Prediction

Rockbridge County (0-6) at Harrisonburg (0-5)

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Harrisonburg High School in Harrisonburg

LAST YEAR: In their closest contest last year, the Wildcats lost their homecoming game 20-14 to Harrisonburg. The Wildcats trailed 20-8 at halftime, but they prevented Harrisonburg from scoring or earning a first down in the second half. Jayden Layman, who was RC’s starting quarterback last year before switching to running and receiving this year, ran for both of RC’s touchdowns and passed for 67 yards. Harrisonburg quarterback JJ Engle ran for a 65-yard TD and completed a 16-yard TD pass to Filipo Toelau, and VJ Bullard scored for the Blue Streaks on a 65-yard run.

THE SCOOP: Midway through the season, both RC and Harrisonburg are winless. The Wildcats suffered blowouts in their first two Valley District games, with a 41-0 road loss to Broadway on Sept. 26 before a 42-7 home loss to East Rockingham last Friday. The Blues Streaks lost their Valley District opener 21-0 at East Rockingham on Sept. 26 before suffering a 69-0 loss at Amherst County last Friday.

The Wildcats may have extra motivation for this game since last year’s was within their reach. The Wildcats also have a bye week coming up, so they can look forward to some extra rest after this one. If the Wildcats can get their offense playing well and match last year’s strong defensive effort against the Blue Streaks, who have scored just six points all season, they have a good chance of snapping their 17-game losing streak that dates back to November 2022.

THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: Facing a team in a similar situation, we expect the Wildcats to play hard and take advantage of this opportunity. It will be a close contest, with the Wildcats earning a 24-14 win.