Region B playoffs kick off tonight with Altavista in Division 1

As the Region B playoffs finally get under way this weekend, Gretna and Appomattox find themselves in familiar positions. The Raiders are in the playoffs for the third consecutive season and the Hawks have won four state titles in the past six seasons.

The ninth consecutive trip to the postseason for Gretna comes without perennial Dogwood power William Campbell. Taking its place in the Division 1 field is Altavista (9-1).

After winning a total of 14 games from 2000-’07, the Colonels make their first postseason appearance since 1990 when they host Madison County tonight at 7.

“We’re not looking at it as we’re happy to be here,” Altavista coach Mike Scharnus said. “We’re trying to lock in and focus on this one game and try to advance to the next game.”

Altavista, which also won a share of the Dogwood District title for the first time since 1971, fell from being the No. 1-rated team in the Region B, Division 1, VHSL power ratings to No. 2 — despite winning its season finale against Nelson County. Riverheads took the top spot by one-tenth of a point.

Madison County (9-1), which finished second in the Bull Run District to Appomattox’s quarterfinal opponent — Clarke County, which routed the Mountaineers 47-7 in the regular-season finale — is playing in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. It finished 8-2 last season and missed the playoffs.

“Nobody on either one of the teams has played in the playoffs, so I don’t think that has any affects on the game,” Madison County coach Stuart Dean said. “Both teams are excited to be there, and both teams have worked hard to be there.”

Mountaineers senior wide receiver Antonio Childress is one of Dean’s best athletes. He has the ability to turn short passes into long gains and also has played a key role in run defense from the safety position.

Altavista senior Johnny Wimbish, a first-team all-Dogwood District defensive back selection, has come to life since he was moved from the quarterback position to a multipurpose back following the Colonels’ only loss to Gretna, helping him contribute more on both sides of the ball.

Altavista is riding a five-game winning streak after being shutout 22-0 at Gretna, with Rick Adams taking over at quarterback. Since then, no team has scored more than 14 points against the Colonels, including Appomattox.

The Raiders are back in the Division 2 playoffs after their third straight eight-win season. They must travel to Clarke County to land an elusive playoff win in a rematch of last year’s first-round game. Appomattox fell just short at Clarke County last fall, falling 27-19 before the Eagles were torched by Gretna 51-27 in the Region B, Division 2, championship game.

The Eagles (10-0) have scored 486 points this season, averaging more than 41 points per game, and allowed a paltry 35.

“If you’re able to move the ball up and down the field against them, they’re not used to that,” Appomattox coach Ben Martin said. “I think it always starts up front — the offensive line. Really from there, it opens up holes for Kenny (Scott) and Joe (Reed) to be able to run our offense effectively.”

Scott and Reed, who were both named to the Dogwood District first-team, will be asked to shoulder a heavy lead against a Clarke County team that Martin likened to Dogwood District rival Dan River — a team that controls the ball through the running game. They run a single-wing attack, which is what Appomattox used before Martin arrived last year and implemented the triple option.

Appomattox’s first opponent of the season is Gretna’s semifinal foe — Buckingham County, at 1 p.m., Saturday at home. The Knights defeated the Raiders 20-13.

Buckingham (10-0) has been authoritative on defense this season, but not as stout as Clarke County. The Knights, formally a member of the Dogwood District, have allowed 80 points in making the postseason for the first time since 2002, when they reached the state final.

The Knights are led by running back Maurice Taylor, who pounded his way to more than 1,300 yards on the ground and a whopping 26 touchdowns. Senior fullback Jarrod Wade added another 670 yards on the ground and nine scores. Buckingham’s defense features senior linebacker and James River District defensive player of the year Taylor Boyers.

“We just played real well at the beginning of the season and been on a roll since. Just had a good year, got some breaks early,” Knights coach Craig Gill said. “I don’t think anybody is going to stop Gretna but Gretna themselves.”

This game marks the ninth consecutive trip to postseason play for the Hawks (8-2). Like Appomattox, Gretna’s non-district schedule was one of the toughest in the district. The Hawks lost their season opener to Liberty Christian Academy (10-1), which is playing for the VISSA Division I championship game against Collegiate on Saturday in Richmond. Gretna defeated Radford (8-3), which is playing George Wythe (7-3), in a Region C, Division 2, semifinal tonight at 7:30.

“I think the non-district and district schedule has prepared us for the playoffs,” Gretna coach Kevin Saunders said.

Buckingham played Gretna in both the 2003 and ’04 regular seasons, with the Hawks destroying the Knights on both occasions in Gretna’s back-to-back Group AA, Division 3, state title runs.

In those two state title runs, the Hawks were led by current Virginia standout Vic Hall. His secondary successor at quarterback, junior Nick Miller has shown his true form since he returning to full health — finishing the season with 10 rushing touchdowns and seven passing touchdowns.

Gretna running back Andre Dickerson, a Dogwood District first-team selection, added 1,029 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.

“They have probably the fastest back we’ll ever see,” Gill said of Dickerson.

Gretna has outscored its last two opponents, Chatham and William Campbell, by a combined score of 121-30. The Hawks have not lost a home game since 2005, when Dogwood District rival Chatham upended the previously undefeated Hawks 34-27 in the semifinals of the Region B Division 2 tournament.

“We played pretty decent at Appomattox and they’re a good football team. We still made mistakes and still had a chance to win, so that tells you we’re a good football team,” Saunders said. “I think if we just play good football like we’ve been playing the last few weeks — the offensive line’s got really good here lately — and getting everybody back healthy is a plus. If we keep doing that, we should have a chance.”