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| From InsideNoVA.com |
Week 2 of the second season saw the crowning of its first state champion as Flint Hill finished its perfect season at 11-0 by ousting the two-time defending VISAA Division I champion Collegiate 33-21.
Two other unbeaten teams were not as lucky as the ranks of the perfect dwindled to four. Eastern View dropped a tough 40-37 decision to Dinwiddie to finish its 2017 campaign at 11-1, while Freedom was eliminated by Hylton 45-28. The Freedom loss was somewhat surprising, but was made possible by a performance of total redemption by Bulldog back Ricky Slade. Slade, who carried seven times for minus four yards in the regular season meeting, steamrolled through the Eagle defense for 324 yards and four touchdowns on Friday.
With the losses by the Cyclones and Eagles, the other remaining unbeatens in Northern Virginia are Westfield (12-0), Stone Bridge (12-0), and Colonial Forge (11-0). Westfield and Colonial Forge may be on a collison course to meet, but it won’t happen next week.
We lead off with the state’s first championship, won by the Huskies in Vienna.
VISAA Div. I Finals - Flint Hill 33, Collegiate 21
The “Dirty Thirty” of Flint Hill completed their dream season with a bang, and a trophy celebration, as the Huskies dispatched Collegiate of Richmond 33-21 for the program’s first state title and undefeated season ever.
Jordan Houston ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns, including a 44 and 39-yarder to conclude a record-setting season that saw the junior rush for 1,971 yards with 25 touchdowns. As a bonus, Houston also caught 10 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns. Toss in 118 kickoff return yards, and he finished the 11-game season with 2,431 yards, an average of 221 per game.
Miles Thompson connected on a 75-yard scoring play to Trey Rucker in the second half, and finished with seven of 11 completions for 161 yards. For the season, Thompson threw for 1,792 yards and 25 TD’s while also rushing for 495 yards with seven scores. The transfer from Woodberry Forest ran for a 22-yard score against Collegiate, who won the state title in 2015 and 2016. Justice Ellison added four catches for 89 yards and ended the season as the Huskies leading receiver with 22, two ahead of Jamarian Hawkins.
Sophomore linebacker Jaylin Hertz led the defense with 18 tackles, while fellow sophomore linebacker Elijah Wasson added 15. Hertz landed a sack, while Rucker had the team’s lone interception, which helped the Huskies build a 27-7 lead after the third quarter.
Coach Tom Verbanic joined an elite club as he has now coached both public and private school teams to state championships, having won AAA titles with Westfield in 2003 and 2007.
6D Playoffs – South Lakes 35, Madison 0
Devin Miles passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns, both to Xavier May, while Albert Mensah ran for 100 yards and a pair of scores, as the Seahawks rambled to a 35-0 shutout of Madison.
With the win, the Seahawks (11-1) will travel to Westfield next weekend to take on the two-time defending 6A state champions.
Spencer Alston led the Hawks with seven receptions for 142 yards, but it was Miles who scored the fifth touchdown, on a 1-yard run as South Lakes ran up their lead in three quarters and then coasted through the fourth quarter behind the power of a running clock.
6C Playoffs – Hylton 45, Freedom 28
Ricky Slade avenged his worst performance of the year against the same Eagle defense that held him to minus four yards on seven carries in their regular season meeting.
This time, the teams slugged it out to a 14-14 draw at the intermission. But Slade ran for three of his four touchdowns in the second half, including runs of 95 and 80 yards as the Bulldogs avenged an earlier 48-42 defeat to the same Freedom team. For the game, the Penn State commit finished with 326 yards on 22 carries.
Hylton will travel to Woodbridge (11-1) on Saturday to play the Vikings for the region championship. Earlier in the season, Woodbridge defeated Hylton 23-20.
