Yellow Jackets Ready for Huge Matchup with York

Like a good wine, head coach Rich Serbay and the James Monroe Yellow Jackets are just getting better with time. Last Friday, against its best competition all season, JM delivered its strongest effort to date.

With an offensive explosion analogous to pretty much every week this season, the Jackets (11-0) quickly put Lafayette in the rear view and fixed their focus to Saturday’s Region I championship game.

Tomorrow, James Monroe will face regional number-one seed and undefeated York at Bailey Field in Yorktown at 1:30p.m.

The Falcons’ offense is predicated on a passing attack led by Region I Player of the Year Alex Johnston. The key matchup in this game will be the James Monroe secondary against York’s aerial attack. Expect good defensive back play to net James Monroe more than a couple turnovers.

Offensively for JM, there is simply too much speed on the field for any team in the state to contain for four quarters, including York. If the Falcons decide to load the box in hopes of shutting down the run, quarterback Demontaz Brown has shown he can deliver the long ball with precision.  Brown saw an increased role Friday, completing 17 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, the record-breaking 97-yard bomb to A’Darius Brown.

This year’s James Monroe team is a lot like the 2007 New England Patriots, if only Laurence Maroney was replaced with Adrian Peterson. Here’s a prediction: there will be December football played in Fredericksburg.

Bottom Line: If the JM defense holds up its end of the bargain, expect a familiar result and a berth in the VHSL AA quarterfinals.

FXBG Patch Prediction

James Monroe 42, York 28