Updated with Region 6C scores; that bracket had been delayed by a court case (see below).
A No. 8 seed defeating a No. 1 seed?
A team with a 1-9 regular-season record winning a first-round game?
Twenty teams still unbeaten?
A football team winning not on the field but in court?
Yes, yes, yes and yes. These were some of the storylines from Week 1 of the Virginia High School League football playoffs.
Let’s kick it off.
Seeds planted
A lower seed scored a victory in only 13 of the 85 first-round games, but a No. 8 seed advanced by shocking a No. 1 seed, and another squad won despite entering the playoffs with a 1-9 record.
Madison County (5-6) engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in VHSL with its 21-0 victory over top-seeded and previously unbeaten Clarke County in Region 2B.
Clarke County rolled to a 49-35 triumph over Madison County in the regular-season finale in a Bull Run District game, but the playoff matchup was a different story. According to the Winchester Star, Madison held Clarke to just 38 yards rushing after allowing 420 the previous week.
The victory ended Madison County’s 21-game losing streak to Clarke, dating back to 2004. This week the Mountaineers get another undefeated opponent on the road, No. 4 Buckingham County. Buckingham handed Madison a 29-15 non-district loss in September.
How does a 1-9 team make the playoffs and score a first-round victory?
Massaponax did it in Region 5D, which only has nine teams but takes just six to the postseason. Massaponax’s 1-9 record was somewhat deceiving as the Panthers played three opponents who won nine games, two teams who won eight and two more who won seven.
The rider points were enough for Massaponax to finish in the No. 6 spot ahead of a 4-6 Riverside team. It earned the Panthers a first-round game at No. 3 Independence, which was the same team they defeated 35-12 in the season opener. After losing its last nine regular-season games, Massaponax eked out a 21-20 victory to advance to a region semifinal against No. 2 Briar Woods.
Clean slates
Twenty teams — at least one in all six classifications — remain undefeated heading into the second round. Six unbeaten teams reside in Class 3.
Here is the list of teams with a perfect worksheet:
Class 6: Oscar Smith (11-0), Battlefield (11-0), James Madison (11-0), Washington Liberty (11-0).
Class 5: Green Run (11-0), Maury (11-0).
Class 4: Phoebus (10-0), Huguenot (11-0), John Champe (11-0).
Class 3: Lafayette (11-0), Thomas Jefferson-Richmond (11-0), Kettle Run (11-0), Liberty Christian (10-0), Turner Ashby (11-0), Alleghany (11-0).
Class 2: Buckingham County (11-0), Graham (11-0).
Class 1: Rappahannock (11-0), Altavista (10-0), Bath County (10-0), Rye Cove (11-0).
The lone matchup this weekend between undefeated teams is the Region 3A semifinal sending Alleghany to Turner Ashby.
Injunction junction
The Region 6C playoffs were postponed Friday after a judge granted parents representing Hayfield High School a temporary injunction allowing the team to participate, according to a VHSL release Friday.
The VHSL handed Hayfield a two-year postseason ban for what it termed as a violation of its rule on “proselytizing” after multiple players from two-time defending Class 6 champion Freedom-Woodbridge transferred to the Fairfax County school, following a similar move by head coach Darryl Overton.
The VHSL charge was levied in a letter from Executive Director Billy Haun to the VHSL Executive Committee.
Hayfield appealed the penalty to a three-person VHSL committee, but the appeal was denied on Nov. 8, according to InsideNova.com.
On Friday, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge granted Hayfield an injunction, allowing the team to participate in the first round, which was postponed until Thursday, Nov. 21. The first-round pairings were revised with Hayfield replacing former No. 8 seed James Robinson in the eight-team field. The region semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 26 with the region final Nov. 30.
The new pairings are No. 8 Thomas Edison at No. 1 Hayfield, No. 5 West Potomac at No. 4 Fairfax, No. 6 South County at No. 3 West Springfield, and No. 7 Mount Vernon at No. 2 Lake Braddock.
InsideNova reported that another hearing on the matter in Fairfax is scheduled for Dec. 4, three days before the scheduled state semifinals.
Hayfield (9-1) has outscored its nine VHSL opponents this season by a combined 563-13. Hayfield lost 55-30 to Riverdale Baptist of Maryland in an out-of-state game.
You look familiar
Counting the four postponed first-round games, there are 43 rematches among the 89 scheduled first-round games.
Eight teams, including Madison County, that lost the initial meeting already have turned the tables.
Other rematch winners who lost to the same opponent the first time are Colonial Forge and Langley in Class 6, Stone Bridge in Class 5, Lord Botetourt in Class 3, Riverheads in Class 2, and Middlesex and Patrick Henry-Glade Spring in Class 1.
Six first-round games matched teams that played each other in Week 11.
Five teams that lost in their first matchup — Colonial Forge, Langley, Stone Bridge, Madison County and PH-Glade Spring — won the rematch by at least 21 points.
