Table of Contents
It’s already one of the most storied rivalries in local high school football, but Thursday night’s Varina-Highland Springs game at Varina High School seems even bigger than usual.
That’s because both teams are coming off state championships last season – and both are 9-0 this season. Highland Springs has left a trail of destruction in its wake, outscoring its nine opponents by an astounding margin of 459 to 47 (which works out to an average score of 51 to 5). The Springers are ranked on top-100 lists by various national high school football websites services, including MaxPreps, which currently ranks them the 66th best team in the nation and the best in Virginia.
— Virginia Sports Network (@vasportsnetwork) October 29, 2022
Varina checks in at No. 9 in the state according to MaxPreps, and while it hasn’t been quite as dominant as its Eastern Henrico rival, it’s not been far off. The Blue Devils are outscoring opponents by an average of 35 to 7 this season.
The two teams have had four common opponents: Atlee, Hanover, Henrico and Patrick Henry.
Highland Springs defeated Atlee 67-7, while Varina did so by a score of 46-14. The Springers took care of Hanover 55-7, while the Blue Devils won by a narrower margin of 21-12. Against Henrico, both teams dominated in shutout fashion – Highland Springs by the score of 61-0 and Varina by the count of 50-0. Against Patrick Henry, the Springers won easily, 48-3, while Varina claimed a nail biter last week, 27-21.
Thursday night’s showdown is sold out, but you can watch the game online beginning at 7 p.m. through the Virginia Sports Network.
