Rematches are the name of the game in Div. 6 playoffs

By Arthur Utley

Published: November 14, 2008

Your place or mine?

The standard pickup line is the standard playoff line for the L.C. Bird and Meadowbrook football teams in the Central Region, Division 6 playoffs.

The Skyhawks (9-1) and Monarchs (8-2) hook up in the postseason for the third time in four years tonight at 7:30 at L.C. Bird in what could be some nasty weather.

Meadowbrook won the season opener this year. They split last year, with Bird winning in the regular season. The Monarchs won in the regular season in 2005, but the Skyhawks won the playoff meeting.

The other Division 6 semifinal is a rematch of a regular-season game as well. Hermitage (8-2) travels to Varina (10-0) for a 7:30 kickoff. Varina won by two touchdowns Sept. 19.

"I think it adds to the excitement," L.C. Bird coach David Bedwell said of rematches. "You find out where you stand in the first game. The second one means a little bit."

Not much changes in the Division 6 quartet each year. The Skyhawks are in for the 10th consecutive year. Varina, Hermitage, Meadowbrook and Highland Springs have been regulars, too. In the past five years, Clover Hill and Patrick Henry have been the only interlopers.

"It says a lot for the guys there on a regular basis. To continue at that high level is hard to do," Bedwell said. "That's pretty impressive. Fortunately, we've been one of them."

Early-season games against playoff regulars have been a blessing to Meadowbrook, which beat Hermitage on Sept. 12.

"It's been very important for us. If we hadn't had those games, we wouldn't be able to out point people," said coach Bill Bowles.

The Monarchs lost twice in the Central District but earned enough Virginia High School League ratings scale points to nip 9-1 Deep Run by a point for the last playoff spot.

Hermitage is the defending Division 6 champion. The Panthers managed only eight points against the Blue Devils in the first meeting. Coach Patrick Kane noted after that game the Panthers need to find ways to score more points.

"We didn't have a downfield [receiving] threat on both sides of the field," said Kane, who moved quarterback Theron Norman to wideout opposite receiver Matty Snead and Michael Johnson to QB. "That helped spread the field."

The return of Duan Perez-Means (he sat out the first game) from injury gives Hermitage "three tall, gifted receivers," Kane added. "We started five sophomores on defense. We're a much mature team now. I hope we haven't played our best game. We need our best game [against Varina]."

Whereas Varina's power running game has been productive, it's the Blue Devils' defense that has been "the most consistent part of our program this year," said first-year coach Stu Brown. "Coach [Eddie] Handsome has organized good game plans and we are fundamentally sound. We are not a penetrating defense. Our philosophy is to play defense at the line of scrimmage."

Linemen Jamel Coles and DeAntre Rhodes and linebackers Addonis Robinson and T.K. Hester have been the leaders of a unit that has allowed 95 points this season.

The winners move on to next Friday's championship game at the home of the higher seed.

"The bottom line is they are the Division 6 region champions, and we want what they have," Brown said.
Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or .