The playoffs are almost here. 'Tis the final week of the 2022 regular season in Virginia High School Football.
My goodness, are there are some incredible games on the docket or what?
For starters on Thursday, it'll be Highland Springs (9-0) at Varina (9-0) in the battle of 'The East End,' in Richmond between two teams with aspirations of winning state titles, both presently ranked No. 1 in the state in their respective classes. This Capital District rivalry has long been one of the best in the state.
That's not the only matchup on Thursday night worth paying attention to, and we're not talking about the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles visiting the Houston Texans in the NFL either. Reigning Class 2 State Champ King William (6-3) hosts Tidewater District foe King & Queen (8-1) in a pivotal matchup that will have some say on power ratings across multiple regions.
Another Richmond showdown on Friday pits unbeaten Central District rivals against one another as Thomas Dale (9-0) visits Dinwiddie (9-0), where the winner is thinking about a No. 1 seed. In Dale's case, that would be in 6A, but they need two-time defending Class 6 State Champ Oscar Smith (8-0) to stub its toe on Saturday at Darling Stadium against reigning Class 3 State Champ Phoebus (9-0), which has yet to give up a touchdown with its starting defense all year remarkably.
Other matchups worth keeping an eye on include a Cedar Run District showdown with 9-0 teams squaring off as Patriot visits Battlefield; a Patriot District clash that has Fairfax (9-0) hosting West Springfield (8-1); a Bay Rivers District battle with Warhill (7-2) taking on Lafayette (8-1) at Wanner Stadium in Williamsburg; a Seminole District tussle with Liberty Christian (9-0) at E.C. Glass (8-1); and a Commonwealth District tilt where Riverbend (8-1) travels to Mountain View (8-1).
There's no doubt that the number of unbeaten VHSL teams - 19 in the state with six each in Class 6 and Class 4 - will drop before the regular season finishes.
Check out the newest Top Ten rankings for all six classifications below.
Follow 2022 Virginia High School Football Scores Here
Master VHSL 2022 Football Schedule Here
Latest Set of VHSL Power Ratings Here
Note - This list was published prior to games on Thursday, November 3, 2022
Honorable Mention:
West Springfield (8-1)
Madison (6-3)
Centreville (7-2)
Robinson (6-3)
Westfield (6-3)
Honorable Mention:
Woodside (7-2)
Indian River (6-3)
Briar Woods (7-3)
Salem-VB (6-3)
L.C. Bird (6-3)
Honorable Mention:
Tuscarora (8-1)
Warhill (7-2)
Eastern View (8-2)
Hanover (7-2)
Loudoun Valley (6-2)
Honorable Mention:
Magna Vista (6-3)
Norcom (7-3)
Christiansburg (6-3)
York (6-3)
Spotswood (7-2)
Honorable Mention:
Martinsville (8-1)
Gate City (7-2)
Poquoson (6-3)
Stuarts Draft (7-2)
King William (6-3)
Buckingham (7-2)
Honorable Mention:
Rye Cove (7-1)
Patrick Henry-Glade Spring (6-3)
Twin Springs (6-2)
Holston (6-3)
Rappahannock (5-4)
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.
