style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>The series

between Bayside and Cox in recent years has been lopsided in terms of who comes

out on top, but not the margin of the games.

Bayside will try to make it seven in a row over Cox and enhance their

chances of not only grabbing a home game in the first round of the playoffs,

but get the #3 seed in 6A-South. Cox,

which lost to the Marlins by seven points or less each of the past two years,

has its goal in sight of winning their first ever playoff game in school

history, and beating the Marlins would go a long way towards having that

opening round postseason match in front of their home.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Offensively,

Bayside has been much better in year two under Jon White than they were in

2013. They are averaging 29.8 points per

game and have one of the top rushers in all of Tidewater in senior Daryl Sills,

the younger brother of former Salem star Kevin Whaley.

style=> For the season, Sills has rushed for 839

yards and 12 touchdowns on 117 attempts, even going over the 100-yard mark

against one of the tougher defenses around in Salem.

style=> A key reason to their offense being improved

is the fact that junior QB Donte Lampley is taking

care of the ball better and finding his receivers, such as junior Phillip

Patterson and Isaiah Pooler, in space.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Quarterback

Cole Johnson will finish this season with the most passing yards in Cox

history, currently sitting at 1197 on 90 completions out of 132 attempts with a

16-5TD/Int. ratio. That gives him a QB

rating of 120. On the ground, he's also

rushed for 317 yards and 3TD's, though has lost five fumbles.

style=> Cox has a deep stable of backs and receivers

with Collin Sherman, Bradley Jones (6TD's total), C.J. Tabron

and sophomore sensation Khalan Laborn

that are all capable of moving the chains or scoring.

style=> Laborn has nine

total touchdowns this year and 596 yards from scrimmage on just 51 touches.

style=> Up front on the o-line, Rutgers commit Blake

Camper at left tackle and center Perry Schrader are the anchors for this

multi-dimensional offense that has been humming all year.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>On

defense, linebacker Sam Brooks has been a force for Cox with 64 total tackles

and a pair of interceptions. Matt

class=SpellE>DeMasi, Brett Madden, Jeremiah Salley

and Donnell Story have been valuable parts to a defense that has pitched three

shutouts on the year. Corner

class=SpellE>Dontrell Harrington (30 tackles, 2INT's) left with an injury

in last week's win over Green Run and his status is unknown going into this

game. For the year, the Falcons have

eight takeaways, seven coming on interceptions.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>As

for Bayside's defense, they will be without two of

their main playmakers in ODU commit Jamez

class=SpellE>Brickhouse, one of the Beach District's best corners who

went down with a season-ending injury in the team's comeback win over

class=SpellE>Kellam, and Rover Deshawn Doby.

style=> Patterson is a takeaway threat on the back end,

while the Marlins have been fairly stout against the run, as seen in last week's

34-0 shutout of Princess Anne and the week before when they held Green Run to

14 points, posting eight sacks in the game.

A couple of freshmen are making their mark already as LB

class=SpellE>Teradja Mitchell made 13 tackles a week ago and freshman

defensive back Armani Chatman intercepted a pass.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>For Bayside to

win, it might require them cutting the Cox point total, which is at 30.8PPG, in

half or close to it and they have to do a couple of things in order for that to

happen. One of them is creating a

takeaway or two, and another is being able t mount a fierce pass rush on

Johnson to throw off his timing and rhythm in the pocket.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>The Marlins don't

want to get behind early and play catch-up because it'll force them to throw,

potentially increasing their odds for an interception, plus may also take Sills

out of the equation. Playing a methodical

and physical brand of football while keeping the Cox offense off the field will

be critical.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>A lot of this

will come down to the Bayside kicking game, both on punts and kickoffs.

style=> Of course, Laborn

is a dangerous return man for the Falcons, and the Marlins need to operate with

shorter fields if possible and make Cox have to drive the length of it on them

to score its points.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Although the

Falcons scored 21 points in a loss against Ocean Lakes, they could've possibly

had more as they threw two interceptions in the red zone.

style=> As Cox knows from last year's encounter,

turnovers in that area of the field can be fatal, and they probably won't be

fortunate to win on the scoreboard if they are minus-2 or minus-3 in the

turnover category.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>With

class=SpellE>Brickhouse and Doby out, the

Falcons will want to test the Bayside secondary over the top on a few

occasions. While the Marlins have

talents back there in Patterson (5INT's) and Chris Hunt, Cox has to feel good

about their chances of striking for a big play with Laborn,

Bradley Jones and others stepping up this year in the passing game.

