Three more weeks in the regular season remain, meaning we're getting closer to crowning Champions in the four districts across the entire region. That also means the playoffs are right around the corner. The Game of the Week pits undefeated Granby against Lake Taylor. There are also some other battles that'll have significant implications on the postseason picture.

Before we start to breakdown this week's matchups, let's review the Eastern Region Prediction Standings with State Football Editor Rod Johnson, VHSL-Reference.com and Matthew Hatfield.

Through 10-14-12	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Matthew Hatfield	118	23	83.7%
Rod Johnson	116	25	82.3%
VHSL-Reference	111	30	78.7%

While both Rod Johnson and VHSL-Reference went 17-2, Hatfield had a rough 14-5 week, his worst of the season that allowed the gap to close as we get near the end of the season.

Game of the Week:

#2 Lake Taylor (7-0) at #8 Granby (7-0) . . . Enjoy this one football fans in Norfolk and across the Eastern Region. I say that because it's the last battle between undefeated teams until the playoffs arrive. Two of the remaining five unbeaten squads in the region square off here with the winner in great shape to go on and claim the Eastern District title. Lake Taylor has won seven straight meetings over the Comets with Granby failing to score more than 14 points in any of those matchups.

For resurgent Granby, off to its best start since capturing a state title back in 1966, they haven't won a league crown in eight years. Coach Curt Brown has his team two wins away from securing a playoff berth, and they haven't been there since he was a defensive coordinator under Dave Hudak back in '04 when Bobby Rome and Chris Bell led the team. Lake Taylor under Coach Hank Sawyer is used to winning the district crown; they've done so six times since 2005 and will be in the playoffs for an eighth consecutive year. Two great defenses that each have six shutouts over their last 12 games will be on display. Also, Lake Taylor brings in the highest scoring attack in the Eastern Region at 45.9 points per contest.

Lake Taylor has been impressive on offense with their ability to strike with the passing game or by running the ball. Junior QB Delmon Williams is red hot with 910 yards passing and 17 touchdowns without an interception. Receiver Harry Freeman (16Rec. 280Yds. 8TD's) emerged right away as his go-to option this year with Donovan Powell, Jalyn Holmes and Jakale Pinkney all proving to be capable targets for Williams when defenses key in on Freeman. On the ground, Brandon 'Pork Chop' Moore (109Att. 1026Yds. 15TD's) and Daquan Davis (84Att. 642Yds. 7TD's) are the bread and butter. D-linemen and linebackers haven't been able to stop them all year. Senior center Cliff Arrington, an All-Region performer, helps anchor the offensive line.

Granby's offense isn't real flashy or overpowering at 25.9 points per game, but the Comets manage the game and don't turn it over, checking in at +6 in the turnover margin category on the year. Junior signal caller William Smith (589 pass yards, 6-5TD/Int. ratio) is pretty efficient throwing the ball, not forcing the ball into tight windows too often and taking what the defense gives him. He'll also scramble away from trouble fairly well. Lawrence Harris (9TD's total) and Sidney Fulford are their two main playmakers. Harris has rushed for 474 yards and 6TD's with 98 on the ground and a pair of scores in last week's 14-0 shutout of Norcom. Fulford adds 15 grabs for 273 yards and 3TD's. Those two along with Emmanuel White may have to do more work at receiver than we've seen through seven games.

After they put up 383 total yards of offense in the opener versus Great Bridge, Granby has averaged only 241.5 total yards per game with juts 189 a week ago. The Lake Taylor defense is anything but generous as foes have negative rushing yards against them, and the Titans have more sacks with 29 than points allowed, 27. Holmes, Brandon Lynch (21TFL), Marquise Poole (8 sacks), Jamel Spellman and Nyquan 'Big Money' Harris are legitimate All-Region candidates from this group. Nhyre Quinerly in the secondary has three interceptions and the sophomore is one to watch when teams try to throw on the Titans.

As for Granby's defense, they have given up only 533 yards through the air, 468 on the ground and a meager 5.4 points per game. The team leans heavily on the pass rush with Tashad Charity, Sherrod Ryland and sophomore Quinton Brown on the defensive line to disrupt opposing offenses. Last week, that trio collected nearly a dozen tackles for loss, causing numerous problems for Norcom's offensive line. They break down the protection scheme, and then that allows linebackers Caleb Wilson, Tommy Spencer and Evan Stephens to make things happen. Wilson, nicknamed the Honey Badger, is their emotional leader.

