For the purpose of this discussion, there were ten teams that made the playoffs Friday night if you count current Shenandoah District members, current Valley District members, and the teams that were in the Shenandoah prior to making the move to the Bull Run this season. Of those ten, five were victorious (Riverheads, Stuarts Draft, East Rockingham, Rockbridge County, and Spotswood) and three others (Page County, Harrisonburg, and Turner Ashby) fought to the bitter end in their games, each losing by less than a touchdown margin. Even the remaining two teams (Luray and Buffalo Gap) gave a decent account of themselves in their games.
All things considered, that was a very respectable first-round effort so let's do our usual thing and speculate on what will happen this weekend in the various regional semi-finals. I presume most of these, if not all, will still be played on Friday night.
Class 1 Region B Semi-final....Franklin at Riverheads.....These two have limited history, having played only once before (a 35-8 state semi-final win for RHS at Franklin in 2010) and of course they have no common opponents this season. Some of the Broncos supporters are saying they will play tough, despite their record, but of course Riverheads will as well. So rest assured that there will be no wholesale substitutions, no rested starters, and no first-down field goal attempts in this one. Therefore it should simply come down to who has the best team. Riverheads certainly looks better on paper and probably by a healthy margin, but then that is why they play the games.
Class 2, Region B Semi-final......Strasburg at Stuarts Draft.......This is an unexpected match-up, as most folks were assuming a return trip to Cougar Country for Luray would be in the cards. But the Rams had other ideas and as a result, we now have two teams that likely know very little about one another. If they have ever played, I personally cannot remember it. (How about it Gunz?) SD seems to have found its mojo again after the Riverheads shellacking and should be favored in this one, but then the Rams have an impressive post-season history of their own. Look for this one to be pretty tight for a 5 at 1 pairing.
Class 2, Region B Semi-final.........East Rockingham at Buckingham.........Every year at playoff time, there seems to be that one team with a lower seed that peaks at the right time, plays its absolute best, and pulls off one or more unexpected upsets. The Eagles did so on Friday night at Clarke and just might do it again this time. Buckingham on the other hand just barely escaped in overtime against Page, and if I remember ER beat Page by just a smidgen during the regular season. I actually predicted an Eagle win at Clarke so I may as well go with them a second time.......since an East Rock/Stuarts Draft match-up for the regional title would be of MAJOR interest to local fans.
Class 3, Region C Semi-final.........Rockbridge County at Spotswood........This is the only game in this group that will feature teams that are very well-acquainted with one another. It is also a case of good news/bad news. The good news is that we are therefore guaranteed that at least one local team will advance to a regional final. The bad news is that whoever wins this one draws Heritage next, and will certainly have its hands full that night. But first things first...I believe the Wood won big in Lexington this year, something like 35-10 if I recall, so with home field advantage, they would have to be the favorite. But the Wildcats have been known to pull off some shockers here and there, so I would not bet the rent on it if I were you.
All things considered, that was a very respectable first-round effort so let's do our usual thing and speculate on what will happen this weekend in the various regional semi-finals. I presume most of these, if not all, will still be played on Friday night.
Class 1 Region B Semi-final....Franklin at Riverheads.....These two have limited history, having played only once before (a 35-8 state semi-final win for RHS at Franklin in 2010) and of course they have no common opponents this season. Some of the Broncos supporters are saying they will play tough, despite their record, but of course Riverheads will as well. So rest assured that there will be no wholesale substitutions, no rested starters, and no first-down field goal attempts in this one. Therefore it should simply come down to who has the best team. Riverheads certainly looks better on paper and probably by a healthy margin, but then that is why they play the games.
Class 2, Region B Semi-final......Strasburg at Stuarts Draft.......This is an unexpected match-up, as most folks were assuming a return trip to Cougar Country for Luray would be in the cards. But the Rams had other ideas and as a result, we now have two teams that likely know very little about one another. If they have ever played, I personally cannot remember it. (How about it Gunz?) SD seems to have found its mojo again after the Riverheads shellacking and should be favored in this one, but then the Rams have an impressive post-season history of their own. Look for this one to be pretty tight for a 5 at 1 pairing.
Class 2, Region B Semi-final.........East Rockingham at Buckingham.........Every year at playoff time, there seems to be that one team with a lower seed that peaks at the right time, plays its absolute best, and pulls off one or more unexpected upsets. The Eagles did so on Friday night at Clarke and just might do it again this time. Buckingham on the other hand just barely escaped in overtime against Page, and if I remember ER beat Page by just a smidgen during the regular season. I actually predicted an Eagle win at Clarke so I may as well go with them a second time.......since an East Rock/Stuarts Draft match-up for the regional title would be of MAJOR interest to local fans.
Class 3, Region C Semi-final.........Rockbridge County at Spotswood........This is the only game in this group that will feature teams that are very well-acquainted with one another. It is also a case of good news/bad news. The good news is that we are therefore guaranteed that at least one local team will advance to a regional final. The bad news is that whoever wins this one draws Heritage next, and will certainly have its hands full that night. But first things first...I believe the Wood won big in Lexington this year, something like 35-10 if I recall, so with home field advantage, they would have to be the favorite. But the Wildcats have been known to pull off some shockers here and there, so I would not bet the rent on it if I were you.
