In the always wild and crazy Shenandoah District, it only took the first night of district play to raise some eyebrows and cast some doubt about who has what this season. Needless to say, Buffalo Gap's win at Wilson was the biggest surprise, with Stuarts Draft's last-second win at Riverheads a little less so.
With those two victories, that puts a target on the backs of the Bison and Cougars, and it definitely gives the Hornets and Gladiators some extra soul-searching duty to figure our what went wrong and what they can do to rise back to the top themselves. In other games, Fort Defiance and Staunton picked up expected wins, and Alleghany's romp over Greenbrier probably tells us that they will be a factor in the district race as well.
So let's move on to this coming Friday and see what surprises will be in store then. Once again there will be four district games, with Wilson having the unenviable task of entertaining Turner Ashby to get their confidence back. Here is the slate of games..........
ALLEGHANY AT STAUNTON: Last season these two met in Covington and The Storm almost pulled off a major upset before the Cougars squeaked out a 22-21 win. Considering where both teams ended up, that turned out to be one of the most puzzling games of the season. This time Staunton will enter the game with a 3-0 record and probably some mojo to go along with it. But realistically, two of those victims were winless teams, so the visiting Cougars have to be favored in this one.
RIVERHEADS AT BUFFALO GAP: Both teams will have a LOT at stake in this one. BG will be looking for a 2-0 district start, whereas RHS will certainly not want to drop to 0-2, with Wilson next on the schedule. The Gap defense may be the key to this game. Since Wilson's only score came on a kickoff return, that means that the Bison held a deep and talented Hornet offense out of the end zone, which was no small feat. Riverheads on the other hand is getting the job done on offense, averaging 45 points per game. The Gap has to be considered the favorite on paper, but with these two, you always know to throw all the stats and records out the window and just see who shows up to play.
FORT DEFIANCE AT STUARTS DRAFT: The beauty of this game is that one of them is guaranteed to leave the field with a 2-0 district record. I am not sure that their rivalry matches the intensity of some of the other ones among the county schools, but they will still go at it full steam ahead. The Cougars should prevail, but don't expect the margin to be more than 2, maybe 3, touchdowns.
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY AT WAYNESBORO: This game will feature a pair of winless teams, so somebody will get their first victory of the season. The Wildcats' 16-8 loss to Staunton was closer than expected, so if they can build from that, they could leave Waynesboro feeling happy. I will go with the Little Giants to successfully defend the home turf, but a Wildcat win will not be a shock.
TURNER ASHBY AT WILSON: Although this will be the only non-district game on tap, it may still deserve to be considered the marquee game of the night. The Knights are a machine and are expected to contend again for the Valley District crown. Wilson on the other hand already owns one win over a Valley team, as they won their season-opener on the road against Spotswood. If the Hornets are ........well........as mad as a Hornet is supposed to be, they may be able to hang with TA and get back on track, but unless the Gap loss was a major fluke, TA has to be favored in this one.
For the third Friday in a row, the R word is being mentioned in the weather forecasts, but so far so good. But not a bad idea to keep those ponchos and umbrellas handy,
With those two victories, that puts a target on the backs of the Bison and Cougars, and it definitely gives the Hornets and Gladiators some extra soul-searching duty to figure our what went wrong and what they can do to rise back to the top themselves. In other games, Fort Defiance and Staunton picked up expected wins, and Alleghany's romp over Greenbrier probably tells us that they will be a factor in the district race as well.
So let's move on to this coming Friday and see what surprises will be in store then. Once again there will be four district games, with Wilson having the unenviable task of entertaining Turner Ashby to get their confidence back. Here is the slate of games..........
ALLEGHANY AT STAUNTON: Last season these two met in Covington and The Storm almost pulled off a major upset before the Cougars squeaked out a 22-21 win. Considering where both teams ended up, that turned out to be one of the most puzzling games of the season. This time Staunton will enter the game with a 3-0 record and probably some mojo to go along with it. But realistically, two of those victims were winless teams, so the visiting Cougars have to be favored in this one.
RIVERHEADS AT BUFFALO GAP: Both teams will have a LOT at stake in this one. BG will be looking for a 2-0 district start, whereas RHS will certainly not want to drop to 0-2, with Wilson next on the schedule. The Gap defense may be the key to this game. Since Wilson's only score came on a kickoff return, that means that the Bison held a deep and talented Hornet offense out of the end zone, which was no small feat. Riverheads on the other hand is getting the job done on offense, averaging 45 points per game. The Gap has to be considered the favorite on paper, but with these two, you always know to throw all the stats and records out the window and just see who shows up to play.
FORT DEFIANCE AT STUARTS DRAFT: The beauty of this game is that one of them is guaranteed to leave the field with a 2-0 district record. I am not sure that their rivalry matches the intensity of some of the other ones among the county schools, but they will still go at it full steam ahead. The Cougars should prevail, but don't expect the margin to be more than 2, maybe 3, touchdowns.
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY AT WAYNESBORO: This game will feature a pair of winless teams, so somebody will get their first victory of the season. The Wildcats' 16-8 loss to Staunton was closer than expected, so if they can build from that, they could leave Waynesboro feeling happy. I will go with the Little Giants to successfully defend the home turf, but a Wildcat win will not be a shock.
TURNER ASHBY AT WILSON: Although this will be the only non-district game on tap, it may still deserve to be considered the marquee game of the night. The Knights are a machine and are expected to contend again for the Valley District crown. Wilson on the other hand already owns one win over a Valley team, as they won their season-opener on the road against Spotswood. If the Hornets are ........well........as mad as a Hornet is supposed to be, they may be able to hang with TA and get back on track, but unless the Gap loss was a major fluke, TA has to be favored in this one.
For the third Friday in a row, the R word is being mentioned in the weather forecasts, but so far so good. But not a bad idea to keep those ponchos and umbrellas handy,
