The season has just flown by and everybody is concentrating now on jockeying for the best possible playoff position. As always some deserving teams (Staunton and Wilson come to mind) appear to be on the outside looking in, whereas others that have had far less exciting seasons (Buffalo Gap) may squeak in because of the different structures of the different regions. But it is what it is.
Looking back to this past Friday night, Riverheads captured the Shenandoah crown with its easier-than-expected win over Stuarts Draft. The Gladiator defense was right on top of the Graber Brothers from the get go and the one-two punch of Jonathan Talbott and Cayden Cook-Cash was too much for the Cougars to handle.
Yes, "technically" the Gladiators have only clinched a tie for the title, but realistically they will not lose at Waynesboro this week, and even if they did, they would only be looking at a possible tie with Fort Defiance for first, but the Big Red won the head-to-head match-up with the Indians. So there is no way the Gladiators cannot be considered district champs this year.
But there is still unfinished business as this Friday will be the final night to feature three district games. Next week there will only be two. And notice I said this "Friday" confidently because at this early stage, the weather is looking downright balmy for late October with no mention of rain in the forecast. So here is what is on tap.............
Staunton at Fort Defiance: On paper this looks like the barn-burner of the week. The Indians have caught fire this season and reeled off five straight wins since giving Riverheads all it could handle way back in week three. If they can knock off The Storm this Friday they will finish in second place all alone, with the RHS loss their only blemish in district play. Coach Rolfe most definitely deserves Coach of the Year honors for their turnaround. They have played themselves into a firm playoff spot and may possibly even earn a first-round home game. As for Staunton, if there is such a thing as a team being snake-bit, it would be The Storm. Their three district losses have come by a combined total of 12 points and they could have won all three of those, which would have upset many an apple cart. Worse yet, as implied above, they may not even make the 3-C playoff field. So their motivation Friday night will be to either finally win a close game or prove that they are a quality team by ending the season on a three-game winning streak, since they trounced Buffalo Gap Friday and will be favored over Waynesboro next week. I see this one as a real nail-biter and even though I hate to say it, it could be yet another close loss for Staunton. I think Fort just has more to play for and has to be favored at home. A runaway win for either team would be the real surprise.
Wilson at Stuarts Draft: If there was not so much at stake in the first game, this one would make just as good a headliner. But all sources seem to indicate that the Cougars are firmly in the 2-B playoffs and most likely as the number eight seed, whereas those same sources do not see any way for Wilson to sneak in to the 3-C field. Therefore this one will be more about pride and bragging rights. The Cougars will of course hope to get the Graber boys back on track and treat the fans to a Senior Night victory. Wilson on the other hand has been up and down all season, posting such extremes as a 41-point first quarter in one game (Charlottesville) to being shut out and not really even coming close to scoring in another, referring to the 37-0 home loss to Riverheads. Sounds like they had quite the tussle with Waynesboro Friday, so for that reason I have to give the Cougars the edge in this one. This will be the last district game for each of these and for that matter the season finale as they are each off next Friday. That will of course be an advantage for SD as they can rest up for the playoffs but more importantly, scout their first-round opponent up close and in person.
Riverheads at Waynesboro: Maybe there is something about the stadium but for some reason when RHS plays at Waynesboro, as they seem to do frequently, all of Greenville shows up to watch. Maybe it has something to do with Kline's across the street. Last year things got interesting when the stadium had to be emptied for a lightning delay, but as mentioned above, there seems to be no such chance for that this time around. Waynesboro has shown some promise this year and word on the street is that they have a strong JV team this season. We will know more about that on Wednesday when the two JV teams meet in Greenville. So the always-enthusiastic home fans will come out Friday and hope for the upset but there is just no way Riverheads will have that kind of let down. Waynesboro will then have little chance at Staunton next Friday, so we may just have to congratulate them for the progress they made and their one or two close calls, such as the just-mentioned 35-28 loss at Wilson.
Buffalo Gap is off this week and hosts Fort Defiance next Friday. As mentioned above, a 1-9 record may still get them into the 1-B playoffs according to some sources but the logic when that happens has been debated as much as football itself over the years. But Bison fans should certainly not be ready to give up next week or in the post-season. After all, we found out in Chapel Hill Saturday night that anything is possible if you believe you can do it.