Lake Taylor's Keys to Victory:

#1 - - Don't Give Granby Short Fields: To me, it's the only way the Comets score. As long as Lake Taylor doesn't turn the ball over on its own end, which the most likely way being a fumble, then Granby's offense has its work cut out for them against an ultra-aggressive, ruthless defensive front of the Titans. If Granby has to start at its own 20 or 30 yard line, even if they hit one big play it doesn't necessarily mean a touchdown. They do so inside the Titans' 40-yard line, and that play could end up being a touchdown. It gives you room for error on defense, and even though the Titans seldom make mistakes or get beat over the top on that side of the ball, having a cushion isn't a bad thing.

#2 - - Establish the Passing Game: Usually, you hear it the other way around and that's establish the run. But Lake Taylor is used to seeing teams stack the box. Maury did it two weeks ago and it allowed Williams to set a school record with 6TD's passing. Granby is equally thin in the secondary as the Commodores were, and Lake Taylor wants to get some favorable one-on-one matchups with Freeman, Pinkney, Powell and Holmes on the outside. That should open up the run as well. If they are as productive as they've been throughout the course of the year, could very easily force Granby to make some adjustments on defense. There will be plenty of scoring opportunities as long as the offensive line keeps the pass rush with Charity, Ryland and Brown off of Williams.

#3 - - Make the Comets Abandon the Run: That's what Lake Taylor wants to do and needs to do for this to be a blowout. Granby hasn't thrown the ball more than 19 times in any games this year. Just last week, Norview had to put it in the air 33 times and failed to find the end zone, seeing their quarterback get hit on 30 of his attempts. The fewer times Harris and Fulford touch the ball early in the play, the better for the Lake Taylor defense as they'll be looking to tee off on Smith and blitz from a different angles.

Granby's Keys to Victory:

#1 - - Create Turnovers: For the season, Granby has 20 takeaways, seven of them coming in a victory over Churchland two weeks ago. Seemingly, the only way to stop Lake Taylor is have the Titans stop themselves. So far, the Titans have six lost fumbles, which isn't a whole lot. But if Lake Taylor in their split-veer attack puts the ball on the carpet multiple times, that gets their high-octane offense off the field and allows Granby to churn out yards with its rushing attack. The Comets want to shorten the game, and their best way to do that is by having the football. At least two takeaways are needed in my opinion for this game to be close and Granby to have a realistic shot at winning.

#2 - - Convert Third Downs: Whether it's third down and long, third down and short or third down and medium, Granby must convert some of these plays. For the season, Lake Taylor's opponents are 6 of 77 on third downs. It's no wonder the Titans have won every game they've played thus far by a minimum of 21 points. That means on average opponents are faced with third down 11 times and converting less than one of them. This is a defense getting three-and-outs time after time. Even if you don't score a touchdown or field goal, move the chains on third down so that field position is in your favor.

#3 - - Step Up in the Red Zone: That's offensively and defensively. When the Titans get there, you have to be able to come up with stops to hold them to field goals (better to allow 3 instead of 7 of course), and make them decide to go for it on fourth down or not. On the other side of the ball, the Comets can't get great field position and not capitalize or put together a nice drive and see it stall. A lot of this effort will fall on the offensive line and Smith to be a judicious decision maker, not force anything in the red zone like he did a week ago when Norcom's Triquan Holman picked him off because they probably won't have a 14-point cushion like they did a week ago.

Closing Thoughts: Granby has had a wonderful season and been the surprise story in the region. Beating Lake Taylor is a tall task, and if they won this game, it would stun many people, yours truly included. It has to be a perfect storm for the Comets, which means a bunch of penalties, turnovers and self-inflicted mistakes by the Titans for this game to be tight by half-time and have a shot to win. That's asking a lot, particularly for a Granby team that doesn't really have a deep receiving core or secondary.