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

style=> Tackling Sills is no easy task, but if Cox is

going to give their home fans something to cheer about by night's end, they

have to limit his big runs and force Bayside to throw the football on third

down. He's one of the more powerful and

effective running backs in the area, capable of winning the game for the

Marlins with a 150-200 yard-night if the defense isn't ready to stop him.

"Verdana","sans-serif"'>This one is huge for Bethel and its playoff hopes in

Group 6A-South, where they are currently battling it out with

class=SpellE>Landstown for the #8 seed. The Bruins have shown

promise by beating Heritage and nearly upending Phoebus in a game where they

led by double-figures, though did suffer lopsided losses to Western Branch,

Woodside and Kecoughtan - three teams that figure to

make the playoffs in Group 6A. Offensively, they have the third leading

rusher in the Peninsula District in Quinton Lee (160Att. 935Yds. 14TD's) as

well as a lethal receiver/return man in Darrell Brown that has returned three

kicks for touchdowns already this year. On defense, they will count on LB

Aaron Edwards and CB T.C. Chisley to be playmakers.

As for Hampton, the Crabbers actually had a losing record at one in this

season, 2-3 when they lost to Phoebus 19-8. They've re-grouped behind the

dual-threat exploits of junior quarerback

class=SpellE>Jovonn 'Bubba' Quillen, who

recently became only the third Peninsula District player ever to run for over

1000 yards and pass for over 1000 yards in the same season. He should get

help with the return of RB Demetrius Strickland from injury, and

class=SpellE>wideout Tyquon Wilkins is an

electric player on the edge. At times, the Crabbers have been porous

defensively, but have also gotten key takeaways from LB Ricky Hatcher and

Wilkins, among others.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>There's

very little, to nothing, on the line in this one. The Monarchs got off to

a strong start to the season when they trumped Maury 28-7, but have since dropped

eight in a row and don't look to be headed to the playoffs in Group 5A-South.

Gloucester is trying to notch its first and only win of the year in the

regular season finale. The closest they've gotten was an overtime loss to

Warwick. Even though they lost to Hampton 49-10 last week, the Monarchs

showed some offensive punch when TE Elijah Murphy broke off a long touchdown

reception. Backs Malik Dixon, Torey Guilford and Richard Smith can be

adequate in spots, especially against a Dukes defense that is pretty generous,

allowing 42.1 points per game. Top rusher Devon Pullen (160Car. 642Yds.

3TD's) will have to step up in a big way for Gloucester and get some help for

the Dukes to avoid finishing in the basement of the Peninsula District.

style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Menchville 18-9

VHSL-Reference Says: Menchville

24-17

Coach Young Says: Menchville

30-14

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Friday: First Colonial (2-6) at Green

Run (4-4) . . .

font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:

minor-latin'>Coach Sam Scarborough of First Colonial cannot like what he's seen

offensively the past four weeks with just seven points in each of those

contests, including getting stopped in the red zone by Kellam

in a game where the defense did its job in holding the Knights to only 14

points. They will count on their defense

again, led by LB's Dominic Floyd and Bodie Sheehan,

against a Green Run team that isn't lacking in the playmaker or speed

departments. Quarterback Austin Lynch

(1759Yds. 9-10TD/Int. ratio) is approaching 2000 yards through the air with

class=SpellE>wideouts Kyree Johnson (41Rec. 579Yds.), Tim Norwood

(33Rec. 390Yds. 3TD's) and Jamie Mitchell giving defenses fits.

style=> The main key for Jeff McGowan's Stallions is

up front, where they have to be able to keep the First Colonial pass rush at

bay and open up enough running lanes for junior halfback Bre'Lynd

Cyphers, who's starting to come on here in the second half of the season.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Green Run 28-10

VHSL-Reference Says: Green Run 29-14

Coach Young Says: Green Run 40-12

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Landstown (4-4) at Kellam

(3-5) . . .

font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:

minor-latin'>The Landstown Eagles under the direction

of Tommy Reamon can take a giant step forward getting

in the playoffs by beating Kellam before taking on

Green Run in the regular season finale.

