Yeah it is early but I am bored, so let's talk Shenandoah District football!

[longtimerhsfan]

I am posting this on the 3A board since four of our seven teams play at that level, with only one team being 2A, and the remaining two are 1A. So majority rule I guess.

There are two GIGANTIC questions going into this season and they both involve Riverheads, the six-time defending state champions in 1A. Question 1 is: Will the program suffer any ill effects from Coach Casto's retirement or will it be business as usual? and Question 2: Will the Gladiators be able to win those first three games of the season and set the new state record for consecutive wins by any team in any classification? I will offer my opinion on both those questions but my main goal tonight is to try and rank the seven teams in the order I think they will finish this year, so as to start some dialogue and get us all pumped up for the season. So here are my picks from top to bottom based of course on who I remember from years past, who is expected back, etc.

NUMBER ONE: Riverheads. Obviously this pick gives you a clue as to my viewpoint on that first question. Since the Gladiators hired "in house", I certainly don't expect any changes in philosophy, game plan, etc. Yes they lost some people, but the attitude at RHS for as long as any of us can remember is that we "re-load" each year and we "do what we do but just do it well." So I fully expect another great season, and hopefully another state title. As for specific personnel, the quarterback returns for his senior season, there are two incredible running backs who can break the big one from anywhere on the field, and behind them is a deep stable of other backs who have played more sparingly and are just itching to prove themselves. So since it would be asking a lot to expect the top two backs to carry the load, one or more of those others will have to step up and have a great year. Notice I did not address defense, and the Gladiators did lose some key people, but once again it is all about re-loading and I am sure Coach Norcross will get the job done. As for that state record (and by the way the Big Red already holds the NATIONAL record for current winning streak by a high school team), I am sure not going to speculate on that this early in the game, other than to say that the worst mistake the Gladiators could make would be to look ahead to the Lord Botetourt game (third of the season) as if it is THE game of the season. I say that because Waynesboro and Parry McCluer should each have their stud back returning, and as you will read here shortly, I for one expect great things out of Waynesboro this season.

NUMBER TWO: Buffalo Gap. Risky business to predict that the two 1A teams will occupy the top two spots at the end of the season, but this hunch is based on the Bison having some solid returning talent and a very good JV team the last few years. Will they be good enough to overtake the Big Red? I doubt it, especially since the regular season game will be in Greenville this year. But the two should be favored to collide a second time for the Region 1B crown, and sooner or later, the Bison will be strong enough to make that one a competitive game. I just hope it won't be this year.

NUMBER THREE: Waynesboro. This is an out-on-a-limb pick I realize and I could be way off, but that running back (Barbour I believe) was amazing last year and I am pretty sure he returns. But the main reason I am so high on the Giants is because of how they turned their season around toward the end of the year and finished on such a high note. So if their first (now second) year coach is half as good as he appeared to be, he has instilled an off-season work ethic in that team and they will come out raring to go and knock off some people this year that have had their number in the past.

NUMBER FOUR: Stuarts Draft. I am sure many of you will think I have the Cougars too low and some of you may have already circled the regular season finale at Riverheads as the "championship game." But even though SD's quarterback had a phenomenal freshman year, the Cougars simply will not be able to replace what Aaron Nice meant to their game and expect to be at the same level. Will they be a good team again this year? Of course and maybe even a great one, but my hunch is that Waynesboro will win that cup that they play for this year (the name escapes me) and that will be enough to knock SD down into the middle of the pack.

NUMBER FIVE: Staunton. With a new coach at the helm, it is hard to know what to expect out of The Storm this year. But believe it or not, this prediction is based on the memory I have of one player. I forget his name but he was either an 8th grader or freshman on the JV team last year and one of the head honchos there in Staunton told me he is a better soccer player than football. Anyway, in the JV game against Riverheads, which was one of the best games I saw all year by the way, the kid did it all and came close to winning the game all by himself. He was the most fundamentally sound player I have seen in a long time and if he is varsity this year, he will be one of those guys night in and night out who will be in on every play and will really make a difference for The Storm. I am not confident enough to place Staunton higher but don't be surprised if we are about to see a resurgence there in the Queen City.

NUMBER SIX: Wilson. If my memory serves, The Hornets had an odd year last year..........starting off with a bang but then collapsing down the stretch. Therefore their success this season will depend on how quickly they can put those negative memories behind them. I don't recall any specific players for them but the hype last year was about two new coaches...........the guy in Waynesboro and the one at Wilson........and even though The Hornets won the rivalry game between the two, in the final analysis, I think Waynesboro ended on the more positive note and for the time being at least, seems to have the brighter future.

NUMBER SEVEN: Fort Defiance. A couple of years ago, in a JV game I attended, the Indians had a receiver that showed incredible promise and more importantly, a QB that could get the ball to him. So last year I expected great things out of them but as I recall it was a one-win season. Logically those two players would still only be sophomores or juniors by now, so the potential still has to be there. But some way or another the Fort has to develop some confidence if they hope to turn things around. They may have to do it in baby steps, so even a 3-4 win season would be a step in the right direction for them.