Part of Lake Taylor's transformation from a good team to an elite title contender is the expansion of the passing game on offense. Williams has throw nine touchdowns over the last two games, and they're attacking defenses without any interceptions so far. The Titans have a bevvy of weapons on the ground or by air, so it'll be difficult to contain them, even for a Granby defense that is one of the better around like Lake Taylor's tough unit. Both defensive lines are more than capable of winning the matchup up front. However, Lake Taylor has more flexibility and versatility with what they can do on either side of the ball. Plus, the Titans are used to playing in games with Championship implications like this, so anything less than a top-notch showing would be surprising.

Predictions:
Matt Says: Lake Taylor 41-14
Rod Says: Lake Taylor 28-7
VHSL-Reference Says: Lake Taylor 27-14

#1 Oscar Smith (6-1) at Deep Creek (1-6) . . . The Oscar Smith players will be taking the field with heavy hearts following the unfortunate death of a J.V. football player, JheVontae Davis, at practice on Wednesday. Against Deep Creek, Oscar Smith has pitched four consecutive shutouts. Don't be the least bit surprised if it's five by the end of Friday night. The Tigers have a devastating defensive front with BCS-level prospect Andrew Brown, ODU commit Kanyia Anderson, Shedrick Oliver and Darren Flowers, who has arguably been their best defensive player through seven games this year. Melvin Vaughn, another ODU commit, and Troye Harris combined for 27 tackles in last week's rout of Western Branch. Offensively, Dashawn Blow has thrown 21 touchdowns this year and hasn't been picked off in September or October, and UVA commit Zack Jones is now healthy at wide receiver off a splendid performance last week. While Deep Creek has a couple of sophomores to watch out for in the near future in QB Terrence Shambry and RB Armond Askew, their defense may not be able to make Oscar Smith have to punt.

Matt Says: Oscar Smith 56-7
Rod Says: Oscar Smith 49-0
VHSL-Reference Says: Oscar Smith 69-0

Kempsville (2-6) at #3 Ocean Lakes (7-0) . . . Ten years ago when these two schools met, it was in the regular season finale for the Beach District title. Both teams made it to the playoffs and were very evenly matched. Things have changed dramatically since that point. The Dolphins have only gotten better to where they now feel they can challenge for a regional and state title, whereas Kempsville has fallen on hard times, making the playoffs only once since that season. While the Chiefs beat Green Run last week 7-6 behind Chris Robinson's 130 yards rushing and a touchdown as well as Kyron Speller's clutch blocked extra point, their defense is overmatched against the Ocean Lakes offense. UVA commit Corwin Cutler has thrown 17 touchdowns compared to only two interceptions, WR Andre Dessenberg (Delaware commit) is trying to win the region receiving crown, and RB's Brandon Simmons and Jordan Bobo move the chains behind an effective offensive line, keyed by tackle Alex Skidmore. Up front, d-tackles Derrick Nnadi and Demetri McGill clog the run effectively, so the Chiefs may be forced to throw more than they'd like.

Matt Says: Ocean Lakes 46-0
Rod Says: Ocean Lakes 44-6
VHSL-Reference Says: Ocean Lakes 47-0

#4 Phoebus (7-0) at Woodside (4-3) . . . Last year, Woodside beat Phoebus 14-9 to end the Phantoms' VHSL-record 52-game winning streak. It was Woodside's first win over Phoebus since 2004. While Phoebus has had some off the field turmoil with a coaching change during the season and star RB Tony Pittman being suspended two games earlier in the year, on the field they have been their usually dominant selves. Pittman comes in just 37 yards away from 1000, freshman QB Terrell Toliver has yet to thrown an interception, the offensive line is massive with Jamal Earls paving the way, and the d-line is very disruptive with ODU commit Mark Wilson making a case for Defensive Player of the Year honors in the PD.

Woodside has shown the ability to be balanced on offense with QB Darius Howell and RB Tyris Walker at the forefront of their attack, seeing the passing game progress from game one to now. Trey Reed, a virtual unknown going into the season, leads the PD with 20 receptions. Tim Flood is the catalyst for the Woodside defense. The senior linebacker has three defensive touchdowns over the last two games, both wins for the Wolverines. In order to spring the upset, Woodside must be able to contain Phoebus' ground attack, and convert third downs, something that is extremely difficult to do consistently the Phantoms' defense.

