Gametime Henrico: Oct. 23-29, 2023

Last Friday, the Deep Run football squad completed its final game of the season, dropping a 35-15 contest to the Godwin Eagles (6-3). Throughout the duration of the game, the Wildcats were very much still within striking distance of winning. With seven minutes left in the third quarter, running back Jahleel Miller powered his way into the end zone from one yard out, making it a one possession game. However, Godwin got itself into great rhythm offensively heading into the fourth quarter, which sealed the deal, ultimately leaving the Wildcats with a 1-9 record for the second consecutive season.

Freeman High School

The Mavericks’ football team finished the regular season with a record of 7-3 after a close 38-35 loss to Hanover (6-3) last Friday. In the first quarter, the Mavs found themselves down 10-0 after a touchdown run and a long successful field goal, but running back Butter Stephenson was not going out without a fight. Stephenson scored on a 70-yard rushing touchdown following the successful field goal, scored another long rushing touchdown from 50 yards out in the second quarter, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jadyn Reece in the fourth quarter, then finished off the scoring for the Mavs with a one-yard rushing touchdown. Stephenson led Freeman in both rushing yards, passing yards, and produced 230 yards of total offense in the loss. Other notable performances include Kevin China, who scored a one-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Jake Lohmann, who had 50 receiving yards on just three receptions throughout the night.

Glen Allen High School

The Jaguars’ field hockey squad entered the Region 6A tournament as the No. 2 seed and did not disappoint in its quarterfinal matchup versus seventh-seeded Landstown, where it completely dominated in a 6-0 victory over the Eagles. With seven minutes left to play in the first quarter, Rowen LaSalata assisted Addyson Farrar in the first goal of the game. Immediately following Farrar’s goal, Catie Zorn assisted Mackenzie Battle to make it 2-0. Before the end of the first half, it was Battle who found Zorn to extend the lead to 3-0. In the second half, Natalie Macklin scored a goal, Farrar assisted Zorn for her second goal of the game, and Battle put the icing on the cake with her second goal of the game and the last of the game. The Jags will move onto the semifinals, where they will host Grassfield.

Godwin High School

The Eagles football squad improved to 6-3 on the season following their 35-15 victory over Deep Run last Friday. First to get on the board was quarterback Daniel Viener, who took it 60 yards to the house to put his team ahead 7-0 late in the first quarter. After multiple defensive stands by the Wildcats, Viener was off to the races once again, this time crossing the goal line on a 40-yard rushing touchdown to give Godwin a 14-0 lead. Late in the third quarter, running back Isaiah Brown scored on a 30-yard rushing touchdown. Roman Parham scored on a 15-yard rushing touchdown, and Viener connected with Tristan Ginn on a 20-yard passing touchdown to finish off the scoring for the Eagles. The ground game for the Eagles was the difference in this one, as they managed to rush for more than 375 yards over the Wildcats defense. Their season finale will be played versus Glen Allen (7-2) on Friday.

Hermitage High School

The Panthers football team fell to 5-4 on the season following its 7-6 loss to Varina, a game that was originally scheduled as the season opener. Hermitage held onto a lead for nearly three quarters thanks to two successful field goals in the second and fourth quarter. But in the fourth, the Hermitage defense was unable to stop quarterback Linwood Johnson from finding DaMari Carter on a seven-yard touchdown pass to seal the deal. Despite the loss, Panthers’ quarterback Ben Yeanay had a strong day under center. Yeanay finished the game as the game’s leader in passing yards (101) and rushing yards (67). The Panthers will aim to finish their season over .500 with their season-finale road game against Tucker this Friday.

Highland Springs High School

The Springers’ football squad has been unsurprisingly dominant once again this season, and they again pose a serious threat to win the Class 6 state title. Ever since their 23-14 loss to Maury in early September, the Springers have won six consecutive games and have outscored their opponents 256-38. This past weekend, however, proved to be challenging, as the Springers needed a late score to sneak by their rival, Varina, in a 20-19 thriller. In the first quarter, the game was at a standstill, leaving both teams scoreless. By the end of the first half, the Springers hadn’t managed to get their offense to click, and Varina found itself leading the Class 5 champions 13-0. It wasn’t until the third quarter when all-state quarterback Khristian Martin gave Highland Springs life, as he threw a 14-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-7. Then, the Springers got their first lead of the game all thanks to receiver Jakyre Henley, who took off for an 80-touchdown, making it 14-13 with just five minutes remaining. After a quick response from Varina, Highland Springs had little time to make some magic happen. But Martin proved to have ice in his veins and threw a 28-yard touchdown to Tomondrey Braxton with about 40 seconds remaining in the game to seal the deal. The Springers’ final game of the regular season will be on the road against Hanover this Friday.

Varina High School

The Blue Devils football team fell to 7-2 on the season following two competitive one-point games last week: a 20-19 loss to Highland Springs Saturday, which followed a 7-6 win over Hermitage Tuesday in a make-up game. Despite the loss to the Springers, Varina played some of its best football all season and did so with backup quarterback Caleb Wyche. Wyche kicked off the scoring in the game with a 35-yard passing touchdown to DaMari Carter, then threw another touchdown of 60 yards in the second quarter to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 13-0 by the end of the first half. After a couple of clutch touchdowns by Highland Springs, Wyche responded with an 80-yard passing touchdown to receiver Naseer Smith, which had the Blue Devils leading 19-14 late in the fourth. It took a miraculous performance by Martin and company to sneak by with the win, but Varina is in a great position as it prepares for the Region 4B playoffs. Their final game of the regular season will be versus Patrick Henry this Friday.