Division 5 and Division 6 semifinal games set up a “chalk” final Friday. Last night’s results gave us two nail biting finishes and two runaways, with the four winners having only one loss between them. If you want the best, you’ll get the best.
In Division 5, all of the favorites have advanced, leaving three familiar teams and an interloper who’s looking to make some noise. Hampton, Lake Taylor, and Phoebus were all in this position last year. Lakeland is the newbie who’s risen to new heights.
The Division 6 Playoffs were loaded and just got more interesting. Two top schools have quarterback woes, while Oscar Smith looks stronger after their season finale scare against King’s Fork. We’re down to four and expecting fireworks this weekend.
The Bay Rivers District was wild as always. The Smithfield Packers returned in a big way, and that showed in the All-District voting and in the voting for Coach and Player of the Year. The Packers finished at the top of the district, going 9-1 on the season just one year after going 1-9.
The Southeastern District has been home to some of the most exciting football in The 757 this year. Who foresaw the sudden success of King’s Fork? Western Branch had a resurgence of their own. Oscar Smith once again ruled the district when all was said and done, and they have a great amount of representation on the team.
After last Friday’s first round win over King’s Fork, this year’s Lakeland squad can say they’ve gone deeper into the postseason than any Cavalier team before them, at least since the mid-90’s when the school moved up to AAA athletics. Now, two of their top athletes have their first scholarship offers.
Virginia Beach’s latest All-American quarterback has an athletic pedigree, fantastic grades and a bright future ahead of him. The names that come to mind might be quarterbacks at Bayside, Ocean Lakes or Salem. You have to think younger…
Now that we’re into the playoffs, we have a special edition of the Freedom Ford Player of the Week, for just a few weeks more. Consider it a special edition! The playoff’s started last Friday night, and while we had some great opening round performances, two stood out in the eyes of the fans. Those two players will face off in a Division 6 Semifinal game this week.
It didn’t take long for Richie Staton to make up his mind. The Phoebus athlete got his first offer just a few weeks ago when he got the call from none other than Head Coach Bobby Wilder himself. Staton visited ODU on Saturday and committed on the spot.
It was a battle of the Bruins on Saturday night at Darling Stadium in Hampton. Both teams built their successful seasons on a power running game. Interestingly, the passing game played a big part, and the kicking game had the final say in Saturday night’s result.