After a scoreless first half, Thomas Dale outscored Matoaca three touchdowns to two in the second to win the Central District championship and advance to the Central Region Division 6 playoffs for the first time since 2002. Matoaca recovered two Thomas Dale fumbles in the first quarter, and the Knights covered a Warriors fumble as the defenses ruled.

Derek Mears connected with Brandon Brown for a 17-yard score with less than 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, and Colonial Heights defeated Hopewell in a Central District matchup. Tyler Drewes finished with 18 carries for 114 yards for the Colonials (1-5, 3-6). Jonathan Frink put the Blue Devils (1-5, 2-7) on the board, catching a 10-yard pass from Jonavas Rhone for a TD.

Clover Hill (8-2) secured the top seed in the Central Region, Division 5 playoffs with its victory over Henrico. Doug Tyler rushed 16 times for 114 yards and two scores for the Cavaliers. Joel Caleb had 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground and threw for a score. Holland Fisher had four solo tackles, three assists, a sack and four tackles for a loss of 10 yards.

Sam Rogers finished 5 of 9 for 109 yards, two TDs and an interception and Hanover cruised past Armstrong in a Capital District game. Dean Cheatham had 10 carries for 151 yards and 3 TDs, and Danny Trsic recorded three receptions for 68 yards and a score for the Hawks (3-2, 6-3), who are in the Division 5 playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Trsic also returned a punt 49 yards for a TD, and Marzae Brooks returned an interception 35 yards for a score.

Andre Coble accounted for 329 yards and two touchdowns and Domico Phillips scored twice to lead the Monarchs (6-1 Central, 9-1) past the visiting the Crimson Wave (3-4, 5-5). Coble rushed for 172 yards and a TD on 13 carries and completed 10 of 15 passes for 157 yards and a score. Phillips finished with 20 carries for 93 yards. Petersburg quarterback Kevin Green completed 18 of 28 passes for 309 yards and three TDs. Damon McLaughlin had four catches for 141 yards and two scores and Demonte Gregory grabbed a 65-yard scoring strike.

Douglas Freeman had five possessions inside Mills Godwin’s 5 yard line, but only came away with six points as the Eagles came away with the one-point victory. Derek Whitaker rushed for 87 yards on 20 carries and a score as Mills Godwin ended the season at 4-3 in the Colonial and 5-5 overall. Mac Hudgins went 14-for-21 for 208 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Rebels fell to 1-6 and 2-8.

Cosby (6-2 Dominion, 7-3) set the school mark for wins in a season, beating Huguenot (2-6, 3-7). Cosby QB Fuller Hoepner was 14 of 22 for 137 yards and two TDs. Cosby’s Blake Hutchison had 7 tackles, 3 for loss and a sack. Cosby————————————- 14 0 0 13—27
Huguenot————————————- 0 0 0 8—8

Third-ranked Hermitage (6-0, 9-1) compiled 332 yards total offense and rolled to its third consecutive Colonial District championship. Quarterback Brendon Riddick completed 11 of 18 passes for 206 yards, two touchdowns and an interception . He also scored a rushing TD. Anthony Vieng (3 receptions, 101 yards) and Derek Britt caught the TD passes. Easton Gordon led the ground game with 114 yards on 14 carries. Linebackers Curtis Grant (12 tackles, sack) and Daryl Howell (eight tackles) and defensive back Brandon Rogers (four tackles, two interceptions) spearheaded the Panthers’ defense. Jayrin Waller rushed for 39 yards on 14 carries for Patrick Henry (3-4, 4-6), which finished under .500 for the first time since 1992.

Deandre Allen had 14 rushes for 124 yards and two TDs as Dinwiddie (4-3, 6-4) swamped Prince George (0-7, 1-9). Quarterback Chris Hall was 11 for 20 for 199 yards and two TDs and Drakar Harvell had four catches for 121 yards and a TD. Defensively, Corey Marshall had nine tackles (three for loss) and two sacks. Prince George————————————- 0 0 0 0—0
Dinwiddie————————————- 21 6 14 13—54

Chalk up another victory for defense and special teams in a meaningful football game. Highland Springs blocked two field goal attempts by Varina, one at the end of the first half and the other with 18 seconds remaining, to edge the Blue Devils 17-16 yesterday afternoon before a crowd of about 4,000 at Highland Springs. The victory set off a joyful celebration for the Springers and their fans. Sixth-ranked in The Times-Dispatch Top 10, Highland Springs (6-0, 9-1) won the Capital District title and a guaranteed berth in the Central Region Division 6 playoffs next Saturday.

Collegiate spotted St. Catherine’s a goal then rallied for a 3-1 victory in the VISAA Division I field hockey tournament final yesterday at Collegiate’s Robins Campus in Goochland County. A noisy crowd of about 400 watched the Cougars (20-3) win their sixth state title, but it was the first time the local rivals had played each other in the final.

King William amassed 223 yards total on the ground scored all six of its scores were rushing as the Cavaliers defeated King and Queen yesterday. Lewis Redman threw for 80 yards and a touchdown as the Cavaliers improved to 8-2. Larry Johnson had two scoring runs of five yards apiece. King and Queen fell to 1-9 for the season. King William————————————- 20 18 6 0—44
King and Queen————————————- 0 0 0 8—8
KW—Powel 32 INT (kick failed)KW—Ward 11 run (Redman kick)
KW—La. Johnson 5 run (kick failed)
KW—La. Johnson 5 run (kick failed)
KW—Powell 16 pass from Redman (kick failed)
KW—Moore 1 run (kick failed)
KW—D. Johnson 33 run (kick failed)
KQ—White 56 run (White run)
Records: King William 8-2; King and Queen 1-9

John Saunders scored on a 14-yard run and Oscar Portillo kicked the extra point with five minutes left in the game to give Highland Springs a 17-16 lead over Varina, and the Springers’ defense blocked its second field goal attempt of the day with 18 seconds remaining to preserve the Capital District victory that qualified Highland Springs for the Central Region Division 6 playoffs.

Soggy fields have pushed the final night of regular-season high school football in the Central Region to Monday. The most anticipated game, Varina at Highland Springs, will be played today at 1 p.m. at Highland Springs. The winner earns the Capital District title and a berth in the region Division 6 playoffs. The loser misses the playoffs. Already on today’s schedule are the VISFA Division I playoff game between Collegiate and Fork Union at Collegiate (1:30) and the traditional closer between Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall (1). It’s homecoming at John Marshall. Also, King William will play at King and Queen today at 7 p.m.

ROANOKE—John Moore caught a touchdown pass and converted two first downs late in the fourth quarter to help third-seeded Blessed Sacramento Huguenot edge second-seeded North Cross 17-15 in the VIS Division III semifinals last night. Moore finished with 47 yards rushing and led a huge defensive effort for the Knights with 18 tackles. Blessed Sacrament Huguenot (9-2) held North Cross (8-3) to 162 yards and forced five turnovers.