Tidewater Football Predictions - Opening Weekend 2025
Ah yes, the 2025 Virginia High School Football season gets underway this evening – Thursday, August 28, 2025 – with a large crop of games, then more to follow on Friday and a matchup of on Saturday.
We are back for another year with our Tidewater Predictions, battle featuring yours truly, Matthew Hatfield, and my longtime radio turned Podcast and TV partner, Coach Ed Young.
You can check out our weekly 757 Saturday Sports Talk Show via CoVA Sports TV here, plus you don’t want to miss our big 2025 VA Football Preview Show that has district-by-district picks here.
Before we jump to this week’s Picks, let’s review the 2024 final tally, shall we?
High School Football Predictions Battle: 2024 Regular Season Totals
Matthew Hatfield – 222-33 (87.1%) on Tidewater games
Coach Ed Young – 216-39 (84.7%) on Tidewater games
It was a six-game win for Hatfield over Young, both of whom got better than 84% of their projections right during the 2024 regular season. In 2023, Hatfield had an 82.2% success rate on regular season tilts to best Young’s 77.1%. Hatfield was at 87.5% and Young at 85.1% during the regular season in 2022.
Will Matthew continue his mastery of Sir Edward in 2025? Regardless, we’re adding the Massey Ratings Predictions this year to see if the computer formula simulator can out-perform two human beings or not.
GAME OF THE WEEK: VA vs. DC Showdown on FRI 8/29/25
Oscar Smith (VA) at Gonzaga (DC) . . . This is a monumental matchup to start the season as the defending Class 6 State Champion Tigers hit the road to Washington, D.C. to take on a Gonzaga program with a very rich tradition. As much as Oscar Smith has been one of the premier programs in Virginia for decades now, the same can be said for Gonzaga, competing in the always stacked WCAC.
Nicknamed the Eagles, Gonzaga is coming off a 7-4 season, yet began No. 4 in the Washington Post area’s Preseason Top 20. One of its famous alums is Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Coach Randy Trivers and junior QB Jason Lindsay know they are taking on a tough Tigers defense that pitched seven shutouts a year ago and gave up more than 20 points just one time in all of 2024. But don’t expect them to be intimidated one bit. There are college-ready athletes littering the field in this one.
The most fascinating storyline is that future Michigan teammates – five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows of Gonzaga and four-star Oscar Smith wideout Travis Johnson – square off in this one. Joining Meadows on a ferocious defensive front is four-star Penn State recruit Tyson Harley and Georgetown commit Rocco Williams (6-3, 273). Offensively, tight end Brayden Marko (6-6, 240) is headed to Maryland and offensive tackle Gavin Bennett (6-3, 270) is committed to Hampton University
Oscar Smith is no stranger to producing top-tier talent, such as Pro Football Hall of Famer Kenny Easley decades ago. More recently, one of the big names to hail from the Chesapeake program is five-star defensive end Josh Sweat, who starred at Florida State before going on to win a Super Bowl this past year with the Philadelphia Eagles, and now suits up for the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson will be catching the football from junior QB Lonnie Andrews III, who guided the Tigers to that perfect 15-0 record last year by completing 172 of 289 passes for 2740 yards and a 29-7 TD/Int. ratio. Andrews has also rushed for 450 yards and 3 TD’s. A really large and experienced offensive line, headed up by ODU commit Dory Wilson, should give him time to put up even better numbers this season. Their defense is led on the back end by corner Jayden Covil, a UVA commit.
This will be a rock ‘em, sock ‘em type of battle in the trenches between these two heavyweights. What makes me lean Gonzaga’s way – even though Oscar Smith is fully capable of putting forth a masterful performance and winning – is that the Tigers don’t have a great history in these out-of-state clashes. Dating back to 2009 in the initial matchup after winning their first ever state title, the record for Oscar Smith against foes from outside VA is just 2-7 overall. Those line triumphs came over Florida’s Venice in ’09 and North Carolina’s West Forsythe in 2018.
