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Football
Group AAA Powers Descend on Scott Stadium
Dec. 10, 2009
2:58 p.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Mike London will be at Scott Stadium on Saturday. He hopes to see a lot of orange and blue in the stands.
The Virginia High School League’s Group AAA football finals are Saturday at UVa’s stadium, and it “would be great for Cavalier fans to come out and watch some of the future talent from this state,” London said the other day.
In the Division 5 championship game, Phoebus, from London’s hometown of Hampton, meets Stone Bridge at noon. In the Division 6 state title, Thomas Dale takes on Lake Braddock around 4 p.m.
The Group AAA finals were held in Blacksburg last season, but they’ll be in Charlottesville this year and in 2010, and perhaps after that. The timing couldn’t be better, according to UVa’s new coach.
“It’s a good thing for the University,” London said, “and it coincides with us saying we want to recruit the state more.”
London, the University of Richmond’s head coach the past two seasons, took over at UVa this week. He wants to raise his program’s profile around the Commonwealth — Virginia Tech has dominated in-state recruiting in recent years — and hosting VHSL events should help.
“We want the high schools to come to these venues,” London said. “We’ve got John Paul Jones Arena and Scott Stadium, and we’re centrally located.”