Battlefield race taking shape

No, you haven’t been looking at those standings wrong. After years of struggling, Culpeper County High School is sitting among the leaders in the Battlefield District football race.

The Blue Devils, 2-4 overall, are 2-1 in the district. The Battlefield’s “Big 3” of Courtland, Chancellor and James Monroe are all tied at the top with 3-0 records, but Culpeper faces a struggling Spotsylvania team on Friday, giving the Blue Devils a prime opportunity to keep pace in the standings.

Meanwhile, Eastern View is in fifth-place with a 1-2 district mark. The Cyclones should have an opportunity to climb the standings in the season’s finals weeks. They play host to James Monroe on Friday, its final game against the “Big 3” then close it out with games against teams with a combined record of 2-20.

FAMILIAR FOES: Perhaps first-year Spotsylvania coach Ben Lawrynas will go to a couple of his players when looking for a scouting report on Culpeper this week. After all, it will be the second time this season quarterback Cody Jenkins and running back Kyle Schubert have faced the Blue Devils.

Both Jenkins and Schubert were on the Eastern View roster when the Cyclones opened the season against Culpeper, but both players transferred to Spotsy after Week 1. Schubert has been getting limited carries for the Knights while Jenkins, whose father, Steve, is the defensive coordinator at Spotsylvania, has moved into the starting quarterback roll.

Even with the addition of the former Cyclones it’s been tough going for Spotsy, which is 0-6 and has been outscored 375-21 and shutout four times.

Jenkins got off to a good start when he joined the team, coming off the bench to throw a 30-yard touchdown pass against Louisa in his first game with the Knights, but has struggled since entering the starting lineup. He’s completed 6-of-36 passes for 77 yards with eight interceptions and no touchdowns as the starter.

REGULAR SEASONS ENDING: While the football season is just entering the meat of its schedule, other fall sports are nearing the end of their regular season. The Culpeper and Eastern View field hockey teams finish up the regular season today with the Blue Devilettes traveling to Chancellor and the Cyclones going to Spotsylvania.

James Monroe has already locked up the regular season Battlefield District title, but Eastern View (11-4, 10-3) will be among the four teams included in the district tournament, where the Cyclones will try to win its second-consecutive berth into the Region I playoffs.

STILL RANKED: It could be shaping up for quite the regular-season football finale in the Bull Run District. Madison County, which finished second in the district a year ago, plays host to defending Bull Run champs Clarke County on Nov. 13 and both teams have become a fixture in The Associated Press Group A football poll, released Tuesday night.

Madison (6-0) was ranked No. 7 for the second week in a row. Clarke County moved into the top spot after coming in No. 2 a week ago. The Eagles (7-0) have scored at least 45 points in ever game this season an haven’t allowed more than seven.

Of course both teams still have some work to do before the final showdown. Madison has three games before Clarke visits and the Eagles must beat Strasburg and Manassas Park to enter the final week undefeated.

FUTURE TAR HEEL TRIO?: Woodberry Forrest has at least five potential Division I football players on its roster this fall and three of them reportedly traveled to the University of North Carolina on recent recruiting visits.

Defensive standouts Ed Reynolds, a 6-3, 196-pound safety, and Aramide Olaniyan, a 5-2, 202-pound linebacker, both have scholarship offers from the Tar Heels and were in attendance on Oct. 10 when UNC beat Georgia Southern.

Woodberry teammate Chad Kolumber, a 6-8, 288-pound offensive tackle, also traveled to Chapel Hill for the game on an unofficial visit. Kolumber hasn’t received a scholarship offer from UNC yet, but Rivals.com reports that the Tar Heels are interested in the big lineman along with Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Buffalo, Clemson and others. He’ll reportedly visit Clemson on Nov. 7.

Virginia Prep Football Poll
Group A
              Record Pts Prv
1.  Clarke County (4)    7-0   76   2
2.  Essex (4)              6-0   74   1
3.  Gate City               7-1   60   3
4.  Gretna                   6-1   54   4
5.  Buckingham County   7-0   44   6
6.  West Point             7-0   39   5
7.  Madison County       6-0   34   7
8.  Clintwood               6-1   29   8
9.  Sussex Central       5-1   7
10.  Holston               7-0   6
(tie)  Franklin           6-1   6   10
Others receiving votes: 12, Appomattox 5. 13, J.I. Burton 2. 13, Riverheads 2. 15, Altavista 1. 15, Eastern Montgomery 1.

All Associated Press members in Virginia are eligible to participate in the high school football poll.
Shane Mettlen’s ballot: 1. Clarke County, 2. Essex, 3. Buckingham, 4. Gate City, 5. Madison County, 6. Gretna, 7. Clintwood, 8. Holston, 9. West Point, 10. Sussex Central.