Matt Hatfield Says – Gonzaga 23-20
Coach Ed Young Says – Gonzaga 21-18
Massey Says – Gonzaga 26-21
Thursday’s Action for 8/28/25:
Bayside at Princess Anne . . . This marks the coaching debut of former Great Bridge record-setting QB Casey Turner at Princess Anne. His Cavaliers have a much larger participation turnout this year, but still a ways to go. In fact, the last win for the Cavs came over First Colonial by a count of 20-14 in the season opener. Bayside has won 18 of the past 19 in this series and should have the most dynamic player on the field in dual-threat senior QB Kam Kirby, back with the Marlins after throwing for 1770 yards and 16 TD’s last season at Indian River.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bayside 40-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Bayside 33-12
Massey Says – Bayside 42-7
Landstown at Cox . . . Since a 27-16 loss to the Eagles in 2019, this series has been very much one-sided. Cox is seeking its sixth straight win over Landstown, which is chock full of underclassmen and very few seniors. Two of them with lots of promise at LB/RB Zhakier Simmons and DB Tahjir Eaton-Simmons. Another is QB Anthony Turner, who holds an offer from Norfolk State. Cox brings back 13 starters with seven on defense to try and stymie the Eagles. Two of the mainstays are LB Jacob Palmerton, who turned half of his four interceptions into pick-sixes, and RB Tyre Jefferies, a player that finished just 37 yards shy of 1000 on the ground as a sophomore.
Matt Hatfield Says – Cox 21-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Cox 28-13
Massey Says –
First Colonial at Kellam . . . It was just a couple years ago that FC ended a 10-game losing skid in the head-to-head series with the Knights, prevailing 27-25. Kellam was able to get revenge last season, 34-14, to cut the all-time series lead for the Patriots down to 33-24-1. This is a backyard rivalry type of game that’s usually tight to the finish. Keep an eye on Kellam junior Aaron Smith, who caught 39 balls for 760 yards and 6 TD’s last year at Great Bridge. Smith picked up an offer earlier in the week from Wake Forest in the ACC.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kellam 24-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Kellam 24-12
Massey Says – Kellam 37-12
Green Run at Tallwood . . . Coming into this one, the Stallions have won 43 consecutive Beach District regular season games. Their last blemish against a city from its city came to Salem, 28-27, on March 12, 2021 during the abbreviated spring campaign. The neat storyline to this one is Tallwood’s new Head Coach is Green Run alum Glenwood Ferebee, who played quarterback for the Stallions back in the 1990’s and threw passes to eventual Super Bowl Champion Plaxico Burress. Green Run has scored at least 47 points in each of the five wins over Tallwood. It’s doubtful his Lions have enough defensive personnel to slow all the weapons of Green Run with the marquee one being ODU commit Charles Jackson at running back.
Matt Hatfield Says – Green Run 48-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Green Run 44-14
Massey Says – Green Run 42-6
Kempsville at Salem-VB . . . This looks to be the highlight game on the slate in the Beach District. Last year, Kempsville got out to an early lead on Salem and nearly rallied when a 69-yard pick-six from Isaiah Lovgren put the game out of reach for the host Chiefs. It’s certainly something that Chiefs QB Josh Hawley, a Hampton University commit who has improved tremendously in the off-season and his teammates have thought about. Salem has a bunch of new faces that transferred in to team with one of the best senior linebackers around in Markus McCoy (96 tackles last year) and Class of 2027 WR Kasir Patterson (45Rec. 1011Yds. 10 TD’s).
This game probably comes down to which defensive front can apply pressure on the other the best. Kempsville wants to get after new Sun Devils QB Landen Curles with linebacker Elijah McDaniel (97 tackles) and company. Conversely, Salem wants to contain the Kempsville ground attack, led by RB Rob Hughes, and force Hawley to have to throw on second down as well as third-and-long situations. Up front, the Chiefs are pretty big, much more experienced than a year ago and match up fairly well with the Devils.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kempsville 20-19
Coach Ed Young Says – Salem-VB 26-22
Massey Says – Salem-VB 28-13
Booker T. Washington at Kecoughtan . . . Two second year Head Coaches square off in this one. For BTW, it’s Mason Williams in his second season at the helm after coming over from King’s Fork and struggling through a 1-9 campaign where the lone win was over Manor. Zecharie James is still looking for his first win at Kecoughtan. His Warriors should be comforted by a couple of things. Kecoughtan leads the all-time series 5-0, though you have to go back to 2002 to find the last meeting. Also, now healthy from an injury that previously sidelined him, Warriors RB James Vinnie may be the best player on the field in this one.
Matt Hatfield Says – Kecoughtan 14-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Kecoughtan 30-12
Massey Says – Kecoughtan 27-14
Churchland vs. Grassfield {at Norcom} . . . It has been a brick-by-brick motto under Dontrell Leonard for the Truckers. Churchland has made seven straight playoff appearances, though said good-bye to graduated running back Dontavius Booker, one of the top rushers in all of Tidewater. That could mean more passing with sophomore QB Logan Wynne and an array of receivers, including Oscar Smith transfer Breon Dupree at receiver. Grassfield is looking for playmakers to emerge in Mike Biehl’s first season at the helm. In time, junior TE/WR Aviair Burgess might be that guy. The Grizzlies trail the all-time series 3-1.
