Although there are the usual four district games on tap this Friday, a TON of attention will be focused on that huge non-district tussle in Greenville. Before we address those five games, just a few general comments on the playoff picture, based on my limited understanding of how all those points work.
It would appear to me that Stuarts Draft and Page County are probably out of the picture now. Not only did they lose crucial games on Friday but their remaining schedules are daunting. As for the other side of that picture. of course East Rock is solid, as is Luray. Buffalo Gap should also give the Shenandoah a third firm entrant in to the field.
That leaves Lee and Wilson as potential question marks. Lee is "probably" in, especially if they win their last two games (Page and Draft.) Wilson might however be on shaky ground. They are 5-3 with a guaranteed loss coming up against East Rock and maybe another one when they play Gap. So a 5-5 Hornets squad could be this year Stuarts Draft, the team that just barely fails to make the cut. But again I remind you...that whole system flies right above my head so trust the input from others who follow it more closely.
OK, here is my take on this week's games, starting with the big one in Greenville....................
If you believe that Central and East Rock are pretty much neck and neck and that their expected 2-B title game will be an all-time classic, then you probably think the Falcons will handle Riverheads easily this Friday. But of course to believe that, you would also have to assume that East Rock's 28-0 win over RHS was a true picture of the difference between the Eagles and the Gladiators. At the time, I thought so myself......i. e. that East Rock was sooooo far ahead of Riverheads this year that they could play 10 times and the result would be the same every time. But all of that was before the Big Red found its second wind. The Gladiators have just pounded anyone they have faced since then, they have developed a ton more confidence, and more importantly they have unveiled an even deeper running attack, as demonstrated against Lee Friday. As for Central, they do not get much ink down our way, so about all I know is that Clarke gave them a good game as did Madison, at least for a while. So Friday's game will come down to a question of which team is how much better than they were last year and has the Big Red REALLY improved enough since the East Rock game to hang with Central's depth and talent. My sources tell me that this game will not make a difference in our point standing or playoff position, so if that is true, then the Big Red can "afford" to lose this one. But I know they want it, so I will predict a tight Riverheads win, but nothing will surprise me, not even a blowout on either side of the scoreboard.
East Rock at Wilson: That scare at Buffalo Gap does not scare me, even if we are close to Halloween. Wilson will not have anywhere near the defense needed to slow down the Eagles. Look for another East Rock romp.
Stuarts Draft at Luray: The Cougars have been kind of a snakebit team this year, and other than that one-point squeaker over Buffalo Gap, they have not had much to cheer about. They might hang with the Dogs for a half on Friday night, but Luray will pull away. The Cougars will likely be an underdog again next week against Lee, and will then dedicate themselves to the off-season with a pledge to come back bigger, stronger and older next year.
Buffalo Gap at Stonewall: What can you say about any game involving Stonewall that hasn't already been said? Other than that anomaly at Lee, they have been bruised and battered every time they hit the field and they just deserve credit for their sticktuitiveness. Sadly for them the Bison will do to them what so many others have already done.
Page at Lee: I had high hopes for Page on Friday against the Dogs and the margin of that Luray win surprised me greatly. Had they pulled off that rivalry win, they could have come into Lee this week with a realistic shot at a winning season. Instead, I doubt if the motivation will be there and Lawler will likely break a couple of big ones early to put them in a hole that they will not be able to dig out of.
Also in this part of the state, we will have the Valley District championship game where 3-A Spotswood will travel to 5-A Harrisonburg. The Wood lost its season-opener but has now won 7 in a row. They have each handled every one else in the district pretty easily so on paper this one looks like a doozy. A neutral fan just wanting to see a good game may choose this one over the Central/Riverheads clash. I am just glad that, as of the moment at least, the forecast calls for dry fields up and down the Valley Friday. I HATE seeing any big game being impacted by the weather.
It would appear to me that Stuarts Draft and Page County are probably out of the picture now. Not only did they lose crucial games on Friday but their remaining schedules are daunting. As for the other side of that picture. of course East Rock is solid, as is Luray. Buffalo Gap should also give the Shenandoah a third firm entrant in to the field.
That leaves Lee and Wilson as potential question marks. Lee is "probably" in, especially if they win their last two games (Page and Draft.) Wilson might however be on shaky ground. They are 5-3 with a guaranteed loss coming up against East Rock and maybe another one when they play Gap. So a 5-5 Hornets squad could be this year Stuarts Draft, the team that just barely fails to make the cut. But again I remind you...that whole system flies right above my head so trust the input from others who follow it more closely.
OK, here is my take on this week's games, starting with the big one in Greenville....................
If you believe that Central and East Rock are pretty much neck and neck and that their expected 2-B title game will be an all-time classic, then you probably think the Falcons will handle Riverheads easily this Friday. But of course to believe that, you would also have to assume that East Rock's 28-0 win over RHS was a true picture of the difference between the Eagles and the Gladiators. At the time, I thought so myself......i. e. that East Rock was sooooo far ahead of Riverheads this year that they could play 10 times and the result would be the same every time. But all of that was before the Big Red found its second wind. The Gladiators have just pounded anyone they have faced since then, they have developed a ton more confidence, and more importantly they have unveiled an even deeper running attack, as demonstrated against Lee Friday. As for Central, they do not get much ink down our way, so about all I know is that Clarke gave them a good game as did Madison, at least for a while. So Friday's game will come down to a question of which team is how much better than they were last year and has the Big Red REALLY improved enough since the East Rock game to hang with Central's depth and talent. My sources tell me that this game will not make a difference in our point standing or playoff position, so if that is true, then the Big Red can "afford" to lose this one. But I know they want it, so I will predict a tight Riverheads win, but nothing will surprise me, not even a blowout on either side of the scoreboard.
East Rock at Wilson: That scare at Buffalo Gap does not scare me, even if we are close to Halloween. Wilson will not have anywhere near the defense needed to slow down the Eagles. Look for another East Rock romp.
Stuarts Draft at Luray: The Cougars have been kind of a snakebit team this year, and other than that one-point squeaker over Buffalo Gap, they have not had much to cheer about. They might hang with the Dogs for a half on Friday night, but Luray will pull away. The Cougars will likely be an underdog again next week against Lee, and will then dedicate themselves to the off-season with a pledge to come back bigger, stronger and older next year.
Buffalo Gap at Stonewall: What can you say about any game involving Stonewall that hasn't already been said? Other than that anomaly at Lee, they have been bruised and battered every time they hit the field and they just deserve credit for their sticktuitiveness. Sadly for them the Bison will do to them what so many others have already done.
Page at Lee: I had high hopes for Page on Friday against the Dogs and the margin of that Luray win surprised me greatly. Had they pulled off that rivalry win, they could have come into Lee this week with a realistic shot at a winning season. Instead, I doubt if the motivation will be there and Lawler will likely break a couple of big ones early to put them in a hole that they will not be able to dig out of.
Also in this part of the state, we will have the Valley District championship game where 3-A Spotswood will travel to 5-A Harrisonburg. The Wood lost its season-opener but has now won 7 in a row. They have each handled every one else in the district pretty easily so on paper this one looks like a doozy. A neutral fan just wanting to see a good game may choose this one over the Central/Riverheads clash. I am just glad that, as of the moment at least, the forecast calls for dry fields up and down the Valley Friday. I HATE seeing any big game being impacted by the weather.
