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Not Me, I’m In My Prime: Weekly Briefing Week Two

 

Goochland (1-0) at Albemarle (1-0), 6:30 p.m. Friday

The Basics: Goochland and Albemarle are set to give fans a preview of next year when the Bulldogs re-enter the Jefferson District with a big-time early season matchup of a pair of unbeaten teams. The Patriots pulled away from Monticello last week with a strong late surge led by Eb McCarthy’s sprint and score and edge rusher Adam Schantz’s pick six that put the game on ice. There was no drama in Goochland’s win, a dismantling of Amelia, one of the few James River opponents that Goochland will get to face this year. The Patriots’ young quarterback Jake King showed that he’d grown by leaps and bounds during the extended offseason and he got weapons Christian Humes and Will Townsend involved early and often to help keep the Mustangs from loading the box against McCarthy, a budding star at running back. Goochland will counter with a dynamic offense and a defense led by Will Stratton and De’Andre Robinson. Usually preparing for the Bulldogs is a bear of a task because of the Wing-T but focusing on the Wing-T stuff would be ill-advised at this point. Goochland has gone multiple over the past couple of years and they can hurt you in a variety of ways. The Bulldogs’ revamped offensive line gets its biggest test of the young season here and Albemarle is figuring out how to bring pressure and create some havoc of its own. That side of the matchup in the trenches should be particularly interesting. Throw in two solid kickers in Goochland’s Tyler Black and Albemarle’s Bennett Schantz who hit a 39-yarder next week and this one should be fun in all three phases.

Key matchup: Albemarle’s secondary gameplans for Kam Holman. The Patriots had a pretty good plan for containing Monticello and Malachi Fields last week, but Holman is a different kind of weapon who has a young Fields-style dual threat orchestrating the offense too in C.J. Towles so the Patriots will now get stressed in multiple ways. Holman is an excellent route runner who seems to get himself open in space all the time. If Nolan Pitsenberger, who sat out last week, returns to the lineup that could be a huge spark for the Patriots on that side of the ball and could give them another piece to try and contain Holman, who also ripped off a 55-yard touchdown on an end around a week ago and took the opening kick back for a touchdown. While that kind of productivity won’t come easy against Albemarle’s much-more-stout defense, the Patriots will have to account for him on every play.

Who to watch: Goochland’s C.J. Towles. Towles is fresh off receiving his first collegiate offer earlier this week from UVa and now he’ll lock up in Charlottesville with the Patriots. Towles didn’t have to throw much in the blowout win over Amelia but when he did he looked crisp, going 5-for-8 for 77 yards including a 32-yard touchdown to Holman. Towles also steps in at defensive back (where he’s likely to play in college) and could be a critical part of trying to hem in Christian Humes who had a big-time game for the Pats at wideout last week.

The Line: Goochland by 7. The Bulldogs get the edge here but this has the potential to be an excellent game.

 

Monticello (1-1) at Louisa County (2-0), 6:30 p.m. Friday

The Basics: Monticello has an up-and-down week last week, starting with the emotional road win over Western Monday and then ending with a frustrating defeat at the hands of another cross-county rival in Albemarle on Saturday. That can take its toll on a roster with a lot of new faces and a first-year head coach, but the Mustangs don’t have time to worry about that — they’re headed to The Jungle Friday night to face a Louisa team that bounced back from a subpar first half to cruise past Orange and took Charlottesville apart from the opening kick earlier in the week. Now the Lions get a chance to host a game in Louisa for the first time in well over a year, and even with a reduced capacity crowd, you can bet that the Lions will create a formidable atmosphere. This one pits two of the area’s best quarterbacks in sophomore Landon Wilson for Louisa and senior Malachi Fields for the Mustangs and that in-and-of-itself would make things interesting, but there’s a slew of speedsters roaming the secondary too like Monticello’s Will Trent and Louisa’s Logan McGhee. Louisa County running back Kalep Shelton might be a difference-maker in this one as Albemarle’s Eb McCarthy found some room to run against the Mustangs last week, so look for the Lions to try and get that ground game going early on as per usual. 

