Devonte Russell looking for space in the Woodbridge defense.
6A South
#3 Thomas Dale 26, #6 Woodbridge 0
Going into the playoffs with three straight losses isn’t how coach Kevin Tucker drew up the last third of the season.
But a 26-0 shutout victory for Thomas Dale over Woodbridge in the first round of the 6A South playoffs just might have been.
Thomas Dale got started early as quarterback Matt Lawton hit Brian Bullock for a 15 yard touchdown pass. A blocked extra point made it 6-0, Knights. Thomas Dale added a second touchdown in the first quarter as Gabe McCollin, who rotates at the position on certain packages took in a quarterback keeper to make it 12-0.
The Knights held a 19-0 lead at the half, capped off by a Lawton pass to tight end Christian Faber. The reliable foot of Plato Eliades provided an extra point.
While the offense was done scoring, the defense had the last laugh against the Vikings. Senior Kyle Alexander nabbed an interception and returned it 82 yards to the promised land.
Dealing with injuries to two key players in running back Max Oxendine and middle linebacker Sam Stark, the Knights got great performances from Davonte Russell, who rushed for 150 yards on 30 carries and an excellent performance from seniors Wayne Brown (8 tackles), Shajuan Phillips (7 tackles) and junior Devin Williams (6 tackles).
While Thomas Dale’s defense hadn’t played well over the past three contests, they found themselves last Friday, bottling up Woodbridge in both the run and pass game.
#2 Thomas Dale (7-4) will hit the road to battle Dale City’s C.D. Hylton (9-2).
OTHER 6A SOUTH RESULTS:
#8 Riverbend 16, #1 Colonial Forge 14
#2 C.D. Hylton 28, #7 Forest Park 14
#5 Cosby defeats 42, #4 Manchester 27
Damontre Blowe lines up a hit on a Matoaca ball carrier.
5A South
#3 L.C. Bird 42, #6 Matoaca 6
While Matoaca got things started with a bang, it was the L.C. Bird defense that suffocated the Warriors en route to a 42-6 victory.
Matoaca fans were overjoyed when the Warriors calmly marched down the field and Justin Ford passed to Anthony Warner to give them a 6-0 advantage with 8:46 left in the first quarter.
But then came L.C. Bird.
The first of six Skyhawks touchdowns came at the hands of running back J.B. Wright and started a run of 42 unanswered points. Waymond Pate hauled in a 46 yard touchdown reception from Jalen Elliott and the score stood at 14-6 at the halftime break.
The Skyhawks poured it on in the second half on both sides of the ball. The defense rose up to allow -6 total yards of offense against Matoaca, and J.B. Wright (213 rushing yards) and Shedrick McCall (92 rushing yards) added two second half touchdowns a piece to seal the victory. Linebacker Rayshard Ashby had a monster night, totaling 14 tackles and four sacks.
Matoaca (7-4) finished a banner season, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and boasting one of the highest scoring offenses in the state in the regular season under first-year coach D.L. Johnson.
L.C. Bird (11-0) will move on and face Hermitage (11-0) on the road in a very familiar playoff match-up. In fact, the Skyhawks have defeated the Panthers each of the past three seasons as they made runs to three straight state championships.
Jace Miller rounds the corner of the Highland Springs defense.
#1 Highland Springs 42, #8 Meadowbrook 13
After almost pulling an upset in the 2014 5ASouth playoffs, Meadowbrook came up short against top ranked Highland Springs 42-13 last Friday night.
The Springers built a 21-0 early, but the Monarchs answered back as senior running back Jace Miller found pay dirt, with 3:14 left, in a hectic first quarter to cut the lead to 21-7. Highland Springs quarterback Juwan Carter added a touchdown run to make it 28-7 at the half.
Meadowbrook’s Jeremiah Medina added their second score of the game on a 16 yard pass from Cameron Bullock, filling in for an injured Michael Hodges.
Miller finished with 96 yards rushing on the evening. Jordyn Hunter added 37 yards on seven carries. K.J. McNeil got some time and totaled 21 yards. Bullock finished 5-12 passing for 48 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
The Monarchs finished 5-6 in their first season under first-year coach Adam Tiller, the same record as they had in 2014. With several young pieces, Meadowbrook projects to be a playoff contender again in 2016.
OTHER 5A SOUTH RESULTS:
#2 Hermitage 37, #7 Henrico 6
#5 Lee Davis 41, #4 Douglas Freeman 14
