As we start this abbreviated season, all games each week of local interest will involve our five Augusta County schools, Staunton and Waynesboro. Most of their opening games however will feature out of town opponents but after that we will settle into a routine where we all play each other more or less in a round robin format. Then of course the playoffs will come around, and as usual, the seven teams will separate into three different classifications to compete for their respective state titles.
One of the local papers put out a table of predictions compiled by their sportswriters, which inspired me to do my own picks. Based on their predictions and my own uncertainty about some of these games, there do appear to be some legitimate toss-ups. In fact when you get right down to it, I cannot think of a single game on the docket this weekend that is a given for anybody. Add some unpredictable weather to that mix and just about anything may happen. So here is the list of games and my take on them...........
Wilson at Waynesboro (the only game featuring two local teams going at it): This one will be interesting because each team is off to a fresh start with a new coach. So the key to victory may depend on which coach has been able to build up his team's confidence the most. I will go with Wilson in this one but there is nothing to really to base that on, other than the fact that Waynesboro has had two winless seasons in a row, and it may take more time than just this first game to right that ship.
Glenvar at Stuarts Draft: To me this is the most interesting game on the list. SD made it all the way to the state finals last year and should still have a lot of talent left. Glenvar on the other hand is a former state champion with a winning tradition and they gave Riverheads one of its most challenging games last year. I seem to recall them having a sophomore quarterback with a cannon for an arm, so if the weather doesn't impact them too much, I expect the Highlanders to prevail in this one.
Luray at Buffalo Gap: As you may have read about, this was one of those thrown-together-quickly games after each team had someone else cancel on them. Therefore you can logically assume that neither has had time to prepare for the other. The ability of the staffs to make in-game adjustments will likely determine the outcome of this one. I will go with the Bison, although I know little about either team.
Fort Defiance at Rockbridge County: This one matches two former Valley District foes but the Indians are now starting their second year in the Shenandoah. Another tough one to figure out and all you can do is play a hunch. FD is expected to be one of Riverheads' toughest challengers this year, so I will go with them, although RCHS has been able to make plenty of noise itself in recent seasons.
Tazewell at Riverheads: According to the paper, these teams have made themselves a college-level three game deal, meaning RHS will hit the road down there this fall and Tazewell will return to RHS in the hopefully-completely-normal fall of 2022. The Bulldogs certainly play some tough competition down there with the likes of Graham and Richlands on their schedule, so they could be quite the formidable foe for the Big Red. Considering RHS' tradition, and the huge talent load they are assumed to have, the Gladiators should be favored, but this is a classic case of not knowing how they will stack up against one another.
Staunton Vs. East Rockingham at JMU: This is the only game featuring a team that already has a game under its belt as East Rock lost to Broadway Tuesday night in the first of a three-game high school week on the JMU turf. This will be an interesting 5:00 game on Saturday that will take place after JMU's own home game. Kudos to the JMU staff for cooperating with these high school programs by the way. I will go with the Eagles in this one, primarily because they do have that one game under their belts and that might enable them to have fewer mistakes in the game.
One of the local papers put out a table of predictions compiled by their sportswriters, which inspired me to do my own picks. Based on their predictions and my own uncertainty about some of these games, there do appear to be some legitimate toss-ups. In fact when you get right down to it, I cannot think of a single game on the docket this weekend that is a given for anybody. Add some unpredictable weather to that mix and just about anything may happen. So here is the list of games and my take on them...........
Wilson at Waynesboro (the only game featuring two local teams going at it): This one will be interesting because each team is off to a fresh start with a new coach. So the key to victory may depend on which coach has been able to build up his team's confidence the most. I will go with Wilson in this one but there is nothing to really to base that on, other than the fact that Waynesboro has had two winless seasons in a row, and it may take more time than just this first game to right that ship.
Glenvar at Stuarts Draft: To me this is the most interesting game on the list. SD made it all the way to the state finals last year and should still have a lot of talent left. Glenvar on the other hand is a former state champion with a winning tradition and they gave Riverheads one of its most challenging games last year. I seem to recall them having a sophomore quarterback with a cannon for an arm, so if the weather doesn't impact them too much, I expect the Highlanders to prevail in this one.
Luray at Buffalo Gap: As you may have read about, this was one of those thrown-together-quickly games after each team had someone else cancel on them. Therefore you can logically assume that neither has had time to prepare for the other. The ability of the staffs to make in-game adjustments will likely determine the outcome of this one. I will go with the Bison, although I know little about either team.
Fort Defiance at Rockbridge County: This one matches two former Valley District foes but the Indians are now starting their second year in the Shenandoah. Another tough one to figure out and all you can do is play a hunch. FD is expected to be one of Riverheads' toughest challengers this year, so I will go with them, although RCHS has been able to make plenty of noise itself in recent seasons.
Tazewell at Riverheads: According to the paper, these teams have made themselves a college-level three game deal, meaning RHS will hit the road down there this fall and Tazewell will return to RHS in the hopefully-completely-normal fall of 2022. The Bulldogs certainly play some tough competition down there with the likes of Graham and Richlands on their schedule, so they could be quite the formidable foe for the Big Red. Considering RHS' tradition, and the huge talent load they are assumed to have, the Gladiators should be favored, but this is a classic case of not knowing how they will stack up against one another.
Staunton Vs. East Rockingham at JMU: This is the only game featuring a team that already has a game under its belt as East Rock lost to Broadway Tuesday night in the first of a three-game high school week on the JMU turf. This will be an interesting 5:00 game on Saturday that will take place after JMU's own home game. Kudos to the JMU staff for cooperating with these high school programs by the way. I will go with the Eagles in this one, primarily because they do have that one game under their belts and that might enable them to have fewer mistakes in the game.