That is my take on things. Let's hear yours!

 

[Ampipe_High]

Thanks longtimerhsfan, I will also go off of what I remember from last year and what I think each team has returning.

1. Riverheads-They just keep on grinding and all we need to say is Cayden Cook Cash. The coaching change will not impact them at all and they will juts keep cruising.

2. Gap-I will agree that Gap is closing the gap, lol. If memory serves me correctly, they did not have a ton of seniors on last years team and return the majority of the starters from a team that made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. I don't think they are ready to knock off Riverheads, but can see them leaping over Draft.

3. Draft-You are absolutely correct that the lose of Nice is going to hurt Draft, but I also think that they were not heavy on seniors last year and only lost in the regular season twice last year and both times to Riverheads. I've heard that their offseason numbers have been really high. I still think that they have a solid season and finish in the top 3.

I think 4-6 will be interchangeable.

4. Wilson-This is where I think we can start putting 1-3 teams. Wilson started off hot last year, but then ran into the end of the schedule that had Riverheads, Gap, Draft, and then the playoffs against LCA. I think that they will finish anywhere in the 4-6 range.

5. Staunton-This is a gut pick. New coach, but one with community ties and I have heard the buy in from the players has been through the roof. I believe the JV player you were talking about is named Geffard or something like that and last year was his 1st year playing football. The JV team only lost 1 game last year. Staunton's issues the last few years has been offensively and not having a running game. If that does not change this year, they will be lower than 5, but I do think that Staunton might be gaining some momentum.

6. Waynesboro-Barbour is the name to know in Waynesboro. Last year they were blown out by the big boys in the district and won their final few games of the year against non-district teams and then faced a tough playoff opponent in Heritage. The reason I am placing them a little lower is that I think that Barbour's line last year was enormous, but were also a lot of seniors that will need to be replaced. I also don't recall a lot of other weapons, so teams will be able to key on Barbour, but then again, they couldn't stop him last year.

7. Fort-They were undersized last year and just not many athletes. The few they had I do believe graduated last year, so that will leave them barer. Maxpreps has them scoring less than 100 points last year and it may be the same this year.

 

[BGfootball95]

Great stuff. Flattered that you guys picked Gap 2nd.

1. RHS, no drop off this year, see Longtimer.

2. Draft, yes Nice will be hard to replace but, they have a lot of talent and good coaching.

3. Gap, depends on who shows up. They have a bunch of backs, the big question like last year is up front. Four new starters up front last year, same this year.

4. Wilson, good bit of talent, they always have size.

5. Waynesboro, great back, but as mentioned before I think many of those big lineman graduated. Is the tall QB back?

6. Staunton, plenty of speed at the school, see track results. Coach Bell is a great guy, maybe he can get the lineman to come out for the team and block and play defense like they did a few years back.

7. Fort, what can I say. They play hard, good amount of kids. At times I just wonder if they ever practice blocking at all.

 

[RedPrideNation_RollPride]

Been a while since this was in the cycle so to bump it up it’s the kickoff coming this evening I will give my impression of the state of the district.
1. Riverheads- things have changed but then again they really haven’t all that much with the coaching staff being mostly intact. I do feel the cadence of the offense will be a little different but in limited opportunities that I have seen, they are still gonna try to grind until something breaks. I do feel that defensively the players replacing those that have graduated will need to establish their identity. The newness will wear off and the game will slow down at some point but early it could be interesting to watch.

2A. Wilson- shocker here to everyone but I am really high on the upside of this Hornet team with another year in their current system. They will struggle against some of their out of district games but should be solidly in contention within the district. Realizing that a good bit of their offense graduated, this is a Hail Mary pick for me with nothing to have as concrete foundation for making the pick but I just have a feeling.
2B. Stuarts Draft- shaky pick here with 70-80% of their offense graduating. Scrimmages have not shown what we expect of the Cougar program over the last several years. Watch this team closely early to see if the coaching staff reloads as usual or struggles to find the proper replacements.
2C. Waynesboro- struggled with the heavy hitters in the district last year but have a very dynamic duo returning. Defense will have to be improved but there is definitely an upside to this team

5. Gap- good numbers overall but not convinced that the loss of their primary back. Time will tell and I could be in left field here and I honestly hope I am. Complete honesty they will need to establish their identity with fresh faces.

6. Staunton- good hire as head coach with ties to the community and players. This could pay off quickly but will likely be a slower burn that takes hold next year or the year after. Plenty of raw talent that could surprise us all.

7. Fort- would love to see them return to better days but they are slightly undersized and will need to find scoring.

Good luck to all the players that set off on the season whether it be their first on varsity or their final campaign of high school. Thank you for allowing us to be spectators on this journey.