Richmond high school football playoffs round two preview
The board is set, the pieces are moving.
The second round of the 2023 high school football playoffs is upon us, bringing with it an epic rematch in the VISAA Division I championship, and a bevy of intriguing region semifinal matchups in the VHSL throughout the greater Richmond area.
Here's a rundown of who's left standing and set to square off, plus a synopsis of each matchup involving a local team with seasons on the line.
VISAA Division I championship
No. 2 Trinity Episcopal at No. 1 Benedictine, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Freshman kicker Evan Goldschmidt's game-winning, 35-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Titans past No. 3-seed Flint Hill 30-28 in the state semifinal on Saturday.
The Cadets got past No. 4 St. Christopher's 21-10 on the strength of rushing TDs from Leo Boehling and Cody Shelton plus a pick-6 from Jackson Hall.
And so as most would have prognosticated before the season kicked off, two-time reigning state champs Trinity will meet longtime VISAA kingpin Benedictine for the state's private school crown for the third year running.
The Cadets last defeated the Titans in March of 2020 during the pandemic-altered season, 27-20. Trinity has won the last five matchups over the past three years, the latest two in dominant fashion, 35-0 in last year's state championship and 36-7 two weeks ago at Huguenot High.
So recent results certainly give the visitors the edge here. But if there's anywhere Benedictine can turn the tables on this new status quo and reclaim its perch atop the state's private school hierarchy, its at The Abbey, and Bobby Ross Stadium.
The last time the Titans visited Bobby Ross was August 27, 2022, a 21-7 Trinity victory to open an unbeaten, championship-winning season.
Two weeks ago at Huguenot, Trinity set the tone early with touchdown runs from Davion Brown and Tre Grant to grab a 14-0 first-quarter cushion. That made Benedictine play from behind, a position the rugged Cadets aren't best suited for.
Benedictine needs to establish the run with backs Ryker Cook and Leo Boehling, plus Shelton, who can beat opponents with his arm and legs.
Control the clock, muddy things up (literally, some inclement weather would suit the home team) and make this a slogfest on natural grass as opposed to the track meet on turf preferred by the reigning champs, and Benedictine will have a shot.
Keeping Brown and Grant in check will be essential for the home team. Some big plays in the passing game from Cadets receivers Freddy Barber, Roddrey McWilliams, Khamari Veney and Riley Roarty, or from tight end Luca Puccinelli (Wake Forest recruit), would be a big help.
But Trinity coach Sam Mickens touts a physical style of play for his Titans, and they're strong in the trenches, led by seniors Ryan Mitchell, Cooper Gardiner and Will Rosen.
That's where this game will be won and lost -- two weeks ago, Trinity rushed for 266 yards on 33 attempts while holding Benedictine to 120 yards on 30 rushes.
To overcome its nemesis, Benedictine has to win up front. A surely raucous home support led by an always bellicose student section could prove a key factor. But all the momentum of this matchup is on the side of the visitors.
REGION 6A
No. 5 Oscar Smith at No. 1 Highland Springs, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Manchester at No. 2 Thomas Dale, Friday 7 p.m.
Jakyre Henley and Tomondrey Braxton's kick and punt return touchdowns, respectively, keyed the Springers in a 49-6 first-round win over No. 8 Cosby.
Dale took down No. 7 Western Branch, the reigning 6A champs, 31-22 behind Nick Tyree's 154 yards rushing and a TD. Manchester and dynamic sophomore signal caller Landen Abernethy breezed past No. 6 Landstown 42-0.
So as has looked the likely outcome for much of the year, the Richmond area's top three-ranked programs are battling it out for a title in one of the state's toughest regions.
The Tigers of Chesapeake have long been among Virginia's top programs, and trounced Western Branch 35-7 to end the regular season before taking down No. 4 Glen Allen 28-17 in the quarterfinals.
So you can't look past Oscar Smith throwing a wrench into things here for the 804, but a trip to Victor W. Kreiter Stadium is always a tall task for any opposition.
The East End will be buzzing for a matchup long yearned for during Highland Springs and Oscar Smith's recent state championship-winning seasons. But reigning co-All-Metro player of the year Khristian Martin, electric sophomore back Eric Byrd and Co. have to be definitive favorites to move on and host a region final next week.
Then there's the joust, if you will, between the Knights and Lancers. The margin between unbeaten Dale and Manchester, whose only loss came in week one, 41-35 at Highland Springs, appears thin.
For the Knights, Tyree is one of the area's most formidable big-play threats. He leads the way offensively along with back NJ Hines, QB Ethan Medley and receiver Jacob Seaborne. Linebacker Zakarai Sands, D-end Jonah Harris and All-Metro lineman Aiden Jones spearhead a stout defense.
