LCA opens VIS state playoffs tonight against Potomac School

Wet weather conditions have forced Liberty Christian Academy’s football team to practice inside the past three days, meaning the Bulldogs, who are coming off a bye week, could be a bit rusty going into tonight’s Virginia Independent Schools Division I state semifinal against Potomac School.

Fortunately, they will have the luxury of playing on the FieldTurf at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium.

LCA (9-1), which is two wins away from its fourth state title in six seasons, hasn’t played Potomac, based in McLean, since Frank Rocco started coaching at the school in 2004. From what he’s seen on film, the Panthers will present a challenge, especially considering the Bulldogs’ limited pre-game on-field practice time.

“I don’t think they’ve been in playoffs in the time that I’ve been at LCA (but) they’re definitely one of the better teams that we’ve faced (this season),” Rocco said. “When you get to this point, you just show up and play and react to what they do and do the best we can.”

LCA, seeded second in the latest VIS Division I state poll, has won eight straight games since opening the season with a 15-7 victory over Gretna at LU and losing to Charlotte (N.C.) Christian 28-14 on the road.

The Panthers (7-2) started the season at 7-0 before losing their last two games to slip to the third seed. Last week, they lost to Flint Hill, 21-13. That’s the two schools’ only common opponent — the Bulldogs shut out Flint Hill 49-0 in their regular-season finale.

Potomac runs a pro-style offense featuring junior tailback Colin McNerney, who has rushed for more than 1,500 yards.

“He’s the guy to stop,” Rocco said. “He’s a legit player ... an outstanding tailback. We’ve got to stop the running back to win the game. He’s the key.”

The Panthers also boast a very good offensive line made up of all returning starters.

“They’re more of a running attack (but) they can throw the ball,” Rocco said, noting John Duffy is a speedy receiver. “They use (McNerney) as a shotgun quarterback at times and do some fancy stuff with him in the backfield.”

Defensively, due to injuries, the Bulldogs have been forced to move people around. They reverted from their normal 3-4 to a 6-1 formation, with one linebacker and six linemen, after middle linebacker Ray Jones, the team leader with 69 tackles, was sidelined with a stinger in his shoulder three weeks ago.

That left Seth Good, who started at quarterback for the first six games while Mike Rocco recovered from a preseason injury, as LCA’s only linebacker, with Rocco starting behind him at safety.

“It’s been an adventure this year,” Frank Rocco said of the defensive shift.

On the defensive line, defensive end Cody Williams leads team in sacks and junior right tackle Grant Jones “has come into his own,” Frank Rocco said.

On offense, right tackle Jones, Williams, who also starts at center, and left tackle Trent Patterson anchor the line.

While Good did an excellent job at quarterback, Mike Rocco assumed the reins of the offense again once he was cleared to play. However, at Flint Hill, both Rocco and leading rusher Desmond Rice (103 carries, 1,170 yards, 19 TDs), who has worn a cast on his right wrist since dislocating his thumb, were forced to sit out for most of the first half due to a misinterpretation of the rules.

“We were playing away and they didn’t let Mike or Des play because they were playing with casts,” Rocco said. “They let them in at the end of the second quarter” after realizing they were in the wrong.

Even with both players in, the offense hasn’t run as smoothly as usual yet.

“We’ve only had Mike back for the last four games and we’re still trying to get everything back in sync,” Frank Rocco said. “Both Mike and Des are playing with casts on their arms and they’re doing the best they can, but we haven’t been at 100 percent full strength all year. We’re still improving even at this point in the season.”

The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the semifinal between top-seeded Richmond Collegiate and fourth-seeded Fork Union Military Academy, which LCA beat 28-0 last month, in next weekend’s state final.