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757Teamz football report: VHSL playoff scenarios abound as final week of regular season looms. Who’s in, who needs a win?

larry rubama, marty o'brien, the virginian-pilot
·8 min read

With temperatures expected to be near the mid-70s for the showdown between Oscar Smith, No. 1 in the 757Teamz Rankings, and No. 2 Phoebus on Saturday, it feels more than ever like the 2022 football season just kicked off. In fact, we’ve arrived at the final week of the regular season with postseason playoffs and increasingly colder weather a little more than a week away.

Here’s a look at the teams that have clinched playoff berths, those on the bubble and the battles for seeding.

Class 6 Region A

The top seed is still up for grabs as current No. 1 seed Oscar Smith (8-0) will play unbeaten Phoebus and No. 2 Thomas Dale (9-0) will play unbeaten Dinwiddie. Oscar Smith remains No. 1 with a win, but even with a Thomas Dale win and an Oscar Smith loss, the top seed might be decided by bonus points from their opponents’ results.

Manchester (9-1), Western Branch (8-2), Franklin County (5-4), Kellam (4-5), Cosby (4-5) and James River (3-6) will round out the eight-team field, pretty nearly in that order.

Class 5 Region A

This region is among the least mysterious in the area approaching the end of the regular season, with Green Run (9-0), Kempsville (8-1), Cox (7-2), Salem (6-3), Indian River (6-3) and Bayside (6-4) securely in the playoffs. Tallwood (3-6) has all but clinched a spot, while Hickory (2-7) will likely hurdle First Colonial (3-6) for the final berth if it beats struggling Lakeland on Friday.

Class 5 Region B

Maury (6-1) is secure as the top seed in this region, which will conduct a six-team playoff with first-round byes going to the top two seeds. That makes Friday’s game between Woodside (7-2) and Kecoughtan (6-3) possibly a matchup for the No. 2 seed.

“That’s tremendously important,” Woodside coach Danny Dodson said. “It allows us to have a week off [before the semifinals] and that can be beneficial.”

Nansemond River (6-3) can get into the mix for No. 2 with an upset of King’s Fork and a Kecoughtan win. Menchville (5-5) and Norview (4-5) round out the playoff field.

Class 4 Region A

Although Warwick (9-1), which has finished regular-season play, moved into the No. 1 spot in this week’s ratings, King’s Fork (8-1) will jump back on top if it beats Nansemond River on Friday. Warhill (7-2), Churchland (6-3), Heritage (5-4), Deep Creek (4-5) and Grafton (5-4) all are safely into the playoffs.

“This season has gone by fast, but the team has been resilient,” Warwick coach Corey Hairston said. “The kids have come back twice [in wins over Heritage and Woodside] and learned how to win with adversity.”

Great Bridge (2-7) and Hampton (2-7) are battling for the eighth and final spot. Hampton must beat rival Bethel on Thursday or Great Bridge will get in at No. 8.

Class 3 Region A

Phoebus (9-0) is safely situated in the No. 1 position. Lake Taylor (8-1) and Lafayette (8-1) are in a tight battle for No. 2, with Norcom (7-3), Hopewell (5-4) and Southampton (7-2) safely in.

That leaves York (6-3) needing a win over Bruton on Friday to get in. Colonial Heights (5-4) and Petersburg (5-4), who play Friday, and New Kent (5-4) are part of the tight four-way scrap for the No. 7 and 8 berths.

Class 2 Region A

Poquoson (6-3) could vault into the No. 1 position if it beats Grafton on Friday, should current top seed Thomas Jefferson of Richmond (7-2) fall to slightly favored Mills Godwin. Should TJ win, the Islanders will remain No. 2 if they beat Grafton.

Bruton (5-4) faces a precarious situation in its bid for a first playoff berth in five years. The Panthers currently hold the No. 8 and final position, but will be significant underdogs against York. A Bruton loss would open the door for Nottoway (4-5) or possibly Randolph-Henry (5-4) to steal the final berth with a victory.

Oscar Smith’s escape still lingers

Western Branch was a good snap away from knocking off Oscar Smith on Friday. But a botched snap helped the Tigers secure their 22nd consecutive win — including two playoff games — over Western Branch. The last time the Bruins beat Oscar Smith was 2002.

“You watch the play happen and you hope that the snap goes through the hands of the holder or not go through uprights,” Oscar Smith coach Chris Scott said. “Our guys got a great rush and put the pressure on, and it went through the hands (of the holder) and we made the play.”

Norcom beats Norview thanks to Ratliff

Norcom defensive back Jaden Ratliff had a performance to remember on Saturday as he recorded nine tackles with three interceptions — including a pick six — to lead the Greyhounds to a 48-0 homecoming win over Norview.

