Who would have thought the day would ever come when there would be two cross-county match-ups on the schedule (Riverheads at Wilson and Stuarts Draft at Buffalo Gap) but yet most of the attention would be directed 60 miles up the road? But that is what we will be facing this Friday night when the first of three very interesting weeks kicks off to settle the question of who will remain unbeaten, if anyone.
In a most unexpected turn of events, we have reached the halfway point of the season and we have not one, not two, but THREE unbeaten teams in the district, and over these next three Fridays, they will all lock horns with one another. The explosive Leemen take their 50 points per game average up to the Dawg Pound this week, the Dogs then come to Riverheads for a Friday the 13th tussle, and finally on the 20th, The Red Pride travels into Staunton to face the Leemen.
When all of that action is finished, will we have just one team left unblemished, or will they all have one loss and possibly finish that way down the road? Stay tuned because it will be a wild ride!
As for this first week, here is my take on the situation:
Lee at Luray: This one looks soooooooooo even on paper that I don't see how anyone can claim they KNOW how it will turn out. So in the opinion of this one fan, it will come down to whether the Leemen can utilize their speed and athleticism to offset the Dog's reputation as the most physical team around. They have three common opponents, but those scores do very little to clear up the picture. They each beat Stonewall by almost identical scores (70-20 and 70-22) so the Generals are no help at all. They each pummeled Wilson by margins in the 40 point range, so that only leaves Buffalo Gap as a "possible" measuring stick. Lee had a seesaw battle with the Bison and needed a score in the final two minutes to win at home, whereas Luray on the other hand won by 10 at the Gap thanks to a one-man show by Dylan Jenkins. So based on that one comparison, and on Luray having home field advantage, I will go with Luray in a tightly-contested, high scoring affair. The Dogs will get the last bite by a 49-44 count.
As mentioned above, every cell phone and PA announcer in the Valley will be checking on that one every two minutes and it looks like we will be blessed with perfect weather. But just in case anyone is interested, here is the rest of the Shenandoah action:
Riverheads at Wilson: Riverheads will certainly win this one, rivalry or no rivalry. The only question is will they pour it on like they can if they want to, or will they concentrate on staying healthy and not showing the Luray scouts too much? I will go with something middle of the road where we may or may not see the running clock put into effect. Riverheads 42-7.
Stuarts Draft at Buffalo Gap: Due to their somewhat unexpected loss to East Rock Friday night, the Cougars are now probably mathematically eliminated from the district title chase, whereas the Bison finally got back on the winning track after giving the aforementioned three top dogs all they could handle on consecutive weeks. If the Bison can avoid the distractions that a Homecoming game can bring, they can win this one, but SD will have something to prove and will show up ready to play. It should be a close one, and the Rivenburg vs. Gunn show will be worth the price of admission. I will go with the Gap on the difference of a place kick somewhere along the line. Bison 24-22.
Page County at Stonewall: Earlier in the season, it looked as if the Panthers might be ready this year to make a big move up the district ladder. Now it appears that it will only be a case of more gradual improvement and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. They will win this one easily, by something like a 54-20 count, and they can then set their sights on knocking off Wilson when the time comes.
East Rock has a well-deserved week off to savor their win over the Cougars, and could still play the role of spoiler somewhere along the line. The good news for the district as a whole is that there should be as many as seven teams advancing to the playoffs, so as to show the rest of the state what we've got here in the Valley. Some re-matches of district games will be likely come November.
In a most unexpected turn of events, we have reached the halfway point of the season and we have not one, not two, but THREE unbeaten teams in the district, and over these next three Fridays, they will all lock horns with one another. The explosive Leemen take their 50 points per game average up to the Dawg Pound this week, the Dogs then come to Riverheads for a Friday the 13th tussle, and finally on the 20th, The Red Pride travels into Staunton to face the Leemen.
When all of that action is finished, will we have just one team left unblemished, or will they all have one loss and possibly finish that way down the road? Stay tuned because it will be a wild ride!
As for this first week, here is my take on the situation:
Lee at Luray: This one looks soooooooooo even on paper that I don't see how anyone can claim they KNOW how it will turn out. So in the opinion of this one fan, it will come down to whether the Leemen can utilize their speed and athleticism to offset the Dog's reputation as the most physical team around. They have three common opponents, but those scores do very little to clear up the picture. They each beat Stonewall by almost identical scores (70-20 and 70-22) so the Generals are no help at all. They each pummeled Wilson by margins in the 40 point range, so that only leaves Buffalo Gap as a "possible" measuring stick. Lee had a seesaw battle with the Bison and needed a score in the final two minutes to win at home, whereas Luray on the other hand won by 10 at the Gap thanks to a one-man show by Dylan Jenkins. So based on that one comparison, and on Luray having home field advantage, I will go with Luray in a tightly-contested, high scoring affair. The Dogs will get the last bite by a 49-44 count.
As mentioned above, every cell phone and PA announcer in the Valley will be checking on that one every two minutes and it looks like we will be blessed with perfect weather. But just in case anyone is interested, here is the rest of the Shenandoah action:
Riverheads at Wilson: Riverheads will certainly win this one, rivalry or no rivalry. The only question is will they pour it on like they can if they want to, or will they concentrate on staying healthy and not showing the Luray scouts too much? I will go with something middle of the road where we may or may not see the running clock put into effect. Riverheads 42-7.
Stuarts Draft at Buffalo Gap: Due to their somewhat unexpected loss to East Rock Friday night, the Cougars are now probably mathematically eliminated from the district title chase, whereas the Bison finally got back on the winning track after giving the aforementioned three top dogs all they could handle on consecutive weeks. If the Bison can avoid the distractions that a Homecoming game can bring, they can win this one, but SD will have something to prove and will show up ready to play. It should be a close one, and the Rivenburg vs. Gunn show will be worth the price of admission. I will go with the Gap on the difference of a place kick somewhere along the line. Bison 24-22.
Page County at Stonewall: Earlier in the season, it looked as if the Panthers might be ready this year to make a big move up the district ladder. Now it appears that it will only be a case of more gradual improvement and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. They will win this one easily, by something like a 54-20 count, and they can then set their sights on knocking off Wilson when the time comes.
East Rock has a well-deserved week off to savor their win over the Cougars, and could still play the role of spoiler somewhere along the line. The good news for the district as a whole is that there should be as many as seven teams advancing to the playoffs, so as to show the rest of the state what we've got here in the Valley. Some re-matches of district games will be likely come November.
