Girls RVA Regional Previews – 6A West

Part 2 of our Richmond area high school playoff preview will focus on the girls Region 6A West bracket. Kellam are the defending Region 6A champions. The Knights went all the way to the state title game, before losing to Yorktown.
As with every region, both teams that reach the region final in 2023 will punch a ticket to the state tournament quarterfinals, with the winner earning a home game.

As the top seed in the East, Kellam are looking to repeat as region champs. The Knights have been ranked as high as #2 in the nation in some polls. Grassfield and Western Branch are the other teams to look out for coming out of the Tidewater area. What about the West, Roddy? I am glad you asked…

The Cosby Titans finished at the top of the Dominion District, with an undefeated 15-0-1 mark. Their resume includes two wins over Midlothian, a win against James River, and, arguably the most impressive, a win over one of the class 5 favorites, Deep Run. The Titans exited last year’s playoffs in the regional semifinals, but have aspirations of going further this year. “From the beginning of the year our goal has been to be playing, and win, on June 10th,” said first year head coach, Madisen Powell, referring to the scheduled date of the state championship. The Cosby offense is powered by Senior Caitlyn Nottingham Caitlyn Nottingham D VA , a Radford commit, and Sophomore Kendall Funk. The Titans will open their region playoff campaign at home, on May 26th, against the winner of Franklin County and Manchester.

Cosby P2W – Senior captain Naomi Knight “has been stellar for us in the back. She has been the anchor on the back line,” according to Powell. Knight led a Titan defense that has only conceded 10 goals this season. She is a composed defender and excels in open play, as well as on set pieces. Naomi will be playing at the next level in the Fall, at the University of Mary Washington.

James River is next, the 2 seed in the West (10-2-1). The Rapids lost a close 1-0 game to Cosby early in the season, and tied the Titans in their second meeting. River notched wins agains Midlothian, Monacan (2), and Clover Hill (2). This team can match up with just about anyone, and losing their regular season finale against Midlothian may just work to inspire a refocused playoff run. Forward Angie Banks will look to lead this team to some more wins. James River’s first playoff game will be at home against Thomas Dale. The Rapids defeated Dale 6-1 in their only meeting just a few weeks ago.

Thomas Dale finished the season 9-6, good for 2nd place in the Central District and the 3 seed on the West side of Region 6A. Their top wins were over Matoaca and Prince George.

Just like the boys side, Manchester (6-10) will face Franklin County in the play-in game. The winner will play at Cosby in the region quarterfinals. The Lancers swept Thomas Dale this season and look to win a home playoff game to get a shot at ending the Titans undefeated season.

Region 6A looks to be headed to a Kellam v. Cosby final, but the Rapids, among others, will be looking to spoil that.