Matt Says: Phoebus 33-17
Rod Says: Phoebus 35-14
VHSL-Reference Says: Phoebus 34-13

#5 Salem (6-1) at #13 Kellam (5-2) . . . Each of the last two years, the Salem SunDevils have shutout the Kellam Knights. This Kellam team is much more dangerous offensively than they've been in recent years though with the threat to pass behind QB Pat Kagel, who'll also run and gives them three rushing options along with Cole Bava (110Car. 656Yds. 10TD's) and Mike Rawls. As improved as the Kellam offense is, averaging 29 points per game on the season, their defense struggles with teams that possess explosive firepower. For example, take their meeting with Bayside two weeks ago, where they scored 42, but gave up 62 points and gave up 621 yards of offense to a Marlins team that has had protection problems in spotlight games. DE Nick Edwards, a JMU commit, and Mitch Gerdau have to collapse the pocket and not allow Salem QB Bucky Hodges, a Virginia Tech commit who'll hurt you with his arm or his feet, to beat them with back-breaking plays. Furthermore, corner E.J. Woodhouse has to contain Kwamane Bowens (28Rec. 596Yds. 4TD's) on the outside, and the Knights have to be careful not to have a linebacker get caught one-on-one with any of the SunDevils' other dangerous wide receivers.

Matt Says: Salem 48-16
Rod Says: Salem 42-14
VHSL-Reference Says: Salem 31-14

King's Fork (5-2) at #6 Grassfield (7-0) . . . Grassfield has won four straight meetings in this series after King's Fork won the inaugural meeting 22-9 back in 2007. The Grizzlies enter this matchup trying to get to 8-0 to set up a first place showdown in the Southeastern District with Oscar Smith, which has eliminated them in the regional semifinals twice in the past three years. Grassfield has two home-run hitters in the backfield in Vincent Lowe and Isaiah Harper, who has seven plays of 60+ yards with six of them resulting in touchdowns. Defensively, the Grizz don't like the bend, but don't break philosophy. However, they were like that in last week's 27-22 win over Lakeland. King's Fork is starting to sprinkle in the passing attack with Uriah Adams better to go with their strong running game, featuring Virginia Tech commit Charles Clark and freshman Deshaun Wethington. The better tackling team and team able to execute its offense in crucial situations (i.e. backed up in its own end, third downs, etc.) should win. Right now, that looks to be the Grizzlies. With Lowe, Harper and Paris Smith, they have three players who can score at any moment.

Matt Says: Grassfield 27-13
Rod Says: Grassfield 26-14
VHSL-Reference Says: Grassfield 34-10

Menchville (2-5) at #7 Hampton (6-1) . . . The Crabbers come in with one of the stingiest defenses around. On the year, Hampton is giving up only 7.1 points per game and they have pitched three straight shutouts. In comes a Menchville offense that ranks near the bottom of the region in scoring and got blanked 44-0 by Heritage last week. Furthermore, Hampton has shutout the Monarchs eight times since 1999. It'll be ten after this one, unless Menchville can establish both the run and pass. Ray Jones (18 catches) and Joron Foster are two of their most reliable playmakers. One-dimensional attacks don't work against the Crabbers, who have gotten great play by Joemel Redd, Daunte Wilson, Quan Henry, Daquin Moore and Trey Pressley on the defensive side of the ball. Menchville's defense will have its hands full trying to slow down the 1-2 punch of Deon Newsome and Marshawn Williams, a tandem that has together rushed for 1448 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Matt Says: Hampton 45-3
Rod Says: Hampton 42-0
VHSL-Reference Says: Hampton 57-0

Princess Anne (1-6) at #9 Bayside (6-2) . . . Over the last three years, Bayside has outscored Princess Anne 153-19. PA's last win in the head-to-head series came in 2005. The Cavaliers put forth a much better effort than expected in losing to Cox only 21-14 a week ago. Quarterback Sheldon Beale accounted for 156 total yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Javen Fiesta for a 56-yard score in that narrow defeat. Linebacker Aaron Glover, a junior, headlines the defense with over 70 tackles on the year. Slowing down Bayside's offense, which is averaging over 45 points per game in the last four, will be no easy task. Quarterback Deion Stitt continues to climb the VHSL career passing yardage list. Both RB Taquan 'Smoke' Mizzell, a UVA commit, and WR Quin Blanding are closing in on 1000 yards rushing and receiving respectively. Smoke is 189 away and Blanding is 172 shy. Concentrate on then, and WR Devante Batey (3TD's vs. Kellam) will burn you. The Marlins have too many weapons for PA to make this one tight on the road in my opinion.