Quarterback Bryson Stukes leads all Hampton

Roads players in passing yards with 1785 to go with an 8-6TD/Int. ratio, and

ODU commit Quincy Watts has been as good as advertised with 51 receptions for a

whopping 891 yards and five scores. They've

mixed in Justin Ford on the ground quite a bit, too.

style=> Tailback Maliek

Baker of Kellam went for over 200 yards in a game

earlier this season, and it's clear that Chris DeWitt's Knights have to play

ball-control and milk the click to further solidify their postseason situation in

5A-South with a win. The two main

questions in this game are will the Kellam defense be

able to stop the pass and how well can Landstown

contain the Knights' running game? Those

answers should tell the outcome.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Landstown 20-13

VHSL-Reference Says: Landstown

22-17

Coach Young Says: Kellam

21-14

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Tallwood (3-6) at Salem (7-1) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Though the are

six games above .500 and still in position to claim the #1 seed in the

Tidewater portion of the playoff bracket in 5A-South, the SunDevils

haven't been the same team since Virginia Tech commit and defensive terror

Trevor Hill has been out of the lineup.

Offensively, they haven't been able to give RB Malik Butts (170Car.

1019Yds. 14TD's) as much running room in recent weeks, QB Jarrel

Lightbody has seen his INT's (8) creep above his TD

passes (6), and the defense gave up 22 in a loss to Landstown

before responding with a shutout of Princess Anne.

style=> Coach Robert Jackson is hoping the bye week

allowed them to correct some mistakes going into a matchup with a

class=SpellE>Tallwood team that beat them last year and is averaging

26.4PPG over the past five weeks. The

main question is if Lions RB Keonte Yorkshire

(100Car. 790Yds. 5TD's) gets shut down, will a one-dimensional

class=SpellE>Tallwood attack be enough to beat an aggressive Salem team

at home? Probably not.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Salem 34-14

VHSL-Reference Says: Salem 31-13

Coach Young Says: Salem 27-7

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Norview (7-1) at Booker T. Washington (4-4) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>It has been a

long time since Norview finished 9-1 overall, 1972 to be exact.

style=> Second-year Head Coach Dealton

Cotton has the Pilots flying high, and although the school has had some

off-the-field issues with fights going on (none

involving football players to our knowledge) that has moved the start time

of this game up, this team is generating quite a bit of buzz as one that could

play deep into November when the playoffs begin.

style=> Senior QB E.J. Faison has thrown for 1242

yards and 13 touchdowns to go with a number of key plays in the running

game. His two primary receivers, D.J.

Johnson (32Rec. 487Yds. 6TD's) and De'Shawn Brown

(27Rec. 394Yds. 2TD's) have played at an All-Conference/All-District

level. Booker

T. jumped on Norcom and took a 13-0 lead last week

before giving up a couple of fourth quarter touchdowns.

style=> With their size up front, led by

class=SpellE>Breyon Gaddy, and speed on the

outside, featuring WR/DB's Doug Butts and Ketrail

class=SpellE>Cuffee, the Bookers are capable of

giving several teams a scare, Norview included.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Norview 28-20

VHSL-Reference Says: Norview 30-16

Coach Young Says: Norview 21-14

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Wilson (2-6) at Churchland (4-4) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Under first-year

Head Coach Ronnie Ratliff, the Wilson Presidents have not only broken a 39-game

losing streak this season, but notched a pair of wins and have a chance to

actually reach the playoffs if they're able to win their final two regular

season games. That means beating

Portsmouth rival Churchland for the first time since

2004. The Truckers don't have RB Jamil

Edwards anymore this year after he sustained a broken collarbone, meaning they

have to depend on QB Corey Gause to generate offense

for them even more. If Wilson's

defenders can contain his main targets, like Terrence Harris for example, that

will bode well for them and give their own tailback, Jamonta

Williams (89Car. 732Yds. 4TD's) a chance to get closer to that 1000-yard

rushing barrier that Wilson players have seldom reached.

style=> This one figures to be tight, but in the end,

the Truckers are probably the safer pick because they're less prone to making

mistakes.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Churchland 21-14

VHSL-Reference Says: Churchland

22-20

Coach Young Says: Churchland

30-14

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Granby (0-8) at Lake Taylor (8-0) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Hank Sawyer's Titans haven't lost to the

Granby Comets since 2004. Furthermore,

Lake Taylor has pitched a shutout in four of the last six head-to-head

meetings. Although Granby has one of the

top playmakers at the receiver position in Hampton Roads in Isaiah Clark-Brown

(36Rec. 646Yds. 8TD's), it's doubtful they give QB Justice Moore much time to

find him against a ferocious Lake Taylor pass rush that has been opponents on

their rear end often this season.

