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Published Aug 26, 2021
Final VHSL Top Ten Football Rankings for 2020-21
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Matthew Hatfield  •  VirginiaPreps
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@hatfieldsports

It was a season unlike any other in Virginia High School League Football for the 2020-21 school-year. For the first time in our lifetimes, the season didn't get underway in August or September. Instead, games began in February as COVID-19 prompted the league's office to move Fall Sports - including football - back on the calendar.

In addition, the season was condensed to six weeks over the regular season, and rather than the customary five rounds of postseason we've seen in recent years, the playoffs were reduced a round. Furthermore, State Championship games took place on the home soils of Region A or Region B Champions.

Riverheads made history, becoming the first team in VHSL history to capture five consecutive State Championships. Coach Robert Casto's Gladiators rolled past Galax, 65-29, to win their eighth state title. The Gladiators take a 36-game winning streak into next season. Meanwhile in Class 2, Appomattox dedicated its season to its Head Coach - Doug Smith - and his fight with cancer and the Raiders beat Stuarts Draft 48-41 to win their fifth sate title in six seasons.

Oscar Smith won their third ever state title and first since 2011 by avenging a narrow loss the season before to South County, routing the Stallions 62-21 in Class 6. In Class 5, Stone Bridge followed up its basketball team's state title from several weeks earlier with a wild 13-10 overtime triumph over Highland Springs, thanks to Billy Wiles' touchdown strike to Jacob Thomas that made Sports Center.

Salem captured its tenth state title by beating Lake Taylor, 28-20 in Norfolk in the third - and perhaps final - Championship encounter between the two perennial contenders. That's because Lake Taylor moves down to Class 3.

Final VHSL Top Ten Football Rankings for 2020-21


See Final Playoff Brackets Here


Class 6 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

1

Oscar Smith

9-0

2

5

Massaponax

8-1

3

3

South County

9-1

4

NR

Madison

8-1

5

NR

Chantilly

6-2

6

HM

Thomas Dale

6-1

7

NR

Robinson

5-3

8

HM

Patriot

5-1

9

NR

Gar-Field

6-1

10

4

Lake Braddock

4-3

Class 5 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

2

Stone Bridge

9-0

2

1

Highland Springs

8-1

3

3

Maury

6-2

4

4

Manchester

6-1

5

HM

Hermitage

6-1

6

6

Salem (Virginia Beach)

3-1

7

NR

William Fleming

6-3

8

NR

Deep Creek

6-2

9

HM

Briar Woods

5-2

10

HM

Green Run

3-2

Class 4 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

3

Salem

10-0

2

1

Lake Taylor

7-1

3

2

Tuscarora

7-1

4

NR

King George

8-1

5

HM

Monacan

7-1

6

4

Broad Run

5-2

7

8

Louisa

6-1

8

7

Patrick Henry-Ashland

6-1

9

10

Churchland

4-2

10

HM

GW-Danville

6-2

Class 3 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

3

Lafayette

9-0

2

1

Lord Botetourt

9-1

3

HM

Liberty Christian

6-2

4

NR

Independence

5-2

5

4

Phoebus

4-1

6

7

Goochland

6-1

7

8

Brookville

6-1

8

10

Abingdon

6-1

9

5

Heritage-Lynchburg

6-2

10

2

Hopewell

3-2

Class 2 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

1

Appomattox

10-0

2

5

Stuarts Draft

8-2

3

HM

Union

6-3

4

HM

King William

4-0

5

2

Graham

5-1

6

4

Central-Wise

5-2

7

9

Poquoson

4-3

8

8

Glenvar

5-3

9

3

Radford

4-2

10

HM

Strasburg

6-2

Class 1 Top Ten:
RankPreseasonSchoolRecord

1

1

Riverheads

10-0

2

2

Galax

9-1

3

6

Narrows

7-1

4

HM

Holston

6-2

5

4

J.I. Burton

4-1

6

7

Patrick Henry-Glade Spring

5-2

7

NR

West Point

5-3

8

NR

King & Queen

6-1

9

NR

Castlewood

5-2

10

NR

Rural Retreat

4-2


Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to Cavs Corner and the ACC Sports Journal. 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 don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.