Matt Hatfield Says – Churchland 28-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Churchland 30-18
Massey Says – Churchland 27-21
Denbigh at Manor . . . There has been an awful lot of buzz for the Patriots this off-season and for good reason. New Head Coach Raymond Malone has one of the most sought after recruits in the state from the Class of 2027 in Kevin Parker back for his third year under center. The addition of Woodside transfer Callen Morrison, an All-Region level talent that helped the Wolverines win back-to-back state titles in basketball in 2023-24, should only further bolster that developing passing game. Can the base 4-2-5 defense of the Mustangs keep Denbigh in check? New Manor Head Coach Detric Avents certainly hopes so to have a shot at winning this opener.
Matt Hatfield Says – Denbigh 35-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Denbigh 30-12
Massey Says – Denbigh 28-23
Norcom at Thomas Jefferson-Richmond . . . It was a dominant 34-12 win for the Vikings in last year’s trip to Portsmouth over the Greyhounds. In that game, TJ got 180 yards receiving and a couple of touchdowns on three catches from receiver Amare Gough, a Syracuse commit. Opposite him will be another game-breaker at receiver in Old Dominion commit Isaiah Harris, a transfer from Albemarle that helped the Patriots reach the Class 5 State Finals in the winter. Norcom wants to play this game between the tackles and rely on their running game because their best playmaker from last year – Matthew Outten – graduated and is now in the Big Ten at Penn State.
Matt Hatfield Says – TJ-Richmond 40-16
Coach Ed Young Says – TJ-Richmond 21-20
Massey Says – TJ-Richmond 28-21
Norview at Great Bridge . . . It’s another matchup of two new coaches. For Norview, Karlynn Ferebee takes over the Pilots and he’s been involved coaching in the Eastern District for several years as an assistant prior to 2025. Great Bridge sees alum Joey Wood leave Oscar Smith’s staff to take over the Wildcats, who actually handled Norview to the tune of 34-6 last year. Before that, the Pilots had won each of the previous five encounters. To get a repeat, Great Bridge will be counting on a big night from senior QB William Englert, who threw for 2221 yards and 20 TD’s last year, against a senior-laden Pilots defense.
Matt Hatfield Says – Norview 22-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Norview 26-20
Massey Says – Great Bridge 38-14
Deep Creek at Currituck County, NC . . . This is the rubber match in the series. Deep Creek won 22-3 last year after falling in the Tar Heel State by a count of 24-20. Offensively, Currituck had reasonable success in piling up 188 yards passing and 100 on the ground, but didn’t get enough stops in a 37-20 season-opening loss to Norfolk Academy. That means Hornets running back Mike Jones is probably headed for a strong night against the Knights. Additionally, the Deep Creek defense – behind D-1 recruit Treyvon Litton off the edge – wants to generate pressure and takeaways
Matt Hatfield Says – Deep Creek 24-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Deep Creek 38-0
Massey Says – Deep Creek 40-14
Windsor at Lakeland . . . It’s the first ever time that Windsor and Lakeland square off on the gridiron. Lakeland has a brand new Head Coach in Reynaldo Pena, who brings with him college experience from his time an assistant defensive line coach at Austin Peay. After a 2-1 start last year, the Cavs went through a seven-game losing skid. Windsor brings back 10 starters on offense, one of which is Jeremy King, a First Team All-Tri Rivers District selection in the all-purpose slot. How much better will a defense that gave up 34.5 points per game be? That’s the major question.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lakeland 23-12
Coach Ed Young Says – Lakeland 30-6
Massey Says – Lakeland 44-7
Menchville at Western Branch . . . This will be the third consecutive year these two teams square off in the opener and so far the Bruins have had the better outcomes. Western Branch won 21-12 in 2023 and pitched a 28-0 shutout last year. Coach Rashad Cook has a very dependable senior leader in DB and Naval Academy commit Christopher ‘CJ’ Frasier Jr. Hard to miss in the trenches is junior lineman Q’Mari Hudson, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman who picked up an offer from West Virginia in June. Menchville would love to get the passing connection clicking with junior QB Chace Janus and WR Elius Graham, who had three touchdown grabs last year. Taking care of the ball is a must to get a win on the road.