Ratliff now has 90 tackles, seven interceptions and five pass break-ups this season.

“Jaden Ratliff put on a high-level defensive clinic and put college recruiters on notice that he’s the best defensive back in the state,” said Greyhounds coach Anthony Hawkins.

The victory also was huge for Hawkins, who won on homecoming in his first season as coach.

“The feeling to win my first homecoming is surreal,” said Hawkins, who played on Norcom’s 1993 Group AAA Division 5 state championship team. “I’m just grateful to be in this position of relevance to make a difference in these young kids’ lives. Norcom has so much tradition and legacy, in which I must uphold being a Greyhound myself.”

Now the Greyhounds, who finished the regular season 7-3, must wait to see where they will be seeded when the playoffs begin next week. They currently are the No. 4 seed in Class 3 Region A.

“Waiting on a playoff opponent is what it is,” he said. “We’re going to get better everyday as a program and control what we can control.”

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com. Twitter: @LHRubama

Marty O’Brien, 757-247-4963, mjobrien@dailypress.com. Twittter: @MartyOBrienDP

Infobox:

VHSL Football Power Ratings

With position, school, record (according to the VHSL) and rating with one week to go. In Class 5 Region A and Class 5 Region B, the top six teams advance to the playoffs; in the other regions below, the top eight advance.

CLASS 6 REGION A

1. Oscar Smith, 8-0, 35.25

2. Thomas Dale, 9-0, 33.55

3. Manchester, 8-1, 32.11

4. Western Branch, 8-2, 30.6

5. Franklin County, 5-4, 29.22

T6. Kellam, 4-5, 24.44

T6. Cosby, 4-5, 24.44

8. James River, 3-6, 23.88

9. Landstown, 3-6, 22.67

10. Grassfield, 1-8, 20.88

11. Ocean Lakes, 1-8, 20.44

CLASS 5 REGION A

1. Green Run, 9-0, 32.89

2. Kempsville, 8-1, 31.0

3. Cox, 7-2, 28.56

4. Salem, 6-3, 27.78

5. Indian River, 6-3, 26.89

6. Bayside, 6-4, 25.6

7. Tallwood, 3-6, 22.33

8. First Colonial, 3-6, 21.44

9. Hickory, 2-7, 21.0

10. Princess Anne, 0-9, 17.56

CLASS 5 REGION B

1. Maury, 6-1, 30.86

2. Woodside, 7-2, 27.56

3. Kecoughtan, 6-3, 25.89

4. Nansemond River, 6-3, 25.78

5. Menchville, 5-5, 22.6

6. Norview, 4-5, 22.56

7. Bethel, 2-7, 20.11

8. Gloucester, 1-8, 18.44

9. Granby, 0-8, 17.5

CLASS 4 REGION A

1. Warwick, 9-1, 29.7

2. King’s Fork, 8-1, 29.11

3. Warhill, 7-2, 26.89

4. Churchland, 6-3, 26.44

5. Heritage, 5-4, 23.44

6. Deep Creek, 4-5, 22.44

7. Grafton, 5-4, 21.67

8. Great Bridge, 2-7, 19.44

9. Hampton, 2-7, 18.67

10. Smithfield, 2-7, 17.56

11. Manor, 1-8, 16.22

12. Denbigh, 0-10, 16.1

13. Jamestown, 0-9, 15.78

CLASS 3 REGION A

1. Phoebus, 9-0, 31.33

2. Lake Taylor, 8-1, 28.44

3. Lafayette, 8-1, 27.56

4. Norcom, 7-3, 25.4

5. Hopewell, 5-4, 24.44

6. Southampton, 7-2, 24.33

7. Colonial Heights, 5-4, 23.56

8. York, 6-3, 23.11

9. New Kent, 5-4, 22.22

10. Petersburg, 5-4, 22.0

11. Booker T. Washington, 3-6, 18.44

12. Tabb, 2-7, 17.78

13. Lakeland, 1-8, 15.78

CLASS 2 REGION A

1. Thomas Jefferson of Richmond, 7-2, 24.22

2. Poquoson, 6-3, 23.44

3. King William, 6-3, 23.11

4. Greensville County, 7-2, 21.78

5. Nandua, 6-3, 19.33

T6. Brunswick, 5-4, 18.78

T6. Amelia County, 5-4, 18.78

8. Bruton, 5-4, 18.33

9. Nottoway, 4-5, 17.78

10. Randolph-Henry, 5-4, 17.0

11. Prince Edward, 4-5, 16.22

12. John Marshall, 1-8, 12.89

13. Arcadia, 2-7, 12.11

14. Windsor, 0-10, 11.0