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Staunton (0-1) at Rockbridge County (0-1)
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium LAST YEAR: The Wildcats suffered a 38-21 road loss to Staunton, which improved to 3-0 after the mid-September win. The Storm led 21-13 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. Staunton’s Braylen Fields led all players with 139 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, while Daronde’ Stores led RC with 132 rushing yards and scored a TD. The Wildcats were hurt by two turnovers, a fumble and an interception.
THE SCOOP: Both teams lost their season openers last Friday. The Wildcats had a disappointing performance in a 56-14 loss to a strong Parry McCluer team in Buena Vista. Staunton traveled to Madison County and came up just short, falling 15-14 after leading 14-8. Fields, now a junior, scored on a 21-yard run, and Dontrae Hinton recorded the Storm’s other TD on a 12-yard punt return. Madison County came up with the final big play, though, scoring on a 7-yard run.
While the Storm will be hungry for a win after nearly tasting victory last week, we expect the Wildcats to have a hard week of practice to attempt to bounce back from a challenging start to the season. For the Wildcats to have a fighting chance, their defense will need to step up, and they’ll need to get their running and passing game going.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: Inexperience showed last week for the Wildcats, but we expect them to improve, and playing at home should motivate them to put on a good performance. They’ll have a tough time stopping Fields, but we see RC running back Elijah Fox and quarterback Jayden Layman giving RC’s offense a spark. The Wildcats will challenge the Storm, but we see Staunton dealing them a 31-21 loss.
Cumberland (0-1) at Parry McCluer (1-0) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Bobby Williams Field in Buena Vista.
LAST YEAR: The two teams did not meet.
THE SCOOP: The Fighting Blues rolled to a 56-14 victory on Friday night under first-year head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough. PM’s offense was unstoppable against the Wildcats, piling up 175 rushing yards and 123 passing yards. The Blues shared the ball on offense, with five different players making it to the end zone. Transfer running back JJ Jones added explosive plays for the Blues, gaining 42 rushing yards on six carries, 80 yards on one TD reception, and a 65-yard kickoff return. In his first start as PM’s quarterback, Nathan Glass completed 6-of-10 passes for 123 yards and three TDs. The Blues will be hard to stop on offense with threats in the passing and rushing games, and PM’s defense allowed only 105 yards while forcing four turnovers.
Last year, Cumberland went 0-10, including a forfeit at the end of the season. The Dukes only scored more than seven points in one game last fall, which came in a 76-18 loss against William Campbell. In their season opener last Friday, the Dukes lost 46-18 at William Campbell.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: The Blues will be looking to build on their momentum from the big win in the opener. The Blues had no injuries last Friday and should look to go into the game with plenty of firepower on offense. With their home fans cheering them on, we predict a 35-7 home victory for the Blues.
