There were some interesting results as we closed out the month of September and usher in October for 2023.
It's rare to see traditional powers that have won state titles within the past five years like Appomattox, Dinwiddie, Lake Taylor and Stone Bridge all at or below the .500 mark, but that is the case. Yet, writing them off at this point would not necessarily be wise either. Plenty of others notched some important wins to head into October.
Over in Richmond, the Thomas Dale Knights with a backup quarterback edged reigning Class 4 State Champ Dinwiddie by a count of 31-28 to drop the Generals to 3-3 on the year [more from Danny Lewis here] .
Phoebus extended its 24-game winning streak that is the longest active one in Virginia by beating archrival Hampton 28-6 last weekend at Darling Stadium. The Phantoms have now beaten the Crabbers in 17 of the past 20 meetings, doing so behind their stifling defense that limited Hampton to 124 total yards on the day in this latest encounter [watch that game here].
Speaking of strong defense, that was what shined through for Radford in a 36-3 breakthrough against Three Rivers District rival Glenvar, who had won the previous three drama-filled meetings all by a touchdown or less [more on that from Rodney Young & Robert Anderson here].
Another game that featured ranked teams saw Riverheads rally from a deficit to edge Christiansburg 24-21 on a late field goal as the Gladiators are starting to show their mettle in the storied program's first seven at the Class 2 level after dominating Class 1 for many years.
Of the 60 ranked teams, there are 28 that remain undefeated. But that number will obviously dwindle with some key matchups on deck. Two that are worth watching closely in the state on the first Friday of October 2023 feature Mountain View against Colonial Forge in a matchup of Commonwealth District teams from the Fredericksburg area in our Class 6 Top Ten, and out in Class 2 a Mountain 7 District matchup with Union hosting Ridgeview figures to be a dandy.
Tidewater clashes with Warhill taking on Lafayette in a Bay Rivers District battle at Wanner Stadium in Williamsburg as well as Chesapeake rivals Indian River and Oscar Smith tangling in a Southeastern District matchup with power ratings ramifications may be quite a barn-burner as well.
Without further ado, check out the latest rankings, with links to the scores, schedules, power ratings and more, below...
Follow 2023 Virginia High School Football Scores Here
Master VHSL 2023 Football Schedule
VHSL Power Ratings Released Here
Note - This list was published prior to games on Thursday, October 5, 2023
Honorable Mention:
Gainesville (5-0)
Lake Braddock (5-1)
McLean (5-0)
Honorable Mention:
Hermitage (4-1)
Honorable Mention:
Jefferson Forest (5-0)
Millbrook (4-1)
Huguenot (4-0)
Honorable Mention:
Spotswood (5-1)
Rutsburg (4-1)
TJ-Richmond (4-0)
William Byrd (4-1)
Honorable Mention:
Buckingham (5-1)
Central-Lunenburg (5-1)
Poquoson (3-2)
Honorable Mention:
Brunswick (4-1)
Parry McCluer (4-1)
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, and be sure to Subscribe to Hometown Sports Productions where you can hear his Podcasts.
