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As part of our comprehensive coverage, we count down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification. It's found exclusively on this web site with updates weekly during the season.

What to Know: The Northumberland Indians are not only getting used to making the playoffs, but advancing once there. In fact, in four of the past six postseasons, the Indians have gotten out of the first round. Five of their ten playoff wins all-time have come since 2017 under current Head Coach Aaron Lewis, quite confident this team has the goods to add to that total this year with 13 players - five on offense and eight defensively - that have started for them before.

Northumberland is coming off an 8-3 season, where they went on a five-game losing streak before falling to King & Queen 28-12 in the regional semis. That marked a much closer battle than the 44-0 loss they suffered to them during the regular season. Now, replacing the rare talent that was Rivals 4-star talent Cam Seldon, who moved on to play his College Football in the SEC at Tennessee after earning 1st Team All-State honors, won't be easy at all.

So where will the Indians turn for the source of their offense and play-making? A few different places, beginning with dynamic senior Markiel Cockrell (5-11, 185), a two-time State Champ in track the 4x100 meter who also ran a 10.91 100-meter and clocked in a time of 22.78 in the 200-meter. An Adidas National All-American in track, Cockrell holds football offers from Bryant and Navy to date. In limited action last year, just six games in fact, his production was not too shabby.

Cockrell racked up 583 all-purpose yards in 2022 with five touchdowns, hauling in 20 balls for 288 yards and three scores to go with 245 yards on the ground and a score on 25 attempts. Expect him to garner way more touches and to go from being 2nd Team All-Northern Neck District to challenging for both All-Region and All-State accolades if he remains healthy. They have an athletic quarterback to distribute him the ball in sophomore Tyreek Lundy (5-11, 182), who in nine games as a freshman completed 39 of 71 passes for 832 yards and a 10-4 TD/Int. ratio.

Lundy had three rushing scores a season ago, so if he raises that number, it'll bode well in the offense eclipsing the 27.9 points per game they averaged. Another vital cog for an offense with the speed and ability to stretch the field on the outside is senior Kayleb Williams (6-1, 175), who hauled in four scoring passes during a six-game span. Seniors MJ Laws (6-0, 180) and Cintez Gibson (5-9, 165) round out the receiving core, while senior transfer Hezekiah Bailey (5-11, 180) is slated to get a lot of reps at running back.

The offensive line breaks in three new starters, so it'll be up to returnees in senior Joseph Scripture (5-10, 195) and sophomore Cason Rodgers (5-9, 180) to pave the way until the newcomers get comfortable, which includes a a robust senior coming off an injury that sidelined him as a junior in Ian Vanlandingham (6-2, 245). They'll count on him along with Bailey and sophomore Cincere Gibson (5-10, 170) to hold down the defensive line as well.

Lewis firmly believes it'll be a fast and physical defense that could go down as perhaps that best he's had with ample experience in the form of eight projected senior starters. Laws was a 1st Team All-Northern Neck DB last year with seven interceptions. Another senior, Anthony Gregory (5-8, 170), earned 2nd Team All-District honors and is flanked by Cockrell, Lawrence George (5-9, 165) and sophomore Dreamier Bromley (5-9, 165). Lundy and Williams will see some time with Cintez Gibson and Laws in the secondary.

Northumberland faces just one team above the Class 1 level when they travel to Bruton on September 14th. If they beat the Panthers for a fourth straight time, then it's highly possible we're looking at an Indians team that makes it to 6-0 when they get stiff road district tests at Essex on October 13th and at Westmoreland on October 20th.

Final Class 1 Rankings from 2022:

#1 - Riverheads (12-1)

#2 - Essex (13-1)

#3 - George Wythe (10-4)

#4 - Central-Lunenburg (11-1)

#5 - King & Queen (10-3)

#6 - Grundy (8-5)

#7 - Grayson County (10-3)

#8 - Galax (7-4)

#9 - Northumberland (8-3)

#10 - Narrows (9-2)

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher 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 be sure to Subscribe to Hometown Sports Productions where you can hear his Podcasts.