Wood aims to help playoff push against Fauquier

The battle for the final spots in the Region 4D football playoff field looks to be an interesting one.

In James Wood’s case, the Colonels were tied for eighth in the Virginia High School Region 4D ratings two weeks ago, and now sit alone in eighth place with a rating of 19.4, three-tenths of a point ahead of No. 9 Liberty.

A loss on Friday at Fauquier (1-5) would probably make it difficult for the Colonels (3-4) to make the playoffs, but James Wood coach Todd Wilson wants his team to treat it like any other game.

“We don’t talk to the players about must-wins, and this opponent, that opponent,” Wilson said. “They’re all must-wins. We want to compete and we obviously want to get in the playoffs. We take the field every week to win, so there’s no more emphasis on anything as far as practice is concerned.”

The Colonels struggled on the scoreboard in a 41-0 loss to Sherando last week, and they also struggled with illness and injuries. Injury issues from the Sherando game involved Justin Gwinner (the team’s leading receiver and the area interception leader), fellow defensive back/wide receiver Kaden McCullough, defensive lineman Jordyn Sweetser and right tackle Shaun Johnson, so the Colonels may have to turn to some less-experienced players this week.

James Wood will take on a Fauquier team that got off to a quick 14-0 lead against Handley before faltering in a 41-21 defeat last week. The Falcons and Colonels share four common opponents, with Fauquier losing to all of them and James Wood beating Warren County and Skyline.

The Falcons used a different player at quarterback last week in middle linebacker Bo Green, and he rushed for 71 yards on 15 carries and completed 4 of 14 passes for 46 yards. Running back Carter Halsey had 81 yards on 12 carries to lead a 240-yard rushing effort.

“When we went through their skill position players, I think we found out about 12 to 15 players who have played different positions for them,” Wilson said. “They move guys all over the place. [Green] looked really good. We know what they want to do. They want to run the ball. [Green] threw the ball just enough to keep [Handley] honest. He’ll pull it and run and can escape the pocket, so he does add another dimension to their offense.”

James Wood’s defense is led by linebackers Zach Smith (88 tackles) and Vincent Salvati (55).

The Colonels’ offense is paced by running back Elijah Richards (157 carries, 750 yards, two TDs) and quarterback Owen Neal (62 of 147, 960 yards, five TDs, nine interceptions). Handley gained 452 yards (312 rushing) against Fauquier last week.

“Hopefully, if our line’s healthy enough, we can establish something in the run game and open up the pass a little bit more for us,” Wilson said.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Follow on X @WinStarSports1