Prediction

William Monroe (2-7) at Rockbridge County (1-8) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium in Lexington. Tickets are $7.

LAST YEAR: The Wildcats suffered a 42-6 road loss in their final game of the season. The Dragons led 14-0 after the first quarter and were up 21-6 at halftime before outscoring RC 21-0 in the second half. D’markus Pritchett and quarterback Davien Griffith each ran for two touchdowns for WM. Gabe Wade led the Wildcats with 127 rushing yards on 23 carries and scored RC’s lone TD on a 2-yard run in the second quarter. With the loss, the Wildcats ended the season winless.

THE SCOOP: Over the last two weeks, the Wildcats faced the toughest two teams in the Valley District, falling 40-0 at home against Spotswood on Oct. 25 before losing 56-13 at Turner Ashby last Friday. WM snapped a six-game losing streak by earning a 14-7 win over Harrisonburg last Friday. Both RC and WM are 1-4 in the district. The Wildcats’ lone win this season was a 26-17 road victory over Harrisonburg on Oct. 11.

To beat the Dragons, the Wildcats will have to contain running back Lucas Sheffield, who led WM with 84 yards on 16 carries in the Dragons’ 31-21 loss to East Rockingham on Oct. 25. They’ll also need to stop running back Jerry Weakley, who rushed for 56 yards in that game. Friday’s game will be the final one for the Wildcats’ 10 seniors, who have battled a lot of adversity over the last few years.

THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: With the playoffs off the table for both teams, this game will be an opportunity to end the season on a high note. We expect the RC seniors to step up on their last time on the field together to lead the Wildcats to a 22-14 win.