For the Lancers, Abernethy is a pocket passer polished beyond his years, but can run when he needs to. Wideout and University of Richmond recruit Kyree Richardson is among the area's top pass catchers. D-end and West Virginia recruit Makai Byerson is a game-wrecking force who will also get involved offensively at tight end. Devin Bryant and Corey Holland form a punishing one-two punch in the backfield.
Playmakers abound on both sides in this marquee local showdown that looks, on paper, a barn burner, too close to call one way or the other.
REGION 5C
No. 7 Mills Godwin at No. 3 Matoaca, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 8 William Fleming at No. 5 Douglas Freeman, Friday, 7 p.m.
With three of this region's top four seeds falling in the first round, the race for the 5C crown long held by Highland Springs (moved up to 6A this year) appears wide open.
The Warriors dominated No. 6 L.C. Bird 28-0 in the first round behind receiver/DB Bryce Yates and D-end Caleb Williams. The Eagles upended No. 2-seed Louisa 32-24 behind Zay Brown's all-around effort, he posted 15 tackles, returned a fumble for a touchdown, carried six times for 27 yards and caught two passes for 62 yards.
The Mavericks used their rugged ground game to fight past No. 4 Hermitage 46-41, led by big days from QB Jadyn Reece and backs Butter Stephenson and Kevin China. The Colonels knocked out top-seeded Patrick Henry (Roanoke) 23-16.
In the local 3-7 matchup at Matoaca, Godwin's secondary will be key. The Warriors boast one of the area's most explosive passing attacks, with Yates and wideout Dillon Newton-Short displaying a strong connection with QB Ryley Justus throughout the year.
First-year coach Earl Kinney's Eagles have been one of the area's feel-good stories over the course of the season, and will need to corral that Matoaca air attack in order to pull off another upset.
Defensive end Tristan Ginn has spent lots of time in opposing backfields this year, he'll need to harass Justus as much as possible to limit Yates and Newton-Short's time to get open downfield.
For Freeman, coach George Bland's squad has gotten healthy at the right time after a midseason dip due in part to a number of injuries to key pieces. William Fleming can't be overlooked after taking down the Patriots.
But the Mavericks have to be eager for a region championship berth after getting close to 5C finals the last two seasons, only to run into the buzzsaw that is the Springers.
REGION 4B
No. 3 Huguenot at No. 2 Varina, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Dinwiddie at No. 1 King George, Friday, 7 p.m.
Reigning co-All-Metro player of the year Harry Dalton, back Raphael Tucker and linebacker Se'Von McDowell led the Generals past No. 5 Eastern View 42-25 in the 4B quarterfinal.
That victory earned coach Billy Mills' Dinwiddie outfit a rematch of last year's thrilling 4B title game, a 47-41, overtime win at home over the Foxes after King George held a 33-20 lead in the second half.
The Foxes are unbeaten and have one common opponent with the Generals, Eastern View, whom KG beat 28-16 on October 20. Dinwiddie has lost three times, but each defeat was to elite competition in Glenville (Ohio), Maury and Dale.
Senior receiver/DB Chanz Wiggins (Virginia Tech recruit) and senior receiver/DB Mekhai White (Maryland recruit) form one of the state's top passing attacks along with senior QB Jack Pearson, keeping that group in check will be priority No. 1 for Dinwiddie, which overcame big games from Wiggins and White in last year's matchup.
As is always the case for the Generals, Dalton, Tucker and their hard-nosed O-line will look to set the tone via their misdirection-oriented ground game. In the Foxes den this time around, controlling the clock will be a must, and the Generals secondary will have to do its utmost to limit big plays.
On the other side of the bracket, upstart Huguenot meets established power Varina at a sure-to-be-rocking James E. Dawkins Stadium.
First-year coach Charles Scott's revitalization effort at Huguenot must, at this juncture, be deemed a booming success after the Falcons earned their first playoff victory in 18 years, 25-20 over No. 6 Powhatan on the strength of freshman receiver Iveon Lewis' game-winning touchdown catch from QB Jason Wright with no time left on the clock.
Huguenot is explosive, young and talented behind Lewis, Wright, backs Jonathan Washington and Michael Dabney Jr. and linebacker Markel Dabney. But the feel-good Falcons fell in their only matchup with elite competition this year, 42-20 at Manchester.
And the boys on Route 5 are surely that. Varina's two losses are both one-score defeats to Freedom (Woodbridge; 35-27) and Highland Springs (20-19), the state's No. 3 and 4-ranked teams, respectively, per MaxPreps, and likely co-favorites to win a Class 6 championship.
