High school football: Six Shenandoah District teams looking for first win of young season
Opening week was interesting, with only one Shenandoah District team winning, but four more losing by just one point.
Wilson Memorial looked impressive under new coach Ryan Byrd, scoring 41 points in the first quarter in a win over Charlottesville. Meanwhile, Riverheads, Stuarts Draft, Staunton and Buffalo Gap all came up just a point short in week one. Fort Defiance hung with Turner Ashby early before falling and Waynesboro ran into a tough Alleghany squad.
What will week two hold? Six Shenandoah District teams take the field Friday while Riverheads will make a long Saturday trip to Southwest Virginia.
STUARTS DRAFT at SURRY COUNTY, 7 P.M.
Nathan Floyd said he was proud of how his defense played last week, giving up just a touchdown to a King William team that averaged nearly 27 points a game last year.
"It was the first varsity start for a number of players and they definitely responded well and gave a good performance," Floyd said.
The offense, on the other hand, struggled to find consistency. Floyd said the team needs to find a way to take care of the ball better. Quarterback Landon Graber had his team's lone touchdown run, coming in the fourth quarter.
"We had too many mental and physical mistakes that kept us from moving the chains," Floyd said. "If we can limit those mistakes I believe we can have an efficient and effective offense."
This week the Cougars hit the road for a 2-1/2 hour trip east to Surry County, which lost to Northumberland 49-0 last week.
"What stood out on film was their effort and athleticism on both sides of the ball," Floyd said of his opponent. "They play hard, they play fast and they really get after it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how much we've grown since last Friday."
LURAY at BUFFALO GAP, 7 P.M.
The game will feature two teams used to success in recent years looking for win No. 1 on the young season. Gap lost 13-12 to James River despite a strong effort on offense and defense from Blake Robertson. Luray fell 28-14 to East Rockingham.
"We definitely had some guys play as hard as possible and effort was a big plus," Gap coach Brad Wygant said. "Our defense really stepped up when our offense was struggling."
Wygant said the Bison have a lot of inexperience in key positions, but he's confident they will improve as the season progresses.
As for Luray, a team Gap has beaten the past two seasons, Wygant knows he's in for a tough battle.
"Luray is always going to be a physical team that can dominate if we don't play up to our best," the coach said.
FORT DEFIANCE at ALLEGHANY COUNTY, 7 P.M.
Fort Defiance's Dan Rolfe was pleased that his team ran the ball well against a big Turner Ashby defensive front last week, something the coach wasn't sure they could do. Fort had more than 200 yards rushing on the ground, including a big night from Bradley Hebb
"We were able to move the ball both in the air and on the ground which bodes well for the coming weeks," Rolfe said. "In terms of what didn't go well, we ran out of bodies in the second half. TA was a big physical team and they were able to lean on us a little and with the combination of their size and the heat we got some kids banged up."
Rolfe would like to see more consistency on offense, saying some of those 3-yard runs need be 5-yard runs. He also wants his defense to work on stopping teams at critical times. They allowed Turner Ashby to score its first touchdown on a third-and-long and that's something Fort can't let happen.
"In terms of Alleghany, I don't know much about them except what I've seen on film," Rolfe said. "They are a big and physical team. They have a shifty quarterback who can run and throw. They were in the playoffs last year and they combined schools with Covington, so they have had some success."
STAUNTON at ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, 7 P.M.
Despite a one-point loss, Staunton coach Michael Bell said one positive was his team's inside game.
"Our linemen were physical up front and we ran downhill which is something we struggled to do last year," the second-year coach said. "We have a lot of first time varsity players on the field and it was good for them to get that first game under their belt."
Still, there's a lot of work to do. Bell said it starts with the basics of executing properly and limiting mental mistakes, which he hopes the Storm can improve on this Friday against Rockbridge.
"I know Rockbridge always has good size," Bell said. "We just have to play sound, fundamental football and limit mistakes and penalties."
The Wildcats will also be looking to bounce back after a 55-14 loss to Parry McCluer last week.
MONTICELLO at WAYNESBORO, 7 P.M.
While special teams struggled a week ago, giving up two touchdowns, and the offense had trouble fishing blocks in a 35-7 loss to Alleghany a week ago, coach Brandon Jarvis said it wasn't all bad news.
"Our defensive unit played well," Jarvis said. "We forced two turnovers, had three three-and-outs, and a goal-line stand."
The Little Giants will face a 1-0 Monticello team Friday. The Mustangs beat William Monroe 42-28 a week ago. Waynesboro played in a 7v7 league at Monticello in the offseason, so they got a glimpse of the Mustangs.
"They have solid skill players and a quarterback with a strong arm," Jarvis said. "Our 7v7 scrimmages were always competitive so I expect the same this Friday night."
TURNER ASHBY at WILSON MEMORIAL, 7 P.M.
Willson Memorial was the only Shenandoah District team to come away with a win last week, easily handling Charlottesville 55-8 in Fishersville. The competition gets much tougher this week when Turner Ashby comes to town. The Knights pulled away from Fort a week ago for a 51-22 win. On paper, this is the best game of the weekend.
"They have about 20 seniors and they have some playmakers," Wilson coach Ryan Byrd said of TA. "Those guys have played together for a long time now while having success. We have to be mentally and physically prepared."
Turner Ashby quarterback Micah Shank threw for 113 yards and three touchdowns a week ago while rushing for nearly 100 yards. Wilson's Brayden Tyree scored four touchdowns and the Hornets defense scored on a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Byrd was pleased that his team won all three phases of the game against Charlottesville.
"I was very happy about how locked in and prepared our guys were," the rookie coach said. "It's always a good feeling when you see the upperclassmen doing what they need to, which then allows the younger players to get in and be successful and build their confidence."
RIVERHEADS at TAZEWELL, 1 P.M. (SATURDAY)
Tazewell and Riverheads have played the last four seasons and so far the Bulldogs from Southwest Virginia have yet to figure out a way to stay close to the Red Pride, much less beat them. Riverheads has won by 11, 37 and 23. The two will meet again Saturday afternoon.
The Gladiators will be without Cayden Cook-Cash, who left last week's one-point loss to Central Woodstock in the second half with an injury to his foot. Riverheads' coach Ray Norcross said Cook-Cash has nothing broken but will miss Saturday's game as he awaits an MRI.
"We'll go from there after that," Norcross said. "He's one of the best players in the area so we're going to miss him."
At the same time, the coach said this is an opportunity for younger players to get quality playing time, which should help down the road.
"If and when he comes back we'll be better for it," Norcross said.
The coach said he was happy with the way his team never gave up a week ago. There are a few adjustments he wants to make on the offensive side of the ball which he believes will help this week. Cook-Cash led the rushing attack a week ago with 129 yards despite not playing a full game. Austin Roberts, who scored his team's only touchdown on a 24-yard run, finished with 67 yards on the ground.
Norcross said Tazewell is a "typical Southwest Virginia team," calling the Bulldogs physical and tough.
"We've had success against them but this looks to be like one of their better teams," Norcross said. "So we'll have our work cut out for us."
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: High school football: Six Shenandoah District teams looking for first win of young season
