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Parry McCluer (0-0) at Rockbridge County (0-0)
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium. Tickets are $7.
LAST YEAR: Playing on their home field, the Fighting Blues dominated the Wildcats from start to finish, coasting to a 56-14 win in the season opener in Buena Vista. It was the head football coaching debut for PM’s Jeremiah Brockenbrough, who saw his team hold RC to 105 total yards, 93 rushing and 12 passing. The Blues, meanwhile, racked up 298 total yards of offense – 175 passing and 123 rushing. Senior JJ Jones led the Blues with three touchdowns, one running, one receiving and one on a 65-yard kickoff return. Senior teammate Aaron Pruett scored two TDs, and then-junior Jackson Brockenbrough led PM with 48 rushing yards and scored a TD on a five-yard pass from then-sophomore quarterback Nathan Glass, who passed for 175 yards and three TDs. After the Blues led 43-0 at halftime, the Wildcats scored their only TDs in the third quarter, on a 2-yard run by then-junior Jayden Layman and on a 1-yard run by senior Josiah Saunders. The Wildcats are 12-9 all-time in the series against the Blues.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: After going winless last year, the Wildcats appear improved, especially on defense, and look to their 10 seniors to lead a turnaround. Third-year head coach Martin Cox said the Wildcats will mostly be a running team, with senior running backs Elijah Fox and Gabe Wade leading the way. When the Wildcats last played at home against the Blues, RC pulled out a 32-29 win. Cox and his staff hope for a similar effort, but it’s going to be a challenging task against a strong PM team.
SCOUTING THE BLUES: The Blues set a positive tone for their season with the convincing season-opening win over the Wildcats, and they went on to finish 6-5, making an appearance in the Region 1C tournament. They have a lot of talent returning, led by Glass, Jackson Brockenbrough and Jacob Shafer. PM’s mixture of passing and running in its T-formation offense, combined with strong defense, is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Cox expects “a dogfight, no matter what,” and area fans will hope for a thrilling opener like the one two years ago.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: The Wildcats and Blues have been working hard over the summer, and they hope to put on an impressive show for the fans. Last year’s game was a letdown for the Wildcats, as was going 0-10, but they have had the offseason to improve, and Coach Cox has liked what he has seen. We don’t expect the Blues to light up the scoreboard like they did last year, but, with their talent and experience, we think they will start the season on a high note, earning a 32-21 win over the Wildcats.
