Last Week: 2-2 (50%) | Season: 463-119 (80%)

(12-1) vs

Richlands Blue Tornado (13-0)

Saturday, 12pm | Williams Stadium @ Liberty University, Lynchburg

Poquoson Islanders

| Coach Elliott Duty | Offense: 31.3 ppg | Defense: 7.4 ppg

Last State Championship Appearance:

2004. The Islanders lost 40-14 to Gretna that season. That is Poquoson's only

previous state championship appearance

Richlands Blue Tornado

| Coach Greg Mance | Offense: 49.7 ppg | Defense: 11.6 ppg

Last State Championship Appearance:

2007. The Blue Tornado lost 37-22 to Monticello that season. Richlands is 2-2

in four previous state championship appearances, winning in 1992 (D4) and 2006

(D3).

Poquoson's season started out with a 30-10 loss on the road at

Dinwiddie, a AAA Division 5 semifinalist. The Islanders then ran through the

Bay Rivers District, allowing just 50 points in their nine district games and

turning in five shutouts during that stretch. Poquoson failed to score 28

points or more in just one district contest (a 7-0 win over Grafton) and beat

two playoff teams (Grafton and Bruton) plus a third, Lafayette, that was a

playoff team until two forfeits bumped them from the postseason. Poquoson's

defense has not let up in the playoffs as the Islanders beat Nottoway 27-6 and

James Monroe 42-7 in the region I playoffs before winning 10-3 against Handley

last Saturday.

The words you hear associated with this year's Islander team

generally include "tough, hard-nosed and relentless," and their offensive and

defensive schemes fall in line with those descriptors. The offense is a

run-first attack, primarily lining up in the wing-T with multiple ball carriers

running behind an offensive line made up of just one senior and four junior

starters. In the backfield, senior Cody Hutchinson is the leading rusher

for Poquoson with 1,066 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns through 13 games.

Thomas Garris (765 yards), Luke Hill (752 yards) and Dylan Hill

(469 yards) are all tough runners for Poquoson. Quarterback Tee McConnell

is consistently solid under center with eight touchdowns and two interceptions

this season and while Poquoson's offensive philosophy does not generally involve

throwing more than ten times in a game, McConnell has a good arm and makes good

decisions. McConnell also scored the Islanders' lone touchdown last week

against Handley on a four-yard scamper. All of them benefit from running behind

a very good offensive line, led by all-region selections Dustin Edwards

(right guard) and Nate Rhea (left tackle). Guard Jordan Kelley,

center Tony Allsbrook and tackle Stephen Boyer, the lone senior on

the offensive line, are the other starters. Tight end William Haskins is

a strong blocker and also the Islanders' leading receiver. Kicker Michael

Lutz is solid and had an important 30-yard field goal in last week's win.

The defense is what makes Poquoson such a formidable opponent

this year. The Islanders run a 3-5-3 system and the front eight are as good as

any in AA and seven players earned first-team all-district honors in the Bay

Rivers this year. Poquoson's defense is allowing less than 100 yards rushing

per game, though Handley was able to rush for 161 yards last Saturday. On the

defensive line, Boyer (6-2, 260), Haskins (6-2, 230) and Baxter Bristow

(6-0, 220) are the starters and are good at engaging offensive lines and freeing

up room for the Islander linebackers to make plays. Haskins is probably the

most-heralded of the bunch at defensive end. Both Luke and Dylan Hill start at

inside linebacker, along with Garris and all three have notched more than 100

tackles during the season to date. Luke Hill is the district's defensive player

of the year and is the team's leading tackler and has five interceptions and

four fumble recoveries, as well. Evan Lemon and Russell Thornburg

are the outside linebackers and have proven very good at forcing opposing

running backs from getting to the outside. In the secondary, senior Jay

Diggs starts at safety and is among the team leaders in tackles, while

McConnell and Austin Smith are the corners. Smith leads the team with

six interceptions, as opponents have chosen to avoid throwing at McConnell's

side of the field much of the year.

