41-6
Before we get to the Friday matchups of much intrigue around the Commonwealth on this 'Fall' like day in September, let's update where the Picks stand between VaPreps Publisher Matthew Hatfield and his ESPN Radio 94.1 co-host on Saturday mornings, Coach Ed Young.
A perfect 3-0 sweep for both Hatfield and Young on Thursday. Here's the latest standings update...
Hatfield's Thursday Total - 3-0 (100%)
Hatfield's 2022 Season Total - 134-25 (84.3%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total - 83-9 (90.2%)
Coach Young's Thursday Total - 3-0 (100%)
Coach Young's 2022 Season Total - 78-15 (83.9%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Season Total - 78-14 (84.8%)
... Let's get to some of those marquee battles.
Liberty Christian (4-0) at Brookville (4-0) . . . In the Seminole District, every week it feels like it will be a dogfight. Coach Frank Rocco of LCA and Jon Meeks of Brookville know this, but when these two get together, it will feature the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the state in Class 3. Back in the spring season of 2020-21, Brookville pulled out a 25-14 victory in the cold. LCA has won the past three meetings though, including in the playoffs on a couple of occasions. That was highlighted by a 42-6 playoff win for the Bulldogs on their way to winning the Region 3C title and reaching the Class 3 State Final last season.
The brother combo of Gideon and Caleb Davidson have been spectacular for LCA to date with 775 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns. However, the matchup to watch could be the Brookville defensive front trying to get after LCA QB Joe Borchers (423 pass yards) with end Micah Pennix leading that charge. Pennix would love nothing better than to get a couple of sacks and make it a happy birthday for d-coordinator Dayn Washburn.
On the other side of the ball, the LCA defense will have to prove it can slow down a balanced Brookville attack on the road headed up by QB Drake McDaniel with backs Michael Viar and Jor'Dyn Whitelaw. This is one of those games that figures to go down to the wire and the team with the ball last possibly winning.
Hatfield Says - Liberty Christian 32-28
GAME OF THE WEEK in NORFOLK:
Lake Taylor (3-0) at Maury (1-1) . . . After dropping ten straight in the series, Maury has won two of the past three meetings with Lake Taylor, prevailing by a count of 49-7 in 2019 and 48-12 last year with a 27-14 loss to the Titans sandwiched in between. Lake Taylor breezed through its first three foes of Norcom, Currituck (NC) and Norview by a combined count of 144-28, pitching a pair of shutouts. The likes of Tarreon Washington-Jacobs (527 yards, 6 TD’s rushing), WR Elijah Washington (16Rec. 302Yds. 5 TD’s) and TE Justin Edwards each found the end zone twice in the 41-0 shutout of Norview.
Can Maury handle the running game of Lake Taylor? New Bern (NC) ran the ball 57 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-14 win over the Commodores two Fridays ago. The Commodores saw their stud linebacker, Nathaniel ‘Booga’ Knox suffer a preseason injury in their scrimmage against King’s Fork. If the First Team All-State performer is unable to go, then it’ll be up to sophomore Dylan Goad and freshman Ike Simmons, who already holds a Virginia Tech offer, to step up in his place. There are also two former Titans on the Maury defense in senior DB Syncere Hawkins and edge rusher Aaron McDaniel that will play pivotal roles.
Even with one of the best running backs around in Duke commit Peyton Jones, it’s clear that the Commodores want to test the Lake Taylor secondary by throwing the ball. Their passing game, headed up by senior Mario Miller, completed 11 of 15 passes for 243 yards and 5 TD’s in a 66-0 shellacking of Granby. The Commodores had 52 points before half-time in that contest, including scores on defense and special teams.
Lake Taylor will have many of their key players go both ways, and from a defensive standpoint, getting solid play from those outside of their mainstays in Washington-Jacobs, Washington and UVA commit Anthony Britton is going to be important. Maury doesn’t depend on just one player in the passing game, so look for Dyrri McCain’s bunch to spread the ball around to Delaware commit Kelvin ‘K.T; Seay, juniors Da’Vontae Floyd, Fred Johnson and Josh Powell, plus sophomore LeBron Bond. How well the Lake Taylor secondary, headed up by Aquan Ballard, Titus Holte and Khamarie Trueblood, holds up is going to tell a lot.
