Prediction

Parry McCluer (6-4) at George Wythe (7-3) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Thursday WHERE: George Wythe High School in Wytheville MATCHUP: No. 6 Parry McCluer at No. 3 George Wythe in the Region 1C quarterfinals SCOUTING THE MAROONS: In a rematch of last year’s Region 1C quarterfinals, George Wythe hopes to have a similar result. As the second seed last year, the Maroons beat the seventh-seeded Fighting Blues 41-22 in Wytheville. GW was one of three teams to lead the Mountain Empire District this year, going 4-1, as did Galax and Grayson County. Against the Blues last year, the Maroons used their running game to jump out to a 15-0 lead after the first quarter and extended their lead to 29-6 by halftime. GW graduated several of its strong runners, but the Maroons still have senior quarterback Tandom Smith, who rushed for 69 yards and passed for 80 yards and a TD against PM last year. The Blues will also want to focus their defense on running back Laden Houston, who scored two TDs in that game.

SCOUTING THE BLUES: The Blues are coming off a comfortable 34-14 win over Eastern Montgomery, but they’ll have their hands full against GW. In order to pull off the upset, they’’ll need their running game to work successfully, and another strong passing game from quarterback Nathan Glass would help. PM’s offensive line will need to make room for Jackson Brockenbrough and JJ Jones to run the ball, and the Blues will want a big game from their defense.

THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: The Blues have looked strong at times this season, but they’ve struggled when they’ve faced adversity. We see them giving the Maroons a challenge, but GW’s offense will be tough to contain. We see the Maroons dealing the Blues a 35-21 loss.