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Bath County (8-0) at Parry McCluer (5-3)
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Bobby Williams Field in Buena Vista
LAST YEAR: The Blues relied on their running game to earn a 33-17 road win over Bath County. John Snider led PM, rushing for 184 yards and three touchdowns, while Evan Cook ran for 156 yards and a TD. The Chargers led 7-0 after the first quarter, but PM scored two TDs in the second quarter to take a 20-10 lead into halftime, and the Blues didn’t trail again. For Bath, quarterback Wyatt Campbell threw a TD pass and ran for a score.
THE SCOOP: The Blues are coming off their most lopsided defeat of the season, a 48-8 nondistrict home loss to Altavista, while Bath is undefeated at 8-0. The Chargers have only had one close game, a 52-38 win over Page County on Sept. 1. In last week’s 62-3 win over Pioneer District rival Craig County, seven different Bath players made it into the end zone. Campbell passed for 128 yards and three TDs and rushed for 74 yards and two TDs, while Luke Turner rushed for 120 yards and two TDs.
For the Blues to defeat Bath, they’ll have to step up and play more consistently on both sides of the ball, as they did against Craig County in a 45-12 win two weeks ago. The Chargers are a fierce opponent, though, with Campbell running the offense and getting a lot of help from his running backs.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: It will be Senior Night for the Blues, and this game will be big in determining playoff seedings. We expect the Blues to bounce back with a stronger game after a tough night against Altavista, but Bath’s offense will be tough to stop. We see Bath dealing the Blues a 41-32 loss.
Turner Ashby (8-0) at Rockbridge County (0-8) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium
LAST YEAR: In their final game of the season, the Wildcats suffered a 35-14 road loss to Turner Ashby, which claimed its second consecutive Valley District title after going 4-0 in the district. The Wildcats took a 7-0 lead after running back Black Matheny ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but the Knights scored the next three touchdowns to go up 21-7 by the end of the third quarter. RC’s Daronde’ Stores ran for a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter before TA’s Micah Matthews ran for the final two TDs of the game. Matthews had also scored on a 55-yard TD pass from quarterback Zachary Grove. In the playoffs, TA beat Spotswood 17-14 in the Region 3C quarterfinals before falling to Liberty Christian Academy 50-19 in the semifinals.
THE SCOOP: Eyeing a meeting with Spotswood next week, the Knights are looking to earn their third consecutive Valley District title, while the Wildcats are hoping for respectable performances in their final two games. TA has blown out all of its opponents in staying undefeated this season, while the Wildcats have only had a couple of close games while seeking their first win. The Knights have a lot of their offensive weapons back from last year, with wide receiver Micah Matthews as both a running and receiving threat. TA quarterback Micah Shank, who sat out last year’s showdown with an injury, has been an effective runner and passer throughout this season.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: In the Wildcats’ final home game of the season, we expect a strong effort from the seniors, with perhaps another touchdown catch or two from one of them, Simon Emore. However, TA will continue its dominance of the district with a 50-14 win.