This has the makings to be a high-scoring battle. For Maury to get an outcome similar to last year, they will need their defensive front to break down the Lake Taylor o-line and harass new Titans QB Jamir ‘Sporty’ Freeman (33 of 50 for 563 yards, 10 TD’s), who has been effective both with his legs and arm to this point.
Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 35-27
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 30-14
GAME OF THE WEEK in the SED:
Western Branch (4-0) at King’s Fork (3-0) . . . When these two teams met a season ago, Western Branch was receiving plenty of attention with three straight shutouts. It ended up being the King’s Fork defense stealing the show, holding the Bruins to 91 total yards in a 17-3 victory. More than anything else, the King’s Fork defense made life tough on the Western Branch ground game that was held to negative yards.
The experience and playmakers are certainly there for a better showing by the Bruins this time, even on the road. UNC commit Paul Billups (9Rec. 207Yds. 3 TD’s) at wide receiver and corner is widely regarded as the top prospect in all of Hampton Roads. Billups has accounted for 372 yards and six scores in three different facets – passing, rushing and receiving. Not to mention, he was their leading tackler the last time out with four stops for loss in the 47-0 shutout of Grassfield, where teammate C.J. Fraser had a pair of interceptions on defense.
In the backfield, Bruins RB Shimique Blizzard (30Car. 394Yds. 7 TD’s) is averaging over 13 yards per carry. Giving them balance, QB Taquan Trotman (19 of 34 for 378 yards, 5-1 TD/Int. ratio) has shown some improvement and wants to redeem himself for completing only 7 of 25 passes for 58 yards in last year’s matchup.
On the other side, King’s Fork was dominant in its first two wins defensively, shutting out Smithfield and Indian River, then scored on their first eight offensive possessions in blasting Great Bridge 70-20. Offensively, senior QB Cameron Butler (35 of 56 for 510 yards, 7 TD’s passing) has been masterful, extending plays with his feet and converting key third and fourth downs. Butler has added 150 yards on the and a couple of scores on 16 attempts. Sophomore tailback JaVon Ford (44Car. 440Yds. 4 TD’s) is built for games like this, and senior WR Kaletri Boyd has found the end zone six times on 24 touches from scrimmage, three rushing and three receiving.
Where Western Branch hopes to have an edge is up front with a massive line, anchored by seniors Jahazari Priester (6-8, 250) and Jayden Chappell (6-5, 310) as well as juniors Cam’Ron Warren (6-6, 290) and Aiden Lorsong (6-3, 270). Even though three starters are back on the o-line for King’s Fork, a trio of sophomores and two juniors are getting considerable playing time.
Conversely, King’s Fork believes it can force the Western Branch offense into miscues and capitalize with All-State DB Antoine Gray (21 tackles, FF), senior LB Latavion Wynn (18 tackles, 4 sacks) and junior DE Jalcobe Leonard (4 sacks) spearheading that effort But if the Bulldogs can get to the second and third levels of the Western Branch defense early on, then King’s Fork will have an opportunity to play in front and give their own defense some breathing room.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 26-21
Coach Ed Young Says – Western Branch 28-27
Essex (4-0) at King & Queen (4-0) . . . There is plenty of star power in this matchup, which could be a preview of the Region 1A Championship. Dylan DeHart's Tigers come in with a fantastic offensive backfield combo of QB Malik Holmes and RB Kam Berry. Coming into the season, Holmes accounted for over 6200 yards and 73 TD's in his career. All Berry did last week was roll up 241 all-purpose yards in a 44-0 shutout of Northumberland, a game that saw King & Queen erupt for 38 points after half-time.
Now, Essex won't be daunted by that offensive firepower. They are solid on the lines and have better depth at every position than they in recent seasons under Coach Todd Jones. Their bona-fide stud is Kam Robinson, a UVA commit set to play linebacker for the Cavaliers in college.
King & Queen has four shutouts on the campaign to date, and while Essex isn't putting up the same type of eye-popping numbers, they showed resolve in a comeback win over reigning Class 2 State Champ King William that could come in handy in this battle on the road. The potential is there for offensive fireworks, but don't sell these defenses short. That is especially true in King & Queen's case as they have four shutouts on the year to date.
