Although there were no "upsets" Friday night in the first weekend of district play, two teams, Buffalo Gap and Fort Defiance, each made statements in which they indicated that they may yet have something to say about the way the district race turns out. So as the season progresses, will the Bison be able to give Riverheads a similarly-tough game (which will be the week before the highly-anticipated RHS/SD showdown) or will the Indians be strong enough to knock off either of the big boys? Should be fun to find out!
With four weeks to go in the regular season, my revised take on the situation is that the two heavyweights should be able to survive the rest of the district and still have their winner-take-all game on November 8th. But BG and FD now seem to be the obvious choices for the 3 and 4 spots, and a potential playoff berth. Of course keep in mind that they compete in different classifications (BG in 2, FD in 3) so it won't necessarily be a case of one or the other. Both "could" still make it, but since they are each borderline in the rankings, it may turn out that the winner when they face each other will notch a 6-4 winning season and a playoff berth, whereas the loser of that game might sit at home at 5-5. But time will tell on that issue.
As for the remaining teams, Staunton and Wilson, they are facing definite uphill battles in terms of playoff aspirations and/or winning seasons, but you can bet they will keep fighting and may set new goals to play spoiler against the other teams. With all of that in mind, this week's slate of three games seems a little more predictable than it might have been at this time last week, but don't be surprised if one or more of these is closer than expected.
Staunton at Buffalo Gap: After their strong effort against the Cougars Friday, you can expect the Bison to keep the pedal to the metal and knock off the Storm, which is a team headed in the wrong direction. In fact Staunton's overtime win at TA a few weeks ago now looks as if it will be the highlight of Coach Phillips' debut season. Look for the Bison to roll by 2-3 scores in this one unless the visitors can rediscover that TA mojo.
Fort Defiance at Riverheads: This will be an interesting game for a lot of reasons. First of all, it will amazingly be their first match-up since 1981. Being in the same county, you would think they would have played one another frequently but the Indians spent most of that time in the larger Valley District where they simply had fewer openings. As a result the teams will know very little about one another. Secondly the Fort is on a roll, as mentioned above, and should be excited about the opportunity to knock off both Riverheads AND Stuarts Draft and upset the apple cart. I personally don't see an Indian victory here, but I do see the potential for this to be the Big Red's closest game of the season thus far. I doubt seriously if they will match their 48-point scoring average, so instead I see a tight first half (14-0 or 14-7) with a gradual separation in the second half. Maybe something like a 35-20 final.
Stuarts Draft at Wilson: This rivalry has produced some strange and unexpected results over the years, but I don't see any such thing happening this time. Wilson did not display much offensive punch at all Friday against the Big Red and their defense seemed susceptible to both the rush and the pass, whereas the Cougars can do either of those equally well. The Hornets will be fired up of course but SD should be able to put this one away early. Look for something like a 42-7 final.
With four weeks to go in the regular season, my revised take on the situation is that the two heavyweights should be able to survive the rest of the district and still have their winner-take-all game on November 8th. But BG and FD now seem to be the obvious choices for the 3 and 4 spots, and a potential playoff berth. Of course keep in mind that they compete in different classifications (BG in 2, FD in 3) so it won't necessarily be a case of one or the other. Both "could" still make it, but since they are each borderline in the rankings, it may turn out that the winner when they face each other will notch a 6-4 winning season and a playoff berth, whereas the loser of that game might sit at home at 5-5. But time will tell on that issue.
As for the remaining teams, Staunton and Wilson, they are facing definite uphill battles in terms of playoff aspirations and/or winning seasons, but you can bet they will keep fighting and may set new goals to play spoiler against the other teams. With all of that in mind, this week's slate of three games seems a little more predictable than it might have been at this time last week, but don't be surprised if one or more of these is closer than expected.
Staunton at Buffalo Gap: After their strong effort against the Cougars Friday, you can expect the Bison to keep the pedal to the metal and knock off the Storm, which is a team headed in the wrong direction. In fact Staunton's overtime win at TA a few weeks ago now looks as if it will be the highlight of Coach Phillips' debut season. Look for the Bison to roll by 2-3 scores in this one unless the visitors can rediscover that TA mojo.
Fort Defiance at Riverheads: This will be an interesting game for a lot of reasons. First of all, it will amazingly be their first match-up since 1981. Being in the same county, you would think they would have played one another frequently but the Indians spent most of that time in the larger Valley District where they simply had fewer openings. As a result the teams will know very little about one another. Secondly the Fort is on a roll, as mentioned above, and should be excited about the opportunity to knock off both Riverheads AND Stuarts Draft and upset the apple cart. I personally don't see an Indian victory here, but I do see the potential for this to be the Big Red's closest game of the season thus far. I doubt seriously if they will match their 48-point scoring average, so instead I see a tight first half (14-0 or 14-7) with a gradual separation in the second half. Maybe something like a 35-20 final.
Stuarts Draft at Wilson: This rivalry has produced some strange and unexpected results over the years, but I don't see any such thing happening this time. Wilson did not display much offensive punch at all Friday against the Big Red and their defense seemed susceptible to both the rush and the pass, whereas the Cougars can do either of those equally well. The Hornets will be fired up of course but SD should be able to put this one away early. Look for something like a 42-7 final.