The Blue Tornado have won 10 games or more in six of the past

seven seasons (2008 the exception when they finished 9-3) and have been

virtually unstoppable during the first 13 games of the 2010 season. Their

unbeaten regular season included three shutouts, all against playoff bound teams

(Gate City, Carroll County and Grundy) and their closest game was a 42-20 win

over Powell Valley. The Richlands' starters rarely played much in the second

half of games during the regular season and they mowed through the Southwest

District for their seventh straight district championship. In the playoffs,

Richlands beat Martinsville 63-19 and Cave Spring 36-23 in region IV and

dominated Brookville 44-7 on the road last week to reach the state championship.

Richlands' offense is averaging just under 50 points per game and

has been a balance of power running and a very good passing attack complemented

by strong special teams play. Devon Johnson (6-2, 210) leads the team in

rushing with 1,376 yards and 23 touchdowns and has been on a tear in the

playoffs, rushing for 406 yards and three touchdowns and catching two scores in

the three postseason games. At quarterback, Richlands has done well with the

combination of senior Cody Lockhart (over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns)

and junior Reece Strong. Lockhart is the starter and has a very good arm

and can move out of the pocket and has thrown just three interceptions this

year. Wide receivers Bradley Strong, Sean Overton and Austin

Johnson are the playmakers for the Blue Tornado passing game. Strong leads

the team with 43 receptions and 12 touchdwons and both he and Overton are over

600 yards receiving on the year. Even so, Devon Johnson has led the Blue

Tornado in receiving yards in two of the three playoff games. The offensive

line is big and moves well. Junior guard Josh Hess (6-6, 295) is the top

prospect up front. Aaron Daugherty (6-0, 280) and junior center

Taylor Wade (6-1, 235) and tackles Todd Smith and Joseph Guerriero

are the other starters on the line. Reece Strong is solid as the Blue Tornado

kicker, as well.

The Blue Tornado defense flies to the ball and has good speed in

the secondary and at linebacker to go along with a strong defensive front.

Defensive end Will Lowe is the leader of the defensive line and was the

2009 region IV defensive player of the year as a junior and is among the team

leaders in tackles. On the other side, look for Skyler Bunker and

Nick Wolfe, while Hunter Brown, Jeremy McGlothlin and

Chandler Blankenship rotate in the interior line. Senior Cody Thomas

is the leader of the Richlands' line backing corps and Thomas is a hard-hitting,

quick defender who epitomizes what the Blue Tornado defensive persistence is all

about. Devon Johnson and Tanner Smith are two more to watch at

linebacker. In the secondary, Bradley Strong and Albert Fajardo are the

top cornerbacks with Overton, Austin Johnson and Jack Vance also key

players in the defensive backfield. The Richlands defense and special teams has

big-play potential. Aside from his 12 receiving touchdowns, Strong has

accounted for 10 other touchdowns, including two punt return touchdowns and an

interception returned for a score in the playoffs alone.

Poquoson Offense (last three weeks)

Runs (Yards) . . . . Passes (Yards) . . . . Game

37 (308) . . . . . . . 16 (101) . . . . . . . . Nottoway (Region

Semifinal)

61 (367) . . . . . . . 5 (84) . . . . . . . . . . James Monroe

(Region Final)

36 (132) . . . . . . . 2 (-2) . . . . . . . . . . Handley (State

Semifinal)

134 (807) . . . . . . 23 (183) . . . . . . . . TOTAL

157 plays for 990 yards

134 runs (85%) for 807 yards (82%), 6.0 yards per run

23 passes (15%) for 183 yards (18%), 8.0 yards per pass

10 Touchdowns/2 Turnovers

Richlands Offense (last three weeks)

Runs (Yards) . . . . Passes (Yards) . . . . Game

60 (303) . . . . . . . 8 (151) . . . . . . . . . Martinsville

(Region Semifinal)

43 (199) . . . . . . . 19 (151) . . . . . . . . Cave Spring

(Region Final)

44 (257) . . . . . . . 18 (227) . . . . . . . . Brookville (State

Semifinal)

147 (759) . . . . . . 45 (529) . . . . . . . . TOTAL

192 plays for 1,288 yards

147 runs (77%) for 759 yards (59%), 5.2 yards per run

45 passes (23%) for 529 yards (41%), 11.8 yards per pass

17 Touchdowns/5 Turnovers

Poquoson makes little attempt to hide what they want to do

offensively. The Islanders want to run the ball and have done so 85% of the

time during the playoffs and have gained six yards per carry and 270 yards per

game on the ground during those three games. Of the 23 passes thrown by

Poquoson during the postseason, more than 2/3 of those came in their regional

semifinal against Nottoway when the Islanders found themselves down 6-0 at

halftime despite dominating for much of the first half. The low number of

turnovers is also notable. The Islanders have put the ball on the ground five

teams in the playoffs, but have managed to recover all but one of those fumbles.

