Area High School Football Previews for Sept. 3

Friday, September 03, 2010

High school football kicks off Friday night with half of the Bay Rivers District playing their season-openers.

Amherst County at Tabb

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Bailey Field, Yorktown.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: Amherst County 13-1 (Lost in Division 4 state championship), Tabb (6-4, no postseason).

QUICK READ: Tabb had the top offense in the Bay Rivers District last season – averaging 366 yards per game – but couldn’t keep up with Amherst County. The Lancers jumped to a 57-12 halftime lead en route to a 66-12 victory. … This is the final year Tabb will face Amherst County. The Tigers will add James Monroe as their non-district opponent next season. Tabb coach Matt Lawson said facing state-title contenders early in the season will help the team for the district schedule. “To get to that level, you’ve got to see that level,” Lawson said. … The Lancers will be without starting quarterback Kirby Anderson, who has a broken hand. … The Tigers think 6-foot-2 sophomore quarterback Dan Schiele will fill in nicely for Rex Harrison, who transferred to Kempsville in the summer. … Tabb has a stellar linebacker corps in Ian Haislip and Joseph Nelson.

Bruton at Southampton

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Southampton High.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: Bruton 11-3 (Lost in Division 3 state championship), Southampton (4-6, no postseason).

QUICK READ: Don’t expect any drastic changes from Bruton’s defense despite losing coordinator Terrence Johnson before the season. Head coach Tracy Harrod said the team will still run a 3-5 defense to utilize their speed and depth in the secondary. “That’s the only way we know how to play,” Harrod said. … Replacing the production and leadership from quarterback Jackson Neve and running back Lorenzo Taliaferro will be critical. However, the Panthers should be set with senior QB Elliott Rice and senior RB D’Anthony Lee.

York at Greensville County

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Greensville County High School, Emporia.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: York 7-4 (Lost in Region I semifinal), Greensville County 5-6 (Lost in Division 3 Region I semifinal).

QUICK READ: Ben Edwards isn’t walking through the door anymore for York, but that doesn’t mean the Falcons can’t light up the scoreboard. York won 51-48 last season on Edwards’ last-second touchdown pass to J.R. Riddick. … Alex Johnston enters his first season as York’s full-time starting quarterback after passing for 1,110 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

Dinwiddie at Poquoson

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Poquoson Middle School.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: Dinwiddie 6-5 (Lost in Division 5 Central Region semifinal), Poquoson 6-6 (Lost in Division 3 Region I championship).

QUICK READ: Don’t discount the Islanders’ experience. They return several three-year starters – including quarterback Tee McConnell and tight end/defensive end William Haskins – who help Poquoson win the 2008 Bay Rivers District title. … Dinwiddie, a Division 5 finalist two years ago, shouldn’t intimidate the Islanders. “They’ve played a lot of big games in football and six or seven of them have won two state championships in baseball,” Poquoson coach Elliott Duty said. "So they know what it’s like to prepare for a big game.” … Dinwiddie won 36-7 last year, but the game was within a touchdown in the third quarter.  Having to play several key players on both sides of the ball hurt Poquoson against the much bigger school (Dinwiddie has 1,200 students to Poquoson’s 900). “We kind of ran out of gas,” Duty said. … Poquoson’s playoff bid would get a great start with an upset. Dinwiddie features Virginia Tech commitments in defensive end Corey Marshall and quarterback Chris Hall. “When you line up against Corey Marshall or the Chris Hall kid and they’ve signed with Tech, you can kind of gage yourself and see where you’re at,” Duty said.

Smithfield at Surry County

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Surry County High.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: Smithfield 8-3 (Lost in Division 4 Region I semifinal, Surry County 1-9 (no postseason).

QUICK READ: Smithfield no longer has Montrell Johnson (1,320 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season last year) in the backfield but shouldn’t miss his absence against Surry. Quarterback James Wrenn (421 passing yards and five touchdowns in 2009) leads the Packers’ run-first offense.

Hampton Roads Academy at Chincoteague (0-1)

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

WHERE: Chincoteague.

LAST SEASON’S RECORDS: HRA 2-7, Chincoteague 5-5.

QUICK READ: HRA has 18 seniors on its 38-player roster for new coach Bryce Kiser. … West Point routed Chincoteague 37-7 last Friday. … Junior Marshall Bagley returns as HRA’s starting quarterback.