We're coming down the back stretch, much like they do in horse racing, and we close out the month of March with some key games from a rankings perspective. Looking back though, we saw a couple of highly ranked teams fall.

Hopewell, the reigning Class 3 State Champions who had won 16 in a row, fell on Monday night to Dinwiddie, in a game that kept the playoff hopes alive for the Generals in Region 4B, where they'll need to finish without another blemish and get some help just to qualify. The Blue Devils are no lock to make the playoffs in Region 3A either.

In Tidewater, Deep Creek suffered its first blemish and dropped out of the Class 5 Top Ten as Oscar Smith - the top-ranked teams in Class 6 - posted its third consecutive shutout as the Tigers scored three non-offensive touchdowns, two coming on pick-sixes from highly regarded junior DB Sherrod Covil.

A big battle in Lynchburg saw Brookville handle Heritage 28-7 to gain a leg up in the Region 3C field. Rockbridge County and Turner Ashby are two other unbeatens battling with the Bees for the top spot.

Up in Northern Virginia, much of the talk centered around ta dramatic finish between Westfield and Centreville, where it was Westfield getting a goal-line stand to defeat the Wildcats. Both are battling in Region 6D - where unbeatens Madison and Chantilly square off this weekend - as there's not much wiggle room separating the teams. South Lakes and McLean, both 3-1 overall, sit above Westfield and Centreville for the final two slots.

Other key matchups to watch out for this week include Deep Run at Hermitage in a matchup of Class 5 Top Ten teams with postseason aspirations, Franklin County visiting a Lord Botetourt team that is atop the Class 3 rankings, Bayside facing Princess Anne in a Region 5A game of Virginia Beach rivals that amounts to a playoff elimination tilt, Region 1C contender George Wythe hosting Region 2C playoff hopeful Fort Chiswell, plus an unranked showdown worth following with GW-Danville out of Region 4D and Magna Vista from Region 3D.

Below are the latest rankings, the final set before turning the calendar to April and getting ready for regular season finales across Virginia...

Note - Rankings are through games played on Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Honorable Mention:
Patrick Henry-Roanoke (4-1)
Bayside (3-1)
Glen Allen (3-2)

Honorable Mention:
King George (4-0)
Dinwiddie (3-1)
Powhatan (3-1)
Menchville (2-0)

Honorable Mention:
Rockbridge County (4-0)
Independence (3-1)
Magna Vista (3-1)

Honorable Mention:
Page County (3-0)
Dan River (2-0)

Honorable Mention:
Central-Lunenburg (2-1)

Opted Out:
5. Essex

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to 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.