Key matchup: Louisa’s front seven takes on Monticello quarterback Malachi Fields. This might the matchup-within-the-game of the Jefferson District season as the area’s best pass rushes goes toe-to-toe with arguably the area’s top offensive weapon in Fields. This one will test all dimensions of the Louisa front seven as Fields can make teams pay through the air and on the run, with the ground attack coming both by design and on the fly after the play breaks down. The Lions counter with some ball-hunting linebackers like A.J. Proffitt and Kalelp Shelton and a defensive front two teams weren’t, for the most part, able to block with senior Lowell Johnson causing some serious havoc. Fields will have to take what the Lions give him in a lot of instances because of that pressure which means Jason Armstrong, Will Trent and company at wideout will have to be locked in and ready.

Who to watch: Louisa County’s Eli Brooks. Brooks and Qwenton Spellman, the close friends and talented sophomore defensive ends who also play next to each other on the offensive line, seem destined to be linked in Louisa lore. But it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate each individually and this week it’s Brooks. Brooks is being used as a pulling guard a lot lately and the fact is that while Kalep Shelton is a formidable running back, he looks even more formidable when Brooks is leading him through the hole. Brooks also just constantly seems to be in the backfield on pass plays or at the point of attack on run plays. He clearly has a nose for the ball and is emerging as one of the area’s finest two-way linemen.   

The Line: Louisa County by 14. The Lions’ defensive front is the difference in this one.

 

 

Fluvanna (1-0) at Western (0-1), 6:30 p.m. Friday

The Basics: Fluvanna County got things started with a sold win on the road against Charlottesville Saturday, but it’s obvious the Flucos are a work in progress with a lot of young players playing key roles around quarterback Kobe Edmonds, who stepped up on defense in a big way with a first half interception for the Flucos. Fluvanna has playmakers, but they’re still figuring out how to clear the way for that group, and they should get better with that overtime. They gave up some big plays on defense against the Black Knights but generally held up well. The Warriors, meanwhile, absorbed a brutal overtime loss at the hands of rival Monticello on the season’s opening night, surrendering 17-straight points in the 17-10 loss. Star running back Austin Shifflett getting banged up early on was a big reason for those struggles as the offense stalled and the defense, where Shifflett was also playing well early on, seemed to run out of gas. Getting Shifflett right is a big part of what happens next for Western as he’s integral to the plan on both sides of the ball and takes a lot of pressure off Hudson Toll a first-year starter at quarterback who showed an ability to take off late in the game against Monticello. Still, Western has beaten the Flucos in nine straight matchups dating back to 2010 so they certainly have the series edge here currently.

Key matchup: Western’s front seven contends with the Flucos’ Wing-T misdirection. The Warriors boast a lot of talented young defenders especially in the sophomore class like Ross Bassett who picked off a pass last week. But the Warriors aren’t long on experience and facing a team that utilizes a lot of misdirection is an excellent test for a talented young defense. Keeping track of where Xavier Copeland, Lance Gowans and Tristan Chisholm are on any given play is a tough task especially with an experienced hand like three-year starter Edmonds orchestrating the offense. The Warriors will need to play responsibility football and trust their keys this week.

Who to watch: Western Albemarle’s Dakota Howell. Howell did a little bit of everything last week against Monticello with 49 yards on the ground including a touchdown plunge that opened the scoring and some inspired play on defense. Howell is a promising young player and he’ll definitely be a key part of the puzzle for the Warriors against the Flucos on both sides of the b

The Line: Fluvanna by 1. This one is likely to come down to the wire but the Flucos having the more seasoned signal-caller is the difference here.