Richlands' offensive statistics present a problem for Blue

Tornado opponents. The Blue Tornado obviously love to run the ball and have

been very successful in the playoffs, averaging over 250 yards per game on the

ground. However, their passing game has been stellar, averaging almost 12 yards

per pass attempt and completing 60% of their passes. Furthermore, Richlands has

scored nine touchdowns of 30 yards or more in the playoffs, including three

non-offensive touchdowns. The numbers show that Richlands would like to run the

ball more often than not, but has little trouble putting the ball in the air

with plenty of success. Finally, Richlands has averaged 64 offensive plays per

game in the playoffs, easily the highest among the four teams left standing in

AA.

The Islanders have made it to the state championship on the

strength of their running game and their defense, both of which are among the

best in AA. If they're going to win on Saturday, they have to have success in

both of those facets of the game.

The offense, especially, must come to play on Saturday. The 130

yards of total offense in last week's game against Handley likely will not be

enough to get the job done against Richlands, which is allowing just 123 yards

on the ground in the postseason. The line and blocking backs have to be

prepared for Richlands' defensive speed and the Islanders must avoid putting

themselves in third and long passing situations.

Defensively, Poquoson has to get off to a good start. This is a

well-organized group that does not put themselves in bad position too often and

that will be the key on Saturday. During the playoffs, they've allowed just two

touchdowns and forced seven turnovers, something that must continue on Saturday

if they're going to get the win.

Richlands is no stranger to deep playoff runs and this year's

team features many seniors who either traveled with the team to the state

championship, or were around the program, as freshman in 2007. The loss to

Monticello that season is something that we've seen referenced by players in

recent weeks as a driving force for this playoff run.

As exemplified in their offensive output the past three weeks,

Richlands has had little trouble moving the ball on offense most of the season.

The running game is peaking at the right time and the passing game has been

dynamite, as well. The offense has not made many mistakes, but also has not

faced a defense as tough as Poquoson's thus far. How Richlands responds to the

defensive effort from Poquoson will be key on Saturday.

The Blue Tornado defense is equally tenacious and they've been

particularly tough against the run in the playoffs. Part of that is due to

Richlands' offensive success forcing opponents to pass, as well as the

opposition Richlands has faced in the postseason (both Cave Spring and

Brookville had strong passing games). The play of the defensive line and

linebackers will be key Saturday and I would not be surprised to see eight and

nine men in the box for Richlands in an effort to force Poquoson into passing

situations.

Teams rarely make it to the state championship game without

having firm identities on both offense and defense and both Richlands and

Poquoson fit that mold nicely. This game features the one of, if not the most

explosive offense in AA against one of, if not the stingiest defenses in AA.

Both teams have had good tests in recent weeks that have shown

they can win close games. Poquoson's win over Handley last week was a testament

to the defense's bend, but don't break ability, as the Judges were able to pick

up solid yardage numbers (more than Poquoson allowed the previous 2 games

combined), but unable to translate that success into points on the scoreboard.

Richlands had its toughest test of the season two weeks back against Cave

Spring, trailing in the second half for the first time in 2010. The Blue

Tornado outscored the Knights 22-7 over the final quarter and a half, however,

to claim the win.

I look for this game to be tight early on as both teams get a

feel for each other and look for both defenses to be active and to set the tone

early. I think both teams will try and assert their running games, too, but I'm

not sure that either ground game will prove the difference in this one,

especially with both defenses likely keying on the other team's running backs

first and foremost. If that's the case, then you've got to look to the passing

games, where Richlands has a clear advantage statistically. Of the two, the

Blue Tornado are the team that has the weapons to come back from any deficit and

I feel that Poquoson will have to get out to an early lead if they want to win.

I look for a good game that ultimately goes Richlands' way in the end.