Editor’s note: This is a preview of our 757Teamz Extra newsletter. Sign up now to receive it weekly in your inbox.
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Hello, and welcome to 757Teamz Extra!
I’m Jami Frankenberry, sports editor at The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press and 757Teamz.com, and I’ll be your guide this football season. Each week, I’ll bring you exclusive content on high school football in the 757. Let’s get right to it.
The season openers for most local high school teams are Thursday and Friday, and every team has a clean slate. Our staffers are just as excited about the season getting underway, so I asked our high school football gurus — Larry Rubama and Marty O’Brien — about the first game they covered and what they like most about the beginning of the season.
Marty: “The first high school game I covered for a newspaper, the erstwhile York Town Crier, was on Aug. 31, 1990, when Nottoway beat York 14-11 in overtime at Bailey Field and it felt to me like I was covering the Super Bowl. The first time each season I see players burst through that sign held up by the cheerleaders brings me back to the thrill of opening night 1966, when I saw York lose an equally exciting 19-18 decision to Newport News at old Saunders Stadium in downtown Newport News.”
Larry: “I have been covering high school football in Hampton Roads since 1999. What I love most about the first week is the excitement of a new season. Every team is 0-0. Every team has a chance. Every player thinks they can win the district. That talk, of course, changes by Week 5 when every team gets an idea of how the season is really going to go.”
You’ll be hearing regularly from Marty and Larry in the newsletter.
Introducing our new high school sports newsletter: 757Teamz Extra
Game you gotta see!
Where are you headed this week? On Thursday, the Beach District features five games, including Tallwood at fifth-ranked Green Run and No. 7 Salem at Kempsville. Those games kick off at 6:30 p.m.
But I think the week’s most intriguing game is Friday when Poquoson travels to Lake Taylor for a 7 p.m. game. The Bull Islanders are a powerhouse in most sports in the small-school Class 2, and rarely do they get a chance to take on the 757’s traditional powers in football.
Want to know your team’s season schedule? A team-by-team look at the entire season.
Top 50 deep dive
Maury’s Ari Watford topped our annual list of the Top 50 high school football players in the senior class. Watford, a fearsome defensive end, is headed to Clemson and snapped a string of three straight wide receivers at No. 1:
- Class of 2024 – WR Keylen Adams, Green Run (Virginia Tech)
- Class of 2023 – WR Paul Billups Jr., Western Branch (North Carolina)
- Class of 2022 – WR Tychaun Chapman, Landstown (North Carolina)
Watford, though, kept the 757’s pipeline to the Atlantic Coast Conference going. Since 2011, 13 of 15 top-ranked players picked an ACC school. The only two that didn’t? Indian River’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Class of 2020) picked Florida and Catholic’s Teradja Mitchell (Class of 2018) chose Ohio State.
BUT: Powell-Ryland is finishing his career in the ACC after transferring to Virginia Tech before last season.
Drop me a line
Maury and Phoebus are 1-2 in the 757Teamz Top 15, and they’re the prohibitive favorites to win state championships in Class 5 and Class 4, respectively. But I want to know: What other team can win a state championship? Why? Email me at jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com, tell me your name and city, and I’ll feature some responses in the next newsletter – coming at you next Thursday.
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