Looking back to this past Friday night, Riverheads captured the Shenandoah crown with its easier-than-expected win over Stuarts Draft. The Gladiator defense was right on top of the Graber Brothers from the get go and the one-two punch of Jonathan Talbott and Cayden Cook-Cash was too much for the Cougars to handle.
Yes, "technically" the Gladiators have only clinched a tie for the title, but realistically they will not lose at Waynesboro this week, and even if they did, they would only be looking at a possible tie with Fort Defiance for first, but the Big Red won the head-to-head match-up with the Indians. So there is no way the Gladiators cannot be considered district champs this year.
But there is still unfinished business as this Friday will be the final night to feature three district games. Next week there will only be two. And notice I said this "Friday" confidently because at this early stage, the weather is looking downright balmy for late October with no mention of rain in the forecast. So here is what is on tap.............
Staunton at Fort Defiance: On paper this looks like the barn-burner of the week. The Indians have caught fire this season and reeled off five straight wins since giving Riverheads all it could handle way back in week three. If they can knock off The Storm this Friday they will finish in second place all alone, with the RHS loss their only blemish in district play. Coach Rolfe most definitely deserves Coach of the Year honors for their turnaround. They have played themselves into a firm playoff spot and may possibly even earn a first-round home game. As for Staunton, if there is such a thing as a team being snake-bit, it would be The Storm. Their three district losses have come by a combined total of 12 points and they could have won all three of those, which would have upset many an apple cart. Worse yet, as implied above, they may not even make the 3-C playoff field. So their motivation Friday night will be to either finally win a close game or prove that they are a quality team by ending the season on a three-game winning streak, since they trounced Buffalo Gap Friday and will be favored over Waynesboro next week. I see this one as a real nail-biter and even though I hate to say it, it could be yet another close loss for Staunton. I think Fort just has more to play for and has to be favored at home. A runaway win for either team would be the real surprise.
Wilson at Stuarts Draft: If there was not so much at stake in the first game, this one would make just as good a headliner. But all sources seem to indicate that the Cougars are firmly in the 2-B playoffs and most likely as the number eight seed, whereas those same sources do not see any way for Wilson to sneak in to the 3-C field. Therefore this one will be more about pride and bragging rights. The Cougars will of course hope to get the Graber boys back on track and treat the fans to a Senior Night victory. Wilson on the other hand has been up and down all season, posting such extremes as a 41-point first quarter in one game (Charlottesville) to being shut out and not really even coming close to scoring in another, referring to the 37-0 home loss to Riverheads. Sounds like they had quite the tussle with Waynesboro Friday, so for that reason I have to give the Cougars the edge in this one. This will be the last district game for each of these and for that matter the season finale as they are each off next Friday. That will of course be an advantage for SD as they can rest up for the playoffs but more importantly, scout their first-round opponent up close and in person.
Riverheads at Waynesboro: Maybe there is something about the stadium but for some reason when RHS plays at Waynesboro, as they seem to do frequently, all of Greenville shows up to watch. Maybe it has something to do with Kline's across the street. Last year things got interesting when the stadium had to be emptied for a lightning delay, but as mentioned above, there seems to be no such chance for that this time around. Waynesboro has shown some promise this year and word on the street is that they have a strong JV team this season. We will know more about that on Wednesday when the two JV teams meet in Greenville. So the always-enthusiastic home fans will come out Friday and hope for the upset but there is just no way Riverheads will have that kind of let down. Waynesboro will then have little chance at Staunton next Friday, so we may just have to congratulate them for the progress they made and their one or two close calls, such as the just-mentioned 35-28 loss at Wilson.
Buffalo Gap is off this week and hosts Fort Defiance next Friday. As mentioned above, a 1-9 record may still get them into the 1-B playoffs according to some sources but the logic when that happens has been debated as much as football itself over the years. But Bison fans should certainly not be ready to give up next week or in the post-season. After all, we found out in Chapel Hill Saturday night that anything is possible if you believe you can do it.
