Football preview
Published 2:58 pm Thursday, August 23, 2018
FRANKLIN (0-0) AT CUMBERLAND (0-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coach’s game notes: The Broncos may have been a relatively late addition to the schedule, but the Dukes’ new head coach, Jamaal Artis, is quite familiar with them, having coached against them in the past.
Franklin aims to control the line of scrimmage on offense and is a run-heavy team, featuring a standout sophomore tailback. The Broncos have significant speed at the skill positions. When they opt to throw, a key target is Old Dominion University commit Drelyn Ford, who is a 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound senior wide receiver.
The Dukes will look to run well against a Broncos defense featuring a small, quick nose tackle and Ford at defensive end.
BUCKINGHAM (0-0) AT APPOMATTOX (0-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last season: Raiders 63, Knights 14
Coach’ game notes: The Knights and their new head coach, Seth Wilkerson, could hardly start with a bigger challenge as they take on the Raiders, who have won the Virginia High School League Class 2 state championship the past three years.
The Raiders return key linemen and a few skill players from last year’s title-winning squad. They seem to want to run the ball, and while they do not run many plays, what they run, they run the right way. Players to watch include freshman quarterback Tre Lawing, junior running back Cristian Ferguson and senior wide receiver Collen Shaw.
On defense, the Raiders are aggressive up front and like to attack.
PRINCE EDWARD (0-0) AT KING WILLIAM (0-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last season: Eagles 52, Cavaliers 46
Coach’s game notes: The Eagles travel to face a squad that has won its district nine years in a row.
Offensively, the Cavaliers have most of their players back from last year, and they are going to try to establish the run out of the spread. They have some standout athletes, including junior wide receiver/running back/cornerback Marc Gresham. The Cavs try to get him the ball in various ways on screens. They also have a solid quarterback in junior Lance Alfonso.
They are aggressive up front, defensively, blitzing as much as possible.
A healthy Eagles squad will look to keep the Cavs’ offense off the field.