Central Region GameDay - Week 7
Here we go… Week 7 is upon us… after this week there will be just four weeks of regular season football left. We are officially on the back stretch of the 2025 season with the playoffs getting closer by the day, matchup by matchup.
Game of the Week
Glen Allen (4-2) at Mills Godwin (2-4)
- Mills Godwin leads series 8-6
- Glen Allen has won the last 3 meetings.
The skies over Short Pump might be lit up Friday night when the Eagles & Jags meet on Pump Road. That is when we will get a QB battle between Luke ‘Crazy Legs’ Roberts and Ralphie Puccinelli. Both are junior QB’s who are having seasons to make you familiar with their names but next season could be two of the bigger QB’s in the region. Both QB’s are also younger brothers of QBs.
Ralphie Puccinelli’s brother Luca played at Benedictine is now at Purdue. Luke’s brother Chase is the starting QB at St. Christopher’s. Football is in their blood without question.
The stat line tells us that Ralphie is having the better season. Through six games Ralphie has over 1,000 yards passing, nearly 300 yards rushing and almost 20 TD’s. Luke on the other hand has just 7 total TD’s with 4 of those in the ground game and 1,020 yards of total offense.
Both QB’s have complimentary run games albeit Glen Allen has the more complete offense in that respect. The Jags also have the edge on defense giving up an average of 11.8 points per game. The Eagles defense is giving up an average of 19.1 points per game.
The road to this matchup has come entirely differently for both squads.
Glen Allen is a total of 9 points away from being undefeated with a 3-point loss to undefeated Manchester and a 6-point loss to undefeated Thomas Dale.
Mills Godwin on the other hand is 4 points away from being 4-2 with back-to-back 2-point losses to Atlee and Hanover.
An arms race, a Colonial District battle and of course this game will have Region 5C playoff implications in terms of seeding. This matchup might not be flashy but it is intriguing.
| Danny Lewis | Glen Allen 33, Mills Godwin 17 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Glen Allen 28, Mills Godwin 7 |
5 Must See Matchups
Petersburg (4-1) at #2 Dinwiddie (6-0)
- Dinwiddie 37-18-2
- Petersburg’s last win in series was 2006.
This is without a doubt the biggest meeting of these two programs in quite some time. That said, don’t count on the outcome being any different. The Wave have gotten off to a great start to the season but the back half of their schedule presents the best the Central District has to offer starting with the Generals and Meadowbrook, Thomas Dale & Prince George still to come. The Wave defense has taken care of business and Stanley Green is playing like a 4-year starter at QB.
The challenge for the Wave is beating a Dinwiddie team that is averaging 42 points a game and giving up just 7 points a game. Zion Boisseau appears to be the real deal at QB with nearly 1,500 yards of offense and 23 TD’s between the pass and run game. Joshua Adams is coming on strong in the run game as well, 320 yards and 5 TD’s to his credit thus far. Robert Pettaway leads a stellar defensive effort that cannot be taken lightly.
The Generals look every bit the part of a Region 4B and Class 4 contender. Petersburg is not there yet.
| Danny Lewis | Dinwiddie 44, Petersburg 16 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Dinwiddie 49, Petersburg 6 |
#1 Manchester (6-0) at LC Bird (3-3)
- LC Bird leads series 32-11.
- Manchester has won 9 of the last 12 meetings.
At one point in time the Skyhawks were the big dog in the Dominion District and particularly in this series but the last decade has gone a long way to change that. The Lancers are the ones coming into this one undefeated. Last season the Skyhawks reached the state semifinals with a team vastly greater than the one taking the field in this contest. That state semifinal team did not beat the Lancers then and you should not expect them to come out on top in this one.
The Lancers just appear to be a team on a mission this season. Manchester is averaging 57.8 points per game from an offense under the command of senior Landen Abernathy who is delivering in big ways in this his final season as a Lancer. The defense with Camden Chalkley the ringleader is giving up an average of 12 points per game. The Skyhawks have studs on defense but not to the caliber of this Lancer defense. Manchester should take this one handedly.
| Danny Lewis | Manchester 41, LC Bird 15 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Manchester 35, LC Bird 7 |
#9 Meadowbrook (4-1) at Prince George (3-2)
- Meadowbrook leads series 26-25-1.
- Meadowbrook’s last win in the series was 2017.
