Its that time again for the Augusta County District to start play tonight. For those reading this and not getting my little joke, all of the teams in the 'doah are from within the confines of Augusta County. In no particular order, I will take a stab at putting my two cents on the teams from the area and what we may expect from them.
Buffalo Gap-Great off season hire in Coach Wygant to replace the departing Coach Cline. The issue will arise in replacing Rivenburg's production from the backfield. I look for a drop in the win total to 4-5 with a slight chance for another here or there. Program is in good hands and the JV Head Coach hire in Bucky Cox will help the long term prospects in Swoope. Regular season record 4-6
Fort Defiance-Lots of positives surrounding this program right now. Participation is up and focus is on continuing on with the surge from last year. With that all said, I look for this team to compete with and win against good teams. A seven win season is not out of the question but I like the number six for the Indians. Regular season record 6-4
Stuarts Draft-Draft had a youth movement last year and took some lumps early on before righting the ship down the stretch a little. They are considered to be one of the primary challengers for the district title and should have a decent playoff seed if this all comes to fruition. Most of the major contributors from last years squad are back and ready to make their run towards a ring. Regular season record 7-3
Staunton-This team is a little bit of a mystery in that we wont really get to see what personality the team takes on from the new head coach until a few games into the season. Another solid hire and one that turned a James River program around in a few years. Look for fundamentally sound football with a number of athletes able to impact games. I see this as a step back year with more upside than down. Regular season record 5-5
Wilson-I am a little higher on this team than some from the area but there are holes to fill. Line play has been problematic on both sides of the ball recently and has inhibited the O from being successful. This is the second year in this offense with a capable players in multiple spots. I am going out on a limb and say this will be the highest win total in a few years. Regular season record 6-4
Riverheads-There were lots of things going on this past offseason which should all be behind the team. The departure of several key players may be evident early in the season but this should be overcome and not impact the overall team goal of a deep playoff run. There are two key games that I have circled and those will either be confidence building games or teaching lessons for where the team needs to address a weakness. I look for another great season with contributions from multiple players on both sides of the ball. Regular season record 9-1
This is my humble attempt at a preview of the 6 teams that make up the 'doah. I welcome others opinions and observations as well. I for one cant wait until ~6:55P when Hells Bells starts playing, woohoo.
Buffalo Gap-Great off season hire in Coach Wygant to replace the departing Coach Cline. The issue will arise in replacing Rivenburg's production from the backfield. I look for a drop in the win total to 4-5 with a slight chance for another here or there. Program is in good hands and the JV Head Coach hire in Bucky Cox will help the long term prospects in Swoope. Regular season record 4-6
Fort Defiance-Lots of positives surrounding this program right now. Participation is up and focus is on continuing on with the surge from last year. With that all said, I look for this team to compete with and win against good teams. A seven win season is not out of the question but I like the number six for the Indians. Regular season record 6-4
Stuarts Draft-Draft had a youth movement last year and took some lumps early on before righting the ship down the stretch a little. They are considered to be one of the primary challengers for the district title and should have a decent playoff seed if this all comes to fruition. Most of the major contributors from last years squad are back and ready to make their run towards a ring. Regular season record 7-3
Staunton-This team is a little bit of a mystery in that we wont really get to see what personality the team takes on from the new head coach until a few games into the season. Another solid hire and one that turned a James River program around in a few years. Look for fundamentally sound football with a number of athletes able to impact games. I see this as a step back year with more upside than down. Regular season record 5-5
Wilson-I am a little higher on this team than some from the area but there are holes to fill. Line play has been problematic on both sides of the ball recently and has inhibited the O from being successful. This is the second year in this offense with a capable players in multiple spots. I am going out on a limb and say this will be the highest win total in a few years. Regular season record 6-4
Riverheads-There were lots of things going on this past offseason which should all be behind the team. The departure of several key players may be evident early in the season but this should be overcome and not impact the overall team goal of a deep playoff run. There are two key games that I have circled and those will either be confidence building games or teaching lessons for where the team needs to address a weakness. I look for another great season with contributions from multiple players on both sides of the ball. Regular season record 9-1
This is my humble attempt at a preview of the 6 teams that make up the 'doah. I welcome others opinions and observations as well. I for one cant wait until ~6:55P when Hells Bells starts playing, woohoo.
