In a typical year, we would be talking high school football playoffs but 2020 has been far from typical. The entire globe has been rocked by the coronavirus and its’ impact has altered our daily lives as well as the sports landscape dramatically.
As we wait and hope that our young student-athletes will retake the gridiron for competition in a few short months, we take a look back at last falls’ playoff picture.
In the opening round, there were only a pair of upsets as the favorite typically found themselves victorious by games end. Here is what transpired in week one last fall.
Class 6
Following a 6-4 regular season, Franklin County nearly knocked off Landstown (7-3). The Eagles led late in the contest but allowed two touchdowns in the final quarter to see their season come to a close, ending the fifth season for the program under head coach J.R. Edwards.
Colonial Forge blanked Gar-Field 40-0 to advance to the second round. The Eagles outpaced the Indians in offensive yards 347-99.
In a battle of 8-2 squads, Massaponax defeated Stonewall Jackson—Manassas 35-18. The Panthers defense recorded eight sacks and the teams’ offense had five different players score in the contest.
Class 5
In a rematch of their season opener, William Fleming knocked off Harrisonburg for the second time in 2019 led by junior Shareef Anderson who scored the go-ahead touchdown and sealed the 20-17 victory with an interception in the final minutes of the contest.
Patrick Henry-Roanoke won their first postseason game since 1994 with a dominate victory over Albemarle 56-14. The homestanding Patriots recorded nearly 500 yards on offense and notched seven defensive turnovers.
North Stafford rolled to a 42-13 win over 1-9 Brooke Point. Jamir Boyd tossed for 321 yards and four touchdowns in the Wolverines victory.
Class of 2023 prospect Ike Daniels scored two touchdowns in the final quarter to lead Mountain View to a 45-28 victory over Stafford.
Class 4
Following an undefeated regular season, Louisa County continued its’ dominance with a 49-12 thrashing of King George.
Salem-Roanoke moved on to the second round, handily defeating Amherst County 58-13.
E.C. Glass notched a 55-21 victory over Jefferson Forest to advance. The Hilltoppers two victories against the Cavaliers were by 38 and 34 points.
In a nailbiter, Pulaski County edged Blacksburg 17-14. The Cougars rushed for 251 yards in the contest while holding the Bruins to -49 yards rushing.
Loudoun Valley edged Handley 13-9 in a chilly contest on Saturday afternoon. The Judges found themselves with several opportunities to overtake their Dulles district opponent but were unable to upend the Vikings.
Liberty-Bealeton continued their undefeated run with a 21-14 win over Loudoun County.
The journey for the Millbrook Pioneers ended against an undefeated Broad Run program 34-26 after trailing by as many as 27 in the second half.
Tuscarora cored 27 points in the third quarter of their contest with Sherando to end the Warriors season with a 47-17 thumping on the Huskies home field. Bryce Duke rushed for 216 yards in the contest, average 10 yards per carry.
George Washington-Danville ended the season for Halifax County with a 27-6 victory. It was the second time in the season that the Eagles handed defeat to the Comets who were hosting their first playoff game since 1991.
Eastern View continued its’ dominance with a 42-0 shellacking of Hugenot as the Cyclones recorded their tenth victory of the season. Raq Lawson rushed for 170 yards and Alex Spangler notched three receiving touchdowns in the win.
Following a 7-3 regular season, Spotsylvania saw their season come to a close at the hands of Patrick Henry-Ashland 56-6.
Class 3
Lord Botetourt rolled to victory over William Byrd 29-7 advancing their record to 11-0 on the season.
Christian Fisher led Northside to a 48-28 victory over Abingdon with 140 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings.
Ryan High had 240 passing yards and accounted for three touchdowns as Spotswood ran over Fluvanna County 48-8.
Western Albemarle ran into a saw mill when they visited Heritage-Lynchburg. The Pioneers bullied the Warriors to a tune of 69-13.
Rockingham County knocked off a tough Brookville squad 24-14. With the win, the Wildcats advanced to 9-2 on the year while the Bees finished the season at 4-7.
Liberty Christian held on to defeat Turner Ashby 21-16 after scoring with two minutes remaining in the final quarter to take two score lead against the Knights.
Hidden Valley scored 32 consecutive points to hand Christiansburg a 39-21 defeat. Grayson Carroll passed for 260 yards and a score while Matt Strong added 128 yards and two scores on the ground in the win.
Brentsville defeated George Mason 32-21 after being down by two scores early to the Mustangs. The victory was the second in as many weeks against their opponents for the Tigers.
Central—Woodstock fell 60-28 to James Monroe. Virginia commit Aidan Ryan passed for four touchdowns in the Yellowjackets victory.
After winning six of their final seven contests in the regular season, William Monroe found themselves on the losing end of a 42-20 contest with Skyline. Hawks quarterback Blake Appleton passed for 216 yards and rough touchdowns against the Greene Dragons.
In another back-to-back matchup between the same two teams, Magna Vista upended Bassett 36-7 to advance after falling by four points to the Bengals the week before.
Goochland knocked off Independence 42-6 in the opening round of the postseason. The Tigers entered the postseason after Warren County elected not to participate in the playoffs.
Class 2
Central-Wise won their first ever playoff contest by defeating Richlands 28-16.
Gate City gave Union a scare in the opening round as the Bears narrowly escaped with a 20-19 victory against the Blue Devils.
Ridgeview defeated Marion 49-7 as Trenton Adkins rushed for 296 yards on 12 carries and five touchdowns in the win.
Radford handed Patrick County a 35-0 defeat in the opening round as the Bobcats advanced.
Following their first loss of the season, Stuarts Draft rebounded quickly with a 23-6 win over Buffalo Gap.
Trenton Morris returned the opening kickoff of the second half 95 yards for a score to give East Rockingham the momentum they needed to defeat Clarke County handily 41-7.
Strasburg avenged their loss to Luray in the final game of the regular season with a 38-21 win over the Bulldogs in the first round of the postseason
Buckingham County defeated Page County 20-19 in overtime for their tenth win of the season while the Panthers finished the year at 7-4.
Graham defeated Tazewell 42-14 as Tre Booker and Devin Lester combined for over 200 yards of total offense for the G-men.
Glenvar advanced in the 4/5 matchup with Floyd County by handily defeating the Buffalo 42-7.
Amelia County and King William reeled off several victories to end their respective regular season but it was King William that advanced in this one with a dominant 60-12 victory.
Greensville County ended Nottoway’s season with a 36-28 victory over the Cougars.
The Appomattox County Raiders defeated Chatham 64-22 in the postseason opener for the two squads.
Gretna blanked Dan River 42-0 to advance.
Class 1
With many of the teams starters taking a break, the Riverheads Gladiators handily defeated a 1-9 Rappahannock County squad 45-0.
In one of the few upsets of the first round, Franklin defeated Central-Luneburg 24-19.
Altavista defeated William Campbell 35-28 for the other upset of the weekend, coincidentally in the same region.
Auburn defeated Covington 44-12, holding the Cougars scoreless for the first half.
Galax rolled over Eastern Montgomery 56-7.
George Wythe took a 63-21 win over Parry McCluer.
Narrows defeated Grayson County 34-7.
Patrick Henry-Glade Spring knocked off Honaker 41-14.
J.I. Burton blanked Castlewood 44-0.
Eastside fell to Holston 29-15.
Chilhowie shutout Thomas Walker 47-0.
Robert lives in Gordonsville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He also provides freelance contributions to the Daily Progress. Robert began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state of Virginia.
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Information can be emailed to bigrob2523@gmail.com and find him on twitter @bigrob2523.