Fifteen second-round rematches are on the schedule, including both games in regions 6B, 6D, 4C, 2D and 1C.
Repeat after me
Four 2023 state champions remain in contention to repeat their titles: Class 5 Maury, Class 4 Phoebus, Class 3 Liberty Christian and Class 2 Radford.
Class 6 Freedom-Woodbridge and Class 1 Galax both went winless in 2024 after claiming championships last fall. Freedom canceled its non-district schedule and played just six games, scoring its only 10 points in the season finale. Galax played eight games and forfeited one because of a lack of players, managing just 32 points all season.
Streaking
Phoebus is closing in on the VHSL record for consecutive victories, and the Phantoms already have a piece of the current mark.
Phoebus and Riverheads share the record at 52 wins in a row. The Phantoms pulled the trick from 2008-11, while Riverheads did it from 2018-22. Phoebus’ total currently sits at 44, which covers three consecutive state titles. The Phantoms’ last loss was a 29-18 setback against Lafayette in the Region 3A final during the postponed 2020 season played in the spring of 2021.
Other active win streaks are owned by Maury at 26 and Liberty Christian at 24.
Riverheads is attempting to add to its VHSL record of nine consecutive state final appearances, seven in Class 1 and last year’s Class 2 final where the Gladiators lost 39-21 to Radford.
REGION 6A
First round
Oscar Smith 41, Grassfield 0
Manchester 18, Thomas Dale 7
Glen Allen 42, Western Branch 9
Highland Springs 60, Landstown 6
Second round
No. 4 Manchester (8-3) at No. 1 Oscar Smith (11-0)
No. 3 Glen Allen (10-1) at No. 2 Highland Springs (8-3)
REGION 6B
First round
Battlefield 42, Gar-Field 7
Patriot 19, Gainesville 14
Colonial Forge 45, Stafford 24
North Stafford 35, Woodbridge 28
Second round
No. 5 Patriot (8-3) at No. 1 Battlefield (11-0)
No. 6 Colonial Forge (8-3) at No. 2 North Stafford (8-2)
REGION 6C
First round
Nov. 21
REGION 6C
First round
Hayfield 75, Thomas Edison 7
Fairfax 29, West Potomac 19
West Springfield 41, South County 12
Lake Braddock 56, Mount Vernon 6
Second round
No. 4 Fairfax (8-3) at No. 1 Hayfield (10-1)
No. 3 West Springfield (7-4) at No. 2 Lake Braddock (9-2)
REGION 6D
First round
James Madison 44, Chantilly 0
Westfield 21, Herndon 14
Langley 42, George Marshall 14
Washington-Liberty 28, Yorktown 0
Second round
No. 4 Westfield (9-2) at No. 1 James Madison (11-0)
No. 3 Langley (9-2) at No. 2 Washington-Liberty (11-0)
REGION 5A
First round
Green Run 35, Ocean Lakes 0
Indian River 42, Kempsville 24
Salem-Virginia Beach 14, Bayside 7
Deep Creek 21, Frank Cox 0
Second round
No. 4 Indian River (8-3) at No. 1 Green Run (11-0)
No. 7 Deep Creek (6-5) at No. 3 Salem-Virginia Beach (9-2)
REGION 5B
First round
Maury 57, Woodside 0
Warwick 35, Granby 7
Nansemond River 14, Bethel 7
King’s Fork 54, Menchville 0
Second round
No. 4 Warwick (10-1) at No. 1 Maury (11-0)
No. 3 Nansemond River (9-2) at No. 2 King’s Fork (10-1)
REGION 5C
First round
William Fleming 30, Prince George 7
Louisa County 34, Midlothian 23
L.C. Bird 21, Hermitage 11
Matoaca 28, Patrick Henry-Roanoke 14
Second round
No. 5 Louisa County (9-2) at No. 1 William Fleming (10-1)
No. 3 L.C. Bird (8-3) at No. 2 Matoaca (10-1)
REGION 5D
First round
Stone Bridge 35, Lightridge 0
Massaponax 21, Independence 20
Second round
No. 5 Stone Bridge (4-7) at No. 1 Riverbend (7-3)
No. 6 Massaponax (2-9) at No. 2 Briar Woods (7-3)
REGION 4A
First round
Churchland 35, Warhill 15
Hampton 45, Denbigh 8
Second round
No. 4 Churchland (6-5) at No. 1 Phoebus (10-0)
No. 3 Hampton (8-3) at No. 2 Smithfield (8-2)
REGION 4B
First round
Dinwiddie 28, Powhatan 7
King George 26, Courtland 7
Huguenot 49, Eastern View 14
