1. L.C. Bird (6-0)
The idle Skyhawks enjoyed a bye week, and have a favorable schedule the rest of the regular season. The biggest potential obstacle is this Friday’s game at Cosby, slated to kick-off at 7:30, but a Titans offense that’s struggled to score at times will have a hard time scoring on the best defense in the state.
The other teams remaining on L.C. Bird’s schedule will likely provide little resistance as well, as George Wythe, James River, and Huguenot have combined for a 3-15 record in 2015. What’s important here is that L.C. Bird played well through the difficult part of their schedule and has notched victories over three of the opponents listed below them.
2. Thomas Dale (5-1)
The Thomas Dale “Dark Zone” continued to swallow opposing team’s offenses- their latest victim was the Dinwiddie Generals, who struggled to convert in the red zone, as the Knights turn them away three times on downs in the almost promised land.
Sam Stark has been the story for the Knights and is well known throughout the Central Region, but Thomas Dale has a fierce, ball-hawking type secondary headlined by University of Richmond commit Trent Williams, Kyle Alexander and Alonzie Carter. The latter both have a shot to play football at FCS schools.
The key for the Knights the is continued gelling of their offense. The line has just two seniors- Robert Snead and Trevor Reed, and the primary ball handlers in the backfield are all underclassmen. Quarterback Matt Lawton made key throws when needed and that will continue to be paramount for Thomas Dale as the season wears on.
Next Up: Friday, at Petersburg, 7:30p.m.
3. Monacan (6-1)
Talk about rebounding nicely. For one, the Chiefs did that as a team, defeating James River 44-21, scoring seemingly at will on both offense and defense after a slow start.
Secondly, let’s take a moment to talk about Syour Fludd. The sophomore quarterback returned from injury and torched the Rapids young secondary as he was 20-28 passing for 337 yards and two touchdowns, both snagged by DeAndre Williams. Gee Ross was a machine, catching 12 ball for 191 yards. With a solid offensive line, the Chiefs have quite a few weapons in their arsenal. We haven’t even talked about running back Khaliek Hamlin (two touchdowns last week).
Next Up: Monacan faces George Wythe this Friday at 7:30pm for homecoming
4. Matoaca (5-1)
The Warriors high octane offense just kept on churning out points as they hung a 51 spot on the Crimson Wave Friday night.
Justin Ford threw three more touchdown passes, two to Terrence Whitfield (who now has 12 in 2015) and another to Jalen Dowe. While he didn’t have the most efficient game at quarterback, big throws came when needed. Jamison Harrison enjoyed another good night with 127 yards on the ground.
Penalties, turnovers and sloppy play were present as the Warriors faced a team that had scored just eight points in their previous two games against teams still left on Matoaca’s schedule in Hopewell and Meadowbrook, so there’s still room for improvement here. Playoff implications are abound on Friday.
Up Next: Friday, home vs. Meadowbrook, 7pm.
5. Manchester (5-1)
The Lancers once again took care of business, beating Midlothian 47-0 on a game that was well played on both sides of the field.
Kionte Hamlet, Manchester’s new starting quarterback replacing Brendon Clark got some reps in before being pulled in a blowout. Early returns are positive. Frank Boyd, who will be getting the majority of carries at running back in Bryce Hall’s absence (shoulder, reportedly) didn’t disappoint either, scoring twice and racking up 133 yards.
Now comes a true test for a team that’s not operating at full strength. The bar will be raised high as Manchester welcomes Hermitage to their field, who is a top contender in 5A South and is currently 6-0. This will be a good litmus test to see how the Lancers can perform, especially once the competition gets tougher in the postseason.
Up Next: Friday, home vs. Hermitage, 7:30pm.
Other Team Notes:
Hopewell improved to 4-2 and reeled off 28 points after falling down early at Meadowbrook 14-0. Cameren Hill had a huge game with 251 total yards from scrimmage. Anthony Crawford, Ronnie Walker and Nas Cooper scored all four touchdowns via the run game.
Dinwiddie lost two games in a week and fell to 3-3 (Matoaca and Thomas Dale). They have a good rebound game at home this Friday as Prince George (2-4) comes to town.
Colonial Heights (3-3) caused quite the ruckus on twitter by going up 27-0 on Prince George at halftime last week, and then celebration ensued as the Colonials were victorious 27-13. Running back Darien Canada rushed for 227 yards and four touchdowns, also intercepting a pass.
Cosby (3-3) took care of business, pitching a shutout against Huguenot 41-0, but welcomes L.C. Bird in this Friday night.
Clover Hill (1-5) picked up their first win of the year against George Wythe (0-6). Sophomore Davod Wilkins enjoyed his third 100-yard game of the season, running for 103 and two scores.
