Before we get to the selections, let’s give you an update on how things stand between VirginiaPreps.com Publisher Matthew Hatfield and his ESPN Radio 94.1 co-host, Coach Ed Young in the Predictions Battle.
Hatfield's Thursday 10/6 Total - 2-1 (67%)
Hatfield's 2022 Season Total - 185-33 (84.9%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total - 121-14 (89.6%)
Coach Young's Thursday 10/6 Total - 2-1 (67%)
Coach Young's 2022 Season Total - 116-20 (85.3%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Season Total - 116-19 (85.9%)
... Now to the games we've got highlighted, both in and outside the Hampton Roads area...
MUST-SEE Matchups Outside Tidewater:
Brookville (4-1) at Heritage-Lynchburg (4-1) . . . This has major implications in Region 3C as these two Seminole District rivals know they could run into each other again come November. While Brookville has a dominant defensive end in Micah Pennix, the Pioneers are starting to click offensively behind Jaicere ‘Hov’ Bateman and really seem to hit their stride since the early-season loss to Class 4 contender Dinwiddie.
Matt Hatfield Says – Heritage-Lynchburg 26-24
Louisa (6-0) at Orange (4-0) . . . The start that Orange is off to is both commendable and impressive, but snapping a 13-game streak in the head-to-head series will be tough. Look for Lions QB Landon Wilson to rise to the occasion.
Matt Hatfield Says – Louisa 35-19
West Springfield (5-0) at Robinson (5-0) . . . With Daniel Moreland being the lone returning starter on the offensive line from a Rams team that averaged about 46 points per game a season ago, you know Coach Scott Vossler has to be pleased to be 5-0. The Rams can make it to 6-0 as long as the o-line controls the line of scrimmage and keeps a West Springfield offense that has some dynamic weapons on the outside watching from the sideline.
Matt Hatfield Says – Robinson 30-22
Luray (5-0) at Central-Woodstock (6-0) . . . Luray has scored no less than 35 points in any game so far this season and they certainly opened eyes by pounding Stuarts Draft 49-0. Central-Woodstock’s defense will pose a bigger challenge, anchored up front by DE Nathan Lopez, who Coach Mike Yew projects as a next-level prospect. Conversely, the Luray defense will have to be able to protect a lead, something both East Rockingham and Clarke County failed to do in loss to the Falcons.
Matt Hatfield Says – Central-Woodstock 34-28
John Champe (4-1) at Battlefield (5-0) . . . Rather quietly, Battlefield is playing some of the best defense in all of Virginia with ODU commit Ty Gordon starring in the trenches.
Matt Hatfield Says – Battlefield 24-10
Chantilly (3-2) at Centreville (4-1) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Centreville 26-16
West Potomac (4-1) at Fairfax (5-0) . . . Unless the West Potomac defense has an answer for the running of 4-Star Tony Rojas, expect Fairfax to keep its great start going in this one.
Matt Hatfield Says – Fairfax 34-21
Tidewater Game of the Week:
Maury (3-1) at Churchland (4-1) . . . Averaging 357.6 rushing yards per game, the Churchland Truckers will try to use their ground attack to knock off a Maury team that has won four straight regional titles. Even with the Commodores missing their stud linebacker Nathaniel ‘Booga’ Knox due to injury, a number of players stepped up in the second half during their 36-14 win over Lake Taylor, where they pulled away after leading just 14-7 going into the fourth period. Sophomore DB Kendall Daniels and freshman LB Ike Simmons combined for 16 tackles, two for loss.
Daniels may not only be a factor defensively in slowing down the Truckers trio of QB Brandyn Hillman, RB Leon Clark and RB Dontavious Booker offensively. He could also be called on to direct the Maury offense if starting QB Mario Miller – sidelined during the 27-6 win over Norcom a week ago – is unable to go. With many wondering how the Commodores minus Knox slow a Churchland ground game that stacks up with the best around, the real determining factor in the outcome of this one might be what can the Churchland defense do to slow Maury’s offense?
In addition to being deep and talented at the receiver spot with Delaware commit Kelvin ‘K.T.’ Seay, Da’Vontae Floyd, Josh Powell and LeBron Bond, Maury boasts one of the premier running backs around in Duke commit Peyton Jones. If the Truckers’ linebackers are unable to step up and tackle him in space, it probably will take upwards of 28 points for them to win this game. Given that the Commodores haven’t given up more than 21 points in a game or lost to Churchland since 2015, expect the crew from Norfolk to find a way, even with key injuries.
Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 35-19
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 30-12
More FRIDAY 10/7/22 Matchups in Tidewater:
Woodside (5-0) at Warwick (5-1) . . . Offense sells tickets, but defense wins Championships. Truth be told, both Woodside and Warwick are ranked in the Top 10 in the state in their respective classes – Woodside in Class 5 and Warwick in Class 4 – largely because of how strong they’ve been defensively to this point. Woodside allows only 5.2 points per game with three shutouts, headed up in the trenches by DE Christian Greenlaw and Mustapha Coley. In Warwick’s case, they are giving up just 7.3 points per game with three shutouts as DB Messiah Delhomme (4 INT’s) has complemented two-way playmaker D.C. Corpening, a VMI commit.
Both Eduardo Rios Jr. of Warwick and Tayvon Tyler of Woodside have enjoyed big nights throwing the football, but whichever one can make the plays with their feet and smart decisions on third down could hold the upper hand by game’s end.
Matt Hatfield Says – Woodside 21-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Woodside 28-23
First Colonial (2-3) at Salem-VB (4-1) . . . With 16 straight wins in the series, Salem hasn’t lost to First Colonial since 2004.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem 47-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem 44-0
Kellam (3-2) at Tallwood (0-5) . . . Even though Tallwood is struggling mightily this season, the Lions are 5-3 in the past eight meetings against Kellam, so if their run defense comes to play to slow backs Kolby Stricklin, Gavin Hill and David Wilk, another victory can be theirs.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 23-22 (OT)
Coach Ed Young Says – Tallwood 23-22
Kempsville (5-1) at Landstown (3-2) . . . With nearly 400 yards rushing per game, the Kempsville ground attack headed up by NaiQuan Washington-Pearce has been one of the most dominant around. Landstown gave up 63 points its last time out against Salem, so they may not get better real quick in this game.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kempsville 34-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Kempsville 26-18
Princess Anne (0-6) at Ocean Lakes (0-6) . . . James Yeager, who led Princess Anne to the playoffs just a few years ago, plays host to his old team as Ocean Lakes searches for its first win of the season after dropping their last two games by a combined nine points.
Matt Hatfield Says – Ocean Lakes 26-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Ocean Lakes 20-18
Deep Creek (4-1) at King’s Fork (5-0) . . . Most eyes will be watching the two tremendous sophomore running backs in this game in Brandon Nesbit (63Att. 700Yds. 12 TD’s) of Deep Creek and JaVon Ford (75Car. 648Yds. 7 TD’s) of King’s Fork. Don’t sleep on the King’s Fork defense, which has 21 sacks on the year, though.
Matt Hatfield Says – King’s Fork 22-7
Coach Ed Young Says – King’s Fork 36-26
Grassfield (0-6) at Hickory (0-5) . . . Although Grassfield has been shut out in each of its past four games, the Grizzlies face a Hickory team that is giving up 40.8 points per game.
Matt Hatfield Says – Grassfield 17-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Grassfield 20-18
Great Bridge (2-3) at Oscar Smith (4-0) . . . The Tigers avoided disaster last week, rallying from a 17-point first half deficit at Indian River junior DE/OLB Jerrod Wilson Jr. scooped up a fumble and scored in the second half for the go-ahead touchdown. Their offensive will have to perform much better to beat the likes of King’s Fork, Western Branch and Phoebus later on the schedule, but their defense is well-equipped to give Great Bridge’s offense problems.