Hatfield Says - Essex 20-16
More Matchups Around VA:
Galax (3-1) at Graham (4-0) . . . Brayden Meadows has been solid at the QB spot for the G-Men and their attack appears more multi-dimensional and consistent right now than Galax, coming off a tough loss to Radford last week and trying to avoid a second straight defeat.
Hatfield Says - Graham 30-13
George Wythe (3-1) at Rural Retreat (2-1) . . . Since a season-opening loss by 14 to Radford, Wythe has been one of the better teams in all of Class 1 and can prove it again on a Rural Retreat that came into the season with an awful lot of hype.
Hatfield Says - George Wythe 28-21
Mountain View (4-0) at Massaponax (1-2) . . . Can the Panthers defense step up to slow down the MV QB-RB combo of Jackson Sigler and Syracuse commit Ike Daniels?
Hatfield Says - Mountain View 42-28
Westfield (3-1) at Yorktown (3-1) . . . What a huge win for Kyle Simmons and the Bulldogs last week over South County. They'll try to follow it up by beating Yorktown. The Bulldogs have scored 21+ points only once this season, but they are 3-0 all-time against the Patriots.
Hatfield Says - Yorktown 18-16
Christiansburg (3-0) at Radford (4-0) . . . What a hard game to call because Landen Clark has been playing QB at a very high level for a Bobcats team that features Virginia Tech commit Marcell Baylor. The Bobcats beat Galax by 21 and George Wythe by 14. Meanwhile, Christiansburg defeated Radford 63-0 last year and they have won seven straight in this series. Radford's last win in the series came by a 26-7 count in 2000.
Hatfield Says - Christiansburg 23-21
Tuscarora (3-0) at Briar Woods (3-1) . . . Mike Burnett leads Briar Woods against his old school Tuscarora, which he led to the State Championship game on a couple of occasions.
Hatfield Says - Tuscarora 23-17
King William (3-1) at Westmoreland (2-1) . . . To respond from the humbling 60-point loss to King George last week, it'll be imperative that Westmoreland gets playmaker Jordan Saunders, who had 4 TD's through their first two wins, more touches in space.
Hatfield Says - King William 31-22
Heritage-Lynchburg (3-1) at Rustburg (3-1) . . . Quarterback Jaicere 'Hov' Bateman took a step last week in leading Heritage to a 12-0 Jug Bowl win over E.C. Glass. His dual-threat skills should be on display again versus a Rustburg defense that may go through spells of struggling to stop the run.
Hatfield Says - Heritage-Lynchburg 34-16
More Tidewater Clashes:
First Colonial (1-2) at Bayside (2-2) . . . Coming off a 20-0 shutout of Landstown, the Marlins will try to get their third shutout of First Colonial in four meetings. The Patriots have not beaten Bayside since a 28-27 triumph in 2006 and will need a sudden offensive explosion to end the 15-game losing skid in the series.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bayside 28-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Bayside 30-0
Cox (3-1) at Salem-VB (3-0) . . . It’s a re-match from the opening round of last year’s Region 5A playoffs, where Salem held on to defeat Cox 27-20 one week after also taking the regular season finale by a count of 20-13. Mark Hall, a former standout at Green Run and UVA, won his debut as interim Head Coach in a 20-0 shutout of Tallwood last week, whereas the Falcons beat Ocean Lakes 37-13 for their first victory in that series since 2016. Two of the best defensive linemen around will be on display in this one in Cox junior Gerard Johnson and Salem sophomore Ari Watford, both of whom hold quite a few scholarship offers.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem-VB 20-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem-VB 24-21
Green Run (4-0) at Princess Anne (0-4) . . . Freshman receiver Jahvon Wiggins has been a bright spot for PA with eight catches for an area-best 357 yards and four touchdowns. Green Run has a special receiver talent of their own in junior Keylen ‘Brodie’ Adams (12Rec. 329Yds. 6 TD’s) and a lot of other talented pieces around him, including QB Kevin White Jr. (44 of 57 for 736Yds. 11-1 TD/Int. ratio) as the Stallions seek a fifth straight double-digit win over a Beach District foe to open this season.
