The "Wall's" TIDEWATER Playoff Game of the Week - Indian River Travels To Richmond To Meet Highland Springs in 5A State Semis

My wife Elizabeth will be covering this game for Recruit757.com. Check out @recruit757 for game updates.

5A South Region Finals - Indian River (11-2) vs. Highland Springs (12-1), Saturday, 1:00 PM

Where - Victor W. Kreiter Stadium, Highland Springs High School, 15 S. Oak Ave., Highland Springs, VA 23075 (off Rte. 33 – E. Nine Mile Rd, accessible from I-64.)

Next Opponent - The winner will play the winner of the 5A North championship game, Stone Bridge (9-4) vs. Tuscarora (13-0), next weekend in the 5A State Championship game, held at Scott Stadium (University of Virginia)

For the Braves from Chesapeake, beating top-seeded Hampton 21-17 last week merely served as the first step of three toward winning the 5A state championship. Next on deck for Indian River are the Springers of Highland Springs, who earned the distinction of becoming the best team in Richmond by virtue of their 42-35 victory over previously top-ranked Hermitage in last week’s 5A South Conference 11/12 final.

By defeating Hermitage, the Springers avenged their only season loss, a 21-20 heartbreaker to the Panthers in the season opener. Highland Springs is on a hot streak, with 12 straight wins, but the Springers have given up 69 points in the last two games, meaning that Indian River should be able to find chinks in the defensive armor of their opponent.

Meeting Highland Springs

The Springers, coached by Loren Johnson, entered this season looking to fill several key spots from the 2014 team, which went 11-1, losing 25-23 to eventual state champion L.C. Bird in the 5A South semifinals. They were successful, and after the opening game loss, quickly found their collective stride. Indian River will face a tough task in beating Highland Springs, particularly on the road, and 100 miles from their home base.

The team is on a mission, having been the victim of hard luck on several occasions on their quest for an elusive state championship. Since 1970, they have been to two championship games, but lost both by close margins. In 1978, the Bob Hardage-led Annandale Atoms nipped the Springers 14-13 for the AAA championship, while in 1989, it was Alexandria’s West Potomac Wolverines  that squeaked by Highland Springs 17-14 to triumph in the AAA-Division 6 final.

Offense – The Springers may have the most explosive offensive unit in the 5A South region, averaging 41.7 points in three playoff games. Junior quarterback Juwan Carter was the highest rated signal caller in Richmond this season, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for over 1,500 yards and 18 TD’s. He only completed 66 passes during the regular season, but 60 of them went to a pair of speedy receivers. Greg Dortch is only 5’9”, but showed blazing speed while catching 34 balls for 802 yards. K’Von Wallace also averaged over 20 yards per catch with 26 receptions for 535 yards. Dortch is a Division I prospect while Wallace has committed to Cincinnati.

D.J. Anderson leads the Springer running attack. Anderson rushed for over 950 yards and eight yards per carry during the regular season. Against Hermitage, he added 124 more. Tackle Mekhi Becton (6-7, 310 lbs.) anchors a sturdy offensive line.

Defense – The Springers defensive unit has become a bit of a paradox lately. Like the offense, they started the season as an inexperienced group, but quickly jelled. During the regular season, the Springers pitched five shutouts, including four in a row during October when Hanover, Lee-Davis, Henrico and Patrick Henry failed to score on successive weeks.
However, in playoff wins against Lee-Davis and Hermitage, the defense allowed 34, and then 35 points. While giving up 8.7 points per game during the regular season, they have allowed 27.3 ppg. in three playoff games. Good teams can score on Highland Springs and the key for Indian River on Saturday will be figuring out how to reach the end zone regularly.

How Can Indian River Win? – The challenge is well defined for Coach Glenwood Ferebee and his Braves. The offense, led by quarterback Tyre Givers-Wilson, will need to shake up the Springer defense and not allow them to find the comfort zone that kept opposing teams scoreless for most of October.

On defense, the Braves will need to slow down the receiving tandem of Dortch and Wallace, while applying pressure to Juwan Carter so that he cannot find a passing rhythm – one which achieved a 23-yard per completion average and astronomical 17.3%  touchdown-to-passing attempt ratio in 2015.
Braves on Offense – Working in the favor of Indian River is that they have a big running back, a big quarterback, and a receiver who can keep the Highland Springs secondary honest.

The Brave attack focuses on Tyain Smith, the 6-2, 205 lb. running back who transferred from Great Bridge and immediately bolstered the Indian River running game. Smith finished the regular season with 1,175 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, but in the mold of John Riggins, he is elevating his game for the playoffs. Against Hampton, Smith pushed for 130 yards, but 110 came in the second half as the Braves looked to control the ball.

Handing him the ball will be Tyre Givers-Wilson. Wilson got off to a sluggish start in the opening game against Bethel, a 14-8 drudge match, but at 6-4 and 220 pounds, Givers-Wilson possesses the size, arm and speed of a college quarterback. Fortunately, for his teammates, the rest of Givers-Wilson’s season went better, and he finished the regular campaign with over 1,400 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.

Many of those passes went to leading receiver Kyren Best. Best grabbed 31 balls for just over 500 yards and 11 scores. He will have help from Devon Hunter and Jonathan Griffin, both of whom caught touchdown passes in the Hampton game.

Braves on Defense – Very few words are needed; in fact, four can sum up what Highland Springs has to look forward to on Saturday.

Jaquan Yulee. Tavante Beckett. They are the showcase players for a defense that allowed just over ten points a game during the regular season, and have held Bethel, Kecoughtan and Hampton to seven, seven and 17.

Yulee will be playing for Nick Saban at Alabama next year, but #2 will still be counted on for big plays against the Springer offense, one that has notched 550 points in 13 games. Beckett is slightly less well known, but it was his forced fumble and recovery that sealed the victory against the Crabbers last week.

Outlook – Two keys here. Can Highland Springs, and its 42-point per game offense, be held in check? Indian River will need to hold the Springers under 28 to win this game. Second, which Springer defense is the real deal – the one that recorded five shutouts in the first ten games, or the one that has given up 69 points over the past two weekends? If the Braves can score 35 points, it may be a fun ride back to Chesapeake on Saturday.



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