 

Charlottesville (0-2) at Orange (0-1), 6:30 p.m. Friday

The Basics: Charlottesville bounced back from a blowout loss to Louisa with a much more impressive performance against a Fluvanna squad that has made the playoffs the last two years before falling 17-14. Now the Black Knights get a shot at an Orange team that played much better against Louisa than CHS did in the same week, but they’ll both be looking for their first win with first-year starting quarterbacks. For Orange that’s Paul Porier, a gamer with some serious speed who showed flashes of why head coach Jesse Lohr believes he’s the guy to lead Orange this year against Louisa, all while facing perhaps the area’s best pass rush. If Porier brings a similarly poised approach against Charlottesville, it will be a huge step toward Orange getting into the win column. Charlottesville’s Caldwell Boyles played much better against Fluvanna after losing his first game as a starter to a locked in Louisa group. If Boyles can continue to progress as a passer (he went five-for-six for 103 yards and two touchdowns) that’ll help open things up for the CHS ground attack that is still working out the kinks. Boyles will likely look to get Quincy Edwards involved when he does take to the air and why not? Edwards scored on a pass from 72 yards out last week and is perhaps the Black Knights’ most obvious home run threat. The Hornets’ defenders will have to keep track of Edwards throughout, but Charlottesville will have its own hands full trying to contain Charlotte-bound burner Doug Newsome.

Key matchup: The Black Knights’ linebackers against running back Markell Jackson. While Jackson didn’t put up Jaylen Alexander level numbers in his first game as the starter for the Hornets, he scored twice and made the Lions respect the run enough to open up some windows in the passing game. While Orange is rightly committed to getting it done through the air with their receiving corps, Jackson could find room to roam against the Black Knights who struggled to contain Louisa’s Kalep Shelton. 

Who to watch: Orange County’s Donald Brooks. Brooks plays defensive back and wideout for the Hornets and he plays with the same energy and excitement he brought to the basketball court to the gridiron. Brooks made a huge pick late in the first half against Louisa that set up a score that gave Orange a halftime lead. If he continues to bring the energy, swagger and productivity that he did against Louisa, it’ll add a lot to an already explosive couple of position groups led by Newsome. 

The Line: Orange County by 7. The Hornets’ explosiveness on the boundary with Doug Newsome and Donald Brooks makes the difference in this one. 

St. Anne’s-Belfield at St. Christopher’s, 5 p.m. Friday

The Basics: This one is about as emblematic of the pandemic as possible. A one-off game for STAB that will celebrate an important group of seniors but also marks the Saints’ return to the 11-man game that was planned before the pandemic but announced in the early throes of it. The Saints will lock up with a St. Christopher’s squad that went 10-2 back in 2019, finished as the VISAA D1 state runner-up and brings back some important playmakers from that squad as well as some seasoned linemen. More importantly though for STAB, they get a chance to send those seniors out in a significant, fun way. 

Key matchup: STAB’s secondary contends with St. Christopher’s junior Andre Green, Jr. Green is a junior wideout who checks in at 6-foot-3 and has offers from, well, everyone including Notre Dame, Ohio State and Clemson, so three fourths of the teams in the College Football Playoff. Nick Musi, Amani Woods, Jago Gould and company will have their hands full with the four-star wideout. 

Who to watch: STAB’s trio of college football commits. Amani Woods, Luke Antesberger and Gabe Decker have played their guts out for the Saints the past few years, helping the Saints successfully switch to 8-man football and earning a pair of VISFL title game spots against a Covenant squad that was absolutely loaded. Last year it seemed that the senior core would get to lead a transition back to 11-man but the pandemic put the brakes on that. Instead they lead an impressive 11-player class that has been the heart and soul of the program the past couple of years into a one-off game.

The Line: Push. Definitely hard to call this one and the final score matters less than STAB getting a chance to celebrate its seniors on the field for one game.

