Class 3 Top Ten – #7 Alleghany

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As part of our comprehensive coverage, we count down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification. It’s found exclusively on this web site with updates weekly during the season.

#7 – Alleghany Cougars

What to Know:  In 2023, longtime prep rivals Alleghany and Covington consolidated into one new name under a new central administration.  The Alleghany High Cougars hit the ground running, posting a 9-2 overall record in ’23, followed by an even better showing last year as the team enjoyed an undefeated regular season.  Following a 44-14 triumph over Wilson Memorial in the opening round of the playoffs, the Cougars saw their state title dreams come to an end with a 44-20 loss to Turner Ashby in the Region 3C semifinals in Bridgewater.  Coach Will Fields, who was at the helm of Bath County from 2002-15, oversees another change for Alleghany heading into 2025.

This coming season marks a new district for Alleghany, which leaves the Three Rivers for the Shenandoah.  One of the comforting things to know every time they take the field is having one of the best all-around players in the state, which is Class of 2026 athlete Desmond Jordan (6-0, 180) has become.  Named Three Rivers District Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, Jordan completed 76.1% of his passes for 2569 yards and 34 touchdowns versus just 5 five interceptions to go with 16 rushing scores.  That doesn’t include his work at defensive back, where he made seven pass breakups and two interceptions.

Colleges are taking notice of Jordan’s skills with an offer from VMI, plus heavy recruiting attention from Georgetown, Ivy League programs and even James Madison has inquired about him.  After all, you won’t find too many players with the career stats – 5610 yards passing, 68 TD’s passing and 96 total scores – anywhere.  While Jordan did set a single-game school record for passing yards with 408, the Cougars want to establish the run first and foremost.  Their read option game gives defenses fits, and a key component to that is senior Carter Nicely (5-7, 180), a small, yet tough and deceptive ball carrier. 

Chosen First Team All-Region 3C at running back, Nicely put together a very solid junior campaign in his own right with 1167 yards and 8 TD’s rushing to go with over 50 total stops on defense from his middle linebacker position.  A pair of All-District selections – Joe Wright and E.J. Wright – graduated on the offensive line, so how well a couple of the new blockers do alongside returnees like senior Mark Hunter (6-3, 260) and junior Ben Phillips (5-8, 210) will be important in this offense trying to match its potency from the past two years when they averaged over 41 points per game. 

Hunter garnered First Team All-District accolades on the d-line.  A great blocker that can catch passes with regularity from Jordan is tight end Sarge Persinger (6-2, 210), who entering the regional semis against Turner Ashby had seen eight of his 20 receptions on the year go for scores to go with 353 yards receiving.  Parsinger will once again be counted on to make plays on the defensive front as well.

Perhaps the biggest question mark going into the season about Alleghany is who will be established as Jordan’s go-to guy in the passing game?  Xzavier Hayslett pulled in 64 passes for 1111 yards and 15 TD’s last season for the Cougars on his way to First Team All-State honors.  Hayslett is now playing his College Football at Ferrum.  Collectively, they’re relatively inexperienced at that receiver position, but there is some optimism about a couple of the defensive performers from a year ago – such as seniors Jaquin Godfrey (5-11, 195) and Brycen Griffith – to step up in the area.

Operating at strong safety and outside linebacker, Godfrey was in on more than 40 tackles to go with eight pass breakups, three interceptions and a sack during a junior season that saw him get 2nd Team All-District accolades.  Griffith made an interception on defense in the playoff loss to Turner Ashby.  While there will also be some early growing pains for the youth on this Alleghany defense, the hope is they can replicate their 2024 performance when the Cougars generated 23 takeaways. 

Fields knows he has three All-Region caliber defenders in his front seven with Parsinger and Hunter along the d-line and Nicely at linebacker, where a couple of part-time starters from the past join him in juniors Jayvon Myers (6-0, 175) and Kymari Rice (5-10, 190).  Back with the program after spending a year in West Virginia is senior Brady May (5-10, 190) and his return gives them more depth in the second level of their defense at linebacker.

Even with 2nd Team All-Region selection Hunter Knighton having graduated, the defensive backfield figures to be a spot that sees playmakers come to the forefront with Jordan and Godfrey leading the way back there.  It might not be highlighted enough, but Alleghany also brings back a dependable kicker in Mason Hale (6-3, 190), who’s also a guard/forward on the basketball team.

In total, five of the 12 players that were selected All-District and three of the seven named All-Region return for Alleghany in 2025.  That ought to help get them through the choppy times that could be coming their way.  Early home games with Brookville and Staunton are far from cinches in the win column.  Four of the final six games on the regular season docket are against smaller classification schools, so they shouldn’t be at a numbers disadvantage in those matchups.  However, the road to the State Playoffs generally goes through the hardened Seminole District teams in Region 3C and they will have to prove they can take down one of them to achieve that goal.

Other Class 3 Top Ten Previews:

#8 – Turner Ashby Knights – Read More Here

#9 – Lake Taylor Titans – Read More Here

#10 – William Byrd Terriers – Read More Here

Final Class 2 Top Ten Rankings from 2024:

#1 – Liberty Christian (14-0)

#2 – Kettle Run (14-1)

#3 – Lafayette (13-1)

#4 – Thomas Jefferson-Richmond (12-1)

#5 – Turner Ashby (12-1)

#6 – William Byrd (12-2)

#7 – Alleghany (11-1)

#8 – Lord Botetourt (9-4)

#9 – Magna Vista (9-3)

#10 – Armstrong (10-2)

Matthew Hatfield has served as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com since 2016 and been writing for the web site under the Rivals umbrella dating back to 2004.  Matthew also has served as the Play-by-Play Voice for Old Dominion Women’s Basketball since 2021.  Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates.  To contact Matthew, please e-mail [email protected], and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV, where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.