Last Week: 32-8 (80%) | Season: 399-91 (81%)

Top Ten Last Week: 6-4 (60%) | Season: 85-25 (77%)

VHSL-Reference Last Week: 5-5 (50%) | Season: 74-36 (67%)

(7-3) @ #3 Lafayette Rams (8-2)

Friday, 730pm | Wanner Stadium, Williamsburg

Park View:

FB/LB Jason Baskerville (Jr.), RB/DB Jarius Drummond (Sr.), QB Brett Cliborne

(Fr.)

Lafayette:

WR/KR/DB Thomas Smith (Sr.), RB Will Capers (Sr.), QB Connor McGinty (Sr.)

The Southside District champion Dragons make their second trip to Wanner Stadium

in two weeks to take on Lafayette. Park View brings a strong running game led

by Jason Baskerville and Jarius Drummond to the table, with Baskerville's power

running accounting for more than 17 touchdowns for the Dragons this year. Meeko

Harris is another back to watch for Park View. Cliborne has stepped in as a

freshman at quarterback and while he's not the focal point of the offense, he

has made some timely passes. The Dragons, though, can ill-afford to get behind

early in this one.

Lafayette opened the season 8-0, but suffered back-to-back losses to York and

Poquoson in the past two weeks. The Rams have plenty of talent on offense, with

the Virginia Tech commit Thomas Smith (11 TD catches) and Bay Rivers District

leading rusher Capers (1,270 yards) and averaged over 36 points per game in the

regular season. The Rams were in and around the top ten (both VirginiaPreps.com

and AP polls) most of the season and this is a team that has legitimate hopes of

contending for the state title, but they must rebound from the disappointment of

the past two weeks.

#5 Southampton Indians

(6-4) @ #4 Poquoson Islanders (7-3)

Friday, 7pm | Poquoson Middle School

Southampton:

RB/DB Jaron White (Sr.), RB Saiquan Mason (Sr.), RB/WR/DB Karon Evans (Sr.)

Poquoson:

RB/LB William Emeny (Sr.), RB/LB Dylan Hill (Sr.), OL/DL Dustin Edwards (Sr.)

Poquoson gets the defense of its division 3 state championship underway in the

postseason with a rematch of the Islanders' opening game of the season. In that

game, Poquoson pulled away from Southampton 32-15 with an effort that became

familiar as the season moved along: strong defense and the running of William

Emeny and Dylan Hill, among others. Emeny leads the team in rushing with 1,164

yards (130 yards and 3 TDs in the first matchup) behind a veteran offensive

line. After losing three of four games in the middle of the season, the

Islanders have run off four straight wins. Last week's 27-10 win against

Lafayette certainly put the Islanders in the middle of the discussion in region

I, division 3.

Southampton makes a return to the playoffs after four seasons and the Indians,

much like Poquoson, have their strong running game to thank for their success

this year. White, Mason, Evans and Jerry Wright are the leading ball carriers

for Southampton and helped the Indians average over 29 points per game this

season. Mason was the leading rusher in the first matchup between the two

teams, gaining 138 yards on 24 carries. Southampton was inconsistent down the

stretch this year, losing two of four Southside District games (both one-point

losses to Greensville and Park View).

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(5-5) @ #1 Kettle Run Cougars (10-0)

Friday, 730pm | Kettle Run High School, Warrenton

Fauquier:

QB Colin Diehl (Soph.), WR/DB Sean Onstad (Sr.), LB Hunter Ball (Jr.)

Kettle Run:

RB/DB/KR Josh Tapscott (Jr.), QB Mac Graham (Sr.), DB/WR Michael Parker (Jr.)

Top-seeded

Kettle Run faces off against Evergreen District and county rival Fauquier on

Friday in the Cougars' first-ever playoff game. In the first game, Kettle Run's

Josh Tapscott scored three touchdowns including two in the fourth quarter to

break open a 7-3 game. Tapscott has run for over 1,000 yards this season and

has 20 touchdowns to lead Kettle Run. Quarterback Mac Graham has thrown for 12

touchdowns and run for seven more. Defensively, the Cougars allowed just 7.2

points per game this season with linebacker John Piette and defensive back

Michael Parker leading the way. While this is the Cougars' first taste of

postseason play, coach Jeff Lloyd is familiar with the playoffs, having won a

state championship in 2004 with Manassas Park.