 

Skyline (0-1) at William Monroe (1-0), Noon Saturday

The Basics: William Monroe started the season off with a bang on the road last week in a win over Manassas Park. The Dragons had some question marks after losing a strong senior class, but they knew they had a lot of excellent options as playmakers and that group delivered in the win over Manassas. The win in the season opener was the first time the Dragons have pulled that off since 2014, Jon Rocha’s debut as a head coach. For the past five seasons, Monroe hasn’t had the momentum of a win going into week two and it has showed, with just one week two win in that span. This seems like a group capable of ending that trend, and the Dragons should be in the right position to do that against a Skyline team they manhandled 42-20 back in the later stages of the 2019 season. 

Key matchup: Skyline’s defense and special teams try to contain Jeremy Savoie. Savoie is a weapon, and he showed it against Manassas Park a week ago with a kickoff return for a TD to open the game and a 50-yard touchdown catch in the 24-14 win. If Skyline doesn’t account for Savoie on each and every play, they’re likely to pay the price. The problem is that Logan Barbour can be a dangerous sort on the opposite side of the formation too, so the more attention Savoie draws, the more the defense just finds itself with an unanswerable problem.

Who to watch: William Monroe’s Gavin Hussar. Hussar had a monster outing against Manassas Park in the opener, picking off three passes and helping the Dragons figure out pretty quickly how they were going to replace a playmaker like graduate Kaiden Pritchett in the secondary. If Hussar can keep up his ballhawking ways, pretty soon teams won’t want any part of throwing at the senior defensive back which could open things up for other members of the secondary

The Line: William Monroe by 10. The Dragons looked locked in last week, good chance to make it two-in-a-row and get off on a roll. 

 

Madison County (0-1) at Page County (0-0), Noon Saturday

The Basics: Madison County got stuck with a whale of a season opener last week when the Larry Helmick era started against Clarke County and the Mountaineers struggled against the perennial power in a 58-0 loss. The Mountaineers couldn’t move the ball at all offensively and it’s clear just how much work there is to be done to rebuild in Madison. Page is a significantly more manageable opponent, but they’re still stout, having taken Buckingham to the brink in the playoffs back in 2019 while going 7-4. Madison will have its work cut out for it. 

Key matchup: Madison’s front seven takes on another rush-heavy attack. Like most any team in high school football, the Mountaineers need to find a way to stop the run and they’ll face another squad this week that usually gets it done with a relic offense that includes a full house backfield. In situations like that you’ve just got to strap it up and play responsibility football because it’s going to be a physical day.

Who to watch: Madison’s Wade Fox. Along with the rest of the offense, Fox struggled a week ago, but he’s a capable young signal-caller. If he can hang in there and help get Madison on track it’ll go a long way toward kickstarting the rebuild.

The Line: Page by 7. The Mountaineers should take a step forward this week.

 

Altavista (0-1) at Nelson County (0-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

The Basics: Nelson didn’t get off to the start it wanted to against William Campbell as the Governors were plagued by snap problems and a stalled offense much of the game Monday night in a 38-6 loss. In 2019 this was a shootout, with Nelson falling 58-42 in an absolute barnburner. Nelson needs a big dose of that offensive rhythm as they played most of that game off schedule. Being at home in the friendly 

Key matchup: Nelson tries to contain Altavista quarterback Jayllen Jones. The Governors struggled to contain the William Campbell ground attack and quarterback Russell Thompson. Jones is perhaps a more dynamic athlete based on him rushing for more than 143 yards last week against defending state champion Appomattox. Part of the Nelson defense’s struggles though were that they were constantly on the field. Nelson’s first line of defense Saturday might be getting the offense and quarterback George Brown clicking more than they did on Monday.

Who to watch: Nelson’s Jaren Purvis. Despite the lopsided score earlier this week, Purvis showed a great deal of promise at defensive line for the Governors, creating some havoc and pressure in key spots. If Purvis can continue to get penetration, 

The Line: Nelson by 1. Great chance for a bounce back here against Altavista. 

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