Virginia Football State Championships Feature Wild Comebacks, First-Ever Titles and a Dynasty Repeat

Lake Taylor’s double-OT miracle, Maury and Oscar Smith’s repeat dominance, Varina’s redemption, Strasburg’s historic breakthrough, and Rappahannock’s second-half explosion headline a state championship Saturday packed with shocks and storybook endings

Oscar Smith routed North Safford, 44-0, for its sixth Class 6A state title. / Oscar Smith Football

Redemption, repeats and the improbable was on the menu for the Virginia public state football championship Saturday. Lake Taylor (Class 3), Maury (Class 5), Oscar Smith (Class 6), Rappahannock (Class 1) 

Strasburg (Class 2), Varina (Class 4)

Here’s five takeaways from the final day of the Virginia high school football season:

Better late (really late) for Lake Taylor

After a 3-7 season in 2024, Lake Taylor completed a turnaround campaign in epic fashion Saturday with a 48-42 double-overtime victory over Kettle Run at Liberty University.

Senior tight end Casaun Hesson’s 26-yard catch-and-run was the “golden touchdown” for the Titans (13-2 overall) who won their first championship since 2019. Last weekend, the Norfolk school got a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Adams to Magerald Clark on the game’s final play to eliminate Magna Vista in the semifinals.

Adams, whose fourth-down interception ended Kettle Run’s possession to start the second overtime, recovered a bad pitch to start Lake Taylor’s ensuing drive. On the next play, Adams faked a handoff and hit a streaking Hesson across the middle, and Hesson took it to the end zone.

It's the fourth state championship for the Titans, all under coach Hank Sawyer who completed his 27th season at the helm.

Sawyer told The Virginian-Pilot, the 2024 season “was very challenging.”

“We were all kind of heartbroken. … It just hurt, and people around the school didn’t have a lot of faith in you,” Sawyer said, “and a lot of these guys’ peers were down on them.” 

Not anymore.

“Coach Sawyer said we got to get it together, and we got it together,” Adams said to The Virginian-Pilot. We did what we were supposed to do, paid attention in practice, listened to our coach. He never told us anything wrong.”

Maury and Oscar Smith runs it back 

The top two teams all season in the High School on SI Virginia Top 25 left little doubt Saturday at James Madison University.

No. 2 Maury won a third straight Class 5 state crown with a 25-7 victory over No. 7 Highland Springs. The Commodores (14-1) scored three touchdowns in the opening six minutes. 

Junior Matthew Williams returned the opening kickoff 74 yards and caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Domo Everette. Everette, a sophomore, added a 42-yard scoring run in the first quarter.

Williams finished with 162 all-purpose yards, and Tyshawn Branche added 12 carries for 164 yards. Everette went 11-of-19 for 162 yards for Maury, who completed the 3-peat against Highland Springs (11-4). 

The Richmond squad defeated the Commodores in the 2022 Class 5 final, setting the stage for Maury. 

“Three in a row, it puts us in the dynasty conversation,” said Commodores coach Dyrri McCain to The Virginian-Pilot. “(Highland Springs) has been one of the most consistent programs in the state of Virginia. Again, in order to be the man, you got to beat the man.”

Oscar Smith completed a likely wire-to-wire run at No. 1 with a 44-0 decision over No. 9 North Stafford. Junior quarterback Lonnie Andrews threw three scoring passes, two to University of Michigan-bound Travis Johnson, and Ty’jae Curtis ran for two touchdowns.

It’s the sixth Class 6 crown for the Tigers (13-1), who survived James Madison in the 2024 final by stopping a 2-point conversion after the Warhawks scored a touchdown on the final play of regulation. Oscar Smith fended off James Madison in last weekend’s semifinals.

The Tigers had little resistance Saturday from North Stafford (12-3), playing its first state championship game since 2004. Oscar Smith won its final 13 decisions after a loss at DMV private school power Gonzaga College (D.C.) in the season opener.

“They executed the game plan and they did exactly what I asked of them,” said Smith. “They were the most disciplined, most physical, the most focused for 48 straight minutes."

Varina exorcises 2024 heartbreak with dominant effort

Varina returned to Liberty University’s Williams Stadium Saturday with one goal: Finish. The No. 3 Blue Devils overwhelmed 24th-ranked Loudoun County, 47-0, for their first title since 2021.

Junior quarterback Caleb Wyche accounted for 306 yards and three touchdowns for Varina (13-2), and senior Shanundre Williams caught two scoring passes. DaMari Carter, a University of Virginia recruit, started the Blue Devils’ redemption with a 80-yard touchdown run.

Varina rolled up 434 of its more than 600 yards in the opening half. Loudoun County (12-2), in its first state championship game, finished with 58 yards.

The Blue Devils lost to Phoebus, 23-6, in last year's Class 4 final.

"We knew what we had to do," Varina coach Marcus Lewis said to The Richmond Times-Dispatch "We knew how to get here, but we had to just learn how to finish, and that's what we did.”

Strasburg shakes off slow start, rolls to historic championship

It was deja vu all over again for Strasburg Saturday at Salem Stadium.

The No. 25 Rams found themselves in an early two-score deficit against Glenvar. Last year, Strasburg fell behind, 14-0, to Graham before running an offensive play. 

Final score: Graham 31, Strasburg 8. 

Strasburg flipped deja vu on its head, storming back for a 49-27 victory over previously undefeated Glenvar. 

“We kind of tucked our tails and folded,” said Strasburg coach Tripp Lamb to the Cardinal News about last year’s effort. “I knew that was not going to be this group. I knew our guys wouldn’t quit. Once we got rolling, we were hard to stop.”

The Rams’ T-formation running game overwhelmed Glenvar. Quincy Williams rushed for 135 yards, Linkyn Bosworth added 118 yards on 17 carries and Brady Knight narrowly missed 100 yards (99). 

The trio combined for 352 yards and five touchdowns. Their efforts helped keep Glenvar’s offense, led by Charlotte University quarterback recruit Brody Dawyot, under control the last three quarters. Dawyot threw for two touchdowns, extending his Virginia High School League record for career touchdown passes to 137.

Strasburg (13-1), which started playing football in 1929, captured its first state championship after five title game losses.

“I’m speechless. I knew this would happen,” said Bosworth, a senior. “We worked hard all season. We went through a lot and it ended up working in our favor.”

Second half explosion carries Rappahannock to Class 1 crown

There were likely some nerves for Rappahannock Saturday, playing in its first state championship game Saturday. The Raiders settled in a big way in a 49-14 victory over Rye Cove in the Class 1 final at Salem Stadium.

C.J. Kelly accounted for 288 yards and two touchdowns for Rappahannock (12-2). Kenneth Madison rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns. 

Trailing 14-6 at halftime, the Raiders scored 43 unanswered points to claim its first state title. Last year, Rappahannock lost its only match of the season to eventual state champ Essex in the Region A final. 

“It’s been a long time coming,” Raiders coach William West said to the Bristol Herald Courier. “I’m extremely, extremely happy for the kids on this team, but I also think of all those that came before them."