Varina 42, Hanover 14
Second round
No. 4 King George (9-2) at No. 1 Dinwiddie (10-1)
No. 3 Huguenot (11-0) at No. 2 Varina (9-1)
REGION 4C
First round
Woodgrove 16, Loudoun Valley 14
Loudoun County 31, Heritage-Leesburg 27
Second round
No. 5 Woodgrove (8-3) at No. 1 John Champe (11-0)
No. 3 Loudoun County (8-3) at No. 2 Tuscarora (10-1)
REGION 4D
First round
George Washington 24, E.C. Glass 7
Salem 31, John Handley 28
Jefferson Forest 33, Orange County 6
Sherando 48, James Wood 7
Second round
No. 4 Salem (9-2) at No. 1 George Washington (10-1)
No. 3 Jefferson Forest (9-2) at No. 2 Sherando (10-1)
REGION 3A
First round
Lafayette 42, Petersburg 6
Colonial Heights 35, New Kent 34
Tabb 24, Hopewell 13
I.C. Norcom 28, Heritage-Newport News 0
Second round
No. 4 Colonial Heights (5-6) at No. 1 Lafayette (11-0)
No. 6 Tabb (5-6) at No. 2 I.C. Norcom (7-4)
REGION 3B
First round
Thomas Jefferson-Richmond 35, Culpeper County 0
Skyline 35, Brentsville 0
Armstrong 35, James Monroe 18
Kettle Run 56, Warren County 3
Second round
No. 4 Skyline (8-3) at No. 1 Thomas Jefferson-Richmond (11-0)
No. 3 Armstrong (10-1) at No. 2 Kettle Run (11-0)
REGION 3C
First round
Liberty Christian 42, Broadway 14
Heritage-Lynchburg 26, Rustburg 7
Alleghany 44, Wilson Memorial 14
Turner Ashby 48, Staunton 7
Second round
No. 4 Heritage-Lynchburg (9-2) at No. 1 Liberty Christian (10-0)
No. 3 Alleghany (11-0) at No. 2 Turner Ashby (11-0)
REGION 3D
First round
Abingdon 52, Carroll County 13
William Byrd 20, Staunton River 0
Lord Botetourt 43, Northside 41, OT
Magna Vista 28, Christiansburg 25
Second round
No. 4 William Byrd (9-2) at No. 1 Abingdon (10-1)
No. 3 Lord Botetourt (8-3) at No. 2 Magna Vista (9-2)
REGION 2A
First round
Poquoson 67, John Marshall 0
Central-Lunenburg 49, Greensville County 14
Bruton 47, Nottoway 41
King William 24, Southampton 21
Second round
No. 4 Central-Lunenburg (7-3) at No. 1 Poquoson (10-1)
No. 7 King William (5-6) at No. 3 Bruton (9-2)
REGION 2B
First round
Madison County 21, Clarke County 0
Buckingham County 12, Central-Woodstock 7
Riverheads 29, Stuarts Draft 28
Strasburg 44, Fort Defiance 6
Second round
No. 8 Madison County (5-6) at No. 4 Buckingham County (11-0)
No. 3 Riverheads (9-2) at No. 2 Strasburg (10-1)
REGION 2C
First round
Glenvar 69, Martinsville 7
Floyd County 20, Appomattox County 15
Gretna 34, Nelson County 14
Radford 34, Patrick County 14
Second round
No. 4 Floyd County (6-5) at No. 1 Glenvar (10-1)
No. 3 Gretna (8-3) at No. 2 Radford (8-3)
REGION 2D
Graham 49, Lee 14
Virginia High 49, Lebanon 32
Ridgeview 40, Tazewell 19
Union 12, Gate City 0
Second round
No. 4 Virginia High (8-3) at No. 1 Graham (11-0)
No. 3 Ridgeview (9-2) at No. 2 Union (8-3)
REGION 1A
First round
Rappahannock 53, King & Queen 15
Westmoreland 34, Northumberland 6
Middlesex 36, Northampton 34
Essex 64, West Point 0
Second round
No. 4 Westmoreland (7-4) at No. 1 Rappahannock (11-0)
No. 6 Middlesex (7-3) at No. 2 Essex (10-1)
REGION 1B
First round
Sussex Central 34, Surry County 28
Buffalo Gap 44, Franklin 6
Brunswick 33, William Campbell 12
Second round
No. 4 Sussex Central (6-5) at No. 1 Altavista (10-0)
No. 3 Buffalo Gap (5-6) at No. 2 Brunswick (7-4)
REGION 1C
First round
Bath County 42, Fort Chiswell 6
Narrows 52, Parry McCluer 14
Grayson County 42, Craig County 0
George Wythe 48, Giles 6
Second round
No. 4 Narrows (6-4) at No. 1 Bath County (10-0)
No. 3 Grayson County (6-3) at No. 2 George Wythe (8-3)
REGION 1D
First round
Rye Cove 55, Rural Retreat 12
Grundy 66, Honaker 30
Eastside 54, Thomas Walker 13
Patrick Henry-Glade Spring 35, Holston 7
Second round
No. 5 Grundy (7-4) at No. 1 Rye Cove (11-0)
No. 7 Patrick Henry-Glade Spring (6-5) at No. 3 Eastside (10-1)