Fauquier comes

into this game on a three-game slide with losses to Kettle Run, James Wood and

Liberty. The Falcons have been dealing with injuries late in the season with

leading receiver Darius Stanford missing most of the past three games with an

ankle injury and quarterback Colin Diehl suffering an injury in last week's loss

to Liberty. With those two, the Falcons have a pretty good offense as Diehl has

thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and run for over 400. Stanford, Sean Onstad and

J.P. Rodriguez have all caught over 30 passes this year. Linebackers Hunter

Ball and Chuck Hilleary lead the team in tackles and they did well against

Kettle Run for three quarters in the first matchup, which should give the

Falcons some confidence coming into this game.

(5-5) @ #2 Liberty (Bealeton) Eagles (8-2)

Friday, 7:30pm | Liberty High School, Bealeton

Handley:

RB/LB Dexter Sloane (Sr.), OL/DL/FB Derek Dowrey (Sr.), DB Daquanta Pannell

(Sr.)

Liberty:

RB/DB Anthony Budd (Sr.), RB Aristotle Howard (Jr.), DE Wyatt Teller (Jr.)

Handley and

Liberty square off for the first time since 2006. The Judges earned the seventh

seed with a 21-13 win over James Wood last Saturday and are riding a three-game

winning streak heading into the playoffs. Handley has been getting it done with

defense and a strong ground game, with Northwestern District defensive player of

the year Derek Dowrey and linebacker Dexter Sloane both have over 10 sacks this

year. The secondary Sloane leads the team in rushing with 768 yards and the

Judges have run for over 1,400 yards as a team, while passing for less than

700. Dowrey also earned all-district honors as a guard on offense, but has been

used at fullback at times, including last week.

Liberty has a

similar outlook as Handley as the Eagles operate a predominantly running offense

(they've run the ball over 80% of their offensive plays this season) and have a

stout defense that allowed just 10.2 points per game this season. Howard (1,067

yards, 12 TDs), Budd (869 yards, 15 TDs) and Mike Lee (521 yards, 10 TDs) are

the leading rushers for a team that has run for over 2,800 yards on the ground

this season. The defense has forced 36 turnovers, led by Kyle Michael (5 INTs,

2 FRs) and junior defensive end Wyatt Teller (9 sacks). The Eagles' two losses

were to unbeaten Kettle Run and 8-2 Sherando by a combined 7 points.

(6-4) @ #3 Monticello Mustangs (8-2)

Friday, 7pm | Monticello High School, Charlottesville

Western Albemarle:

QB Kent Henry (Soph.), WR/LB Austin Ellis (Sr.), WR/DB Nicholas Drapanas (Soph.)

Monticello:

QB Jhalil Mosley (Jr.), RB Isaac Robinson (Sr.), WR/DE Sam Patterson (Sr.)

The two

Jefferson District entrants in the region II, division 3 playoffs get a rematch

of a 50-36 Monticello win on September 30^th. The offenses were in

full force that night with 827 yards between the two teams. The visiting

Warriors have won four straight, but still faced a must-win situation last week

to get into the playoffs when they came up with a 24-14 win at Louisa County

thanks to a big game from sophomore quarterback Kent Henry. Henry has been the

Warriors' best offensive player for much of the season, throwing for over 1,300

yards and running for over 700. He is the team's leading rusher despite missing

much of the first game between these two due to a knee injury. In the air,

senior Austin Ellis leads the team with over 40 catches and over 700 yards

receiving and is also the Jefferson's D3 player of the year as a linebacker on

defense.

Monticello has

the most prolific offense in region II, division 3, averaging 41 points per game

and scoring 39 or more points eight times in the regular season. Quarterback

Jhalil Mosley has accounted for 26 touchdowns (18 passing, 8 rushing) this year

and is over 2,000 total yards. Patterson is the team's leading receiver, but

Nathan DiGregorio gives Mosley two very solid options. In the backfield, senior

Isaac Robinson is the latest in a long line of tenacious Mustang running backs.

Robinson stepped into the starting role this year and ran for 1,621 yards and 26

touchdowns to earn the Jefferson District's D3 Offensive player of the year

award from the coaches. Defensively, Monticello has struggled at times,

allowing over 27 points per game, but placed three players on the all-district

first team including sophomore linebacker T.J. Tillery.

