Rockbridge County (0-6) at Wilson Memorial (4-1) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Wilson Memorial High School in Fishersville. Tickets are $7.
LAST MEETING: These two teams last met in September 2022 in Fishersville, when former RC head coach Martin Cox was in his first year of coaching the Wildcats, with the Green Hornets cruising to a 34-2 win. WM racked up 365 total yards of offense while holding RC to 144 yards, and the Green Hornets scored three touchdowns in the first half to take a 20-0 halftime lead. After WM added two more TDs in the third quarter, the Wildcats avoided the shutout with a safety in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats committed five turnovers, with three interceptions and two fumbles. RC and WM weren’t district opponents then, but now they are both in the Shenandoah District.
SCOUTING THE GREEN HORNETS: Wilson has shut out both of its last two opponents, defeating Riverheads 14-0 on Sept. 26 before beating Fort Defiance 21-0 last Friday to improve to 3-0 in the district. WM’s other district win was a 35-18 victory on Sept. 12 over Buffalo Gap, which just beat the Wildcats 55-9 last Friday. The Green Hornets’ only loss was a 28-7 setback against Turner Ashby on Sept. 19, and they started their season by routing Spotswood 28-0.
In last Friday’s game, WM’s Keyvon Jones got the offense going with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Deaver, WM’s quarterback. The Hornets also scored on a 7-yard run by Ainsley McAllister and a deep TD pass from Deaver to Isaiah Scott.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Missing several players due to injuries from last Friday’s home loss to Buffalo Gap, the Wildcats enter this Friday’s game knowing they’ll have their hands full in trying to compete with the Green Hornets. RC has struggled both offensively and defensively the last two weeks, and they’ll need more than just two players running the ball to be successful. The 28-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter last Friday by freshman quarterback Taylan Tyree was a confidence booster in an otherwise disappointing game for the Wildcats, but WM is a much more formidable opponent than Gap.
THENEWS-GAZETTE’SPICK: We expect the Wildcats to prepare well for this game, but Wilson has too many weapons to deal with. We think the Wildcats will avoid the shutout, but we see the Green Hornets dealing them a 42-7 loss.