Meadowbrook faced their toughest test of the season last week and now they get another one. The test this time is not as much the opponent as it is how do you handle adversity. The Monarchs enter a game for the first time this season reeling off a loss. A loss that could have been avoided if not for a turnover or missed field goal. Will there be a hangover in this one?
This Monarchs defense despite the loss is still one of the best in the region giving up an average of 8.6 points per game. That defense will have to be at the top of their game as they will be going toe to toe against the elusive LJ Hewlett, Jr. who has been the lifeblood of the Royals offense. They go as far as LJ takes them. The Monarchs defense averages 42 tackles & 2.7 sacks a game. This is a savage defense that will be out for blood after their first loss of the season.
| Danny Lewis | Meadowbrook 21, Prince George 15 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Meadowbrook 28, Prince George 10 |
Mechanicsville (2-3) at #10 Hanover (5-0)
- Hanover leads series 14-9.
- Mechanicsville has lost 5 straight in series.
The Hawks are off to their best start since 2010 when some sophomore was taking the Hawks to heights never reached before. I wonder whatever happened to that kid? Oh, that’s right, he is now the head football coach, Sam Rogers. There are many obstacles still in front of this Hawks squad but Mechanicsville is the last one in the trifecta of the Hanover County sweep. It might not mean much to those outside of Hanover but it is a big deal to those who call Hanover home.
The Hawks defense is quietly putting together a solid season giving up an average of 11 points per game. That Hawks defense will be looking to lockdown the Mustangs workhorse (pun intended) in Brennan Ball. As long as Hanover can keep him from having a field day on their field, they will be in good shape.
| Danny Lewis | Hanover 38, Mechanicsville 9 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Hanover 42, Mechanicsville 7 |
Douglas Freeman (2-3) at Thomas Jefferson (4-2)
- Douglas Freeman leads series 42-6-1.
- Thomas Jefferson’s last win in series was 1997.
From 1988 to 2016 these two teams clashed as members of the Colonial District. Although both call the Colonial home, this is the first meeting in 9 years. A lot has changed for both teams. Freeman is now knowns as the Mavericks, not Rebels. Also since their last meeting the Vikings who had no wins in the playoffs have now 9 and the Mavericks in that same time have just 4. One more to throw at you, the Vikings have 13 more wins so one could say the Vikings have been the better team over the last decade since their last meeting.
Both teams rely on the run to lead their offense but the Vikings have gotten more out of their offense with Daeron Ferguson leading the charge. The Vikings also come into this one after their worst loss of the season. They will be a team determined and with a little chip on their shoulder.
| Danny Lewis | Thomas Jefferson 20, Douglas Freeman 13 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Thomas Jefferson 28, Douglas Freeman 21 |
Upset Alert
Hopewell (1-4) at Colonial Heights (1-5)
- Hopewell 48-8-1.
- Colonials last win in series was 2009.
The Colonials will be in an uphill battle this week without their starting QB who is sidelined with an injury. Neither of these teams has had the season they would like and the Colonials without question are the underdog in this one considering their QB situation. That said the Colonials are have scored 85 points this season compared to that of 68. The Blue Devils defense has also allowed more than the Colonials 207-168. Theoretically speaking the Colonials are better but history tells us the Blue Devils should win. We shall see who gets that second win of the season.
| Danny Lewis | Hopewell 28, Colonial Heights 20 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Hopewell 20, Colonial Heights 13 |
Rest of Region
Matoaca (0-5) at #3 Thomas Dale (5-0)
- Thomas Dale leads series 20-12.
- Teams have split last 4 meetings.
The Warriors head north 16 minutes to Chester looking for that elusive first win of the season. Chester is not likely the place they will find it. The Knights have one of the best defenses in the region and it showed last week against Meadowbrook. The irony here is that the Knights have only allowed 30 points scored against them this season and that is all the Warriors have managed thru 5 games. It is not so much a question of if Matoaca can win but if they can even score on the Knights as they have been shutout 3 times this season.
| Danny Lewis | Thomas Dale 28, Matoaca 0 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Thomas Dale 35, Matoaca 7 |
Henrico (0-5) at #5 Highland Springs (3-2)
- Highland Springs leads series 45-15-1.
- Henrico’s last win in series was 2000,.
This matchup has lost a bit of its luster in recent seasons but these two matching up used to be one of the better district games. Henrico arrives to Airport Drive feeling like their season has not yet gotten off the ground. A year ago at this time the Warriors were getting ready to put together a little drive but now they are just trying to find a win. Their matchup with the mighty Springers could not come at a worst time given what the Springers just did to Phoebus a week ago. This one could get ugly to say the very least.
| Danny Lewis | Highland Springs 49, Henrico 6 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Highland Springs 52, Henrico 6 |
Greensville (3-2) at #6 Armstrong (6-0)
- Armstrong owns series 1-0.