(7-3) @ #4 Tuscarora Huskies (8-2)

Friday, 7pm | Tuscarora High School, Leesburg

Warren County:

QB/DB Tyler Post (Jr.), RB/LB Gage Steele (Sr.), WR/DB Matthew Nicholson (Jr.)

Tuscarora:

RB/LB Cameron Molina (Sr.), QB Chad Carrera (Soph.), WR/DB Alden Carpenter (Sr.)

Warren County

heads to Leesburg to take on Tuscarora as the Wildcats look to win a playoff

game for the second straight season. A 13-12 win against cross-town rival

Skyline last Friday meant that the Wildcats were back in the playoffs while the

Hawks were left at home this week. Warren County will look to run the ball with

Gage Steele leading the team in rushing and touchdowns on the ground. In last

week's game, Steele lined up at fullback with Quail Robinson at tailback in an

effort to get their two best runners on the field at once. Quarterback Tyler

Post has also played well this season and has a good connection with leading

receiver Nicholson. On defense, Steele is the anchor of the team at linebacker

and the Wildcats allowed just over 14 points per game this year.

Tuscarora makes

its debut in the playoffs after opening last fall. Coach Michael Burnett's team

has some of the same characteristics as his state championship teams at Broad

Run, namely a strong running game and tough defense. The ground game is led by

senior Cameron Molina's 1,157 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns and a strong

offensive featuring all-Dulles first-teamers Brandon Chirinos and Darius

Anderson, both juniors. Quarterback Chad Carrera also threw for over 1,000

yards this season. Defensively, linebacker Chris Holoman and defensive back

Alden Carpenter are two of the leaders for the Huskies, who allow 17.3 points

per game.

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(5-5) @ #3 Rockbridge County Wildcats (8-2)

Friday, 7:30pm | Rockbridge County High School, Lexington

Rustburg:

QB Randall Jones (Soph.), WR/DB Richie Sparrow (Sr.), RB/LB Uriah Hammond (Jr.)

Rockbridge County:

QB/DB Porter Abell (Jr.), RB Ling Zheng (Sr.), OL/LB Adam Doll-Hennis (Soph.)

Rustburg makes

its return to the postseason after a seven-year absence thanks to a huge win

against Jefferson Forest last week. The Red Devils have improved dramatically

from 2010 to 2011, most notably on the defensive side of the ball where they are

allowing just 16.1 points per game, down from 31.9 last fall. Led by Uriah

Hammond, C.T. Tweedy and Brent Thacker, among others, that defensive improvement

allowed Rustburg to get three district wins for the first time since 2006.

Sophomore Randall Jones is the catalyst on offense for the Red Devils' triple

option attack. Jones has over 1,300 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns for the

season with Hammond giving Rustburg a strong, straight ahead runner, as well.

Rockbridge

County is also making a playoff return after two years out of the postseason.

The Wildcats are reaping the benefits of underclassmen receiving lots of playing

time the past few seasons with a strong 8-2 campaign in 2011. Senior Ling Zheng

set the school rushing record last week and has 1,124 yards this season, while

junior quarterback Porter Abell has run for over 1,000 yards and passed for

almost 700. Those two are the keys to the Rockbridge offense, while their

defense has allowed just 15 points per game, thanks to leading tacklers Adam

Doll-Hennis and Quentin Youngblood and athletic defensive end Angelo Harris.

(6-4) @ #4 R.E. Lee (Staunton) Leemen (6-4)

Friday, 7:30pm | Gypsy Hill Park, Staunton

Fort Defiance:

RB Derek Applegate (Jr.), QB Trevor Lam (Jr.), RB/LB Trevor Fisher (Sr.)

R.E. Lee:

QB Dylan Horne (Jr.), RB Eric McDavis (Sr.), WR Malachi Crawford (Jr.)