Matt Hatfield Says – Western Branch 21-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Western Branch 42-16
Massey Says – Western Branch 34-7
New Kent at Gloucester . . . It’s the first time that the Dukes are not playing as a member of the Peninsula District since 1989 as they joined Bay Rivers District in the off-season. You have to go back even further to find the last meeting between these two teams. That was in 1953 when Gloucester pitched a 13-0 shutout of the Trojans. Both have new coaches. For New Kent, it’s former Battlefield, Prince George and R.E. Lee-Staunton sideline boss Scott Girolmo. Ryan Wenner takes over for the Dukes.
Matt Hatfield Says – New Kent 27-13
Coach Ed Young Says – New Kent 28-16
Massey Says – New Kent 35-14
Grafton at Warhill . . . After leading Warwick to back-to-back regional semifinal appearances, Corey Hairston has new digs. He takes over at Grafton, a team that finished just 3-7 a season ago. However, he does inherit one of the more productive running backs in the Bay Rivers District in Makale Barnett, who has rushed for 17 TD’s over the past two seasons. Warhill graduated a large senior crop from its 2023 team that took on Phoebus in the Region 4A Final. They are rather sophomore-heavy now with QB Keenan Carter Jr. the headliner, holding offers from East Carolina, Missouri State and Syracuse.
Matt Hatfield Says – Warhill 21-6
Coach Ed Young Says – Warhill 32-6
Massey Says – Warhill 35-6
Jamestown at Tabb . . . Since a 42-32 loss to the Eagles in 2019, Tabb has taken four straight in this series. Coach John Byron’s Tigers return a lot with 17 starters total, one of which is QB Corbin Eckert. Another is mammoth junior lineman Tyler Maddock (6-8, 300), who has multiple Power 5 offers to date. Jamestown could be able to move the ball a bit in this one, but is their defense up to par to slow down the Tigers after giving up 33.9 points per game last year?
Matt Hatfield Says – Tabb 32-18
Coach Ed Young Says – Tabb 28-14
Massey Says – Tabb 36-6
Friday’s Slate for 8/29/25:
Maury at Cardinal Gibbons, NC . . . This is another spotlight game for the two-time defending Class 5 State Champs out of Norfolk, riding a 30-game winning streak. Dyrri McCain’s Commodores have swept a fierce non-district schedule each of the past two years by beating Maryland power Wise, plus perennial Richmond title contenders Dinwiddie and Highland Springs. The trio of non-district games features this opponent from North Carolina, Bishop McNamara out of Maryland at home and a trip to Varina, the Class 4 runner-up from a season ago, on the road sandwiched in between.
Maury has a new quarterback with sophomore Domo Everette stepping in for two-time Class 5 State Offensive Player of the Year Au’Tori Newkirk, now playing in the ACC at North Carolina. Junior tailback Tayshawn Branche, who ran for 968 yards and 16 TD’s on 77 carries, is the focal point in the running game. As for the defense, senior linebacker Isaiah ‘Ike’ Simmons – a three-time All-State performer committed to Pittsburgh – is coming up on 200 tackles in his decorated career.
Leading the way for Cardinal Gibbons is Wake Forest commit Gannon Jones, a three-star prospect that connected on 201 of 294 passes for 3194 yards and 35 touchdowns a season ago. Jones is now 23-3 as a starter. He’s not the only Power 5 talent on the roster either. Another major component is junior TE/DE Griffin Cockerham (6-4, 225), who holds an NC State offer.
The running game churned out 204 yards in last week’s 34-6 trouncing of Dudley, including 95 yards and a score on 17 attempts from senior Noah Terry. Terry has offers from Duke, LIU and Syracuse. Will the Crusaders be able to do enough defensively to slow down Maury’s offense though?
The Commodores put up 52.3 points per game in 2024, hitting at least 20 in every contest.
Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 31-16
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 40-12
Massey Says – Maury 35-26
Granby at Indian River . . . What a job Kendal Jefferson has done at the helm of the Comets in only two seasons, resulting in playoff appearances with a combined 16-6 mark. Prior to his arrival, Granby had suffered through five straight losing seasons, four of them being of the winless variety. His team was hit hard by graduation in the off-season and one of their key defenders departing for the Beach District. Controlling the clock with the run game will be on the important on the road against a Braves team never shy about airing it out and looking to do so with a talented freshman, Malik Heru, who makes his QB debut. This is the first meeting since 2000 when Indian River won 26-12.