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 49-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 45-0
Indian River (3-2) at Western Branch (5-1) . . . How will Indian River respond from coughing up a 17-point lead in a narrow 19-17 loss to Oscar Smith a week ago? Their offense must do a better job taking care of the football as they had four giveaways in that loss because the Western Branch offense – headlined by RB Shimique Blizzard and WR Paul Billups (UNC commit) – has quick-strike ability. The Bruins have scored 30-plus points on four occasions so far this year.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 27-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Western Branch 21-20
Nansemond River (3-2) at Lakeland (1-5) . . . The storyline in this one is that Nansemond River dual-threat QB Alkendric Overton faces his former team. Since a 25-10 season-opening triumph over Manor, the Cavs are allowing 43.8 points per game during a five-game losing skid.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nansemond River 40-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Nansemond River 33-12
Jamestown (0-5) at Poquoson (4-1) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Poquoson 44-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Poquoson 45-0
Tabb (0-5) at Grafton (2-3) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Tabb 14-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Grafton 14-13
Bruton (5-2) at Arcadia (0-4) . . . Not only does Bruton running back Trey Corbin have 16 rushing touchdowns, but he’s 45 yards away from 1000 for the season.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bruton 30-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Bruton 36-0
Booker T. Washington (2-3) at Norview (2-4) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Booker T. Washington 27-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Booker T. Washington 33-20
Manor (0-5) at Granby (0-4) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Manor 24-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Manor 35-12
King William (5-1) at Norcom (4-2) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 30-16
Coach Ed Young Says – King William 26-24
Lake Taylor (4-1) at Hermitage (4-2) . . . Can Hermitage sprinkle in some passing game to complement RB Jeremiah Coney (App State commit)? That will be one of the big keys for the Panthers to keep Lake Taylor, which has improved defensively and is able to score in bunches with RB Tarreon Washington-Jacobs and WR Elijah Washington leading the way, at bay.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lake Taylor 28-21
Coach Ed Young Says – Lake Taylor 26-20
SATURDAY 10/8/22 Action:
Phoebus (5-0) at Hampton (1-5) . . . This used to be THE rivalry game in both Hampton Roads and the state of Virginia to see on an annual basis. Those days are long gone, particularly with the Crabbers fighting a five-game losing streak. Hampton was outscored 147-20 in the month of September, whereas Phoebus outscored foes 172-6 as QB Nolan James and WR/DB Jordan Bass, a Pitt commit, routinely played pitch and catch against PD opponents.
Matt Hatfield Says – Phoebus 56-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Phoebus 44-8
Kecoughtan (3-2) at Bethel (2-3) . . . This was a penalty-filled affair won by Bethel a year ago. If Kecoughtan has plans to make noise in Region 5B, this is a game they definitely need to win.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kecoughtan 20-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Kecoughtan 26-22
Heritage-NN (2-3) at Menchville (3-3) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Menchville 22-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Menchville 28-20
Green Run (5-0) at Bayside (3-3) . . . Even though Bayside starting QB Mike Myers has attempted 26 more passes than Green Run signal caller Kevin White Jr., the Stallions have 641 more yards and 13 more touchdowns through the air than the Marlins do.
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 48-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 28-20
Hatfield's Thursday 10/6 Total - 2-1 (67%)
Hatfield's 2022 Season Total - 185-33 (84.9%)
Hatfield's Tidewater Season Total - 121-14 (89.6%)
Coach Young's Thursday 10/6 Total - 2-1 (67%)
Coach Young's 2022 Season Total - 116-20 (85.3%)
Coach Young's Tidewater Season Total - 116-19 (85.9%)
... Now to the games we've got highlighted, both in and outside the Hampton Roads area...
MUST-SEE Matchups Outside Tidewater:
Brookville (4-1) at Heritage-Lynchburg (4-1) . . . This has major implications in Region 3C as these two Seminole District rivals know they could run into each other again come November. While Brookville has a dominant defensive end in Micah Pennix, the Pioneers are starting to click offensively behind Jaicere ‘Hov’ Bateman and really seem to hit their stride since the early-season loss to Class 4 contender Dinwiddie.
Matt Hatfield Says – Heritage-Lynchburg 26-24
Louisa (6-0) at Orange (4-0) . . . The start that Orange is off to is both commendable and impressive, but snapping a 13-game streak in the head-to-head series will be tough. Look for Lions QB Landon Wilson to rise to the occasion.
Matt Hatfield Says – Louisa 35-19
West Springfield (5-0) at Robinson (5-0) . . . With Daniel Moreland being the lone returning starter on the offensive line from a Rams team that averaged about 46 points per game a season ago, you know Coach Scott Vossler has to be pleased to be 5-0. The Rams can make it to 6-0 as long as the o-line controls the line of scrimmage and keeps a West Springfield offense that has some dynamic weapons on the outside watching from the sideline.
Matt Hatfield Says – Robinson 30-22
Luray (5-0) at Central-Woodstock (6-0) . . . Luray has scored no less than 35 points in any game so far this season and they certainly opened eyes by pounding Stuarts Draft 49-0. Central-Woodstock’s defense will pose a bigger challenge, anchored up front by DE Nathan Lopez, who Coach Mike Yew projects as a next-level prospect. Conversely, the Luray defense will have to be able to protect a lead, something both East Rockingham and Clarke County failed to do in loss to the Falcons.