Matt Says: Bayside 49-15
Rod Says: Bayside 48-14
VHSL-Reference Says: Bayside 42-0

#11 Bethel (5-2) at Warwick (2-5) . . . The Bruins are clearly one of the surprise teams in the Peninsula District and the Eastern Region this year. After losing 51-0 to Lake Taylor, this looked to be a re-building year, but since the team has responded exceedingly well with an upset win over Hampton and narrow two-point loss to four-time defending Division 5 State Champion Phoebus. Bethel is going for its fifth win in six games, and they've done a nice job of running the ball with Jihad Hudson and Demetrius Dinkins, plus QB Trey Jackson had 4TD's total last week (2 rushing, 2 passing). They've gone from being a spread out team last year with a dynamic receiving core to more ball-control, methodical style this season. Warwick has been injury-plagued all year and will be without RB Cardon Johnson again. To spring the upset, they need grand efforts from QB Josh Butler, WR Demetree Harris and DE/TE David Smith. Bethel is getting solid play on defense from d-lineman Ricky Walker, who got offered by Penn State this week, as well as Javon King and Casey Pretlow, who has two defensive touchdowns over the past two games.

Matt Says: Bethel 34-17
Rod Says: Bethel 31-13
VHSL-Reference Says: Bethel 33-10

Nansemond River (4-3) at #12 Western Branch (5-2) . . . After losing to Western Branch 40-0 in 2010, Nansemond River bounced back with a last minute victory over the Bruins 37-30 a season ago. Nansemond River comes in riding high with three straight wins, while Western Branch has lost two in a row to Grassfield and Oscar Smith following a fabulous 5-0 start. Momentum is on the side of the Warriors, but can they stop the vaunted option rush attack of the Bruins? The Tigers have the best defense in the Southeastern District, and even they up 246 yards rushing. If Nansemond River's defense with Damario Valentine, Nate Wyche and Marvin Branch leading the way linebacker can get a hat on recent UCONN commit Josh Marriner (1101 yards, 11TD's) and the Bruins' backs, then Western Branch will be forced to make things happen through the air. Western Branch QB C.J. Thomas was 13 of 19 just two weeks ago against Grassfield, so they can do it when needed. The question will be if Nansemond River RB Latrell 'Vegas' Sandifer (995 yards rushing, 10TD's) doesn't move the chains, are the Warriors able to score enough in this one?

Matt Says: Western Branch 31-14
Rod Says: Western Branch 41-20
VHSL-Reference Says: Western Branch 21-20

First Colonial (3-4) at Tallwood (1-6) . . . In the head-to-head series, First Colonial has won three straight over Tallwood, which includes a 34-13 triumph a year ago. The Lions feel they found their quarterback of the future in sophomore Reggie Rudolph, who has thrown for 669 yards in five games as a starter, but got intercepted three times by Bayside's Quin Blanding last week in a 44-0 loss to the Marlins. That was a Saturday game, and FC played on a Friday in a 27-17 loss to Kellam, giving the Patriots an extra day to rest up for this one. First Colonial was dealt a serious blow though when it lost Dornell Collins for the rest of the season with a torn ACL a few weeks ago. Without him, the ball carrying responsibilities have fallen to Raven Greene and Rayshawn Steverson, a duo that combined for 198 yards on the ground and 2TD's in their victory over Landstown. Joey Brown is starting to get comfortable at QB after that preseason ankle injury as well. The major difference is on defense, where the Patriots are doing a better job of limiting the big play.