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 49-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 40-0
Kellam (1-2) at Ocean Lakes (0-4) . . . In four games, the Dolphins have scored a mere 26 points. Kellam had more than that in their season opener, a 38-21 triumph over First Colonial. Outside of a 2009 forfeit win, Kellam hasn’t beaten Ocean Lakes since 2006 when they prevailed 35-28. The last two meetings were close with Ocean Lakes winning 14-12 and 18-9.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 14-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Kellam 21-12
Kempsville (3-1) at Tallwood (0-3) . . . The Lions are trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2014 when they finished 3-7. That year, Tallwood beat Kempsville by a count of 21-6. But this is a Chiefs team playing at a different gear. They’ve scored 40-plus points in three straight games for the first time since 1981 during the Ralph Gahagan era when they hit for 53 on Maury, 55 on Cox and 58 on Princess Anne in consecutive weeks. Can they make it a record four in a row? The Tallwood defense is allowing 30 PPG.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kempsville 41-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Kempsvile 42-12
Churchland (2-1) at Norview (1-3) . . . After dropping five straight to Norview, the Churchland Truckers have won three in a row over the Pilots, including shutouts of 7-0 and 6-0 during the calendar year of 2021. Through three contests this season, the Truckers have rushed for 1150 yards and 14 TD’s on 8.6 yards per pop, led by the trio of Leon Clark, Dontavious Booker and dual-threat QB Brandyn Hillman.
Matt Hatfield Says – Churchland 36-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Churchland 30-14
Granby (0-3) at Norcom (3-1) . . . First-year Norcom Head Coach Anthony Hawkins has the Greyhounds riding a three-game winning streak, and in taking on a Comets team that has been outscored 113-3, a fourth consecutive victory looks imminent.
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 30-0
Coach Ed Young Says – Norcom 44-0
Deep Creek (2-1) at Grassfield (0-4) . . . The Grizzlies, blanked the last two games by Oscar Smith and Western Branch by a combined 101-0, haven’t found much success lately against Deep Creek. In fact, the last time the Hornets lost to Grassfield was 2016 as they look to extend their win streak in the series to six games. Grassfield will need to slow the running of Hornets backs Brandon Nesbit (33Car. 333Yds. 7 TD’s) and Hunter Barnes (27Car. 221Yds. 3 TD’s) in order to keep this one competitive.
Matt Hatfield Says – Deep Creek 29-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Deep Creek 26-12
Lakeland (1-3) at Great Bridge (1-2) . . . Sandwiched in between losses to Nansemond River (13-3) and King’s Fork (70-20) for the Wildcats was a 20-13 triumph over Manor, where Donte Little got them off on the right note with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Great Bridge won that game, despite being out-gained 326-246. A key reason was coming up with four takeaways. Lakeland, which led Smithfield 14-0 in the first quarter after touchdowns from Allen Dockery and R.J. Jones, saw the Packers score 24 unanswered points on their way to suffering a 40-20 loss, their third in a row. Lakeland has won seven of the past ten meetings with Great Bridge, including 48-7 last year.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lakeland 30-28
Coach Ed Young Says – Lakeland 28-14
Oscar Smith (2-0) at Hickory (0-4) . . . Coming off its second bye in three weeks, Oscar Smith will be out to continue to its dominance of Hickory in the head-to-head series. The Hawks are 3-23 all-time against Oscar Smith its last win over the Tigers coming in 2006 by a count of 23-15. Regardless of who plays QB for the Tigers, look for the wide receiving core with West Virginia commit Tory Johnson Jr. as well as Jamauri ‘Bam’ Knox and Xavier Lewis to stretch out the Hickory defense with regularity in this one.
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 56-3
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 49-0
Indian River (2-1) vs. Nansemond River (3-1) at Lakeland . . . A win over Indian River in the regular season hasn’t happened for Nansemond River since 2016. To get to 4-1, the Warriors have to beat a Braves team well-rested off its bye week and angry from a 28-0 home shutout loss to King’s Fork. Through four games, the Warriors have 11 takeaways and in each game they forced multiple turnovers, Nansemond River won. The game that they didn’t was a 38-8 loss to Western Branch. So in essence, getting a couple of interceptions of Braves QB Tyler Allison would be huge for the Warriors defense so that dual-threat QB Alkendric Overton and the offense stay on the field.
