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This week’s midterm elections provided some answers.
But with one more week of Virginia High School League football games to settle the pairings for the postseason, there remain plenty of questions.
Such as:
- Who will emerge from the logjam at the top of Region 4D and Region 3D where three undefeated teams currently reside in each set of standings?
- Will William Fleming and Northside make 11th-hour rallies to qualify in regions 5C and 3D, respectively?
- Is once-beaten Liberty Christian going to finish No. 4 in Region 3D?
- Will the Three Rivers District claim the top four spots in Region 2C?
- Will Union or Gate City grab the No. 2 spot behind Graham in Region 2D?
- Will Craig County or Grayson County finish No. 1 in Region 1C?
- Will Rural Retreat overcome a six-game losing streak in the middle of its schedule to make the field in Region 1D?
Below is a short rundown of the scenarios in regions affecting the Roanoke and New River Valleys and Southside and Southwest Virginia:
A shoutout to the folks who run the impeccable website at harpcrate.com for their assistance with points in Region 6C. The region is using a college-style RPI formula that is based 40% on a team’s winning percentage, another 40% on that team’s opponents’ winning percentage and an additional 20% on the winning percentage of those opponents’ 10 opponents. In short, to compute one team’s rating in Region 6C, it requires determining the winning percentage of approximately 100 schools.
REGION 5C
Highland Springs might rate as a favorite here, but a schedule that included a close loss last week to Class 4 power Varina could have the Springers finishing No. 2 behind Midlothian.
Patrick Henry-Roanoke is all but locked in to the No. 3 position if the Patriots finish with a victory over Blacksburg.
Douglas Freeman and Hermitage have qualified, while Glen Allen also is a virtual lock for a spot.
William Fleming, currently on the outside at No. 9, has a shot to qualify, but the Colonels will need some help. First, Fleming must defeat Franklin County, and they hope either Meadowbrook or James River-Midlothian loses on Friday.
REGION 4D
Jefferson Forest, Sherando and George Washington are all 9-0.
What does that show? For one, this region is really spread out geographically, going all the way from Mecklenburg County to Winchester. Secondly, it is very top-heavy.
George Washington isn’t even in the top three at the moment as James Wood (8-1) sits ahead of the Eagles in third place. However, GW can make up big points if the Eagles can score a Piedmont District victory Friday over Class 3 Magna Vista (9-0).
If GW wins, the likely order would be Jefferson Forest, GW, Sherando and James Wood.
The top of the region is so points-heavy that a 9-1 Salem team can do no better than the No. 5 spot. Blame Salem’s rating on the fact that three of the Spartans’ opponents — Franklin County, Pulaski County and Hidden Valley — haven’t won a game.
Salem will play at the No. 4 seed in the first round.
The outcome of Friday’s John Handley-Millbrook game will determine plenty. The winner likely gets the No. 6 spot. A loss by Millbrook also would open the door for both No. 8 Blacksburg and No. 9 E.C. Glass to move up.
If Millbrook loses, that means Blacksburg is in regardless of the Bruins’ game Friday against Patrick Henry.
E.C. Glass is in a must-win situation Friday at Brookville. A victory could move the Hilltoppers as high as No. 7. A loss means the season is over.
REGION 3C
This is one of the state’s largest regions, but there are only 10 teams still vying for one of the eight spots.
Forget No. 1. Unbeaten Broadway (9-0) has it locked up.
Fluvanna County would get the No. 2 spot with a win Friday at Albemarle. If the Flying Flucos stumble, either Liberty Christian or Turner Ashby could move up.
Turner Ashby appears to have a slight points edge on LCA if both win their final games.
Monticello and Heritage are neck and neck for the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Both have tough tests Friday, with Monticello facing unbeaten Louisa County and Heritage facing unbeaten Jefferson Forest.
Losses by Monticello and Heritage could allow Wilson Memorial to pass both if the Green Hornets win at Stuarts Draft.
Idle East Rockingham has the edge over Rocktown for the No. 8 spot.
It is worth noting that Brookville has the No. 5 points rating in the region, but the Bees’ program is ineligible for the playoffs because of VHSL sanctions.
