Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com will begin previewing the upcoming 2018 High School Football season. As part of our comprehensive coverage, we will be counting down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification.
#10 E.C. Glass Hilltoppers
What to Know: It hasn't taken long for Jeff Woody to resurrect the E.C. Glass football program, which was dubbed a wasteland three years ago. The Hilltoppers won eight games for the first time since 1998 and also notched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-05. They also posted a winning record in district play for the first time since entering the Seminole District in 2009. Now can they take that next step?
With 10 players that started games on offense and nine that got starts on defense back, the ceiling is very high for this Glass group. Their strength on offense will undoubtedly be the dual-threat abilities of junior QB DreSean Kendrick (5-10, 175), a 1st Team All-Region 4D performer. Quick with great vision and balance, Ty Foster (5-7, 160) returns at running back after rushing for over 850 yards as a sophomore. The wide receiver core brings back key playmakers as well with Justin Barnett (5-10, 170) and fellow senior Warren Horsley (5-10, 165), a crisp route runner.
There's depth at the receiver spot for the Hilltoppers, too, with junior Mac Johnson (5-10, 160) and seniors Dreyon Brawley (5-10, 170) and Wyatt Hamilton (5-10, 175), a member of the recent E.C. Glass lacrosse state title winning team. Where they are most experienced on offense though, believe it or not, is on the offensive line with sophomore newcomer Carrington Harvey (6-5, 300) joining seasoned returnees Jacorri Kittrell (5-11, 260), B.J. Wheat (6-4, 245), Charles Sweeney (5-11, 240) and Jayden Merriman (6-2, 230). Wheat has 22 career starts, while Kittrell earned All-Region accolades on both sides of the ball.
A significant question mark for Glass certainly comes in how do they replace linebacker Thomas Patterson, Region 4D Defensive Player of the Year? Patterson made 149 tackles a season ago and is now at D-2 Glenville State. Fortunately, the interior linemen in Kittrell, Merriman and junior Holden Fretz (6-1, 240), as well as senior DE/LB Keegan Paige (6-0, 240), made themselves known last year. Without Patterson, they're going to lean on the intelligence and toughness of senior Wyatt Hamilton (5-11, 170) as new projected starters Xavier Hager (5-10, 180) and Shawn Hay (5-9, 230), both juniors, develop.
In the secondary, senior free safety Jairelle Reeves (6-0, 170) is a highlight player, having earned 2nd Team All-Region honors last year. He'll lead a DB crew that also includes Horsley, Kendrick, Brawley and Johnson. Two games to keep an eye on for Glass come off their bye week to conclude September when they travel to Heritage-Lynchburg and host Brookville. Both were tight games last year, beating Heritage and losing to Brookville, and should once again be good barometers for them before the playoffs roll around.
Final Class 4 Rankings for 2017:
#1 - Salem (13-2)
#2 - Louisa (14-1)
#3 - Dinwiddie (12-1)
#4 - Lafayette (12-2)
#5 - Blacksburg (11-2)
#6 - Monacan (11-1)
#7 - King's Fork (11-2)
#8 - Eastern View (11-1)
#9 - Sherando (11-3)
#10 - GW-Danville (10-2)
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