QB Linwood Johnson threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns in last week's 43-0 drubbing of No. 7 Courtland. Varina has playmakers all over the field, most notably receivers/DBs Jordan Edwards, DaMari Carter, Myles Anderson and Eric Smith, back Naseer Smith, linebacker Braylon Hood and D-linemen Darius Wilson and JaySean Richardson.
Huguenot is a program in the ascendancy, but this trip to the vaunted East End looks on paper a tall order for Scott's Falcons.
REGION 3A
No. 5 Heritage (Newport News) at No. 1 Hopewell, Friday, 7 p.m.
Coach Ricky Irby's Blue Devils have gotten healthy at the right time and are among the top contenders for a Class 3 state championship that would be their seventh overall and third in the past seven seasons.
Running backs/linebackers Cam Hunt, Kesean Henderson and Patrick Scott are the primary playmakers on both sides of the ball for a Hopewell outfit that got past No. 8 Booker T. Washington 34-17 in the first round.
Antonio Cherry and Raphael Dabney are the primary weapons in a passing game engineered by left-handed, dual-threat QB Mic'kahari Tatum. Heritage has won five-straight after starting the season 1-5, and trounced No. 4 Grafton 44-14 in the quarterfinal round.
REGION 3B
No. 4 Armstrong at No. 1 Thomas Jefferson, Friday, 7 p.m.
The unbeaten Vikings are among Richmond's top storylines this season under first-year coach Eric Harris, and defeated Goochland 20-0 in the quarterfinals to advance.
Dynamic QB Tony Allen and his Wildcats took down William Monroe 52-14 in the first round to keep their strong season alive. Armstrong can certainly be explosive with Allen spreading the ball to playmakers Ajenavi Byrd, Jah'kei Chavis and Shmount Wyche.
But this game is easy to prognosticate because it was played just three weeks ago on October 27, a 28-12 Teejay victory.
In that game, Teejay's athletic secondary led by Carmell McCloud, Elijah Rice, Torel Clark and Myles Anderson was able to blanket Allen and Co., while the Vikings offense, led by an imposing O-line, churned out yards via QB Rashaud Cherry and back Dashawn Stovall.
To flip the script this time around, Armstrong will need to allow Allen more time to throw and generate big plays via Byrd and Chavis, and keep Teejay's big O-line from pushing around its front seven as the Vikings front did a few weeks ago.
It's still a couple victories away, but if Hopewell and Thomas Jefferson were to both win their regions, they would meet in a marquee Richmond-area showdown in the Class 3 semifinals on December 2.
REGION 2A
No. 4 King William at No. 1 Poquoson, Friday, 7 p.m.
The red-hot Cavaliers have won five in a row heading into this region semifinal tilt.
Marty Braxton had 156 yards on the ground and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in last week's 54-13 rout of No. 5 Bruton. Coach Scott Moore's boys appear to be playing their best football of the year at the perfect time.
James Stewart, the Tidewater District offensive player of the year, has posted a number of big games on the ground this year, and Trenton Stallings is another go-to playmaker for the Cavaliers. Tidewater District defensive player of the year Carter Hamilton spearheads a KW defense that has held opponents to 8.2 points per game during the five-game win-streak.
The Islanders defeated Bruton 42-7 on October 27, so it looks like KW will be a much taller task for 3A's top seed.
Richmond area high school football roundup for Week 11 of the 2023 season: Springers, Knights, Titans, Generals, Blue Devils, Falcons, Wildcats, Cavaliers among big winners.
Under the Friday night lights towering above the ecru-hued turf at Warrior Stadium, Coach Billy Mills and his guys got their answer in the form of a convincing 49-28 victory over a talented Matoaca contingent that, after a fast start, found itself little match for the offensive prowess of Harry Dalton and Raphael Tucker and the high-motor defensive intensity that the visitors from a half-hour down the road brought to bear.
It started with a methodical 10-play, 90-yard touchdown drive culminating in sophomore sensation Davion Brown's 18-yard touchdown run on a well-designed misdirection.
And with that, coach Sam Mickens' Titans were off and running on their way to a resounding 36-7 rout of the No. 1 challengers to their crown.
Sam DeFrancesca 16-yard touchdown reception from Taegan Logan for Trinity Episcopal in 36-7 win over Benedictine
Cody Shelton touchdown run for Benedictine in 36-7 loss to Trinity Episcopal
Deuce Edwards 7-yard touchdown reception from Taegan Logan for Trinity Episcopal in 36-7 win over Benedictine
Trinity Episcopal football coach Sam Mickens on 36-7 win over Benedictine
Tre Grant 6-yard touchdown run for Trinity Episcopal in 36-7 win over Benedictine
Trinity Episcopal football sophomore reciever Davion Brown on 36-7 win over Benedictine
