Like many of you I suspect, I needed some time to adjust to this new board but here I am. So allow me to jump right into it with my very first post of the new season. And speaking of "new" the Shenandoah District will have a new look this season with Rockbridge and Alleghany joining, which will give us nine members. For football purposes that will mean that most teams will get their non-district games out of the way the first two weeks, and then starting on September 12, there will be four district games each Friday night. Bye weeks will fit in when they can.
So the first task is to figure out who the favorites will be this year and who else might sneak up on those favorites and pull a surprise here and there. My thoughts will be based on some admittedly limited knowledge of most of the teams, which will allow the rest of you the chance to chime in and sing the praises of your team. So here we go.......
This may sound like a cop-out, but I see five teams on paper that look like they could come out on top. I then see a sixth team that could very well upset some apple carts. That leaves three others that I do not have high hopes for, but if they exceed my expectations, that will only make things that much more interesting.
To give those to you alphabetically first, before I get into the meat of the issue, my top five are Alleghany, Riverheads, Staunton, Stuarts Draft, and Wilson. The number six team for me will be Buffalo Gap, leaving my bottom three to be Fort Defiance, Rockbridge and Waynesboro.
In a perfect world, those first five teams would each have two home games and two road games against the other four, but I see from studying the schedules that some of them will get three of the other contenders at home, while others will only get one of them. Of course that will all balance out next year in the second half of the cycle.
OK, let's get cracking........
1) Alleghany......Even though Turner Ashby put them in their place in the playoffs, the (darn I don't even know what they are called...see I told you I didn't know much!) destroyed three other Shenandoah teams last year and they return what sounds like a very impressive quarterback in Des Jordan. They get home games with Staunton, SD and Wilson, and will travel to Riverheads late in the season. By then we will know how much bearing that game will have on the situation. But at this stage, they look like the top dog to me.
2) Wilson........This pick is pretty much based on the same two factors.......a star quarterback (Podgorski) and having three of the top four contenders coming to the Hive. If I am not mistaken, Wilson's coach is only in his second or maybe third year, but the team has quickly bought into his system. Like any of this top five, they could finish almost anywhere, but Podgorski will be a force to contend with, especially if he gets another receiver the caliber of last year's Baucom.
3) Riverheads.........The Big Red is one of the teams that will have to make three road trips against top-flight opponents. But if there is one thing we have learned over the years, it is that Gladiator fans travel well and quite often outnumber the home team. RHS will have its usual stable of running backs, led by Jonathan Talbott and Jackson Fitzgerald, and don't be surprised if three or four others develop. But for the first time in quite a while, there will not be a Dunlap behind center, so replacing the quarterback, not to mention place-kicker Zac Brooks, will be keys to their success. However, I am told that this year there will be experience on the line.
4) Staunton.......The Storm sneaked up on everybody last year and captured the regular-season crown. I know very little about their personnel, other than the fact that the very dangerous Marc Geffrard (sp?) graduated, so at least other teams won't have to worry about him. Like Wilson, the current coach seems to have the team's attention and in high school sports, that is half the battle. Their big game may be on the next-to-last weekend, when Riverheads pays a visit. The Gladiators were the only Shenandoah team to beat Staunton last year.
5) Stuarts Draft.....Last year when the Cougars pummeled Riverheads during the regular season, they looked like a team that was not only number one that night but might be the top dog for a long time to come. However, the now-graduated Landon Graber was Mr. Everything to that team, so even though little brother is back and only a junior, and I am sure they will have others as well, I see their road games at Alleghany and Wilson as major challenges, not to mention their home game with RHS, which comes on the very first night of district action this year.
6) Buffalo Gap........As implied above, it is not exactly like I consider the Bison to be chopped liver, it is more a matter of the overall depth of the district. So if they pull an upset here and there and finish higher than this, it will not be a huge surprise. Depending on how fast he grows up, a JV player from last year (I think the name was Emurian or something like that) was unstoppable in two games against Riverheads, so he alone could be enough to propel the Gap into the upper echelon.
7) Fort Defiance.....The Indians had one of their best years in recent memory last season, because they had a top flight quarterback, receiver, and running back. If they had even one of those back, I would have more confidence in them, but they will have to almost start from scratch. Granted the new coach (Yew) is a proven winner, but I just can't see them picking up where they left off, with three losses as huge as those, especially if they have to get used to a whole new coach and vice versa.
8) Waynesboro......That leaves a pair of teams that have really struggled in recent years to round out the list. The Little Giants have had their issues for as long as I can remember, so the new coach (don't recall the name) will have only one way to go and that is up. Even though they travel to Rockbridge, I will go with the Giants to win that one and at least avoid the cellar.
9) Rockbridge........This prediction will be based on the fact that I know almost nothing about this team. They did manage a couple of wins last year but they will be hard-pressed to match that win total in this deep a district. One game that will be interesting will be their October 17th home game with Riverheads. The two teams are only 20 miles or so apart but have never played one another in football. For many Riverheads fans, that will be a closer game to drive to than Greenville, so order some extra hot dogs that night....you will need them!
