Chargers Prepare For Prime Time Against Indians

Varsity Football : Playoff Preview Powhatan Indians vs. Chancellor Chargers

This Friday night the 3rd seed Chancellor Chargers (8 - 2) will host the 6th seed Powhatan Indians (8 - 2). Both of these teams had incredible seasons, as the Charger’s big wins came against Massaponax and Courtland while the Indians had big wins against Hopewell and Orange.

Friday’s match-up will be the seventh ever meeting on record between the two teams. The series is tied 3 - 3, along with both teams being 1 - 1 against each other in the playoffs. The playoffs have been sensitive topics for both teams as of late, as both teams haven’t won a playoff game since 2011. The Chargers were on the right path last year until their starting quarterback went down with a broken ankle and other injuries plagued their playoff hopes. The Indians have a program known to be successful every year, but their struggle in big time games has become their achilles heel as of late.

For the Chargers, they’ll be relying on a powerful running game that features Lovell Armstead and Damonte Pratt in the backfield who both have proven to be weapons on the field. The passing game is fairly comfortable, with big targets in E.J. Jenkins, Noah Manuel, and a fresh C.J. Washington coming off an injury for quarterback Jason Brown to find. The Indians have struggled with their secondary this year, so to keep the Chargers in check they’ll need to find a way to limit Jenkins and Manuel on deep passes, and find a way to slow down Washington on the Chargers’ deadly screen plays.

For Powhatan, they will bring about the same style. Running Back Justin DeLeon has the same build and style as Armstead, and that style has made him the Indian’s leading rusher. The Indians will look to expose a Charger front line that gave up a hefty amount of rushing yards in the early half of the season. Their quarterback, Jacob Oglesby, brings the same sort of dual threat seen in Brown. He has proven that he can use his legs to get out of rough situations, but he does have a history of turnovers. Gabe Satterwhite, Oglesby’s favorite target, is also having a good season and the Chargers will have to continue to suppress the passing game against a high powered offense in the Indians.

For Chancellor, their only weakness overall on the season was their two losses which came after leading at halftime. Their coaches have stressed all year about staying focused and going into each week at 0 - 0. For Powhatan, their biggest weakness is their offensive line which has struggled to give their quarterback any time to make decisions, forcing him to run. Yetur Matos on the Chargers, who recently broke the all-time sack record at Chancellor will be a deadly threat for Powhatan if their struggles continue.

Chancellor has turned their season around also, as the in the first half of their season they struggled going 3 - 2, giving up 157 total points to opponents. In the second half they swept their competition, giving up only a total 44 points. Powhatan saw their two losses come later on in the season, against Louisa and Albemarle who lead their local region.

Whoever wins this game will play the winner of King George (6 - 4) vs. Eastern View (10 - 0). If Eastern View wins, they will host. If King George wins, the team who wins this game will host.