The win assures the Cougars (8-1, 6-0 Battlefield) of at least a share of their first district championship since 2015.
Courtland lost star running back Tyrik Newman to an apparent shoulder injury on the first play of the game. And while the Cougars managed to an early 7-0 lead on Chieftain Watson’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Josiah Patty, the Blue Devils (6-3, 4-2) answered with a 69-yard scoring scamper from Riley Vinyard that created a 7-7 tie at halftime and gave them the momentum.
“For whatever reason, probably every coach’s nightmare is homecoming week,” Courtland head coach J.C. Hall said. “You know, you’ve got everything underneath the sun going on this week. … A lot of distractions, on top of Halloween. But no excuses. … Culpeper came ready to play. They deserved to win the first half, and that’s exactly what they did.”
Courtland flipped the momentum when it recovered a short kickoff that caught Culpeper off guard to open the second half. E.J. Flemming picked up the slack in the running game, scoring touchdowns of 4 and 1-yard, and Judah Kamara intercepted a Riley Lentz pass and returned it 23 yards for a score.
“We just came in and settled in at halftime and took care of business like I knew we could,” Hall said.
Flemming finished with 29 yards on nine carries, while Grayson Larch had 50 yards on 11 attempts. Watson was efficient through the air, completing 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards. Ahmari Boxley caught four of those passes for 73 yards.
Vinyard ran for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries for the Blue Devils.
Courtland can clinch the district title outright with a win at James Monroe in next Friday’s regular-season finale. A loss in that contest, coupled with a Caroline (8-1, 5-1) victory at Culpeper, would make the Cougars and the Cavaliers co-champions.
Riverbend 43, Massaponax 14
The host Bears broke open a 14-all tie in the second quarter by scoring the final 29 points of the game en route to a Commonwealth District win.
Following a 13-yard touchdown run by the Panthers’ Brian Henderson that tied the score at 14, Riverbend’s Camden Simmons returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a score. On the Bears’ next possession, quarterback Ian Shook Jr. raced 73 yards for a touchdown.
In the second half, Riverbend got a 1-yard scoring plunge from Amare Johnson and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Shook Jr. to Tristan Greene.
Shook Jr. was an all-around star for the Bears. He rushed for a game-high 128 yards on 12 carries and completed 10 of 12 passes for 107 yards and a pair of scores.
Joe Sanders III paced the Massaponax offense with 71 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries.
Riverbend (9-0, 5-0 Commonwealth) can win the district championship outright for the first time in program history if it can beat visiting North Stafford (7-2, 4-1) next Friday. A loss would mean the Bears and Wolverines would share the title and could also result in a potential three-way tie if Colonial Forge (8-1, 4-1) defeats host Massaponax (4-5, 2-3).
Spotsylvania 17, James Monroe 8
Tyler Livingston’s blocked punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter sealed the Knights’ Battlefield District victory over the visiting Yellow Jackets.
Spotsylvania (6-3, 4-2) built a 10-0 halftime lead on a 27-yard field goal by Damen Metry and a 3-yard scoring run by Hudson Callahan.
Braden Hodges was 6-of-10 passing for 81 yards the Knights, though he was intercepted twice.
For JM, sophomore quarterback Kenyon Monroe passed for 189 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore receiver Jakhi Hayden contributed five catches for 133 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown reception. Jordon Juggins hauled in the two-point conversion pass from Zashawn Childs to pull JM within 10-8 in the second half.
Spotsylvania will wrap up the regular season with a trip to Eastern View next Friday, while JM (5-4, 3-3) entertains Courtland.
North Stafford 41, Stafford 0
Kayden Bowens scored three touchdowns—two rushing and one receiving—as the host Wolverines routed the Indians In Commonwealth District play to regain the Victory Bell in this rivalry contest. Stafford defeated the Wolverines two straight years, including a 26-22 win last season.
Bowens ran for 62 yards and caught a 29-yard pass for a score. Alon Lester added a rushing touchdown of his own.
North Stafford (7-2, 4-1 Commonwealth) can earn a share of the district title with a win at Riverbend next Friday. Stafford (3-6, 1-4) will close out its 2025 campaign with a matchup at Brooke Point the same night.
Friday’s other scores
Brooke Point 46, Mountain View 34
Eastern View 44, Chancellor 20
Thursday’s game
Caroline 54, King George 14
The Caroline High School football team tied a school record with eight regular-season wins behind a 54-14 Battlefield District senior night victory over King George Thursday night.
The Cavaliers last won eight regular-season games in 2007, when they captured a share of the district championship.
Caroline (8-1, 5-1 Battlefield) will look for its ninth win of the season next week when it visits Culpeper.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers were paced by senior running back Tre Coles, who finished with 166 of the team’s 267 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just five carries. Senior quarterback Blake Morris also accounted for 181 total yards and two scores.
Junior running backs Dre Coleman and Trason Fletcher added one rushing touchdown apiece.
The Cavaliers took a 48-0 lead into intermission on junior linebacker Jordan Reynolds’ 42-yard interception return for a score late in the second quarter. Sophomore receiver Blair Morris closed out the scoring for Caroline with a 16-yard reception from his older brother in the third quarter.
In addition to Reynolds’ interception, defensive backs Chris Giles and Ethan John Tenorio had one interception apiece for the Cavaliers.
King George (0-9, 0-6) was paced by quarterback Will Brandt, who passed for 125 yards and two fourth-quarter scores to Cory Thompson (44 yards) and Parker Jay (25 yards). The Foxes will end their season at Chancellor next Friday.
