Hermitage Football

Go Panthers!

Sports Backers ALL Stars spotlight: Hermitage football star, W&M recruit MJ Jackson The pictures of Hermitage football alumni who went on to play in college line the walls of the Panthers locker room.

Hermitage High School Football 2026 | Snap! Mobile Support Hermitage High School Football 2026 and help us raise $15000

🚨 HERMITAGE FOOTBALL FAMILY🚨

We’re building something special at Hermitage High School Football — and we need YOU in our corner.
This isn’t just a fundraiser… this is about:
🏈 Giving our athletes the tools to compete
🏈 Building a championship culture
🏈 Representing our community the RIGHT way

Every donation, every share, every repost gets us one step closer.

💪 If you’ve ever worn the jersey
💪 If you’ve ever cheered from the stands
💪 If you believe in what we’re building

NOW is the time to show up.

Let’s rally together. Let’s make noise. Let’s go to work.
Hermitage Football

Hermitage High School Football 2026 | Snap! Mobile Support Hermitage High School Football 2026 and help us raise $15000

Signing Day, drum roll, please!

#2 Ben Yeanay, University of North Carolina - Pembroke
#3 Andre Clarke Jr., University of Kentucky
#4 Michael Jackson Jr., William & Mary
#5 Avery Curtis, University of North Carolina - Pembroke
#6 Jekhi Gill, Concord University
#9 Shakei Richardson, Hampden-Sydney College
#40 Jhison Whitehead, West Virginia State University
#44 Dillan Webb, Randolph Macon College

Go Panthers!

Just moments away from learning where eight Hermitage players will be playing college ball next year.

Go Panthers!

Not surprising after a terrific 2025 season, the Panthers are well represented on the Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro Team, led by Avery Curtis and Andre Clark Jr. on the 1st Team. Five more Panthers received well-deserved Honorable Mentions.

Avery Curtis
School: Hermitage
Year: Senior
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5-9, 170

Notable: Curtis broke out this year with the Panthers, quickly becoming one of the most prolific players on the team. He started this year with a cast on his arm and still played, finishing with 1,874 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Additionally, Curtis had 2,162 all-purpose yards and 24 total touchdowns. With his help, Herm made it to the Region 5C final as the fifth seed, taking down top-seeded Patrick Henry-Roanoke, largely due to his performance. Though 5-foot-9, Curtis is extremely quick and can maneuver through lines and then break out down the sidelines. In the regular season against foes like Highland Springs and Varina, Curtis was the difference-maker and was second-team all-state.

Andre Clarke Jr.
School: Hermitage
Year: Senior
Position: Defensive back
Height, weight: 6-1, 175

Notable: A four-star prospect and the No. 5 recruit in the state in the class of 2026 (Rivals), Clarke initially signed with Michigan before being released from his NLI and flipping to Kentucky. Clarke is also a standout big-play receiver. But what makes him special is his coverage. A rangy corner with elite match-and-mirror capabilities, opposing passing games did their utmost to avoid Clarke, who excels at blanketing the catch point and creating takeaways with his hands. Also an accomplished track and field athlete, he lined up at safety some and is an eager tackler on the perimeter.

Honorable Mentions
WR — Bryson Robinson, Hermitage
OL — Cameron Moore, Hermitage
DL — King William, Hermitage
LB — Dillan Webb, Hermitage
LB — Alijah Paige, Hermitage

Although it ended 2 weeks sooner than wanted, the season Hermitage put together this year is one to be tremendously proud of. 10 wins, including 2 in the playoffs.

Go Panthers!

Highland Springs football wins Region 5C title, will meet Indian River in Class 5 semis Welcome home, Highland Springs, Region 5C is yours again.

More hype, this from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

THE MAIN EVENT

Hermitage at Highland Springs, Friday, 2:30 p.m.

It's a rematch Friday afternoon between the Springers (9-3) and the Panthers (10-2), this time for the Region 5C title. Highland Springs and Hermitage met Oct. 24 at Chester E. Fritz Stadium, where the Springers held off Herm to win.