class=SpellE>Anfreny Yancey, Prezhontay

Wilkins and Jaylen Cuffee have combined for 19 sacks

on the year. On offense, tailback

class=SpellE>Dazmine Palmer is coming off a career-high 4TD's rushing

and they have a wealth of playmakers in Marcus Hawkins (709Yds. 9TD's rushing),

ECU commit Nhyre Quinerly

(25Rec. 461Yds. 6TD's) and Wayne Davis (14Rec. 406Yds. 6TD's) surrounding QB/LB

Shiheem Johnson, who has accounted for 1623 yards and

26 touchdowns this year.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Lake Taylor 49-7

VHSL-Reference Says: Lake Taylor 55-0

Coach Young Says: Lake Taylor 50-7

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Deep Creek (0-8) at Lakeland (2-6) . . .

9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:

Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Losers of nine in a row dating back to

last season, Deep Creek's last win came against Lakeland, defeating the

Cavaliers 21-16 in November of 2013.

This might be their best chance to get a win and avoid a second winless

campaign in four years. Offensively, the

Hornets have been shutout in half of their games, including in last week's 40-0

loss to Indian River. Prior to that,

they did score 19 against Great Bridge with QB Terrence Shambry

accounting for three touchdowns. In

order to make the playoffs, Lakeland cannot afford to lose this game and next

week's regular season finale against Grassfield, which may find the Grizzlies

with nothing to play for and out of postseason contention.

style=> The Cavs will want to control the clock with

RB Jordan Stokley while mixing in some play-action,

targeting burgeoning sophomore Alajuwun Langston.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Lakeland 24-16

VHSL-Reference Says: Lakeland 21-7

Coach Young Says: Lakeland 30-16

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Indian River (6-2) at Grassfield (3-5) . . .

style='font-weight:normal'>The six-game winning streak that Indian River

currently on is their longest since 1996.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

style=> Meanwhile, Grassfield appears to be headed

towards a losing season, which would be their first since 2007, the program's inaugural

year. The Grizzlies saw their playoff

hopes take a huge hit when they lost to Great Bridge last week, 25-24 in a game

where they led 24-13 in the fourth quarter.

Junior wideout Grant Holloway played extremely

well in the loss with five catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

style=> They will need another star effort like that

to keep up with a Braves team that has a host of weapons, including sophomore

WR/FS Devon Hunter and a junior quarterback in Tyre

Givers-Wilson that is doing damage with his legs, plus has taken care of the

ball lately. Grassfield has struggled to

stop the run, giving up over 200 yards on the ground to Great Bridge, King's

Fork, Oscar Smith and Western Branch.

Indian River could be next on that list.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Indian River 27-13

VHSL-Reference Says: Indian River 35-10

Coach Young Says: Indian River 33-21

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Great Bridge (5-3) at Oscar Smith (7-1) . . .

9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:

Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'> In the head-to-head series, Oscar

Smith has won 12 in a row, averaging 46.8 points per game in those

contests. The Tigers will be looking to

make it 73 straight over Southeastern District opponents and one has to find it

hard for Great Bridge's defense to stop them.

The Wildcats are allowing 26.4PPG and face an Oscar Smith team that can

beat you in a variety of ways, throwing it with QB Shon Mitchell or on the

ground with Virginia Tech commit Deshawn McClease,

who rolled up 277 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns in last week's

42-20 triumph over King's Fork.

Receivers Anthony Elliott and Sean Daniel have combined to haul in 17

touchdown passes from Mitchell, and up front the Tigers pose problems with

class=SpellE>Keshaan Cuffee, Antoine Hunt,

Dominic Jordan and Jahlil Bagby

paving the way. Great Bridge's combo of

Jacob Wilson and Brandon Jones at QB and RB has been mighty good at times, but

the Tigers' defense is the stingiest they will have faced this year,

surrendering only 7.9PPG against district foes.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Oscar Smith 45-12

VHSL-Reference Says: Oscar Smith 48-6

Coach Young Says: Oscar Smith 56-7

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

King's Fork (6-2) at Hickory (1-7) . . .

