Stuarts Draft (3-1) at Rockbridge County (0-4) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium in Lexington. Tickets are $7.
LAST YEAR: Racking up 492 rushing yards and six touchdowns, Stuarts Draft cruised to a 52-14 home win over the Wildcats. Leading the Cougars was senior quarterback Derrick Moore, rushing for 149 yards and two TDs on eight carries while passing for 125 yards and one TD. Baylor Graber amassed 147 rushing yards and three rushing TDs, while Brandon Pritchett ran for 81 yards and one score. The Cougars led 45-0 at halftime and got a lot of their reserves in during the second half, when the Wildcats outscored them 14-7. The Wildcats scored all of their points in the fourth quarter, with Andrew Kelly making a 19-yard TD run, Taylan Tyree passing to Aiden Meyers for a 43-yard TD, and Meyers converting both extrapoint kicks. Draft went on to finish 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the Shenandoah District, ending its season with a 54-7 loss to Strasburg in the Region 2B championship game.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS: Although Moore has graduated, the Cougars have a strong quarterback in sophomore Jake Yow. During Draft’s 21-10 home win over district rival Fort Defiance last Friday, Yow passed for 235 yards and a touchdown and also snagged an interception. The Cougars struggled with penalties, but they came up with a big goal-line stand on defense in the third quarter to keep the Indians from making a serious comeback. Graber and Pritchett are threats on the ground for the Cougars, so expect the Wildcats to have their hands full trying to stop them. Draft’s loss this year was a 49-26 setback at Luray on Sept. 4, but the Cougars bounced back with a 28-24 road win over Riverheads in their district opener on Sept. 11.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: The Wildcats have had a rough start to the season and are struggling with injuries. After a strong effort in a 16-8 home loss to Staunton on Sept. 11, RC suffered a 49-13 loss to Waynesboro in a game between teams that entered the game winless. RC showed some promise against Staunton, with Carson Fridley scoring on a 60-yard interception return, but 13 penalties for 90 yards hurt the Wildcats. If the Wildcats are going to compete against the Cougars, they’ll need to play well offensively and defensively and minimize penalties.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: T he Wildcats’ journey only gets tougher, and we see the Cougars using their offensive weapons and strong defense to build up a big lead. Look for the Wildcats to get some points on the board, though, and use this game as a learning experience. We see Draft dealing the Wildcats a 56-14 loss.
