No. 1 James Monroe hosts Sherman tonight
Nov. 10—LINDSIDE — Sherman High School, as it turns out, really is named after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, who led an imfamous "March to the Sea" that seriously limited the Confederacy's ability to continue prosecuting the war.
WVSSAC Class A No. 1 James Monroe (8-1) will seek to prohibit No. 16 Sherman (6-4) from marching to the end zone in tonight's 7:30 p.m. first round playoff game at H.E. Comer Sports Complex at Linside.
The Mavericks defense has pitched a pair of shutouts this season while holding Narrows' high-scoring offense to six points. James Monroe's offense gets a lot of attention, but the defense — for the most part — has been equally impressive.
The Tide are coming off a 45-14 win over Ritchie County, so they know what the end zone looks like. So the JM defense sees a challenge coming down the road. Sherman quarterback Andrew Simpson runs the football a lot. This makes sense. He's a former running back.
"I really like that kid at quarterback. He's a runner," said Mavs head coach John Mustain, whose team is coming off a 35-32 win over Bluefield.
"I'm not going to say he can't pass, but he looks to run. They design run plays for him and he can get down the field. He's a smooth player," Mustain said.
James Monroe quarterback Layton Dowdy certainly can throw the football, having completed 70 of 102 passing attempts for 834 yards and 12 touchdowns. Chaz Boggs (23-443, 10 TDs) is his number one receiver. Cooper Ridgeway is the Mavericks' top rusher with 950 yards and 16 TDs.
