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Roanoke’s two public high schools — Patrick Henry and William Fleming — have solid football histories.
Patrick Henry owns a Group AAA state championship in 1973 and a state runner-up finish in 1979.
William Fleming has two state runner-up finishes, in Division 5 in 1997 and in Division 4 in 2003.
Recent history has not been unkind to either program.
PH is in the playoffs for the 14th year in a row under head coach Alan Fiddler, although the Patriots have not advanced beyond the second round in any of those seasons. Meanwhile, Fleming has made the last two Region 5C championship games under Nick Leftwich, and the Colonels reached the Class 5 state semifinals under Jamar Lovelace in the spring of 2021.
VHSL playoffs began in 1970. The two Roanoke schools, which once shared the same district and the same home field — Victory Stadium, did not reach the playoffs in the same year until 1997.
It took another 26 years for the Roanoke rivals to collide in the postseason, Fleming’s 23-16 first-round triumph at PH in 2023 when the Colonels were the No. 8 seed and the Patriots were No. 1 in Region 5C.
Now comes another first.
When the VHSL playoffs open Friday, the 2025 season will mark the first time Patrick Henry and William Fleming have held football playoff games at home on the same night.
The Patriots and Colonels (7-3) would need two victories apiece to arrange a second meeting this season in the region final. PH defeated Fleming 14-2 on Sept. 19 on its home field.
Patrick Henry’s first-round game is a rematch of its 36-14 road win over Franklin County on Sept. 12. The Patriots (10-0) are among 11 undefeated VHSL teams.
William Fleming’s opponent is Douglas Freeman, a Henrico County school that the Colonels defeated 23-20 in overtime in the second round in 2023 in the only game played between the two programs.
This week’s first round includes 180 teams contending for six championships to be decided Dec. 13 (Classes 6 and 5 in Harrisonburg, Classes 4 and 3 in Lynchburg, and Classes 2 and 1 in Salem).
Here is how some of them got here:
Blacksburg, Region 4D: The Bruins (5-5) took the No. 8 spot with a 23.10 rating in the region standings, just ahead of Salem’s 23.00. Greatly aiding Blacksburg’s cause were Week 11 victories by two of its 2025 opponents — Giles over George Wythe, and Altavista over Gretna 48-47 in overtime. Salem (5-5) won its final four games, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 1-5 start against a schedule that included Patrick Henry and unbeaten Dinwiddie. The result was the Spartans’ first season without a playoff berth since Willis White’s last year as coach in 2003. Top-seed George Washington has won nine games in a row since a 42-14 loss at Reidsville (N.C.). The Danville school is among a number of VHSL teams (Oscar Smith, Maury, Stone Bridge, Highland Springs, Varina, Liberty Christian, Heritage-Lynchburg, Graham, etc.) that played a strong out-of-state foe and came away with a loss.
Region 4B records: The combined record of the eight teams in the field is an astounding 68-12, one win better than Region 3C. The region features two unbeaten teams in No. 1 Dinwiddie and No. 2 Louisa County, a pair of 9-1 squads in No. 3 Huguenot and No. 5 Courtland, and an 8-2 Varina team that might rate as the favorite to win the Class 4 state title. None of the eight regional contenders has more than three losses.
Heritage and Liberty Christian, Region 3C: The two Lynchburg schools both began the 2025 season with losses at out-of-state powerhouses. Heritage fell 33-14 at Bridgeport (W.Va.), while LCA lost 42-3 at Ironton (Ohio). Both opponents went in different directions. Bridgeport finished 10-0, while Ironton was penalized by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for alleged recruiting violations and barred from the playoffs. Heritage edged LCA 35-33 two weeks ago for the Seminole District title and finished with the No. 1 seed in the region. LCA, the two-time defending VHSL champ, begins its postseason seeded No. 6 and likely will play all its region games on the road.
Carroll County, Region 3D: The Cavaliers (8-2) posted their most victories since the 2003 team finished 10-2, earning the No. 4 seed in the region and a first-round home game against Northside. Carroll’s 24.40 rating was a tick behind William Byrd’s 24.50 mark. Northside holds a 2-0 lead over Carroll in the lifetime series. Old Hillsville High defeated the Vikings in 1967. Bassett’s game at Byrd will be a rematch of the Bengals’ 44-35 victory at home on Sept. 19. Top-seeded Magna Vista (9-1) won two more games than No. 2 Lord Botetourt, but the Warriors barely edged the Cavaliers 25.90 to 25.50 in the ratings.
James River, Region 2C: The Knights have made 10 previous postseason trips and have come away with a loss each time, the closest a 16-13 setback against Martinsville in 2021. James River meets a familiar opponent in the first round with a game at No. 3 Floyd County. The Buffaloes defeated the Knights 28-21 on Oct. 24. James River is bucking all sorts of history here. Floyd owns a 15-3 edge in the all-time series. Glenvar approached the postseason as a heavy region favorite, but star quarterback Brody Dawyot has been ruled out of the opener with a right shoulder injury. Dawyot broke the VHSL career touchdown pass record earlier this season. Glenvar, Radford and Appomattox County have combined to win the last nine Region 2C titles. Appomattox also advanced in 2015 and ’16 when the VHSL was under the conference format.
Graham, Region 2D: The reigning Class 2 state champs no longer play their home games in Bluefield’s Mitchell Stadium. Graham is using a small facility without lights on its campus while also playing at Richlands and Tazewell high schools. The G-Men went the first five weeks of the 2025 season without winning a game on any field, losing to Bluefield (W.Va.), undefeated Union and Princeton (W.Va.) and picking up a forfeit victory from Galax with an open date in the mix. Graham reeled off six victories in a row to nail down the No. 4 seed and a “home” game against Gate City at Richlands. If the G-Men advance, a semifinal rematch against No. 1 seed Union is highly likely.
Region 1A forfeits: The VHSL’s Class 1 ranks have been plagued from east to west by forfeits, particularly on the part of Galax and Mathews. Now the Region 1A field has been slashed. Charles City is forfeiting its first-round game to reigning state champ Essex. West Point, a team that won four games in 2025, has followed suit by forfeiting to No. 3 Rappahannock.
See the full list of updated pairings here.
Riverheads, Region 1B: That’s right, the Gladiators are back just when the Class 1 ranks are dwindling. Riverheads won seven successive Class 1 state titles from 2016-22 before spending the last two seasons in Class 2, where the Augusta County team lost to Radford in a state championship game and fell to Strasburg last year in the second round. Riverheads is seeded No. 3 with No. 1 seed Altavista looming for a potential rematch of the Colonels’ 29-25 victory in Campbell County in Week 2.
Craig County, Region 1C: The Rockets (9-1) under coach Jimmy Fisher set a school record for victories in a season with, the previous mark being seven in 2005. Now comes Craig County’s attempt to win a playoff game for the first time in school history as No. 7 Bath County visits New Castle for a rematch of the Rockets’ 28-0 win in October. Craig is 0-4 all-time in the postseason, most recently a 42-6 loss to Grayson County in 2024.
Eastside and Chilhowie, Region 1D: The seniors on Eastside’s 2025 team were part of a 1-9 season in 2022. Chilhowie gladly would have accepted one victory in ’22 as the Warriors finished winless for the first time since 1946, with the exception of the 1980 season when they had to forfeit nine victories. This year, Eastside (10-0) is one of two undefeated Class 1 teams in the state, along with reigning champion Essex. The only loss for Chilhowie (9-1) was 28-14 to Eastside on Sept. 19. A rematch is possible in the Nov. 28 region final.