9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:

Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Claiming their first ever playoff

berth in school history was the goal for the Hickory Hawks going into the

season, but that looks unlikely as they would need to beat both King's Fork and

Oscar Smith. At this point, the Hawks

are trying to pull an upset and will count on the guys in the trenches to carry

them, such as linemen Tristin Sellers and Jake O'Sullivan, both offered by

Norfolk State this week. On the injury

front, the Bulldogs have a couple players dinged up with senior defensive end

class=SpellE>Jaquay Ledbetter out with a shoulder injury, while senior

DB/SB Trelen Cox is likely a game-time decision with

an ankle injury. Nonetheless, King's

Fork has enough weapons surrounding star RB Deshaun Wethington

(1213Yds. 17TD's) in WR/DB TyQuan Weston, ODU commit

Kane Miskel and SB/LB Duke Santora,

among others, to take care of business against the Hawks in preparation for a

crucial regular season finale against Western Branch.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> King's Fork 33-15

VHSL-Reference Says: King's Fork 34-0

Coach Young Says: King's Fork 45-12

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Western Branch (6-2) at Nansemond River (4-4) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Last year's game

had tons of offense, particularly late as Western Branch pulled away in what

was a close game heading into the final stanza.

The Bruins won it 63-28, marking their 13th win in 14 tries in the

series this century. Though tailback

Corey Gray (18TD's rushing) of Western Branch was held under 60 yards on the

ground last week, he did score twice in their 35-16 win over Lakeland and needs

only 13 to get to 1200 for the season.

Nansemond River had over 150 yards in penalties in last week's 21-17 win

over Hickory, but they might enter this matchup as healthy as they've been all

year, including having Terrence Lambert in the backfield.

style=> Besides stopping the run, one of the important

matchups in this game will be Nansemond River's blitz-pickup against an

aggressive Western Branch front headed up by DE Kenan Johnson, Josh Culberson,

LB Terrell Thomas and Arman Jones. If

the o-line anchored by Thomas Hopple gives QB DeShon

Saunders time to operate, this one can be closer than some expect.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Western Branch 28-17

VHSL-Reference Says: Western Branch

28-14

Coach Young Says: Western Branch 33-21

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Denbigh (3-6) at Woodside (6-3) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>If this year's battle in Newport News

replicates what we saw a season ago, then fans are sure to see a classic.

style=> Woodside won 44-41 a year ago to lock up a

playoff berth and secure their eighth straight win over Denbigh in the

head-to-head series. Once again, the

Wolverines can use this game to lock up their spot in the playoffs, which will

probably be the #7 seed in 6A-South.

Denbigh would like to enhance its postseason chances and seeding with an

upset, and to do it, they'll lean on QB Jermaal Wells

and RB Elijah Rice, a significant factor with four straight 100-plus yard

performances. Woodside is no stranger to

running the football with the duo of Tamir Walker and

Demetri Banks combining for 1406 yards and 16TD's so far this season.

style=> Neither defense has been that great, though

the Wolverines have shown more takeaway potential and have the stronger o-line

to lean behind when they go to run the ball.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Woodside 35-20

VHSL-Reference Says: Woodside 38-24

Coach Young Says: Woodside 31-10

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Kecoughtan (7-2) at Phoebus (7-2) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Last week, the

Warriors played with three key players in QB Desmond Savage, RB

class=SpellE>Jacione Fugate and DB Elijah White,

yet had no trouble beating Gloucester 44-14 thanks to the stellar running of

Victor Mitchell. Phoebus is coming off a

20-14 loss to Heritage in a game where they tied it up late on a touchdown run

from junior Robbie Robinson out of the Wildcat formation, but had a special

teams breakdown as a 68-yard kickoff return by Dimitri Holloway allowed the

Hurricanes to get the go-ahead touchdown and snap the Phantoms' six-game

winning streak. This is one very

important for playoff seeding as a win its regular season finale could push

class=SpellE>Kecoughtan up to hosting in the first round in a very

competitive 6A-South bracket that features state title contenders Ocean Lakes

and Oscar Smith. Phoebus doesn't want to

drop any further.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>In

terms of the matchup, both have electric players at the skill position.

style=> Junior Elijah Nelson of the Phantoms leads

the PD in receiving yards with 705 on 28 receptions to go with 10

touchdowns. Kecoughtan's

combo of Keith Grandy (45Rec. 639Yds. 6TD's) and Nick

Carrera (34Rec. 609Yds. 10TD's) ranks among the best they've produced in the

school's history. Phoebus tailback

class=SpellE>JoMari Becnel (132Car. 979Yds.

