The seven Shenandoah District teams have been primarily playing non-district competition thus far this season, with the idea that the final half of the season would be devoted to determining the district champion. Therefore most teams have not played more than one district game and one team, Buffalo Gap, has not played any thus far.
The one exception is Waynesboro, because their schedule was the exact opposite. They have played 5 district games already, and have surprised many folks by going a respectable 2-3. This week, in their final district game, they will have a chance for a break-even 3-3 record. They will then finish out the regular season by playing four of their former Valley District rivals.
So on this first Friday night in October, we will have that final district game for the Little Giants when they host Buffalo Gap, two teams (Riverheads and Fort Defiance) will have byes, and the other three teams all have non-district games. Let's get cracking with our evaluation, starting with that potentially interesting showdown in Waynesboro.
At the beginning of the season, it was assumed that the Giants would need more time to re-build and be any kind of threat to anybody. But the new coach (sorry the name escapes me) has instilled a new confidence in them, junior running back Ryan Barbour has developed into a breakaway threat, and their two wins over Fort Defiance and Staunton were not just wins, they were blowouts. Buffalo Gap on the other hand seems to have their usual hard-hitting team and they are 3-1, but since that was against all non-district competition, we don't have a true measuring stick for the Bison. The chance to finish even in the district has to be a dream come true for the Giants, so they will be sky high for this one, but since the Bison came within a point of still undefeated Luray, I will go with the Gap to squeak by in this one but a Waynesboro win will not be shocking in the least.
As for the three non-district games..........
Harrisonburg at Staunton: There was a time when this would have been the headline game in the area. But The Storm is struggling and Harrisonburg, although the only Class 5 program in this general area, is weak for a team at that level. So this one will be for bragging rights and not much more. But we will always have our memories of the Big Mike/Ralph battles! I will go with the Streaks to win this one, probably by 2-3 scores.
Luray at Stuarts Draft: As mentioned above, the Bulldogs are undefeated at this point, although I think most of their wins have been fairly close. The Cougars on the other hand have had a frustrating season with two postponements and a home loss to Riverheads where they had the Gladiators where they wanted them for the first half before the Big Red came back to pull that one out. So the one thing SD needs more than anything is to have a regular schedule so they can develop a rhythm. I will go with the Draft in this one and unless Luray is a REALLY good unbeaten instead of just an average one, it may not be close.
Wilson at Western Albemarle: Speaking of unbeatens, who would have ever guessed that the Hornets would be at this point in the season? They too have had a pair of postponements so that unbeaten mark is "only" 3-0, but all three victories have come against fellow Class 3 teams. So they are not exactly beating up on cupcakes. For that reason, I find this game to be the most intriguing one on this week's schedule. If the Hornets pull this one off, they will move into "real deal" territory, where they may already be anyway. I will go out on a limb here and say that they will fall short and that Western will be good enough to send them home with their first loss, but if the Hornets do continue to win, we "might" have a Battle of the Unbeatens looming when Riverheads visits The Hive in two weeks.
Speaking of Riverheads, if you are a Gladiator or Indian fan, what are you supposed to do with that free night you will have? Well you can stay home and chill out I suppose, but if your body clock says that you just HAVE to be someplace where footballs are flying and whistles are blowing, I have just given you four options.
I am personally torn between a trip to SD, Waynesboro or Western, since I could make it to either one in less than half an hour. For Riverheads fans, they might want to consider the short jaunt down to Lexington where the Wildcats are hosting a make up game against Virginia High from Bristol. For Fort Defiance fans who just HAVE to go SOMEWHERE, unfortunately you cannot make a short trip to either TA or Spotswood, since both of those are off this week as well. So your options will be limited to the above games.
Good luck to one and all and may the best teams win with limited injury and/or controversy.
The one exception is Waynesboro, because their schedule was the exact opposite. They have played 5 district games already, and have surprised many folks by going a respectable 2-3. This week, in their final district game, they will have a chance for a break-even 3-3 record. They will then finish out the regular season by playing four of their former Valley District rivals.
So on this first Friday night in October, we will have that final district game for the Little Giants when they host Buffalo Gap, two teams (Riverheads and Fort Defiance) will have byes, and the other three teams all have non-district games. Let's get cracking with our evaluation, starting with that potentially interesting showdown in Waynesboro.
At the beginning of the season, it was assumed that the Giants would need more time to re-build and be any kind of threat to anybody. But the new coach (sorry the name escapes me) has instilled a new confidence in them, junior running back Ryan Barbour has developed into a breakaway threat, and their two wins over Fort Defiance and Staunton were not just wins, they were blowouts. Buffalo Gap on the other hand seems to have their usual hard-hitting team and they are 3-1, but since that was against all non-district competition, we don't have a true measuring stick for the Bison. The chance to finish even in the district has to be a dream come true for the Giants, so they will be sky high for this one, but since the Bison came within a point of still undefeated Luray, I will go with the Gap to squeak by in this one but a Waynesboro win will not be shocking in the least.
As for the three non-district games..........
Harrisonburg at Staunton: There was a time when this would have been the headline game in the area. But The Storm is struggling and Harrisonburg, although the only Class 5 program in this general area, is weak for a team at that level. So this one will be for bragging rights and not much more. But we will always have our memories of the Big Mike/Ralph battles! I will go with the Streaks to win this one, probably by 2-3 scores.
Luray at Stuarts Draft: As mentioned above, the Bulldogs are undefeated at this point, although I think most of their wins have been fairly close. The Cougars on the other hand have had a frustrating season with two postponements and a home loss to Riverheads where they had the Gladiators where they wanted them for the first half before the Big Red came back to pull that one out. So the one thing SD needs more than anything is to have a regular schedule so they can develop a rhythm. I will go with the Draft in this one and unless Luray is a REALLY good unbeaten instead of just an average one, it may not be close.
Wilson at Western Albemarle: Speaking of unbeatens, who would have ever guessed that the Hornets would be at this point in the season? They too have had a pair of postponements so that unbeaten mark is "only" 3-0, but all three victories have come against fellow Class 3 teams. So they are not exactly beating up on cupcakes. For that reason, I find this game to be the most intriguing one on this week's schedule. If the Hornets pull this one off, they will move into "real deal" territory, where they may already be anyway. I will go out on a limb here and say that they will fall short and that Western will be good enough to send them home with their first loss, but if the Hornets do continue to win, we "might" have a Battle of the Unbeatens looming when Riverheads visits The Hive in two weeks.
Speaking of Riverheads, if you are a Gladiator or Indian fan, what are you supposed to do with that free night you will have? Well you can stay home and chill out I suppose, but if your body clock says that you just HAVE to be someplace where footballs are flying and whistles are blowing, I have just given you four options.
I am personally torn between a trip to SD, Waynesboro or Western, since I could make it to either one in less than half an hour. For Riverheads fans, they might want to consider the short jaunt down to Lexington where the Wildcats are hosting a make up game against Virginia High from Bristol. For Fort Defiance fans who just HAVE to go SOMEWHERE, unfortunately you cannot make a short trip to either TA or Spotswood, since both of those are off this week as well. So your options will be limited to the above games.
Good luck to one and all and may the best teams win with limited injury and/or controversy.