This time around, the game is at Victor W. Kreiter Stadium, home of the Springers, and it's for all the marbles. Second-seeded Highland Springs holds a 37-35 record against their Region 5C foe, winning the last six games against the fifth-seeded Panthers.

In that regular-season affair in October, it came down to the final play of the game to beat Herm. The Panthers threw the ball downfield, looking for Michigan recruit Andre Clark Jr., and despite being surrounded by two Springers, Clarke Jr. caught the ball in the end zone but couldn't get his feet down. Highland Springs won 31-28.

“So you got a talented kid like Andre Clark back there, and just got to stop him from making a big play," Springers coach Loren Johnson said after that play back on Oct. 24.

In that first game, no team had a lead of more than 10 points at any point, so it was close the whole way. Highland Springs went to senior RB Eric Byrd, and he finished with three touchdowns and 191 yards on 23 carries.

Herm's Avery Curtis is just as dominant. Curtis is having an All-Metro caliber season, picking up 214 yards and three touchdowns in the game against the Springers. Byrd and Curtis play a different style of running back, and both are effective.

“Curtis is a little bit lighter, but he’s still dynamic,” Johnson said Oct. 24. “Eric is a little bit heavier, so he’s a little bit more of a bruiser. So that helps you when you’re trying to finish a game.”

The Springers defeated William Fleming last week at home to get to the final, 37-7, with RB Jonathan Carter racking up 133 yards and three TDs on 18 carries. Keep an eye out this week for senior QB/DB Antoine Richardson, who is equally effective on both sides of the ball, along with WR Jalen Padmore, CB/SS Devyn Simmons, Damarri Brooks and WR Devlin Davis. On defense, Padmore, Simmons, Landanian Brown, Malik Bullock and JJ Archer, among others.

Hermitage was the big headline though in the region semifinals, knocking off top-seeded Patrick Henry-Roanoke 28-25 on the road. This senior class for the Panthers got their first-ever playoff win against Midlothian on Nov. 14 and followed it up with another road victory last week.

QB Ben Yeanay can sling it but isn't afraid to use his legs, very similar to Richardson. Curtis picked up 227 yards and a score on 37 carries in that one. Watch out for him, Clarke Jr., Tison Brooks, King William and Alijah Paige on defense, all dominating the field in the win over PH. Up front, Jhison Whitehead and Brandon Samuel each had a sack.

This will be a fun Friday afternoon affair. After the win over the Panthers last time, Johnson said he expected to see them again, and here we are. Kick is set for 2:30 p.m.

Zach Joachim's pick: Highland Springs 24-21
Savannah Reger's pick: Highland Springs 35-31
Matt Kiewiet's pick: Hermitage 23-20

As if Friday's rematch needed any more hype, a history recap and preview from The Richmonder...

Class 5, Region C: #5 Hermitage (10-2) at #2 Highland Springs (9-3), Friday, 2:30pm:

Exactly 10 years to the day after one of the greatest high school football games in area history between these two historic institutions, the Panthers and Springers will do battle again, again in the third round of postseason play, and it will, once again, be a rematch of a regular season clash.

In 2015, Highland Springs built a seemingly insurmountable lead. But Hermitage stormed back to tie the game before the Springers scored in the final seconds to continue their journey to the first of four straight state championships.

So, what about the encore? The Springers eked out a 31-28 win October 24 in a back-and forth-battle. The road back to each other wasn’t easy for either squad. Highland Springs managed just three points in a loss to rival Varina, escaped Hanover with a last-minute win, and struggled in the first half of their opening playoff game with Glen Allen.

Hermitage, meanwhile, pulled out a 9-7 win over Thomas Jefferson to end the regular season, then used a defensive touchdown from Andre Clarke to eliminate Midlothian. But after both teams put up stellar performances last Friday, the stage is set for another titanic battle.

Both defenses are on notice. The unit that can at least slow down the running attack of their opponent, and create turnovers, likely will be the one hoisting the region title trophy around sundown. Keep an eye on special teams play, too.

Got Panthers!