The Eagles make the trek up 95 North Friday night to visit Cool Lane and the undefeated Wildcats. Greensville comes into this meeting scoring an average of 29 points per game while giving up an average of 27 points per game. That’s bad news for the Eagles as Armstrong has allowed just 27 points scored on them all season and they average 42 points. The Wildcats are one of the best teams in the region with the least amount of fanfare surrounding them. Contributions come from all round on this squad and flying under the radar is not entirely a bad thing.
| Danny Lewis | Armstrong 38, Greensville 16 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Armstrong 41, Greensville 7 |
#7 Hermitage (4-1) at JR Tucker (0-6)
- Hermitage leads series 49-11.
- JR Tucker’s last win in series was 2000.
Tigers and Panthers oh my… although truth be told the only thing to fear in this one is the Panthers. Hermitage is the better of these two teams without question. The question coming into this one is when will Coach Jean-Pierre call off the dogs? This one should be wrapped up by halftime.
| Danny Lewis | Hermitage 38, JR Tucker 0 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Hermitage 42, JR Tucker 6 |
#8 Huguenot (4-1) at Monacan (2-4)
- Monacan leads series 22-17.
- Huguenot has won last 2 meetings.
The Falcons have a 15-minute flightplan across 60 to the land of Smoketree for a battle with some Chiefs. Monacan, the winner of two straight will have their hands full with this flock of Falcons. Since their opening loss the Falcons have not missed a beat with the offense led by Charles Scott, Jr. delivering week after week. The last time Huguenot won 3 straight against the Chiefs was 2004-2006. Nearly 20 years later Huguenot is likely to duplicate that effort.
| Danny Lewis | Huguenot 41, Monacan 10 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Huguenot 42, Monacan 6 |
Patrick Henry (1-4) at Atlee (2-3)
- Patrick Henry leads series 24-12.
- Atlee has won the last 2 meetings.
The Patriots are 1-1 versus their county rivals and now comes their annual dance with Atlee. The Raiders like the Mustangs are a run-centric team but Atlee cannot turn the ball over like Mechanicsville did weeks ago. If the Raiders can hold onto the ball, they should win this one without question. That said, Atlee has a history in 2025 of letting teams come back on them. Stay tuned…
| Danny Lewis | Atlee 32, Patrick Henry 13 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Atlee 35, Patrick Henry 20 |
Clover Hill (0-5) at Midlothian (4-2)
- Clover Hill leads series 31-16.
- Midlothian has won 8 of the last 9 meetings.
It has been a rough two weeks for the Trojans as they proved to be more mortal than they did the first four games of their season. The Cavaliers arrival to Charter Colony Parkway could not come at a better time. The Trojans need a get right game after being outscored 7-100 in two weeks. Can the Trojans recover or will the Cavaliers seize on the wounded and snag their first win in upset fashion?
| Danny Lewis | Midlothian 31, Clover Hill 21 |
| Jarred Jenkins | Midlothian 35, Clover Hill 7 |
Charles City (1-4) v. John Marshall (0-5) at Hovey Field
- John Marshall owns series 3-0.
The Panthers make the 45 minute trip due west to the city limits for another entanglement with the Justice. Charles City has been shutout in their last two meetings with the Justice and only have 14 points to show for from their first meeting. This is truly a toss-up game but if the Justice is to win this season, this might just be their best chance yet.
| Danny Lewis | John Marshall 23, Charles City 14 |
| Jarred Jenkins | John Marshall 21, Charles City 7 |
Forecasting Head-to-Head
| Danny Lewis | Jarred Jenkins | |
| Total | 94-17 | 90-21 |
| Week 6 | 16-2 | 15-3 |
| Week 5 | 14-3 | 15-2 |
| Week 4 | 17-2 | 16-3 |
| Week 3 | 13-4 | 10-7 |
| Week 2 | 16-3 | 16-3 |
| Week 1 | 18-3 | 18-3 |
Footnote
Be sure to get your nominations in for Central Region Gamers following any game you attend. Have a strong argument for it be it a description of what they did or stats to back it up. You may DM or Tweet me @CRF4Dan or e-mail at [email protected] .