High school notes

Atlee arrives a little bit early

"Technically," Atlee football coach Roscoe Johnson said, "we're supposed to be better next year."

The Raiders might be ahead of schedule.

Atlee, which takes on Patrick Henry this week, is 2-0 for the first time in the school's 19-year football history. Only four seniors start on each side of the ball, and Johnson said he has some talented players waiting on the JV team.

"I've told everybody . . . that if we play to our capability, we're a pretty good football team," he said.

The Raiders seem to get the most out of tackling machine Josh Doggett every week. The 6-1, 220-pound senior linebacker had 15 solo tackles and five assists last week against Deep Run.

"His tackles are actually lower this year," Johnson said. "He's got a great supporting cast."

Doggett is averaging 12.5 solo tackles and six assists this year. He averaged 16.2 solo tackles and three assists last year.

Pegeas' big game came at right time

In Varina football circles, senior Dondrey Pegeas is known for his aggressive play and blocking ability.

Dinwiddie found out last Friday night that Pegeas can run the ball and catch it, too.

With last year's Central Region leading rusher Trey Johnson sitting down in the second half because of an injury, Pegeas (5-9, 165) and quarterback Hermon Norrell took over the Blue Devils' offense.

The two hooked up for 24-yard TD pass that gave Varina a one-point lead at haltime. The Blue Devils scored three times in the third quarter, all on Pegeas runs (5, 64 and 11 yards). Norrell found Pegeas for a 49-yard, victory-clinching pass for Varina's last score.

Pegeas touched the ball eight times (four carries, four receptions) for 195 yards and five touchdowns.

"He can play so aggressively," Varina coach Stu Brown said. "He's one of those kids who can fly, and boy, he stepped up."

Falcons halt streak

Huguenot turned its first trip to Monticello High in Charlottesville into a happy bus ride home.

Monticello, a Group AA school that is bigger than Group AAA Huguenot, replaced John Marshall on the Falcons' schedule this year. The Mustangs won the Division 3 state championship in 2007 and were the Region II champs last year. Until last Friday night, they hadn't lost at home since October 2005.

Falcons safety Chris Little intercepted a Monticello pass at the Huguenot 1-yard-line with two minutes left in the game to seal a 26-20 victory.

Huguenot's offensive star was senior Kanard Pryor, who was a defensive back until two running backs went down with injuries. Coach Ron Gundry found out Pryor could run in the team's second scrimmage.

Pryor picked up 150 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against Monticello.

"He made a coach out of me," Gundry said. "We're very happy with the win. The kids were very disciplined. . . . We haven't had more than 300 yards of offense in a long time."

Lilly gets first win

After two tough losses, Benedictine won for first-year head coach Greg Lilly. The Cadets knocked off public school rival J.R. Tucker.

Quarterback Greg Petrohovich had his best game of the season, completing 11 of 23 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. His twin brother, Drew, caught one of the TD passes, but Rashad Stallings was the big receiver with four catches for 109 yards, including a 68-yard TD reception. - Tim Pearrell and Arthur Utley