Matt Hatfield Says – Indian River 28-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Indian River 22-20
Denbigh (0-4) at Bethel (1-3) . . . It has not been a pretty start for Denbigh, getting outscored 250-0 in four straight running clock losses. Expect the Bethel offense, held to 82 total yards by Nansemond River and 66 by Phoebus in lopsided losses, to kick into high-gear similar to what they showed in a 34-0 shutout of Gloucester.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bethel 39-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Bethel 40-0
Hampton (1-3) at Warwick (3-1) . . . Hampton’s last 1-3 start resulted in a 4-6 finish during the 2018 campaign. That ended a string of 15 straight playoff trips. The last time the Hampton Crabbers started 1-4? Well, they haven’t that many losses through five games since their winless season of 1961. As for Hampton against Warwick, they notched 43 straight wins in the series from 1966-2008, but the Raiders have broken through with three victories over the Crabbers since 2009.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warwick 34-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Warwick 28-20
York (2-1) at Grafton (2-1) . . . Doug Pereira’s Falcons couldn’t quite keep up in a 35-21 loss to Lafayette, where the Rams had multiple backs rush for over 100 yards. More than anything, the 11 penalties for 75 yards and pick-six that gave Lafayette a three-score advantage probably bothered them. In Grafton, they take on a Clippers team that routed Jamestown 47-3, but was far less competitive in its meeting with Lafayette, falling 48-0.
Matt Hatfield Says – York 30-15
Coach Ed Young Says – York 33-30
New Kent (2-1) at Poquoson (2-1) . . . History is on Poquoson’s side as the Islanders lead the all-time series with New Kent 24-18. They had won 13 in a row until falling short in the spring-abbreviated campaign, 41-31, before responding with a 27-15 triumph over the Trojans last September. New Kent held close with Warhill before the Lions pulled away, getting a punt return for a score in the 41-20 victory. Baker Green ran the ball 17 times for 93 yards and a pair of touchdown in Poquoson’s 21-7 win over Tabb where they generated six takeaways to complement their ball-control offense.
Matt Hatfield Says – New Kent 30-28
Coach Ed Young Says – Poquoson 30-28
Smithfield (2-1) at Warhill (2-2) . . . Both teams have recovered from rough starts, and in Smithfield’s case, it was understandable with the late hire of new Head Coach Tracey Parker, former defensive coordinator at Phoebus. Since a 41-0 loss to King’s Fork, the offense has found its groove with a 51-7 rout of Jamestown and doubling up Lakeland 40-20. They were able to win last week without RB Chris Dennis (5 TD’s rushing vs. Jamestown), but his presence would help immensely vs. Warhill, which rallies from double-digit losses to Warwick and Norcom by blanking Tabb 7-0 and pulling away from New Kent 41-20. The Lions may possess more offensive balance with developing QB Chase O’Neil and a stable of backs, headed up by Liam Francisque and Taylen Eady.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warhill 22-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Warhill 24-22
SATURDAY 9/24/22 Action:
Gloucester (0-4) at Woodside (3-0) . . . Just like fellow PD member Denbigh, the Gloucester Dukes are one of the lone teams around Tidewater that has yet to score on the season. Don’t expect Danny Dodson’s Wolverines to be too cooperative. They have won 21 in a row since Dodson dropped his first two meetings with the Dukes back in 1999 and 2000.
Matt Hatfield Says – Woodside 42-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Woodside 40-0
Heritage-NN (2-2) at Phoebus (3-0) . . . Give Scott Woodlief and his Hurricanes credit; they’re getting better. In fact, Heritage led Woodside last week 20-8 at half-time before falling by a count of 21-20. Now have they improved enough to hang with the Phantoms? That’s highly doubtful as the reigning Class 3 State Champs have outscored its foes 129-6 behind the superb play of dual-threat QB Nolan James, WR/DB Jordan Bass (Pitt commit) and OL/DL Mychal McMullin (JMU pledge).
Matt Hatfield Says – Phoebus 40-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Phoebus 41-6
