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Parry McCluer (1-0) at Prince Edward County (0-1)
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prince Edward County High School in Farmville
LAST YEAR: The two teams did not meet.
THE SCOOP : The Fighting Blues got off to a strong start to the season with a 33-16 road win over local rival Rockbridge County last Friday, while Prince Edward County suffered a 20-12 road loss to Chatham in its opener. This Friday’s game wasn’t originally on PM’s schedule, as the Blues were scheduled to play at Cumberland County before the Dukes canceled their varsity season, but PM found Prince Edward County and will make the trip of nearly two hours southeast to Farmville.
PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough saw a lot of things he liked after the Blues’ opener, and he noted a few things to be tweaked as well. The Blues mixed their running game with their passing game well, with running back Jackson Brockenbrough rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Nathan Glass passing for 150 yards and three TDs. The Blues committed two turnovers and had 68 penalty yards, and we expect they’ll work hard in practice this week to limit mistakes. After Friday’s game, the Blues will have their next four games at home, and we expect they’ll want to make a good impression on the road.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: We see the Blues carrying the momentum of last Friday’s big win into this week. Look for Prince Edward County to give PM a test early, but we think the Blues will pull away and get their offense rolling for a 36-20 win.
Rockbridge County (0-1) at Staunton (0-1) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE : Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton LAST YEAR : The Wildcats suffered a 42-0 loss to Staunton in its home opener. The Storm raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and led 35-0 at halftime before adding a final touchdown in the third quarter. Staunton quarterback Maliq McCauley made two touchdown passes to Marc Geffrard, who also scored on a 35-yard run. Both players are now seniors. Staunton’s Braylen Fields led all players with 173 rushing yards and ran for two TDs. The Wildcats’ bright spots were strong defense in the second half and running backs Ryan Maxwell and Daniel Grimm, who both graduated in the spring. Maxwell led RC with 89 rushing yards, while Grimm ran for 64 yards.
THE SCOOP : Both teams lost their season openers at home last week, with Staunton struggling to make defensive stops in a 35-21 setback against Madison County Thursday and the Wildcats falling to Parry McCluer 33-16 on Friday. With McCauley and Geffrard leading the Storm’s offense, the Wildcats will need to step up defensively, as they try to avoid another double-digit deficit in the first half. RC’s offense got going at times last week, especially when Gabe Wade and Eli Sorrells ran the ball, but they’ll need to have more consistency and limit turnovers to give themselves a chance in this game.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK : We expect a hard week of practice and an improved performance by the Wildcats as they hit the road on Friday. One of the keys will be getting off to a strong start. We expect the game to be competitive, but Staunton’s offensive weapons will be too much to deal with, and we see the Storm dealing RC a 28-22 loss.