11TD's) has his sights set on 1000 yards for the season and will be a vital

player in their attack against that Kecoughtan

defense that has been hot and cold throughout the year.

style=> Phoebus hasn't lost consecutive regular

season games since 2000.

"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Look

for the Phantoms' defense behind Robinson, Harry Lewis, and LB's

class=SpellE>Breon Baskerville and Peyton Rider to answer the challenge

against the PD's most prolific offense in 2014 on Halloween night.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Phoebus 21-14

VHSL-Reference Says: Phoebus 28-14

Coach Young Says: Phoebus 28-21

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Bruton (2-6) at New Kent (1-7) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'> While

this ordinarily wouldn't mean anything at all to the playoff race, it now does

in the expanded postseason format as Bruton can really boost its chances of

qualifying in 2A-East with a win here.

Since beating Poquoson 20-7 in September, the Panthers have scored only

33 points the past five contests and struggled to move the ball in the month of

the October. Their main source of offense

is sophomore QB Greg Dockery, the third-leading passer in the Bay Rivers

District with 557 yards on 54 completions and a 4-2TD/Int. ratio.

style=> As for New Kent, they have been a smidge

better offensively with Trent Orie (804Car. 7TD's)

shouldering the workload on the ground, but defensively have given up nearly 20

more points per game at 45PPG allowed.

Whichever defense rises to the occasion should pull it out, and I'd lean

slightly with Bruton.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Bruton 14-7

VHSL-Reference Says: Bruton 26-11

Coach Young Says: Bruton 28-14

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Jamestown (0-8) at Tabb (5-3) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Believe it or not, there's some payback Tabb

owes Jamestown. The Eagles have won

three in a row over the Tigers, so Tabb's seniors have never beaten

Jamestown. They will be chomping at the

bit to do so, especially after losing 28-27 a year ago in a game that nearly

cost them a first round home game in the playoffs, although they got a tougher

draw by falling to the #8 seed and losing to #9 seed King's Fork, which pitched

a shutout in that postseason encounter.

While the Jamestown defense held Bruton to just 13 points a couple weeks

ago, they are allowing 45.8PPG this year and that's not good news facing a Tabb

team with an array of options on the ground.

The versatile Antwaun Hicks has been banged up

lately, meaning Bailey Hicks (767Yds. 8D's) has gotten the bulk of the carries

behind a

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Tabb 42-6

VHSL-Reference Says: Tabb 37-9

Coach Young Says: Tabb 35-0

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Lafayette (8-0) at Warhill (2-6) . . .

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

style=> In the eight meetings all-time, Lafayette has

won each and scored 50 or more points on four occasions.

style=> Warhill is coached

by Thad Wheeler, son of former Lafayette coaching great Paul Wheeler.

style=> His Lions have shown glimpses of improvement,

highlighted by a 20-13 win over Bruton on the road and last week's 49-6 road

rout of Jamestown. But neither is the

offensive juggernaut the Rams are, averaging 45.1 points per game.

style=> Wideout Brandon

Villanueva-Pernell (25Rec. 618Yds. 8TD's) not only gets it done catching

passes, but is a dynamic return man and has 2INT's in a game earlier this

season. Concentrate too much on him and

QB Brendan McGinty (44 of 76 for 831Yds. 13-5TD/Int.

ratio) will make you pay running or passing, and RB John Douglass (853Yds. 8TD's)

can grind out yards between the tackles.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Lafayette 47-13

VHSL-Reference Says: Lafayette 41-0

Coach Young Says: Lafayette 50-7

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

York (5-3) at Smithfield (4-4) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>While the Grafton/Poquoson matchup will

probably be considered the Game of the Week in the Bay Rivers District with

each team a surprising 6-2 overall, the battle between York and Smithfield

could turn out to be the most competitive and meaningful when it comes to postseason

positioning. It also features the

district's top two rushers in York's Chris Spruill (1153Yds. 12TD's) and the

Packers' Donald King (1102Yds. 13TD's). These

two schools have split the past ten meetings five apiece.

style=> Smithfield showed some promise in the passing

game last week with 25 second half points in a loss to Poquoson as sophomore

class=SpellE>wideout Chris Pierce caught 11 balls for 131 yards and a

pair of touchdowns from Nicholas Turner, who threw for 229 yards and accounted

for all four scores. In York's favor is

that QB J.R. Jordan (17Car. 154Yds. TD last week) can also run it and their

defense is arguably the Bay Rivers' second best behind Lafayette.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> York 23-21