Matt Hatfield Says – Central-Woodstock 34-28
John Champe (4-1) at Battlefield (5-0) . . . Rather quietly, Battlefield is playing some of the best defense in all of Virginia with ODU commit Ty Gordon starring in the trenches.
Matt Hatfield Says – Battlefield 24-10
Chantilly (3-2) at Centreville (4-1) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Centreville 26-16
West Potomac (4-1) at Fairfax (5-0) . . . Unless the West Potomac defense has an answer for the running of 4-Star Tony Rojas, expect Fairfax to keep its great start going in this one.
Matt Hatfield Says – Fairfax 34-21
Tidewater Game of the Week:
Maury (3-1) at Churchland (4-1) . . . Averaging 357.6 rushing yards per game, the Churchland Truckers will try to use their ground attack to knock off a Maury team that has won four straight regional titles. Even with the Commodores missing their stud linebacker Nathaniel ‘Booga’ Knox due to injury, a number of players stepped up in the second half during their 36-14 win over Lake Taylor, where they pulled away after leading just 14-7 going into the fourth period. Sophomore DB Kendall Daniels and freshman LB Ike Simmons combined for 16 tackles, two for loss.
Daniels may not only be a factor defensively in slowing down the Truckers trio of QB Brandyn Hillman, RB Leon Clark and RB Dontavious Booker offensively. He could also be called on to direct the Maury offense if starting QB Mario Miller – sidelined during the 27-6 win over Norcom a week ago – is unable to go. With many wondering how the Commodores minus Knox slow a Churchland ground game that stacks up with the best around, the real determining factor in the outcome of this one might be what can the Churchland defense do to slow Maury’s offense?
In addition to being deep and talented at the receiver spot with Delaware commit Kelvin ‘K.T.’ Seay, Da’Vontae Floyd, Josh Powell and LeBron Bond, Maury boasts one of the premier running backs around in Duke commit Peyton Jones. If the Truckers’ linebackers are unable to step up and tackle him in space, it probably will take upwards of 28 points for them to win this game. Given that the Commodores haven’t given up more than 21 points in a game or lost to Churchland since 2015, expect the crew from Norfolk to find a way, even with key injuries.
Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 35-19
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 30-12
More FRIDAY 10/7/22 Matchups in Tidewater:
Woodside (5-0) at Warwick (5-1) . . . Offense sells tickets, but defense wins Championships. Truth be told, both Woodside and Warwick are ranked in the Top 10 in the state in their respective classes – Woodside in Class 5 and Warwick in Class 4 – largely because of how strong they’ve been defensively to this point. Woodside allows only 5.2 points per game with three shutouts, headed up in the trenches by DE Christian Greenlaw and Mustapha Coley. In Warwick’s case, they are giving up just 7.3 points per game with three shutouts as DB Messiah Delhomme (4 INT’s) has complemented two-way playmaker D.C. Corpening, a VMI commit.
Both Eduardo Rios Jr. of Warwick and Tayvon Tyler of Woodside have enjoyed big nights throwing the football, but whichever one can make the plays with their feet and smart decisions on third down could hold the upper hand by game’s end.
Matt Hatfield Says – Woodside 21-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Woodside 28-23
First Colonial (2-3) at Salem-VB (4-1) . . . With 16 straight wins in the series, Salem hasn’t lost to First Colonial since 2004.
Matt Hatfield Says – Salem 47-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem 44-0
Kellam (3-2) at Tallwood (0-5) . . . Even though Tallwood is struggling mightily this season, the Lions are 5-3 in the past eight meetings against Kellam, so if their run defense comes to play to slow backs Kolby Stricklin, Gavin Hill and David Wilk, another victory can be theirs.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 23-22 (OT)
Coach Ed Young Says – Tallwood 23-22
Kempsville (5-1) at Landstown (3-2) . . . With nearly 400 yards rushing per game, the Kempsville ground attack headed up by NaiQuan Washington-Pearce has been one of the most dominant around. Landstown gave up 63 points its last time out against Salem, so they may not get better real quick in this game.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kempsville 34-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Kempsville 26-18
Princess Anne (0-6) at Ocean Lakes (0-6) . . . James Yeager, who led Princess Anne to the playoffs just a few years ago, plays host to his old team as Ocean Lakes searches for its first win of the season after dropping their last two games by a combined nine points.
