Predictions

Parry McCluer (3-1) at Fort Chiswell (3-1)

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Fort Chiswell High School in Max Meadows LAST YEAR: The two teams did not meet. This will be the first gridiron encounter between the Fighting Blues and the Pioneers since a 19-0 win for Fort in Buena Vista in 2019.

THESCOOP: PM enters this game off its bye week, which followed a thorough 45-16 road victory at Mountain View on Sept. 15. The Blues were impressive on both sides of the ball against the Generals: JJ Jones spearheaded the ground game, Nathan Glass continued to play well at the QB spot, and the defense didn’t allow any points until the game was well in hand in the fourth quarter.

Travel didn’t seem to faze the Blues in Quicksburg, as they sprinted out of the gates against Mountain View. But let’s hope the Blues are enrolled in the AAA rewards program, as they’ll continue to rack up some major points on the 225-mile round trip to Max Meadows. (PM has yet another lengthy bus ride next Friday, trekking down to Narrows for the Pioneer opener.)

Fort Chiswell enters the game on the heels of a 56-0 demolition of one of PM’s district rivals, Eastern Montgomery. Fort has also collected narrow victories over Rural Retreat (14-12) and Floyd County (20-12) – two teams that beat the Pioneers during their 2-9 campaign in 2022 – while their lone blemish is a 44-34 setback against Tazewell on Sept. 15.

THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: Fort is significantly improved this season, so this seems like the perfect test for PM before the Blues kick off the district schedule next weekend. We see a great game unfolding down in Max Meadows, where the Pioneers will defend their home turf with a narrow 28-26 victory.

Rockbridge County (0-5) at East Rockingham (3-2)

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: East Rockingham High School in Elkton LAST YEAR: The two teams did not square off. East Rockingham and William Monroe are the two new additions to the Valley District in 2023-24. This will be the first football meeting between the Wildcats and the Eagles, who just moved up to Class 3.

THESCOOP: What looked, on paper, to be a competitive matchup for the Wildcats in their Valley district opener turned into another lopsided loss, as Broadway rolled past RC 50-6 on Hall of Fame weekend in Lexington.

The Wildcats continue to compete even late in blowout games, which is encouraging to see. But the ’Cats haven’t been able to stick with any of their five opponents so far this season, and the schedule unfortunately won’t get much easier as RC dives deeper into district play.

East Rockingham lost a heartbreaker to in-county and Valley rival Harrisonburg on the road last Friday, giving up a 56-yard touchdown pass with just 1:32 to play in a 12-9 stinger. The Eagles managed just 151 yards of total offense in the game. The victory for the Blue Streaks, meanwhile, snapped a 14-game skid dating back to the 2021 season.

East Rock’s non-district resume includes wins over Buffalo Gap, Luray and Page County, as well as a lopsided loss to Central (Woodstock).

THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: The spirit and work ethic of the Wildcats aren’t in question, but a struggling team going up against a motivated squad coming off a last-minute loss isn’t an ideal recipe for RC. We see the Eagles evening up their Valley record with a 42-12 victory.