Well, maybe but I still have my doubts. Yes, we are down to just two unbeatens now, and yes those two (Alleghany and Buffalo Gap) will collide in Covington this Friday night, which will mean that only one team will still be unbeaten in district play. But I still think the district is too evenly-matched this year and that Friday night's winner, whoever it may be, still may not run the table.
To validate that point, think about how many games so far have been decided by just one possession. I know Riverheads has had three in a row (four if you count the non-district win over Altavista), but also Alleghany has won two close ones, Buffalo Gap beat Wilson by just a touchdown, Staunton beat both Rockbridge and Waynesboro by one TD, and just Friday night, Wilson only scraped by Fort Defiance by a single point. There may even be others that I am not remembering.
In fact, this coming Friday, we not only have the big showdown in Covington, but all three of the other Shenandoah games have the potential to go down to the wire. Waynesboro is the team that takes the night off this week, so at least they won't have to sweat out a tough fourth quarter.
So here is this week's four-game line-up and in each case I can guarantee the winner.....................
............will be the team that scores the most points.
BUFFALO GAP AT ALLEGHANY: For a while the Bison looked like no one could even score on them, much less beat them. But then Fort Defiance scored 21 on them, showing they were human after all. No matter what happens Friday, they have been the surprise team of the district and they will still have a lot to say about how things turn out. Not to mention a potential playoff run. As for Alleghany, I was more impressed with their win at Stuarts Draft (which gave those Cougars their first district loss) than I was with their win at Staunton. So I still can't bring myself to consider them world-beaters. Having said that, I will go with the Cougars by........you guessed it......a touchdown or less.
RIVERHEADS AT FORT DEFIANCE: For years, Gladiator fans could count on two or three games each year with a running clock at the end. But other than their first game down at Smith Mountain Lake, they have had to scratch and claw every Friday night. They are only 2-2 in those closer games, but certainly could be unbeaten themselves at this point with just a break or two. As for the Indians, their game at Wilson shocked me in terms of how close it was, so it likely indicates that they are turning a corner. Comparing scores, RHS has done better against all three of the other county schools than the Indians have, so I have to think the Gladiators are the better team and can win this one. But just to follow the pattern I described above, no reason to think it will be easy for either team.
WILSON AT ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY: At the beginning of the season, this would have been an easy pencil-it-in win for the Green Team. But things have not exactly gone as planned over there. However, their talent is as good as anybody else out there, so they will still have plenty to say about the rest of the season. Rockbridge may still be winless, but if you look at their home games with both Staunton and Stuarts Draft, they did not exactly lay down and give up. On paper, Wilson looks like a 2-3 touchdown favorite, but if they don't show up ready to play, this could be the week the Wildcats get some breaks and pull a shocker.
STUARTS DRAFT AT STAUNTON: The Storm is certainly a tough team to figure out. Are they the team that barely survived Rockbridge and Waynesboro or are they the team that scared the pants off Alleghany? As for SD, they will have to bounce back from Friday's loss and realize that they are still very much in the race for the title. I believe I am correct that in their last trip to Gypsy Hill, the Cougars came in as heavy favorites but left with a loss. So the team that remembers that game, and plays accordingly, may be the winner in this one. I will go with the Cougars but a Staunton win will not be a complete surprise, since it happened before.
To validate that point, think about how many games so far have been decided by just one possession. I know Riverheads has had three in a row (four if you count the non-district win over Altavista), but also Alleghany has won two close ones, Buffalo Gap beat Wilson by just a touchdown, Staunton beat both Rockbridge and Waynesboro by one TD, and just Friday night, Wilson only scraped by Fort Defiance by a single point. There may even be others that I am not remembering.
In fact, this coming Friday, we not only have the big showdown in Covington, but all three of the other Shenandoah games have the potential to go down to the wire. Waynesboro is the team that takes the night off this week, so at least they won't have to sweat out a tough fourth quarter.
So here is this week's four-game line-up and in each case I can guarantee the winner.....................
............will be the team that scores the most points.
BUFFALO GAP AT ALLEGHANY: For a while the Bison looked like no one could even score on them, much less beat them. But then Fort Defiance scored 21 on them, showing they were human after all. No matter what happens Friday, they have been the surprise team of the district and they will still have a lot to say about how things turn out. Not to mention a potential playoff run. As for Alleghany, I was more impressed with their win at Stuarts Draft (which gave those Cougars their first district loss) than I was with their win at Staunton. So I still can't bring myself to consider them world-beaters. Having said that, I will go with the Cougars by........you guessed it......a touchdown or less.
RIVERHEADS AT FORT DEFIANCE: For years, Gladiator fans could count on two or three games each year with a running clock at the end. But other than their first game down at Smith Mountain Lake, they have had to scratch and claw every Friday night. They are only 2-2 in those closer games, but certainly could be unbeaten themselves at this point with just a break or two. As for the Indians, their game at Wilson shocked me in terms of how close it was, so it likely indicates that they are turning a corner. Comparing scores, RHS has done better against all three of the other county schools than the Indians have, so I have to think the Gladiators are the better team and can win this one. But just to follow the pattern I described above, no reason to think it will be easy for either team.
WILSON AT ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY: At the beginning of the season, this would have been an easy pencil-it-in win for the Green Team. But things have not exactly gone as planned over there. However, their talent is as good as anybody else out there, so they will still have plenty to say about the rest of the season. Rockbridge may still be winless, but if you look at their home games with both Staunton and Stuarts Draft, they did not exactly lay down and give up. On paper, Wilson looks like a 2-3 touchdown favorite, but if they don't show up ready to play, this could be the week the Wildcats get some breaks and pull a shocker.
STUARTS DRAFT AT STAUNTON: The Storm is certainly a tough team to figure out. Are they the team that barely survived Rockbridge and Waynesboro or are they the team that scared the pants off Alleghany? As for SD, they will have to bounce back from Friday's loss and realize that they are still very much in the race for the title. I believe I am correct that in their last trip to Gypsy Hill, the Cougars came in as heavy favorites but left with a loss. So the team that remembers that game, and plays accordingly, may be the winner in this one. I will go with the Cougars but a Staunton win will not be a complete surprise, since it happened before.
