Are you ready for some football? Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com gets you set for the 2023 High School Football season with content you can't find anywhere else.

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 King William Cavaliers have a rich tradition of excellence, dating back 40-plus years. In fact, since 1980, the program has produced 15 double-digit win seasons, many of which came under the great Roger Brookes as Head Coach. They've notched 37 playoff victories as a program. Perhaps even more impressive is the consistency in the form of finishing below the .500 mark just once - with a 5-6 mark in 2017 - in the past 35 seasons.

Coach Scott Moore has kept the standard high, posting a 25-5 record, highlighted by a State Championship in 2021. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a game-changing talent like Demond Claiborne, who's now at Wake Forest after rushing for 2946 yards and 47 touchdowns during his senior year. Claiborne's 52 total touchdowns in 2021 placed him third in VHSL history behind only Heritage-Lynchburg grad Elijah Davis and Hopewell alum TreVeyon Henderson, who had 59 and 53 end zone trots, respectively.

Moore's Cavs didn't experience a drastic fall off in 2022 post-Claiborne as they finished 9-4 overall. The title run ended in a 14-7 loss to Poquoson in the Region 2A Championship. Now, there are several holes to fill with seven players chosen First Team All-Region - three offensively and four on defense - having graduated. One on each side of the ball named 2nd team All-Region also departed. Nevertheless, Moore is encouraged with the experience returning on the offensive line and by the amount of speed they can put on the field defensively.

Four o-line starters are back, headed up by seniors Derek Baker II (6-3, 210) and Carter Hamilton (6-3, 245). While Hamilton earned 2nd Team All-State honors on the o-line, Baker was a 2nd Team All-Region and 1st Team All-Tidewater District performer. Senior Mason Botkin (6-4, 275) and sophomore Cory McPhearson (5-11, 262) are the other two returning starters on the line as senior Garrett Fulks (6-0, 180) and junior Trey Brown vie for playing time at the other spot up front.

In terms of running the football, juniors James Stewart and Caron Washington, who can also flex out to receiver, will be two of the focal points. When they go to the air, seniors Nick Medlin (6-2, 175) and Marty Braxton (5-8, 170) give them two seasoned players the coaching staff has confident in to make plays. Braxton will also figure into the equation on defense at linebacker, while Medlin had a fumble recovery in the playoff game vs. Poquoson from his defensive back spot.

With his frame serving as an asset, junior Trenton Stallings (6-2, 215) appears to be the primary triggerman. Another junior Jahmari Dupree-Wade (5-9, 145) may see some time there as well as lining up at receiver with his athletic ability. The biggest thing for King William will be to play the type of ball-control that can wear opponents down and chew up clock behind their sturdy o-line. The defensive front will be anchored by Hamilton off the edge and Baker.

Marcus Washington and junior Macari Martin are two projected starters to team with Baker and Hamilton on the d-line. Stewart, Stallings and senior C.J. Cosby (6-0, 220) are expected to hold down the linebacker unit. Caron Washington and Javon Lewis will aid Medlin in the secondary. Who steps up as that bona-fide playmaker on defense much like Tre Robinson, the Tidewater District Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, was remains to be seen.

Out of the gate, the schedule is brutal with Stuarts Draft (8-4 last year), Clarke County (7-4), Class 4 Hanover (9-3), Class 3 Caroline (5-7), Strasburg (11-2), Central-Woodstock (12-3) and Clarke County (6-5). Those teams went a combined 58-28, so if the Cavaliers aren't careful, they could enter the bye week at or below .500. However, it eases up after that point, so when the playoffs arrive, they should be more than battle-tested to make serious run at the Region 2A crown, regardless of their seed, with another potential showdown against Poquoson. Others like Nottoway, Central-Lunenburg and Amelia could certainly be heard from in that region as well.

Final Class 2 Rankings from 2022:

#1 - Graham (15-0)

#2 - Ridgeview (11-2)

#3 - Appomattox (10-4)

#4 - Central-Woodstock (12-3)

#5 - Radford (10-2)

#6 - Strasburg (11-2)

#7 - Glenvar (9-4)

#8 - Poquoson (9-5)

#9 - Luray (9-3)

#10 - Virginia High (9-3)

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.