Parry McCluer (4-2) at Narrows (1-4) WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday WHERE: Ragsdale Field in Narrows. Tickets are $7.
LAST MEETING: The last time the Blues met the Green Wave was in the first round of the Region 1 C playoffs, when Narrows rolled to a 52-14 victory. The Green Wave broke open a 14-14 game by scoring on four straight possessions to take a 42-14 lead into halftime and cruise to the win. Narrows piled up 490 yards of total offense, including 324 passing yards and six touchdown passes. Meanwhile, the Blues, playing without injured quarterback Nathan Glass and led by Jackson Brockenbrough’s 77 yards rushing, managed only 208 yards of offense, most of those coming in the first quarter and a half.
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE: The 2025 season has been very unlike Narrows so far, as the Green Wave, playing a tough non-district schedule, has limped to a 1-4 record. The most recent setback was a 38-8 loss to James Monroe (W.Va.), a game in which the only Green Wave score was a kickoff return by Elijah Knoetze. Narrows has struggled offensively of late, mustering only one offensive touchdown in the last three games, but the Green Wave does boast a pair of potentially explosive ball carriers. Knoetze, rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the only victory of the year for Narrows, while Cooper Helvey added 149 yards in that game against Honaker. Quarterback Parker Bryan, a sophomore in his first season under center, will call signals for the Narrows offense, which will run primarily out of the shotgun set. The defense surrendered more than 30 points per game in the four losses.
SCOUTING THE BLUES: Parry McCluer put together a solid game in its return home after a three-game road swing, if it was not for those miscues. The Blues compiled 437 yards of offense, including 362 on the ground thanks to the efforts of Parker Snider (nine carries, 148 yards) and Nathan Glass (9 carries 112 yards), and held Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy to just 89 yards of total offense. However, the Blues committed 12 penalties for 115 yards, often keeping alive SMLCA drives that otherwise would have stalled and sometimes wiping out their own big plays. Parry McCluer also had three turnovers in the contest. When they were not hurting themselves, however, the Blues moved the ball at will, racking up 20 first downs and scoring on five of seven possessions that did not end in a turnover. One of those was the final drive of the night when the Blues ran out the clock.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: History has to come into play as Parry McCluer and Narrows open the Pioneer District slate Friday night in Narrows. The Green Wave holds a 9-6 edge in the series and has won the last four in a row, outscoring the Blues 17548 in those contests. Parry Mc-Cluer is just 1-6 at Ragsdale Field since Narrows joined the Pioneer District and has dropped seven of the last 10 games against their rivals. The last PM win in the series was a 36-8 playoff victory in 2021. Narrows will be trying to find a way to get the offense rolling in this one, while the Blues, who have eight turnovers in the last three games, will be looking to clean things up. There have not been many close games in this heated rivalry, but Friday’s will be nip and tuck. Our pick is for Narrows to pull away late and take the 35-20 victory.
