Skyline (6-4) vs. Western Albemarle (9-1)

By Brian Eller -- beller@nvdaily.com

When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Western Albemarle High School, Crozet

Who to watch: Skyline -- Josiah Patrick, junior, QB (703 passing yards, seven TDs); Cliff Woodard, senior, RB (1,434 yards, 13 TDs); Dylan Hill, senior, LB (87 tackles, one fumble recovery); Luke Pingley, junior, DL (46 tackles, 6.5 sacks); Western Albemarle -- Cody Davis, senior, RB/S; Dominic Losco, senior, WR/OLB, Stephen Schuler, senior, QB/LB; Tyler Ward, senior, WR/S.

At the beginning of the season, Skyline coach Heath Gilbert admitted there were times his players weren't sure how good they could be.

With a new face at quarterback, as well as a tough schedule, the Hawks were faced with the challenge of fighting through what would most certainly be some growing pains. Yet as Skyline prepares to make a deep playoff run, Gilbert now knows his players have the confidence in themselves, and knows the players realize it, too.

"We've figured out over the weeks how hard we have to work to be competitive against the top-notch teams in the district," Gilbert said. "I think maybe early on the kids may not have been so sure how good they were, but throughout the course of the season they've found out that they can [compete]."

The Hawks have faced an up-and-down season this year. Skyline began the year winning its first four games, scoring more than 30 points in each contest. And after splitting their next two games, the Hawks stumbled in division play, dropping three games in a row before shutting out Warren County last week to earn a spot in the playoffs.

"There were some moments where I thought the team got frustrated," Gilbert said, "but for the most part they've stayed together.

"They didn't point fingers and they wanted to look at themselves and see what they could do better, and that's the attitude they've taken."

The offense is led by senior running back Cliff Woodard, who has amassed more than 1,400 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He's also a threat on defense for the Hawks, snagging two of his team's nine interceptions. Meanwhile, junior tackle Luke Pingley leads the team with 6.5 sacks, and has recovered two fumbles to go along with his 46 tackles on the season.

Western Albemarle is coming off its first loss of the season, a 23-0 upset by Goochland.

Despite being shut out last week, the Warriors still boast a dangerous offense, a unit that has eclipsed the 40-point mark three times this season, and has scored at least 20 points in each of its victories.