The 2023 season couldn’t have ended much worse for the James Monroe and Stafford high school football teams.
JM lost its last eight games after a 2-0 start, missing the playoffs for just the second time since 2009 and finishing winless in the Battlefield District for the first time since 2000.
Meanwhile, Stafford dropped six of its final seven contests after starting 2-1, falling short of the postseason for the fourth straight year as a result.
Both squads are hoping for much better results this fall, and the first step toward achieving them is a Saturday morning showdown at Stafford’s Busch Memorial Stadium in a contest that was postponed from Thursday night because of thunderstorms.
At 10 a.m., the Indians will look to hit the ground running behind a talented running back and an experienced offensive line.
Michael Creamer was a first-team all-Commonwealth District selection a year ago after rushing for 1,191 yards and 15 touchdowns. The 6 foot, 210-pound senior committed to the University of Richmond last month, choosing the Spiders over other Division I offers from the likes of VMI, Hampton, Lehigh, Morgan State, Towson, Elon, Bryant and Howard.
Clearing holes for Creamer will be all-district guard Zavion Harris (6-2, 267) and Antonio Seals (5-10, 240), both seniors.
“I have very high expectations offensively with our offensive line and [Mike] Creamer,” Stafford head coach Jeff Drugatz said. “But we’ll have to be balanced because teams will be loading the box to stop Creamer.”
Zion Gray takes over at quarterback — a position he played part-time last season. Drugatz hopes the dynamic senior is the key to keeping opposing defenses honest.
“[Gray] can throw the ball, but he’s also explosive running it as well,” Drugatz said.
Gray will be one of the Indians’ leaders on defense as well, having earned first-team all-district honors at defensive back last year after recording three interceptions. He’ll be joined on that side of the ball by fellow two-way starters Harris and Seals, who will line up at defensive end and defensive tackle, respectively. Senior DE Jahiem Bunns and junior DB Nate Leslie also return.
Stafford’s defense will be facing a JM offense that will not hesitate to put the ball in the air despite breaking in a freshman at QB.
Jude Hardy is the Yellow Jackets’ new signal-caller, and he’ll have no shortage of targets. Seniors Mike Edwards, Destin Davis and Jayden Bumbrey headline what JM head coach George Coghill hopes will be a deep and productive receiving corps.
“We have some very good skill guys, so we need to get them the ball in space,” Coghill said. “If we’re able to put up some points early, I like our chances.”
Seniors Lincoln Roberts (6-1, 220) and Qua’Miz Walker (5-10, 215) will anchor an inexperienced O-line, while senior Ty’Kori Pettus will start at RB.
“As much as we like to throw the ball, we still need to establish a run game to take some pressure off [Hardy],” Coghill added.
Drugatz is well aware of the Jackets’ potential to be explosive, having faced them several times dating back to his coaching tenure at district rival Chancellor. He boiled the Indians’ chances of success on Thursday down to two simple factors.
“I think the key for us is to win up front on both sides of the ball and not give up the big play defensively,” he said.
Walker returns at linebacker for a JM defense that will look to contain Creamer. Athletic juniors Jordan Harris and Kamrin Kea round out that unit, which Coghill expects to be a strength. Roberts will man one of the DE spots, while fellow senior Jamie Martino (6-0, 308) is a potential space-eater at nose tackle.
“[Stafford] has a good backfield, and we can’t let them get the running game going early,” Coghill said. “We need to limit their yards and create turnovers.”
JM leads the all-time series between the two rivals with a record of 39-23-2. The Jackets claimed a victory by forfeit last season after threats of violence on social media forced officials to call off the game. The last time the two schools met on the field was 2022, when the Indians won 35-14.