REGION 3D
Carroll County (9-0) is in the midst of a historic season. The Cavaliers are on the verge of their first 10-0 mark in school history.
But will Carroll get the No. 1 seed in Region 3D?
William Byrd (9-0) has the inside track on the top spot if the Terriers can defeat Staunton River. Magna Vista (9-0) also might be able to squeak past Carroll if the Warriors get past George Washington.
Cave Spring has finished its season and is at No. 5. Lord Botetourt likely would pass the Knights into the fifth if the Cavaliers defeat Northside in their finale.
Bassett, currently No. 6, might need a victory over Halifax County, but it would take a lot to go wrong in other games for the Bengals to be left on the sideline.
Fans of Staunton River and Northside need to pay attention to the outcome of the Tunstall-Mecklenburg County game. A Tunstall loss could benefit both teams.
Northside must defeat Lord Botetourt to have any chance of qualifying, however. It is possible but not likely the Vikings could outpoint Staunton River.
Don’t forget Christiansburg. Even with a loss to Salem, the Blue Demons could get in with losses by Tunstall and Northside.
REGION 2C
Radford needs a victory over Martinsville to clinch the No. 1 seed.
What happens if Martinsville upsets Radford? The Bulldogs actually could be the No. 1 seed. Floyd County could also be in the picture with a victory over Glenvar.
A win Friday by Radford would put the Bobcats at No. 1 and Martinsville at No. 4. The Floyd County-Glenvar winner would take the No. 2 spot with the loser at No. 3.
Appomattox County appears ticketed for the No. 5 spot.
Gretna would take No. 6 if the Hawks can defeat Altavista. Otherwise, Dan River would move up to No. 6 with a win over Chatham.
James River-Buchanan looks like the best bet for the No. 8 spot, even with a loss to unbeaten Carroll County. Patrick County and Nelson County have a chance, but it is very remote.
REGION 2D
Graham can clinch the No. 1 spot with a Thursday victory over Richlands.
Union sits in the No. 2 spot, but the winner of Friday’s Gate City-Ridgeview game likely will move up and drop the Bears to No. 3. The Gate City-Ridgeview loser will be No. 4
Southern Gap has clinched a berth in its first season of existence. The Buchanan County school can hold on to the No. 5 spot with a closing win over Central-Wise. Virginia High and Central-Wise are poised to move up if Southern Gap stumbles.
Lee can clinch a berth with a victory over Class 3 Abingdon or a loss by Tazewell to Lebanon. Tazewell needs a win over Lebanon and a loss by Lee to Abingdon in order to qualify.
REGION 1C
Region 1C has adopted an alternate formula from the old VHSL model.
The region setup is similar to what it uses for basketball where the schools are seeded based on the finish within their respective districts, the Mountain Empire and Pioneer.
However, the district order is still determined by the Rating Scale, and not district won-lost records.
The big question at the moment is which team will be the overall No. 1 seed for the region. Craig County can clinch its first unbeaten regular season in school history Friday as the Rockets welcome 9-0 Meadow Bridge (W.Va.) to New Castle.
A victory by Craig would give the Rockets the No. 1 seed. A loss would open the door for Grayson County to claim the top spot.
The district with the top overall seed will have the No. 1, 3 and 5 seeds. The other district will have seeds 2, 4 and 6. The final two qualifiers will be determined by Rating Scale points.
REGION 1D
With regular-season victories over Rye Cove and Eastside in the bag, Chilhowie already has clinched the No. 1 spot here.
Rye Cove would get the No. 2 spot with a closing victory over Twin Springs. Eastside is currently No. 3 and finished its regular season. It is possible that Patrick Henry-Glade Spring could pass Eastside with a win over Northwood.
If Northwood defeats PH-Glade, the Panthers would move up to No. 4 and set a rematch with the Rebels in the first round in Saltville.
Holston is currently No. 6, but, minus a huge upset over Chilhowie, the Cavaliers could be passed by J.I. Burton or Honaker if those teams win their games.
Burton would get a berth with a win over Thomas Walker. That would leave the No. 8 spot to the winner of the Rural Retreat-Honaker game.
VHSL Football Regional Playoff Points
Through Oct. 31 games
x = Team is ineligible for playoffs