Matt Says: First Colonial 24-6
Rod Says: First Colonial 27-13
VHSL-Reference Says: First Colonial 37-10

Green Run (1-6) at Landstown (2-5) . . . Quite frankly, these are two sputtering offenses trying to grab a win and stop the bleeding. Green Run has scored only 27 points over their past five games, dropping six in a row since a season-opening comeback win over Princess Anne. Losses to First Colonial and Kempsville just a week ago were by a total of four points, otherwise they're 3-4, clinging to slim playoff hopes. Meanwhile, Landstown is on a four-game losing skid with 19 points over that stretch. Whichever offensive line gets a better push for their running backs should hold the upper hand in this one. Junior Anthony Scott, who has an offer from West Virginia, is playing at less than 100% for Green Run in recent weeks since running wild in the opener. The Eagles have a pair of backs in Trevon Byron and Shyheim Swinson that have gone over 1000 yards on the year. My pick is Landstown, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Stallions win. This might be the hardest game to call of the week.

Matt Says: Landstown 14-7
Rod Says: Landstown 27-14
VHSL-Reference Says: Landstown 21-12

Booker T. Washington (2-5) at Churchland (1-6) . . . Churchland had owned this series with consecutive victories until Booker T. Washington's 13-0 shutout of the Truckers in 2011. Booker T. has really only had two very productive offensive outings and they were in a 24-21 overtime win over Warwick and a 32-30 loss to Norview. Both Warwick and Norview are teams with lackluster defenses, something that could be said about the Truckers given that they have allowed 36+ points on four separate occasions this year. Churchland might have the most dynamic player on the field in Robert Boyd, who scored three touchdowns three different ways in their win over Wilson. Booker T. has to get some of their top players to counter like Zain Upshur in the trenches. The Bookers are without Steven Whitley and Rodney Johnson for the rest of the year due to injury. Much like Landstown/Green Run, here's another game that could go either way. The momentum is with Churchland coming off a win, but the Truckers might be a bit more mistake-prone and not have as much speed and size at multiple positions as the Bookers do.

Matt Says: Booker T. Washington 16-13
Rod Says: Booker T. Washington 25-22
VHSL-Reference Says: Booker T. Washington 29-13

Maury (4-3) at Wilson (0-7) . . . The Wilson Presidents have their hands full containing Maury's two terrific versatile athletes in Davion Taylor (13TD's total) and Anthony Smith, who has 12 touchdowns either by run or pass. Kudos to the Maury defense last week for holding Booker T. Washington to just 187 total yards of offense and without an offensive touchdown. As great as the Maury offense has been at times by averaging 32.1 points per game on the year, they need to see that defense continue to improve because they're giving up 30PPG and could get torched by a good team in the first round of the playoffs if they get there. Derek Wilder, a sophomore and son of ODU Football Coach Bobby Wilder, made big plays for them on defense last week, and they'll need that again to contain Wilson dual-threat signal caller Derwounte Greene. Maury is chasing a playoff berth, and although Wilson played spirited football a few weeks back in coming up just short against the Commodores' nearby rival Granby, 21-20, I'd be stunned if the Presidents pulled the upset in this spot.

Matt Says: Maury 32-10
Rod Says: Maury 31-7
VHSL-Reference Says: Maury 52-20

Norview (1-6) at Norcom (4-3) . . . Currently, Norcom is the #8 seed for the Eastern Region Division 5 playoffs, which is somewhat of a surprise since last year they made it to the regional title game against Phoebus. Norview actually has the better passing attack of these two teams, believe it or not. Quarterback Erwin 'E.J.' Faison is a promising sophomore that leads the district with 1250 yards through, though has as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns. Norcom is vastly superior in two significant areas, though. That's defensively and running the football, led by the combo of Traquan Martin (106Att. 696Yds. 6TD's) and Aaron Parker. I definitely lean with Norcom in this one because the Pilots' defense isn't equipped to stop the run, especially without top tackler Bryce Atkins, who is done for the year due to concussions, and the Greyhounds want to get that bad taste out of their mouths from a 14-0 shutout loss to Granby. Norview hasn't beaten Norcom since 2001.

