As more and more COVID cases are being reported and more games getting canceled or postponed, I guess we will have to just hold our breath each week to see who gets to play and who doesn't. Here in the Shenandoah, for example we are entering Week Four and some teams have managed to play all three weeks so far whereas others have only one game under their belts.
But let's look ahead to this Friday night and proceed based on all the games being played. If so there will be two games featuring next door neighbors tackling each other and the other three teams have non-district games on their schedule. Here is the slate of games..........
Riverheads at Stuarts Draft: As everyone knows, these two met for the past two years in the season finale and both were unbeaten at the time. Riverheads won both of those, one in convincing fashion and the other by a field goal in overtime. This year, in order to help fill out the schedules, they will actually meet TWICE, this week at the Draft and at Riverheads in the November 5 season finale. Only the latter game will count in the district standings. As for this first meeting, Stuarts Draft has five possible factors on their side........A) home field advantage; B) a bye week to prepare for this one (an actual scheduled bye, not a postponement); C) the revenge factor from last year's game in which they held the lead for most of the game before victory slipped away from them; D) the possibility that Riverheads left it all out on the field at Lord Botetourt Friday and just might not be able to get "up" for two such big road games in a row; E) the possibility that RHS could have some nagging injuries from that game. (I know at least three prominent Gladiators limped off the field at one point or another Friday night but I have not heard if those were just cramps or actual injuries. ) So it remains to be seen if any of those factors or any combination of them are enough to snap that long winning streak that Riverheads now has. My personal take is that RHS still has too many weapons and that they will have to be the favorite in this one. As for the margin, and I realize this is not saying much, it will probably be somewhere between the margins of their last two wins in the series.
Waynesboro at Wilson: This is the only actual "district" game on the schedule this week. In fact, the Little Giants play all six of their district games first, then finish out the season with their four non-district contests. Wilson is one of the teams that has only managed one game thus far and since it was with somewhat unknown Monticello, we still may not be sure if the Hornets are the real deal or if Monticello was just that bad. Waynesboro will of course come in sky high after walloping Fort Defiance, and Mr. Barbour will again be their main workhorse, but until we know differently, I think we have to go with Wilson in this one.
Fort Defiance at Broadway: To use the term "growing pains" is an understatement but if the Fort coaching staff can keep their youngsters focused on long-term goals instead of an instant turnaround, this could be a quality team in a couple of years. This will be a name-the-score win for the home team but hopefully the Indians can still learn from it.
East Rockingham at Buffalo Gap: Again there is not as much to go on as we would normally have. The Bison are 1-1 whereas East Rock went winless last year and was shut out by Central Woodstock in its only game so far this year. Smart money would be on the Gap but an Eagle win here would not shock the world.
Staunton at Rockbridge County: This is another case in which we have precious little to go on. Staunton has put up some points against Covington and Page County, so we know they can score. On the other hand, the only RCHS game that I know of was their season-opening 14-6 struggle past Parry McCluer, which was then shut out by Riverheads the next week. So if this one gets played, going with the Storm seems like the smarter bet but again we would know more if the Wildcats had been able to play Wilson last week.
In other words, just about everybody is still in a feeling out process......
But let's look ahead to this Friday night and proceed based on all the games being played. If so there will be two games featuring next door neighbors tackling each other and the other three teams have non-district games on their schedule. Here is the slate of games..........
Riverheads at Stuarts Draft: As everyone knows, these two met for the past two years in the season finale and both were unbeaten at the time. Riverheads won both of those, one in convincing fashion and the other by a field goal in overtime. This year, in order to help fill out the schedules, they will actually meet TWICE, this week at the Draft and at Riverheads in the November 5 season finale. Only the latter game will count in the district standings. As for this first meeting, Stuarts Draft has five possible factors on their side........A) home field advantage; B) a bye week to prepare for this one (an actual scheduled bye, not a postponement); C) the revenge factor from last year's game in which they held the lead for most of the game before victory slipped away from them; D) the possibility that Riverheads left it all out on the field at Lord Botetourt Friday and just might not be able to get "up" for two such big road games in a row; E) the possibility that RHS could have some nagging injuries from that game. (I know at least three prominent Gladiators limped off the field at one point or another Friday night but I have not heard if those were just cramps or actual injuries. ) So it remains to be seen if any of those factors or any combination of them are enough to snap that long winning streak that Riverheads now has. My personal take is that RHS still has too many weapons and that they will have to be the favorite in this one. As for the margin, and I realize this is not saying much, it will probably be somewhere between the margins of their last two wins in the series.
Waynesboro at Wilson: This is the only actual "district" game on the schedule this week. In fact, the Little Giants play all six of their district games first, then finish out the season with their four non-district contests. Wilson is one of the teams that has only managed one game thus far and since it was with somewhat unknown Monticello, we still may not be sure if the Hornets are the real deal or if Monticello was just that bad. Waynesboro will of course come in sky high after walloping Fort Defiance, and Mr. Barbour will again be their main workhorse, but until we know differently, I think we have to go with Wilson in this one.
Fort Defiance at Broadway: To use the term "growing pains" is an understatement but if the Fort coaching staff can keep their youngsters focused on long-term goals instead of an instant turnaround, this could be a quality team in a couple of years. This will be a name-the-score win for the home team but hopefully the Indians can still learn from it.
East Rockingham at Buffalo Gap: Again there is not as much to go on as we would normally have. The Bison are 1-1 whereas East Rock went winless last year and was shut out by Central Woodstock in its only game so far this year. Smart money would be on the Gap but an Eagle win here would not shock the world.
Staunton at Rockbridge County: This is another case in which we have precious little to go on. Staunton has put up some points against Covington and Page County, so we know they can score. On the other hand, the only RCHS game that I know of was their season-opening 14-6 struggle past Parry McCluer, which was then shut out by Riverheads the next week. So if this one gets played, going with the Storm seems like the smarter bet but again we would know more if the Wildcats had been able to play Wilson last week.
In other words, just about everybody is still in a feeling out process......