Matt Hatfield Says – Ocean Lakes 26-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Ocean Lakes 20-18
Deep Creek (4-1) at King’s Fork (5-0) . . . Most eyes will be watching the two tremendous sophomore running backs in this game in Brandon Nesbit (63Att. 700Yds. 12 TD’s) of Deep Creek and JaVon Ford (75Car. 648Yds. 7 TD’s) of King’s Fork. Don’t sleep on the King’s Fork defense, which has 21 sacks on the year, though.
Matt Hatfield Says – King’s Fork 22-7
Coach Ed Young Says – King’s Fork 36-26
Grassfield (0-6) at Hickory (0-5) . . . Although Grassfield has been shut out in each of its past four games, the Grizzlies face a Hickory team that is giving up 40.8 points per game.
Matt Hatfield Says – Grassfield 17-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Grassfield 20-18
Great Bridge (2-3) at Oscar Smith (4-0) . . . The Tigers avoided disaster last week, rallying from a 17-point first half deficit at Indian River junior DE/OLB Jerrod Wilson Jr. scooped up a fumble and scored in the second half for the go-ahead touchdown. Their offensive will have to perform much better to beat the likes of King’s Fork, Western Branch and Phoebus later on the schedule, but their defense is well-equipped to give Great Bridge’s offense problems.
Matt Hatfield Says – Oscar Smith 49-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Oscar Smith 45-0
Indian River (3-2) at Western Branch (5-1) . . . How will Indian River respond from coughing up a 17-point lead in a narrow 19-17 loss to Oscar Smith a week ago? Their offense must do a better job taking care of the football as they had four giveaways in that loss because the Western Branch offense – headlined by RB Shimique Blizzard and WR Paul Billups (UNC commit) – has quick-strike ability. The Bruins have scored 30-plus points on four occasions so far this year.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 27-17
Coach Ed Young Says – Western Branch 21-20
Nansemond River (3-2) at Lakeland (1-5) . . . The storyline in this one is that Nansemond River dual-threat QB Alkendric Overton faces his former team. Since a 25-10 season-opening triumph over Manor, the Cavs are allowing 43.8 points per game during a five-game losing skid.
Matt Hatfield Says – Nansemond River 40-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Nansemond River 33-12
Jamestown (0-5) at Poquoson (4-1) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Poquoson 44-8
Coach Ed Young Says – Poquoson 45-0
Tabb (0-5) at Grafton (2-3) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Tabb 14-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Grafton 14-13
Bruton (5-2) at Arcadia (0-4) . . . Not only does Bruton running back Trey Corbin have 16 rushing touchdowns, but he’s 45 yards away from 1000 for the season.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bruton 30-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Bruton 36-0
Booker T. Washington (2-3) at Norview (2-4) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Booker T. Washington 27-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Booker T. Washington 33-20
Manor (0-5) at Granby (0-4) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Manor 24-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Manor 35-12
King William (5-1) at Norcom (4-2) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Norcom 30-16
Coach Ed Young Says – King William 26-24
Lake Taylor (4-1) at Hermitage (4-2) . . . Can Hermitage sprinkle in some passing game to complement RB Jeremiah Coney (App State commit)? That will be one of the big keys for the Panthers to keep Lake Taylor, which has improved defensively and is able to score in bunches with RB Tarreon Washington-Jacobs and WR Elijah Washington leading the way, at bay.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lake Taylor 28-21
Coach Ed Young Says – Lake Taylor 26-20
SATURDAY 10/8/22 Action:
Phoebus (5-0) at Hampton (1-5) . . . This used to be THE rivalry game in both Hampton Roads and the state of Virginia to see on an annual basis. Those days are long gone, particularly with the Crabbers fighting a five-game losing streak. Hampton was outscored 147-20 in the month of September, whereas Phoebus outscored foes 172-6 as QB Nolan James and WR/DB Jordan Bass, a Pitt commit, routinely played pitch and catch against PD opponents.
Matt Hatfield Says – Phoebus 56-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Phoebus 44-8
Kecoughtan (3-2) at Bethel (2-3) . . . This was a penalty-filled affair won by Bethel a year ago. If Kecoughtan has plans to make noise in Region 5B, this is a game they definitely need to win.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kecoughtan 20-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Kecoughtan 26-22
Heritage-NN (2-3) at Menchville (3-3) . . .
Matt Hatfield Says – Menchville 22-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Menchville 28-20
Green Run (5-0) at Bayside (3-3) . . . Even though Bayside starting QB Mike Myers has attempted 26 more passes than Green Run signal caller Kevin White Jr., the Stallions have 641 more yards and 13 more touchdowns through the air than the Marlins do.
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 48-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 28-20
