VHSL Playoffs Class 5 Players to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>A reminder when subscribing to use my code Frederick30 for a discount</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are onto the Class 5 Regional Semifinals with 16 schools remaining vying for the state title. This looks like an open class with a number of teams that should be considered the favorite, I broke down a couple of teams below:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverbend:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Riverbend Bears have never looked more impressive than their 2025 campaign where they finished 10-0. Amongst their wins was a two touchdown victory over Class 6 power house Colonial Forge and come from behind win against North Stafford. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1312062' first='Camden' last='Simmons'] seems nearly impossible to game plan against considering he does a little bit of everything with their offense. He had over 1400 total yards with 12 receiving touchdowns, one of the most dynamic football players you will see. Ian Shook is a dual threat quarterback who has put up good numbers in his senior year, while running back [player_tooltip player_id='1699167' first='Adrien' last='Picot'] is explosive in his own right. Defensively the Bears are pretty stout led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='853105' first='Mekhi' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1601605' first='Aden' last='Herndon'], Riverbend is going to be tough to get past.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potomac Falls:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Potomac Falls was midway through October standing at 3-4 with the playoffs possible being out of reach. Since that time the Panthers have ripped off 4 consecutive wins including last week in their quarterfinal matchup against Lightridge. Junior wideouts [player_tooltip player_id='1176255' first='Elijah' last='Henderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1183217' first='Josh' last='Ramos'] are two top 2027 prospects who both earned all conference honors for their work in the regular season. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1692825' first='Matthew' last='Welch'] is a good north/south type of back who is averaging close to 5 yards per carry. Defensively along with Ramos at corner, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1649817' first='Jimmy' last='Frickman'] seems to be having a nice senior season, they will need him to help slow down Riverbend's offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maury:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best matchups in the entire state this week is Maury vs Warwick, these two will clash Friday night in what should be a classic! The Maury Commodores have 1 loss all the way back in week 1 and have not looked back since. From beating Varina the next game in nail biting fashion to consistently averaging 40 plus points per contest, Maury sure looks ready to repeat. The defending state champions have Hunter Collins (Sacred Heart) and [player_tooltip player_id='212454' first='Elijah' last='Moss-Williams'] (James Madison) and Isiah Simmons (Pittsburgh) in their senior class, all three ranked in the top 40 of our 2026 class. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='447439' first='Matt' last='Williams'] is being highly pursued by over 20 Power 4 schools he currently ranks 10th overall in our 2027 group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warwick:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off back to back shutouts the Warwick Raiders seem to be on a bit of a roll as they prepare for the Commodores. Senior defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='402758' first='Christian' last='Corbin'] has been dominant up front for the Raiders and he looks like he can play for Delaware right away. He will be a problem for Maury's offensive line, Corbin is 6'2 and 290 lbs. off the line, good luck trying to block him one on one. Warwick typically lines up next to him is [player_tooltip player_id='853767' first='Du'Wuane' last='Skipwith'] who is no slouch himself. This duo will be tough for the Commodores to get their ground game on track, expect this game to be an instant classic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->