It's an all

Valley District first round contest in Staunton with Fort Defiance making its

second trip to face R.E. Lee this season. In the first game, the Leemen won

27-21 thanks to a fourth-down touchdown pass from Dylan Horne to Malachi

Crawford. Horne stepped into the starting quarterback spot this season and has

had an excellent year, finishing second in the Valley District in rushing with

1,002 yards and scoring eight touchdowns and throwing for almost 900 yards and

10 touchdowns. McDavis and Javon Chisley (nearly 9 yards per carry) give the

Leemen additional options out of the backfield. Defensively, Lee is solid if

unspectacular. They've allowed just 18.4 points per game and have good team

speed on that side of the ball.

Fort Defiance

comes into the playoffs having won four of its past five games and the Indians

seem to have overcome some midseason injury concerns. Coach Dan Rolfe's team

likes to run the ball and they put both Derek Applegate and Trevor Fisher in the

Valley District top five in rushing yards. Applegate also led the team in

touchdowns. Wyatt Smith and quarterback Trevor Lam give the Indians four

capable ball carriers. Fisher is the defensive leader, although Fort was not

dominant on that side. They allowed between 20 and 28 points in eight of their

games this season (a 48-0 loss to Broadway and 32-14 win over Turner Ashby the

only outliers).

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(3-7) @ #3 Martinsville Bulldogs (5-5)

Friday, 7pm | Martinsville High School

Abingdon:

RB Grant Pennings (Jr.), QB Tyler Arnold (Soph.), RB/LB Grayson Toler (Soph.)

Martinsville:

RB/DB Freddie Williams (Sr.), QB Ishmel Hairston (Sr.), LB Herman Jones (Sr.)

Abingdon makes the trip east on route 58 to Martinsville looking for its first

playoff win since 1996. This year's Falcon squad has just three wins, against

winless Tazewell, 1-9 Northwood and 6-4 John Battle. Abingdon averages just

14.9 points per game and was hurt by the loss of their best offensive player,

Caleb Widner, to a season-ending knee injury. Junior running back Grant

Pennings, while Toler was the team's leading rusher in the regular season finale

against Marion. The defense has played pretty well this season, aside from the

56-10 loss to Richlands and 55-24 loss to Marion. Without those two games,

they're allowing less than 12 points per game.

Martinsville comes into the postseason with a .500 record for the second

consecutive season. Last year, they knocked off Marion before losing at

Richlands in the second round. The Bulldogs bring a solid ground game to the

table this year with senior Freddie Williams leading the team in yardage and

quarterback Ishmel Hairston scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground. Hairston has

also thrown for more than 500 yards this season. Seniors Rayshawn Hairston and

Herman Jones lead the defense. Martinsville averages 24.9 points on offense and

allowed an average of 25.0 on defense.

(4-6) @ #4 Tunstall Trojans (4-6)

Friday, 7pm | Tunstall High School, Dry Fork

Marion:

RB Ethan Richardson (Jr.), QB Marshall Wagner (Sr.), WR Colin Gullion (Soph.)

Tunstall:

QB/DB Evan Huffman (Jr.), LB Brad Hylton (Soph.), RB/LB Elijah Motley (Sr.)

The Scarlet Hurricanes are back in the playoffs for the fourth time in five

years. Coach Joey Carroll took over this season and promptly put Marion into a

spread offense, which has worked well for senior quarterback Marshall Wagner.

Wagner has thrown for over 1,500 yards and accounted for 27 touchdowns (17

passing, 10 rushing). Ethan Richardson is the team's leading rusher with nearly

1,000 yards with Gullion and Kyle Rivero the top pass catchers for Marion this

year. Rivero had five touchdowns last week against Abingdon. For the second

year in a row, Marion suffered through a long losing streak in the middle of the

season, but they finished strong this year and come in on a three-game winning

streak.

Tunstall faced a long trip to Grundy in last year's playoffs, so the Trojans

will be happy to have a home game in 2011 after a 4-6 regular season. They beat

two winless teams, plus one-win Chatham this year, but have a strong win over

Rustburg and played well against three other playoff teams (Staunton River,

Martinsville and Bassett). On offense, the Trojans run the ball about twice as

much as they pass, with Huffman, Motley and Jacob Barnette the leading ball

carriers. Huffman has also thrown for over 700 yards. On defense, Tunstall

allows 23 points per game, but held seven opponents to under 21 points.

Sophomore linebackers Brad Hylton and Chase Scarce are the leading tacklers and

the team forces nearly three turnovers per game on average.

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