6B Playoffs – Colonial Forge 24, Riverbend 14
The Eagles stumbled through a host of mistakes including a missed extra point, and a pair of fumbles as the sub-.500 Bears managed to gain a 14-12 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the added week off was more rest that the state’s top-ranked team needed. However, they added a safety to tie the game at 14, and then a 42-yard Jadon Redding field goal to bild a slim lead before Ethan Garwood’s one-yard pass to Josh Sarratt provided the game’s final score, and gave Forge some breathing room as the clock ran down to zero.
The Eagles (11-0) gained a conservative 291 yards of offense, with Garwood completing 14 of 22 passes for 168 yards. Liam Kauthen led the ground attack with 79 yards on 16 carries.
Colonial Forge will host Manchester this weekend for the region title.
5D Playoffs – Stafford 48, Harrisonburg 27
Lovell Armstead rushed for 264 yards and two touchowns, including a 75-yard score on the Indians second play, to lead Stafford to a convincing 21-point win over Harrisonburg.
Quarterback Jalen Smith rushed for 102 yards and two scores, and threw for 95, with a touchdown to Landon Woodson. In all, the Indians rushed for a whopping 508 yards.
Stafford (9-3) will face Brooke Point (10-2) in Saturday afternoon’s region final.
5C Playoffs – Stone Bridge 45, Champe 22
Daniel Thompson caught three first-half touchdown passes to buoy the Bulldogs to a decisive victory over Champe. For the evening Thompson caught five balls for 106 yards.
Junior cornerback Ajani Gillis provided the defensive spark for Stone Bridge, scooping up an errant pitch and returning the ball three yards for a touchdown, helping the hosts build a 42-14 lead after three quarters.
Champe running back Carl Garmon III finished with 180 yards and two touchdowns, ending his senior season with 1,828 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns. The Knights finished the season at 8-4 for the second straight year.
Stone Bridge (12-0) will host Tuscarora (10-2) this Friday for the 5C crown.
3B Playoffs – Culpeper 14, Thomas Jefferson 7
Fifth-seeded Culpeper, who entered the game 5-6, stunned third-ranked Thomas Jefferson of Richmond.
All of the scoring was done in the first half. Javae Colclough (34 carries, 248 yards) scored on a 30-yard run in the opening quarter, while Noah Staton added a three-yard TD in the seond quarter. Culpeper rushed 43 times for all 280 of their yards.
Culpeper will tangle with another .500 team, James Monroe, on Saturday afternoon for the 3B Championship.
Weekend playoff scores
VISAA Division I Championship: Flint Hill 33, Collegiate 21
1A: Sussex Central 22, Washington-Lee 20
2B: Luray 21. Clarke Co. 7
3B: Culpeper 14, Thomas Jefferson 7
James Monroe 27, Warren County 17
4B: Dinwiddie 40, Eastern View 37
4C: Liberty 28, Kettle Run 14
Sherando 35, Millbrook 32
5C: Stone Bridge 45, Champe 22
Tuscarora 14, Broad Run 12
5D: Stafford 40, Harrisonburg 27
Brooke Point 22, North Stafford 20
6B: Colonial Forge 24, Riverbend 14
6C: Woodbridge 20, Lake Braddock 2
Hylton 45, Freedom 28
6D: South Lakes 35, Madison 0
Westfield 35, Patriot 6
Region Finals for this weekend
3B: Culpeper (6-6) @ James Monroe (6-6), Sat. 2 PM
4C: Sherando (10-2) @ Liberty (9-2)
5C: Tuscarora (10-2) @ Stone Bridge (12-0)
5D: Stafford (9-3) @ Brooke Point (10-2), Sat. 1 PM
6B: Manchester (11-1) @ Colonial Forge (11-0)
6C: Hylton (9-3) @ Woodbridge (11-1)
6D: South Lakes (11-1) @ Westfield (12-0)
The final dates and times will be announced by the VHSL on Monday afternoon. It is presumed that each game will be played at 7 PM on Friday, November 24 unless noted.
Thanksgiving weekend is synonymous with region championship weekend, and there were some humdingers in Northern Virginia this weekend as the eight teams in each classification whittled down to four semifinalists for each of the six classifications. 
