There were no real surprises in the first week of district games, with the possible exceptions being the margins of victory in Riverheads' win over Luray and Stonewall's over Page, especially considering that both were road games. Meanwhile, back in Augusta County, Buffalo Gap and Stuarts Draft picked up wins for the home fans, the latter being a wild 48-41 shootout over East Rockingham in what was easily the best game of the first weekend.
So we may have learned the following from this first weekend:
Riverheads has stamped itself to be the favorite to take the crown this year.
Stuarts Draft, East Rock, and Buffalo Gap appear to be the best bets to challenge the Big Red, and it could come down to the final night of the regular season when the Cougars visit RHS.
Luray will have to lick its wounds quickly if the Dogs hope to stay in the top half of the district.
Wilson is keeping things close in most games, which could be a sign that they are one big game away from breaking through.
Stonewall's 51 points scored against Page could mean that they are good enough to give someone else a battle on any given night.
So as we look ahead to Week Two of district play, here is the slate:
Buffalo Gap at Riverheads: This will be the feature game of the week as it will be billed as another Battle of the Unbeatens. The Gladiators certainly handled that pressure Friday night at Luray so they should be OK again this week. The Bison are having their best year in quite some time and will come in sky high for the game, but the Big Red just has too many weapons and none of the Gap's four wins have come over a particularly strong opponent. RHS by a minimum of two scores, possibly more.
Luray at Wilson: This should be this week's toss-up game. Neither can afford to drop that second district contest and it is already time to start counting playoff points so the efforts should be strong. I expect a low-scoring, defensive battle in this one, either team winning a 13-7 kind of game. Just too close to call.
East Rock at Page: I assume there will be a big Eagles crowd making the 15 mile trip for this one, and they should come away happy. Visitors win by 3-4 scores or more.
Stonewall at Stuarts Draft: The Generals should have some swagger coming into this one, after the Page victory, and for that reason, it could actually be close for awhile. But the Cougars are making some big play noise with their running game and should eventually win this one by a minimum of three scores.
Last weather forecast I heard said we would have some clearing out of the rain by Friday. Let's hope so...two rainy games in a row is too much!
So we may have learned the following from this first weekend:
Riverheads has stamped itself to be the favorite to take the crown this year.
Stuarts Draft, East Rock, and Buffalo Gap appear to be the best bets to challenge the Big Red, and it could come down to the final night of the regular season when the Cougars visit RHS.
Luray will have to lick its wounds quickly if the Dogs hope to stay in the top half of the district.
Wilson is keeping things close in most games, which could be a sign that they are one big game away from breaking through.
Stonewall's 51 points scored against Page could mean that they are good enough to give someone else a battle on any given night.
So as we look ahead to Week Two of district play, here is the slate:
Buffalo Gap at Riverheads: This will be the feature game of the week as it will be billed as another Battle of the Unbeatens. The Gladiators certainly handled that pressure Friday night at Luray so they should be OK again this week. The Bison are having their best year in quite some time and will come in sky high for the game, but the Big Red just has too many weapons and none of the Gap's four wins have come over a particularly strong opponent. RHS by a minimum of two scores, possibly more.
Luray at Wilson: This should be this week's toss-up game. Neither can afford to drop that second district contest and it is already time to start counting playoff points so the efforts should be strong. I expect a low-scoring, defensive battle in this one, either team winning a 13-7 kind of game. Just too close to call.
East Rock at Page: I assume there will be a big Eagles crowd making the 15 mile trip for this one, and they should come away happy. Visitors win by 3-4 scores or more.
Stonewall at Stuarts Draft: The Generals should have some swagger coming into this one, after the Page victory, and for that reason, it could actually be close for awhile. But the Cougars are making some big play noise with their running game and should eventually win this one by a minimum of three scores.
Last weather forecast I heard said we would have some clearing out of the rain by Friday. Let's hope so...two rainy games in a row is too much!
