Parry McCluer (6-4) at Grayson County (6-4)
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday
WHERE: Bill Strong Field in Independence. Tickets are $8.
MATCHUP: No. 6 Parry McCluer at No. 3 Grayson County
LAST MEETING : This is the first meeting between the Blues and THE Blue Devils.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS: Grayson County enters the playoff push on a roll, having won three in a row after stumbling to just two wins in the first six weeks of the season. The Blue Devils are led by twin brothers Maverick and Makray Goad, with Maverick calling signals at quarterback in the spread offense. Maverick tossed a 62-yard touchdown pass in last Friday’s 35-0 victory over Fort Chiswell and has had five total TDs, including three TD passes against Rye Cove a year ago, while Makray added an 11-yard TD run last Friday. They are not the only threats, however. Dazion Thompson, a sophomore, tallied a pair of touchdowns in the regular-season finale, and Parker Dowell, a junior, is a big-play threat out of the backfield as well. Up front, the Blue Devils are big, averaging nearly 250 pounds across the front, and defensively, they have been very stingy of late, allowing just six points during the three-game winning streak. Expect the Blue Devils to come out in a six-man front in an effort to stop PM’s running game. Grayson County also has playoff experience, going all the way to the state championship game last year, where the Blue Devils lost to Essex, 22-0.
SCOUTING THE BLUES: After struggling offensively through parts of the 2025 campaign, the Blues seem to have gotten their running game where they want it to be. PM ground out a season-high 481 yards rushing in last Friday’s 48-22 victory over Eastern Montgomery. Jacob Shafer accounted for 214 of those yards, and Nathan Glass chipped in with 120 yards and four rushing TDs. PM has also cleaned up some things over the last couple of weeks. After turning the ball over 15 times during a five-game stretch earlier this season, the Blues had only one against Eastern Montgomery, a fumble on the opening drive of the game. At the same time, PM committed only three penalties Friday, after averaging nearly eight violations per game over the previous nine contests. The Blues haven’t gone as deep in the playoffs as Grayson County did last year, having failed to advance past the first round since 2021, but they have earned a postseason berth for 14 consecutive seasons,
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: One of the biggest keys to victory for the Blues Friday will be patience. PM must realize that the proverbial three yards and a cloud of dust against a defense that will be designed to stop the run is not necessarily a bad thing. If the Blues can stay patient with the running game and control the clock, their chance of victory increases. At the same time, PM must avoid giving up the big play against an explosive offense. The Blues have surrendered 16 TDs of 20 yards or more this season and nine that covered 40 or more yards. That cannot happen if the Blues are going to advance; the secondary has to be better, and the three linebackers, paced by leading tacklers Shafer and Parker Snider, have to be tougher than ever. In short, if the Blues can keep it close and not panic if they fall behind, they have a chance. We think they will do just that and eke out a 21-14 victory.
