The race in the Shenandoah continues to surprise us every week. Friday night the big surprise was Staunton shutting out Wilson. The win itself was not a total shock but the 21-0 margin certainly was, as no other team had been able this season to shut down the Hornet offense. I expected to read that either Podgorski or Baucom had been injured but apparently not, so The Storm just did it with great defense, which does not bode well for the other teams for the rest of the season.
In other games Friday night, Fort Defiance blanked Waynesboro 36-0, Stuarts Draft knocked off Buffalo Gap 39-24 and in a non-district game, Riverheads beat Christiansburg 10-7 with a field goal at the final horn. At this point, each team has played two district games with Staunton and Fort Defiance each 2-0; Riverheads, Gap, and Draft all 1-1; and Wilson and Waynesboro probably out of the race at 0-2.
So that sets up a very interesting Friday night the 11th, because Waynesboro, the weakest team in the league is off this weekend, leaving three other games on the docket, each of which will have a bearing on the district race. Riverheads travels to Staunton, Stuarts Draft goes to Fort Defiance, and Wilson hits the road to Buffalo Gap.
Because of how wild the season has been so far, you could make a case for any of those teams to win any of those games. There is not a slam dunk in the bunch. Just as one possibility, let's say all three home teams were to win. That would leave Staunton and Fort at the top, with their November 1st game possibly the championship game of the season. If in fact the Storm and Indians win Friday, two more teams (Riverheads and Stuarts Draft) will get their second losses and pretty much be eliminated from the race. As for the Bison, if they win Friday, they will remain in the race, because they still play both Staunton and Fort.
There are of course other possibilities and to keep the race as wide open as possible, we should pull for wins by Riverheads and/or Stuarts Draft to keep things interesting. So bottom line, if you are in the area Friday night, even if you are not a fan of any team, check out one of these three games. Here is my take on them, knowing perfectly well that I will not go 3-0.
RIVERHEADS AT STAUNTON: In my pre-season pick, I had the Big Red winning the district with Staunton second. Fort Defiance of course put RHS behind the eight-ball a few weeks ago, making a title an uphill climb for the Gladiators. Meanwhile, Staunton started out slow but appears to be finding its groove on both offense and defense. The teams have one common opponent, Wilson, and Riverheads just barely squeaked past the Hornets 14-13. Comparing scores is risky business, but you cannot ignore that discrepancy. Officially I will go with Staunton to knock off the Gladiators, but it worked for me to go against RHS in the C'burg game, so maybe I have a little reverse psychology thing going on here. The injury status for Riverheads will be a key factor here. One final warning for Storm fans......put Riverheads away early if you want to win, because if the Gladiators can keep it close at halftime, that brain trust knows how to make the right adjustments to make you pay.
STUARTS DRAFT AT FORT DEFIANCE: At this point, I have not read any details about the Cougars' win over the Bison. Was it nip and tuck or did they blow out to a 32-0 lead and fight off a Bison rally? Whatever the case, I think this one will come down to a question of how far the Indian passing game can carry them. Armentrout was a super player and if they have not found the player or players to make up for his absence, then I have to go with the Cougars to take this one.
WILSON AT BUFFALO GAP: This one will feature two teams coming off a loss and the winner will be the team that can put that loss behind them. Wilson would seem to be the most demoralized, considering that they were shut out, whereas the Bison, as already mentioned, are still in control of their own destiny if they can run the table. I am not saying that the Bison will ultimately be in the championship picture, but taking things one game at a time, I like their chances to send Wilson back to Fishersville with a disappointing 0-3 district mark, despite how impressive they have been this season.
In other games Friday night, Fort Defiance blanked Waynesboro 36-0, Stuarts Draft knocked off Buffalo Gap 39-24 and in a non-district game, Riverheads beat Christiansburg 10-7 with a field goal at the final horn. At this point, each team has played two district games with Staunton and Fort Defiance each 2-0; Riverheads, Gap, and Draft all 1-1; and Wilson and Waynesboro probably out of the race at 0-2.
So that sets up a very interesting Friday night the 11th, because Waynesboro, the weakest team in the league is off this weekend, leaving three other games on the docket, each of which will have a bearing on the district race. Riverheads travels to Staunton, Stuarts Draft goes to Fort Defiance, and Wilson hits the road to Buffalo Gap.
Because of how wild the season has been so far, you could make a case for any of those teams to win any of those games. There is not a slam dunk in the bunch. Just as one possibility, let's say all three home teams were to win. That would leave Staunton and Fort at the top, with their November 1st game possibly the championship game of the season. If in fact the Storm and Indians win Friday, two more teams (Riverheads and Stuarts Draft) will get their second losses and pretty much be eliminated from the race. As for the Bison, if they win Friday, they will remain in the race, because they still play both Staunton and Fort.
There are of course other possibilities and to keep the race as wide open as possible, we should pull for wins by Riverheads and/or Stuarts Draft to keep things interesting. So bottom line, if you are in the area Friday night, even if you are not a fan of any team, check out one of these three games. Here is my take on them, knowing perfectly well that I will not go 3-0.
RIVERHEADS AT STAUNTON: In my pre-season pick, I had the Big Red winning the district with Staunton second. Fort Defiance of course put RHS behind the eight-ball a few weeks ago, making a title an uphill climb for the Gladiators. Meanwhile, Staunton started out slow but appears to be finding its groove on both offense and defense. The teams have one common opponent, Wilson, and Riverheads just barely squeaked past the Hornets 14-13. Comparing scores is risky business, but you cannot ignore that discrepancy. Officially I will go with Staunton to knock off the Gladiators, but it worked for me to go against RHS in the C'burg game, so maybe I have a little reverse psychology thing going on here. The injury status for Riverheads will be a key factor here. One final warning for Storm fans......put Riverheads away early if you want to win, because if the Gladiators can keep it close at halftime, that brain trust knows how to make the right adjustments to make you pay.
STUARTS DRAFT AT FORT DEFIANCE: At this point, I have not read any details about the Cougars' win over the Bison. Was it nip and tuck or did they blow out to a 32-0 lead and fight off a Bison rally? Whatever the case, I think this one will come down to a question of how far the Indian passing game can carry them. Armentrout was a super player and if they have not found the player or players to make up for his absence, then I have to go with the Cougars to take this one.
WILSON AT BUFFALO GAP: This one will feature two teams coming off a loss and the winner will be the team that can put that loss behind them. Wilson would seem to be the most demoralized, considering that they were shut out, whereas the Bison, as already mentioned, are still in control of their own destiny if they can run the table. I am not saying that the Bison will ultimately be in the championship picture, but taking things one game at a time, I like their chances to send Wilson back to Fishersville with a disappointing 0-3 district mark, despite how impressive they have been this season.