Matt Hatfield Says – Indian River 29-15
Coach Ed Young Says – Indian River 26-14
Massey Says – Indian River 39-13
Lake Taylor at Heritage-Newport News . . . Coach Hank Sawyer’s Titans lead the all-time series 6-3, prevailing 42-19 in the most recent encounter back in 2016. Heritage has a new Head Coach in Shomari Wright, who knows beating a program with the winning pedigree of Lake Taylor would go a long way towards accelerating things in what is considered to be a re-building process. His QB, James Barge, will need protection from fierce Titans pass rusher Casaun Hesson and interception threat Magerald Clark – the Hampton Roads area’s leader in that category – to get in the win column.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lake Taylor 28-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Lake Taylor 23-18
Massey Says – Lake Taylor 36-14
Patrick Henry-Ashland at Bethel . . . It’s the first ever meeting between the Patriots and Bruins. Just six starters are back for Patrick Henry with two coming on the offensive side of the ball. Their defense will have to figure out a way to slow down Bethel tailback Amari Pryear, a Hampton University commit that ran for over 1500 yards and 24 TD’s a season ago on his way to Second Team All-State honors. Derek Fisher, a talented athlete with double-digit offers as a DB, moves over to wide receiver for his junior year to catch passes from new QB Alex Lewis, who transferred in from Warwick.
Matt Hatfield Says – Bethel 22-9
Coach Ed Young Says – Bethel 21-19
Massey Says – Bethel 28-17
Lafayette at Smithfield . . . While the Packers were one of the relatively most recent teams in the Bay Rivers District to knock Lafayette off when they did so 34-27 in 2012, this series has been pretty lopsided. The Rams have won 12 in a row, limiting Smithfield to seven points or less in seven straight meetings. To avoid the series deficit being 23-5, the Packers will need to hit a couple of big plays early in the passing game with junior triggerman Kyle Buggs delivering pinpoint throws from the pocket. However, the Lafayette secondary returnees Jael Love, Naye’Ron Hudson and Josh Simpson – all threats on offense as well – might not be as accommodating.
Matt Hatfield Says – Lafayette 34-7
Coach Ed Young Says – Lafayette 28-14
Massey Says – Lafayette 35-6
Poquoson at York . . . It was a convincing 33-7 win for the reigning three-time Region 2A Champion Bull Islanders last year. York actually won five straight in this series before back-to-back wins by Poquoson, which trails the all-time series 51-22 with the Falcons. Siblings Ben and Cam Ward at linebacker will try to slow down Poquoson’s strong rushing attack out of the Wing-T. Paving the way up front, Poquoson has two All-State linemen returning in Brayden Agnese and Carter Jones, one of the nation’s most sought after prospects in the Class of 2027.
Matt Hatfield Says – Poquoson 27-10
Coach Ed Young Says – Poquoson 28-16
Massey Says – Poquoson 33-7
Saturday Action on 8/30/25:
Mallard Creek, NC at Warwick . . . The Mavericks of Mallard Creek rolled past Rolesville 36-21 in the opener, despite allowing 310 yards through the air. Mallard Creek is a perennial power in North Carolina with a 175-54-1 all-time record, capturing three state titles. Furthermore, four players that have been drafted from the program in the NFL in the past decade – DL Jordan Davis, OT D.J. Humphries, RB Jaylen Samuels and LB Trenton Simpson.
Class of 2028 OT Austin Ballou (6-7, 320) has the measureables to maybe one of those guys down the road. Just five starters are back from last year’s team in senior WR’s Khalil Price and Mason Kelley, senor LB’s Deuce Midgett and Askia Mustafa, and senior QB/DB Perry Justice III.
For Warwick, this marks the debut as Head Coach for Thomas Sykes, previously the defensive coordinator under Corey Hairston. His Raiders are led in the trenches by Delaware commit Christian Corbin, a two-time All-State performer at defensive tackle and Player of the Year candidate. But Warwick will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, a host of receivers stepping into expanded roles and must lean on the defense until the offense gets things figured out.
Matt Hatfield Says – Mallard Creek 30-14
Coach Ed Young Says – Mallard Creek 33-18
Massey Says – Mallard Creek 38-6
Matthew Hatfield has served as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com since 2016 and been writing for the web site under the Rivals umbrella dating back to 2004. Matthew also has served as the Play-by-Play Voice for Old Dominion Women’s Basketball since 2021. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates. To contact Matthew, please e-mail [email protected], and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV, where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.