Matt Says: Norcom 29-12
Rod Says: Norcom 29-7
VHSL-Reference Says: Norcom 28-14

Lakeland (4-3) at Great Bridge (0-7) . . . For years, Great Bridge had its way with Lakeland. The Wildcats every meeting with the Cavaliers from 2002-10, then last year Lakeland broke through with a 54-41 victory. We could've seen a shoot-out again, except the Wildcats have struggled to put together a consistent ground attack to replace the departed Dre Mayes, and QB Ryan Bottoms has missed one of his key lineman in Garrett Watts, out for the year due to injury. Bottoms threw for 131 yards on 11 of 14 completions in the first half versus Nansemond River last week, but the defense figured him out in the second half when he went just 2 of 14. Receivers Daquan Cuffee and Kaleb Underwood are going to have to make plays against Lakeland's speedy, talented skill position players like Antonio Jefferson (28Rec. 460Yds. 5TD's), an All-Region candidate on the outside. Raekwon Johnson has looked more like the guy that was Southeastern District Player of the Year as a junior here lately with back-to-back 100-yard performances.

Matt Says: Lakeland 42-7
Rod Says: Lakeland 26-6
VHSL-Reference Says: Lakeland 35-10

Indian River (2-5) at Hickory (2-5) . . . This is one of the few games on the docket this week that would go in that unpredictable column. Hickory won last year's game in resounding fashion, 55-3. They come in with even records, the Hawks having done better head-to-head lately, and RB Andy Eaton can chew up yards little by little while milking the clock. Indian River has shown quite a bit of potential offensively these past few weeks when they've scored 98 points. In the four games before that, the Braves scored only 20, so they've had more than four times the amount in fewer contests since that point. Daniel Cross is getting the hang of things at quarterback, Jaque Sawyer has broken off some long runs, and WR's Kevin Smith and Richie Williams are getting open against soft coverage more times than not. As long as DL Tyler Fain and LB's Ronnie Tennessee and James Spruill keep Eaton in check on first and second down to force Hickory to throw on third downs, they'll be in good shape, even away from home.

Matt Says: Indian River 24-20
Rod Says: Indian River 33-21
VHSL-Reference Says: Hickory 22-17

Gloucester (0-7) at Denbigh (1-6) . . . Marcellus Harris' Denbigh Patriots are looking to avenge a 15-12 loss to Gloucester from a year ago. Gloucester's only offense in last week's 37-3 loss to Woodside was a Jackson Lowther field goal. Defensive coordinator Ken Hardcastle took over as Head Coach with Sonny Merchant deciding to step down. All is not lost for Gloucester, though. While neither of these two teams will make a playoff push, they want to finish well and get momentum going into 2013. Dukes tailback James Scott, a junior that should get some next-level looks, is 11th in the Eastern Region in rushing yards with 686 yards. That's not too shabby, and he's one big game in this matchup away from having a realistic shot at 1000 for the season. Denbigh has had inconsistent play on offense, both running and passing with the lone game eclipsing 17 points being that 21-12 victory over Menchville. What gives them the edge if you ask me is their defense has shown some improvement and can come up with some takeaways to swing the game.

Matt Says: Denbigh 20-13
Rod Says: Denbigh 21-7
VHSL-Reference Says: Denbigh 24-17

Heritage (4-3) at Kecoughtan (4-3) . . . Two teams enter with identical records, but the playoff outlook for both is very different. Heritage currently is in the Division 5 postseason if it started today and could get as high as the #5 seed. Meanwhile, Kecoughtan's only chance to get to the playoffs would be to win out, which includes a win over the Hurricanes and Hampton next week. That's just because Division 6 is so top-heavy. The two leading rushers in the Peninsula District square off here with Kecoughtan's Trenton Cannon, who has 148 attempts for 1138 yards and 15 touchdowns, and Heritage's Khalid Abdullah (147 carries for 1089 yards, 15TD's). With two terrific tailbacks on the field taking center stage and the headlines in this one, what ultimately could decide the outcome is quarterback play and which defense steps up. Right now, the Warriors have used two different signal callers with Nick Carrera and Desmond Savage, while Heritage seems to be settling on Richard Outlaw. Also, the Hurricanes pitched a shutout last week of Menchville, whereas Kecoughtan just gave up 42 to Bethel.

Matt Says: Heritage 30-20
Rod Says: Heritage 26-21
VHSL-Reference Says: Heritage 30-13

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Matthew Hatfield has covered Eastern Region Football & Basketball since 2004 for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield's Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don't forget to listen to him on High School Sports Talk from 10AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1, plus watch him on the Cox 11 Sports Report.