Winning is great, but Fort Defiance just happy to be playing in an odd season
Patrick Hite
Staunton News Leader
FORT DEFIANCE — Dan Rolfe hasn't talked to his team this season about wins and losses.
Now, don't confuse that with Rolfe not caring about winning. Like any coach, the Fort Defiance football coach is competitive, he wants to win whenever his team takes the field.
It's just that he has deemphasized that stat in this, an odd season if there ever was one. The season began in February. It only has six games. The coach has to check before his postgame huddle to make sure every player has a face covering. The public address announcer constantly reminded fans, the few allowed to be there, that face coverings were required. It's all just so strange.
So Friday night, after Fort Defiance beat Staunton 38-10, Rolfe wasn't concerned with talking about another unusual thing, what amounted to a must win in the second game of the season.
Fort lost to Rockbridge last week. In a six-game season, if a team has any hope of making the playoffs it can't go 0-2, especially with Riverheads and Stuarts Draft still on the schedule.
That's not what Rolfe was talking about Friday.
"We're just so excited that the kids get a chance to play," Rolfe said. "That fans, limited or not, got to see, and especially for seniors ... I am going to say this. I am so proud of Augusta County, I'm proud of the administrators, everyone who put athletics and are doing the right thing and are trying to get us back to where we belong. If this isn't about the kids, I don't know what will be."
There was a game though, one Fort Defiance dominated from start to finish. Or almost start to almost finish.
Less than five minutes into the game Staunton got a 25-yard field goal from Augustin Miguel to lead 3-0. Then with 1:51 left in the game Walker Darby hit Jonathan Moore with a 3-yard touchdown pass.
In between those scores though, it was all Fort Defiance.
Shannon Knicely threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Veney, Trevor Bartley scored on a 5-yard run. Jeffry East had a big run to set up a 1-yard score by Knicely. That score put Fort up 24-3 at halftime after the Indians added 2-point conversions on all three touchdowns.
Riley Miller added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter for Fort. Dalton Ream finished Fort's scoring with a 3-yard run in the fourth.
"Last week was so hard to get a feel for anything," Rolfe said of Fort's game in the snow at Lexington. "Because I couldn't even walk on the field, let alone run an offense, play defense. You come out here, it was cold, but a beautiful night."
It was right around freezing at the end of the game, but no snow fell as Fort improved to 1-1 with Riverheads up next.
"This was the first chance we really played," the coach said. "It was good. That first drive it kind of took us a second. Hey, they're a good football, much improved, and they are fast. Once we kind of settled down and saw what it looked like, I thought we played a great game, a great defensive game."
Rolfe said they had an offensive lineman back from COVID protocol Friday. That helped solidify the line, and Fort had a plethora of running backs to go to. Fort had over 300 yards on the ground, and both East and Bartley had tremendous games.
"Truthfully that might have saved us tonight," Rolfe said. "When you get in these games and you haven't had a lot of time for a preseason and all of that, people just don't understand it's not just the Xs and Os, but it's getting kids physically ready. And as much time as they've been away, it's tough."
Staunton (1-1) will try to get a district win next week at home against Buffalo Gap.
OTHER SCORES
Stuarts Draft 30, Buffalo Gap 0
Riverheads 47, Wilson Memorial 7
Harrisonburg 6, Waynesboro 0
Patrick Hite
Staunton News Leader
FORT DEFIANCE — Dan Rolfe hasn't talked to his team this season about wins and losses.
Now, don't confuse that with Rolfe not caring about winning. Like any coach, the Fort Defiance football coach is competitive, he wants to win whenever his team takes the field.
It's just that he has deemphasized that stat in this, an odd season if there ever was one. The season began in February. It only has six games. The coach has to check before his postgame huddle to make sure every player has a face covering. The public address announcer constantly reminded fans, the few allowed to be there, that face coverings were required. It's all just so strange.
So Friday night, after Fort Defiance beat Staunton 38-10, Rolfe wasn't concerned with talking about another unusual thing, what amounted to a must win in the second game of the season.
Fort lost to Rockbridge last week. In a six-game season, if a team has any hope of making the playoffs it can't go 0-2, especially with Riverheads and Stuarts Draft still on the schedule.
That's not what Rolfe was talking about Friday.
"We're just so excited that the kids get a chance to play," Rolfe said. "That fans, limited or not, got to see, and especially for seniors ... I am going to say this. I am so proud of Augusta County, I'm proud of the administrators, everyone who put athletics and are doing the right thing and are trying to get us back to where we belong. If this isn't about the kids, I don't know what will be."
There was a game though, one Fort Defiance dominated from start to finish. Or almost start to almost finish.
Less than five minutes into the game Staunton got a 25-yard field goal from Augustin Miguel to lead 3-0. Then with 1:51 left in the game Walker Darby hit Jonathan Moore with a 3-yard touchdown pass.
In between those scores though, it was all Fort Defiance.
Shannon Knicely threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Veney, Trevor Bartley scored on a 5-yard run. Jeffry East had a big run to set up a 1-yard score by Knicely. That score put Fort up 24-3 at halftime after the Indians added 2-point conversions on all three touchdowns.
Riley Miller added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter for Fort. Dalton Ream finished Fort's scoring with a 3-yard run in the fourth.
"Last week was so hard to get a feel for anything," Rolfe said of Fort's game in the snow at Lexington. "Because I couldn't even walk on the field, let alone run an offense, play defense. You come out here, it was cold, but a beautiful night."
It was right around freezing at the end of the game, but no snow fell as Fort improved to 1-1 with Riverheads up next.
"This was the first chance we really played," the coach said. "It was good. That first drive it kind of took us a second. Hey, they're a good football, much improved, and they are fast. Once we kind of settled down and saw what it looked like, I thought we played a great game, a great defensive game."
Rolfe said they had an offensive lineman back from COVID protocol Friday. That helped solidify the line, and Fort had a plethora of running backs to go to. Fort had over 300 yards on the ground, and both East and Bartley had tremendous games.
"Truthfully that might have saved us tonight," Rolfe said. "When you get in these games and you haven't had a lot of time for a preseason and all of that, people just don't understand it's not just the Xs and Os, but it's getting kids physically ready. And as much time as they've been away, it's tough."
Staunton (1-1) will try to get a district win next week at home against Buffalo Gap.
OTHER SCORES
Stuarts Draft 30, Buffalo Gap 0
Riverheads 47, Wilson Memorial 7
Harrisonburg 6, Waynesboro 0