OK guys....tell me who I have praised too highly and who I have insulted!
So the first task is to figure out who the favorites will be this year and who else might sneak up on those favorites and pull a surprise here and there. My thoughts will be based on some admittedly limited knowledge of most of the teams, which will allow the rest of you the chance to chime in and sing the praises of your team. So here we go.......
This may sound like a cop-out, but I see five teams on paper that look like they could come out on top. I then see a sixth team that could very well upset some apple carts. That leaves three others that I do not have high hopes for, but if they exceed my expectations, that will only make things that much more interesting.
To give those to you alphabetically first, before I get into the meat of the issue, my top five are Alleghany, Riverheads, Staunton, Stuarts Draft, and Wilson. The number six team for me will be Buffalo Gap, leaving my bottom three to be Fort Defiance, Rockbridge and Waynesboro.
In a perfect world, those first five teams would each have two home games and two road games against the other four, but I see from studying the schedules that some of them will get three of the other contenders at home, while others will only get one of them. Of course that will all balance out next year in the second half of the cycle.
OK, let's get cracking........
1) Alleghany......Even though Turner Ashby put them in their place in the playoffs, the (darn I don't even know what they are called...see I told you I didn't know much!) destroyed three other Shenandoah teams last year and they return what sounds like a very impressive quarterback in Des Jordan. They get home games with Staunton, SD and Wilson, and will travel to Riverheads late in the season. By then we will know how much bearing that game will have on the situation. But at this stage, they look like the top dog to me.
2) Wilson........This pick is pretty much based on the same two factors.......a star quarterback (Podgorski) and having three of the top four contenders coming to the Hive. If I am not mistaken, Wilson's coach is only in his second or maybe third year, but the team has quickly bought into his system. Like any of this top five, they could finish almost anywhere, but Podgorski will be a force to contend with, especially if he gets another receiver the caliber of last year's Baucom.
3) Riverheads.........The Big Red is one of the teams that will have to make three road trips against top-flight opponents. But if there is one thing we have learned over the years, it is that Gladiator fans travel well and quite often outnumber the home team. RHS will have its usual stable of running backs, led by Jonathan Talbott and Jackson Fitzgerald, and don't be surprised if three or four others develop. But for the first time in quite a while, there will not be a Dunlap behind center, so replacing the quarterback, not to mention place-kicker Zac Brooks, will be keys to their success. However, I am told that this year there will be experience on the line.
4) Staunton.......The Storm sneaked up on everybody last year and captured the regular-season crown. I know very little about their personnel, other than the fact that the very dangerous Marc Geffrard (sp?) graduated, so at least other teams won't have to worry about him. Like Wilson, the current coach seems to have the team's attention and in high school sports, that is half the battle. Their big game may be on the next-to-last weekend, when Riverheads pays a visit. The Gladiators were the only Shenandoah team to beat Staunton last year.
5) Stuarts Draft.....Last year when the Cougars pummeled Riverheads during the regular season, they looked like a team that was not only number one that night but might be the top dog for a long time to come. However, the now-graduated Landon Graber was Mr. Everything to that team, so even though little brother is back and only a junior, and I am sure they will have others as well, I see their road games at Alleghany and Wilson as major challenges, not to mention their home game with RHS, which comes on the very first night of district action this year.
6) Buffalo Gap........As implied above, it is not exactly like I consider the Bison to be chopped liver, it is more a matter of the overall depth of the district. So if they pull an upset here and there and finish higher than this, it will not be a huge surprise. Depending on how fast he grows up, a JV player from last year (I think the name was Emurian or something like that) was unstoppable in two games against Riverheads, so he alone could be enough to propel the Gap into the upper echelon.
7) Fort Defiance.....The Indians had one of their best years in recent memory last season, because they had a top flight quarterback, receiver, and running back. If they had even one of those back, I would have more confidence in them, but they will have to almost start from scratch. Granted the new coach (Yew) is a proven winner, but I just can't see them picking up where they left off, with three losses as huge as those, especially if they have to get used to a whole new coach and vice versa.
8) Waynesboro......That leaves a pair of teams that have really struggled in recent years to round out the list. The Little Giants have had their issues for as long as I can remember, so the new coach (don't recall the name) will have only one way to go and that is up. Even though they travel to Rockbridge, I will go with the Giants to win that one and at least avoid the cellar.
9) Rockbridge........This prediction will be based on the fact that I know almost nothing about this team. They did manage a couple of wins last year but they will be hard-pressed to match that win total in this deep a district. One game that will be interesting will be their October 17th home game with Riverheads. The two teams are only 20 miles or so apart but have never played one another in football. For many Riverheads fans, that will be a closer game to drive to than Greenville, so order some extra hot dogs that night....you will need them!
OK guys....tell me who I have praised too highly and who I have insulted!
