Knights face expected obstacle

Following Blessed Sacrament Huguenot's victory over North Cross in late August, football coach Mike Henderson said he had an inkling that if things fell into place, the Knights and Raiders would meet again in the playoffs.

Sure enough, they meet tonight at 7:30 at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot to determine the Virginia Independent Schools Division III state champion.

The VIS Division I champion will be crowned tomorrow when Collegiate (8-1) plays host to Flint Hill (8-2) of Oakton at 1:30 p.m.

Blessed Sacrament Huguenot won 17-7 in Roanoke in its second game. The Knights enter tonight's encounter 12-0. North Cross has won 10 games in a row since the loss in its opener.

"I knew then that to get where we wanted to go, we would see them again," Henderson said. "This will be our biggest test of the year. They have two terrific athletes [on offense] and a lot of experience and size on the line."

In the first meeting, the Raiders' Tyler Caveness and Sid Brown shared running back duties. Shortly thereafter, Brown was moved to wide receiver to get both on the field at the same time. Caveness has rushed for 1,992 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. Brown has reeled in 39 passes for 866 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Defense has played a big part in Blessed Sacrament Huguenot's success. The Knights gave up 45 points in a shootout with Trinity Episcopal but have allowed just 47 points in the other 11 games. Linebacker Deon Watts has 20 tackles for losses. Linebacker John Moore leads the team with 99 tackles.

"We've played good defense. Some of the scores have come at the end of games," Henderson said. "We're excited to see how we match up against the team that is probably the favorite now."

The Knights won state titles in 2003 and 2004. They defeated North Cross to win the 2004 crown.

Cougar power: Collegiate is shooting for its fifth state championship in six years. Flint Hill, meanwhile, has made rapid progress in just its fourth year of varsity football.

Huskies quarterback Jovan Smith and running back Arlandis Harvey are three-year starters and the object of attention for opposing defenses. Lineman Jimmy Speros has committed to the University of Richmond.

"They are a good team with really good team speed," Collegiate coach Mark Palyo said. Smith and Harvey "appear to be faster than anyone we have played against all year. We are going to have to be at our best to contain them."

The Cougars' potent, spread-the-field offense, led by quarterback Jake McGee and a bevy of pass receivers, garners most of the spotlight, but "the defense this year has been equally outstanding," Palyo said. "The improvement for the year would be the team's ability to play consistently on both sides of the ball."

The Cougars' defense has logged three shutouts.

Flint Hill knocked off top-seeded Liberty Christian last week to reach the championship game. The victory came two weeks after a regular-season loss to Liberty Christian.
Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559 or .