Class 1
Grundy at George Wythe
Last meeting: Grundy 42, George Wythe 28 (Oct. 7, 2022 in Grundy, Va.)
This is the rare state semifinal clash that is a regular-season rematch. … The previous meeting was not originally scheduled, but when Twin Valley and Bland County folded their programs it left both teams in need of a contest and they met in early-October in Buchanan County. “We talked to teams in West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee,” said George Wythe coach Brandon Harner. “Our athletic director, Doug Campbell, got on the phone with Grundy after Twin Valley canceled. We were supposed to have our bye week, but Grundy said they’d play us, but we’d have to come there since it was their homecoming. My kids have lost enough games over the last couple of years with COVID and cancellations, so I said we’d travel 2 ½ hours to play, because our kids deserve to play.” … Isaiah Boyd (11 carries, 238 yards, four touchdowns) and Ian Scammell (23 carries, 168 yards, two TDs) had the bulk of Grundy’s 427 rushing yards that day as the Golden Wave never trailed in manhandling the Maroons. Ben Jollay threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns to lead George Wythe. … Grundy (8-4) dispatched Honaker (38-20), Lebanon (32-0) and Patrick Henry (30-19) in winning the Region 1D title. The Golden Wave have rushed for 4,073 yards and 55 touchdowns collectively, while going 33-of-67 for 401 yards and four touchdowns through the air. … Grundy’s four losses came to Patrick Henry, Ridgeview, Tazewell and Wise County Central. The Golden Wave and Class 2 Poquoson (9-4) are the only state semifinalists with four losses … George Wythe got the best of Parry McCluer (41-22), Narrows (48-28) and Grayson County (48-28) to win the Region 1C title. The Maroons have rushed for 3,024 yards and 44 touchdowns collectively, while going 95-of-170 for 1,330 yards and eight TDs through the air. …. GW’s losses came to Radford, Grundy and Class 2 semifinalist Graham. … Grundy has opted to try for two-point conversions after TDs this season and are 38-for-60 on those attempts. That could possibly be a key in today’s game. … Scammell has rushed for 2,010 yards for Grundy and is also the team’s leading tackler. Sophomores Wyatt Bush (10 tackles for loss) and Logan Lester (seven interceptions) also get it done on defense for the Golden Wave too. … Ben Jollay (1,088 yards) is the top rusher for George Wythe, while quarterback Tandom Smith has rushed for 755 yards and thrown six TD passes. Laden Houston (28 catches, 482 yards, three TDs) is the top receiver. Leyton Fowler (169 ½ tackles) and Colton Green (11 sacks) spearhead the defense. … George Wythe assistant coach Quinton Hensley is in his ninth state semifinal and looking for his first win in the round. He was formerly an assistant and head coach at Rural Retreat. … Grundy is 0-3 all-time in state semifinal games, while GW is 3-3. … This should be a physical, smashmouth contest of the highest degree. … The winner plays either Riverheads (10-1) or Essex (13-0) on Dec. 10 at noon at Salem Stadium in the VHSL Class 1 state championship game.
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Prediction: Grundy 24, George Wythe 20
Class 2
Appomattox County at Graham
Last meeting: Graham 42, Appomattox 28 (Dec. 4, 2021, in Bluefield)
This is the third state semifinal matchup between these two squads since 2019. Graham avenged a 2019 loss last year by rushing for 350 yards. Ty’Drez Clements (173 yards) and Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw (93) combined on five scores for the G-Men…While Graham was a good bet for another semifinal berth, the Appomattox Raiders have overcome several obstacles with a young lineup. The Raiders dropped three of their first four games while battling illness and injuries. Appomattox, which averages 35 points, has reeled off nine straight wins as Virginia Tech recruit Jonathan Pennix has pushed through a pair of injuries that kept him out of four games… Pennix is effective at running back (1,066 yards), receiver (335 yards) and cornerback. He will likely player receiver at Tech…Other players to watch include quarterback Gray Peterson (1,279 yards passing, 627 yards rushing), Tre Kelso (680 yards rushing) and Reagan Conroy with 315 yards receiving…Appomattox has advanced to the semifinals seven times since 2015, winning five state titles. The fourth-seeded Raiders are coming off a wild 38-34 victory over top-seeded Glenvar for the Region 2C crown… Alex Caruso, who pitched the Raiders to a 4-2 win over John Battle in last season’s Class 2 baseball championship, starts at linebacker… “Appomattox is impressive in every way,” Graham coach Tony Palmer said. “They can run, pass and tackle, and they are well-coached. We are facing a good team that has been to this point before, and it’s going to be a battle.” …Behind a dominant line corps, Graham has outscored three playoff foes by an average margin of 53-21 and allows just 14 points per game. Look for Graham running back Ty’Drez Clements to find holes and get to the outside against an Appomattox defense that allows 21.4 ppg…The Raiders will break a few big plays, but the experience, strength and depth of Graham makes the difference here. Big Graham linemen Connor Roberts, Cody Dolin and Carter Lloyd will shine along with aggressive defensive backs Braden Watkins and Sean Hughes.
Prediction: Graham 35, Appomattox 21