VHSL-Reference Says: Smithfield 20-13

Coach Young Says: Smithfield 23-21

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Saturday: Ocean Lakes (8-0) at Princess

Anne (2-6) . . .

font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:

minor-latin'>Right now, the Cavaliers are slated to be the #8 seed for the

playoffs in the Tidewater portion of the playoff bracket in 5A-South.

style=> That means they would face a #1 seed, and

this is a great litmus test to see how they will do because the projected #1

seed in 6A-South, Ocean Lakes, is considered by many to be the best public

school in all of Virginia this season.

The Dolphins have won 10 in a row over Princess Anne and are putting up

a gaudy 55.5 points per game here in 2014.

Ocean Lakes has one of the top rushers around in four-star recruit and

Arizona State commit Jaason Lewis (105Car. 1198Yds.

18TD's). Complementing him are T.J.

Griffin and Justin Smith, both of whom have also gone over 100 yards rushing in

a game this season. Princess Anne has a sophomore

tailback with promise in D.J. Walton, but the Dolphins bring the wood on

defense with LB's Jahvoni Simmons (UVA) and Jamal

Spence as well as DL Eric Crosby.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Ocean Lakes 63-6

VHSL-Reference Says: Ocean Lakes 42-10

Coach Young Says: Ocean Lakes 60-0

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Warwick (2-7) at Heritage (8-1) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>The Hurricanes broke a five-game winning

streak by Warwick in the series last year with a 40-6 thumping to conclude the

regular season. Coach George

class=SpellE>Massenburg of Heritage has to like that his team is playing

its best football at the right time of the year, coming off a 20-14 win over

Phoebus. Their defense has stepped it up

in a big way against Kecoughtan, Woodside and the

Phantoms as they've re-grouped from the loss to Bethel.

style=> Linebackers Dimitri Holloway (JMU commit) and

Justice Fauntleroy are tough against the run, and along with DE Bernard Saxby,

those three were in on five sacks a week ago.

The Warwick defense has to watch out for the running of multiple backs

like Holloway, Tim Holden-Bethea, Tra'Sean

Shackleford and Omar Martin as well as the pass

catching of Marcus Vanhook, who had three catches

total 81 yards last week.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Heritage 21-0

VHSL-Reference Says: Heritage 49-7

Coach Young Says: Heritage 38-7

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

Poquoson (6-2) at Grafton (6-2) . . .

line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;

mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Poquoson has been dominant in the series in

recent years, winning six straight over the Clippers and holding them to seven

points or less on four occasions in that stretch.

style=> However, Grafton is ready to buck that trend

because few teams in the area are playing as well as they are.

style=> The Clippers have won five straight under

second-year Head Coach Matt McLeod, averaging 31.6 points per game since losing

to Hopewell by a count of 30-7 in the opener.

The Islanders are no slouch either.

They lost to Lafayette and suffered a perplexing 20-7 loss to Bruton,

but have won three games decided by three points or less, so Elliott Duty's

squad knows how to react in tight situations.

That included last week's 28-25 win over Smithfield that got tight.

style=> Ethan Bryce sits 128 yards away from 1000 for

the season, and on defense they will turn to tackling machine Jacob Callaway to

slow the developing Grafton ground game spearheaded by Trevaun

Walker (791Yds. 7TD's). The weather

forecast calls for rain and wind, so don't expect a whole lot of passing.

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>Matt Says:

style=> Poquoson 27-22

VHSL-Reference Says: Grafton 23-17

Coach Young Says: Poquoson 32-26

style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";

mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin'>

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:

none'>Matthew Hatfield

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>

has covered football and basketball since 2004 for

href="http://www.virginiapreps.com">

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>VirginiaPreps.com

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com

Network. Check out

href="http://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> for more sports related updates,

and you can also read his work in the

href="http://www.suffolknewsherald.com">

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Suffolk News Herald

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.

To contact Matthew, please e-mail

href="mailto:hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com">

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and don't forget to listen to him

on High School Sports Talk Saturdays at 10AM on

href="http://www.espnradio941.com/">

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>ESPN Radio 94.1

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, plus watch him on the

href="http://www.cox11.com">

style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";

text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Cox 11 Sports Report

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>

115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.