Amherst, Brookville, Liberty set for Region III semifinals

The three Seminole District teams competing in this weekend’s Region III playoff semifinals — Amherst, Brookville and Liberty — are postseason regulars with something to prove.

Amherst (10-0), which won back-to-back Group AA, Division 4, state titles in 2006 and 2007 before falling to Broad Run in last year’s final on a snow-covered field at Liberty University, is making its seventh consecutive playoff appearance. After receiving a first-round bye last week, the No. 1-seeded Lancers start Region III semifinal play tonight at 7 against Spotswood at Lancer Stadium.

Brookville (9-2), the Group AA, Division 3, runner-up last fall after its 50-46 shootout loss to James Monroe, began its fifth straight playoff run last Friday with a 19-16 victory over Alleghany, in a quarterfinal played at Amherst. Tonight, the Bees travel to Northside (9-2) for a 7:30 semifinal rematch with the Vikings, who they routed 38-0 last fall at Stinger Stadium.

Liberty, which captured a Group AA, Division 3, crown in 2002, has made it to postseason play nine times this decade, missing the cut only once in 2006.

The Minutemen (9-1) have home-field advantage for their semifinal rematch with Robert E. Lee (8-3), but the game has been shifted to Saturday night at 7 due to a flooded Bermuda grass field at Liberty, which could force it to be moved to Amherst.

“I don’t want to play anywhere else (than Bedford),” said Liberty coach Chris Watts, who was forced to practice on E.C. Glass’ turf practice field last week and Heritage’s on Thursday. “If (the field) were just muddy and soggy, we would play on it (but) it’s flat-out under water in a lot of places. Right now, it’s unplayable. There are a lot of areas where the water is standing and the field is like a real big saturated sponge.”

Amherst has no such problems on its Pro-Grass field turf field.

“We don’t have to worry about playing on a sloppy field due to the weather,” Lancers coach Cecil Phillips said.

The surface only increases the Lancers’ speed advantage on most teams, including Spotswood.

“They’ll be bigger than we are (but) our quickness will be to our advantage,” Phillips said.

The Trailblazers (9-2) bounced back from losses to Harrisonburg (20-0), the No. 2 seed in Division 4, and Turner Ashby (39-12) with wins over Broadway (28-13) and Staunton River (36-18).

The Lancers, meanwhile, have outscored opponents 469-78 this season, nearly a 40-point average margin of victory. Their reloaded offensive line has had a lot to do with their continued success.

“Our kids have paid the price in the weight room (and they are) physically as good as any team they’re going to line up against,” Phillips said. “We’re quick and explosive and our offensive line does a good job of giving our skill kids (running room). All they need is a little crease and they take advantage of it.”

Phillips is wary of Spotswood, which plays extremely physical football and uses a variety of offensive sets.

“They are very well coached, they’re fundamentally sound and they execute their offensive and defensive schemes very well,” he said, noting their primary formation is the Wing-T, which Phillips implemented at Amherst last year.

Spotswood is led by senior quarterback Chad Williams and fullback Nick Wimer, who surpassed 1,000 yards for the season against Staunton River last week.

“When (Wimer) gets his shoulders squared, he’s a physical, bruising type of runner,” Phillips said. “(Williams) does a good job running the offense, and has a good touch and is very accurate on his passes.”

Besides the turf, Phillips likes playing at home for other reasons.

“We have the most spirited fans around and they give our football players a tremendous amount of support,” he said, noting the crowd “keeps our football players motivated and keeps the adrenaline pumping.”

Brookville and Liberty are in two different boats, with the Bees traveling to play a team they blew out at home and the Minutemen hosting a team they lost badly to on the road in last season’s Region III, Division 3, semifinals.

“Last year, we beat them and ended their season,” Brookville coach Jeff Woody said. “This year, they have the opportunity to avenge that loss. We’re going to go to Northside and they’re going to be hungry.”

The Vikings, who run a Wing-T attack, return several starters.

“Their entire backfield is back from last year,” Woody said. “They’ve got some running backs back there that can fly. They have plenty of size, plenty of speed. They’re a good football team, one of the most talented we’ve faced this year.”

Their star player is 6-foot-2, 238-pound junior middle linebacker Nick Sigmon.

Brookville, which features linebackers Zack Burns and Michael Leeman and linemen Zack McCray and Jordan Hahn, must play without one of its best — three-year starting tackle and team captain David Brandt, who broke his ankle last week.

Liberty, which has experimented with a spread offense over the past two seasons, will face a Robert E. Lee team that is fully committed to that mode of attack.

“They’re all-out spread,” Watts said. “They’re a program that’s sold out to the spread just like William Campbell and Gretna.

“To run the spread, you have to have the right personnel — a line that can block, a quarterback who can run and throw, receivers who can both catch and block,” he added. “It takes a lot of different pieces or an extraordinary athlete, like they had last year.”

Quarterback Dae’Quan Scott, now a freshman at JMU, was instrumental in Lee’s victory over Liberty.

This time around, the Minutemen may have an advantage at the quarterback spot, where they can rotate Tyler Bowyer, the Seminole District’s first-team selection at that position, and Anthony Reynolds.

“Hopefully we can return the favor,” Watts said. “We’re a more mature, more experienced team this year.”

The Minutemen rely more on their option attack, which has gotten them to the playoffs nine of the past 10 seasons.

“I’ll take the wins over all the flash and excitement,” Watts said. “Our style of option is a little different than what Navy runs or Georgia Tech runs, but a similar concept. We try to take advantage of not having the biggest linemen and still be able to move the ball.”

The Leeman’s line is anchored by 6-5, 272 offensive guard/defensive end A.J. Scott, a Division I prospect.

“They have a really big offensive line that moves well and they have athletic kids (running behind them),” Watts said. “Our line has pretty much been smaller than everybody else we’ve played this year. We’re used to that. We just have to be more physical than them. That’s going to be the key. We’ve got to play four quarters of physical football if we want to win.”

Coming off two byes over the past three weeks, the Minutemen are eager to play and have a sense of urgency to keep their season alive.

“There’s no tomorrow for the team that doesn’t win so you’ve got to leave everything on the field,” Watts said. “I think they understand that and they’re ready to play.”