RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia High School League football season kicks off Monday, and several area schools will be in action.
8Sports will be on location at Varina, as the Blue Devils take on Hermitage; Douglas Freeman, as the newly-named Mavericks welcome the Eagles of Mills Godwin to their turf; and Glen Allen for the Jaguars season opener against J.R. Tucker.
Here’s a look at the slate of games for opening night around the area:
| HOME | AWAY | TIME |
| Caroline Co. | Eastern View | 6 p.m. |
| Albemarle | Goochland | 6:30 p.m. |
| Varina | Hermitage | 7 p.m. |
| Mills Godwin | Douglas Freeman | 7 p.m. |
| Glen Allen | J.R. Tucker | 7 p.m. |
| King William | Charles City | 7 p.m. |
| Louisa Co. | Charlottesville | 7:30 p.m. |
The Varina/Hermitage game will be the game to watch. Blue Devils head coach Marcus Lewis will make his debut as the head mentor opposite Hermitage head coach David Bedwell, who will be coaching in his first game since 2016.
Varina won a region championship in 2019, falling to Maury in the state semifinals that year. Hermitage went 4-6 in 2019 with Bedwell away from the team he inherited when he was hired. Bedwell dealt with a criminal case centered around accusations of embezzlement while he was athletic director at L.C. Bird. Bedwell coached the Skyhawks to three state championships over his 17-year career on the sidelines.
This is the first time Varina and Hermitage will meet in the season opening contest since 1998. The overall series between the Blue Devils and Panthers is tied 16-16.
Hermitage will rely on senior running back Nigel James and senior quarterback Brock Schaeffer offensively. While for the Blue Devils all eyes will be on senior Bobby Dunn behind center and senior running back Jailen Walker.
Here’s a look at the rest of the high school football schedule for this week, as some schools will be back in action on short rest, while the rest of the area schools will begin their campaigns on Friday or Saturday.
| HOME | AWAY | TIME |
| Goochland | Amelia Co. | 7 p.m. |
| Courtland | Caroline Co. | 1 p.m. Sat. |
| Petersburg | Thomas Dale | 7 p.m. |
| Deep Run | J.R. Tucker | 2 p.m. Sat. |
| Douglas Freeman | Glen Allen | 2 p.m. Sat. |
| Henrico | Varina | 2 p.m. Sat. |
| Highland Springs | Mills Godwin | 3 p.m. Sat. |
| Hanover | Mechanicsville | 6 p.m. |
| Hopewell | Colonial Heights | 7 p.m. |
| Jamestown | New Kent | 7 p.m. |
| L.C. Bird | Powhatan | 7 p.m. |
| Manchester | Monacan | 7 p.m. |
| Prince George | Dinwiddie | 7 p.m. |
| Atlee | Patrick Henry | 7 p.m. |
| Cosby | Midlothian | 7 p.m. |
| Matoaca | Meadowbrook | 7 p.m. |
| Clover Hill | James River | 7 p.m. |