Wilson Memorial (2-3) at Rockbridge County (0-6) WHEN: 7 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Prasnicki-Ross Field at Veterans Stadium in Lexington. Tickets are $7.
LAST YEAR: Wilson Memorial cruised to a 52-0 win over the visiting Wildcats in RC’s first shutout loss of last season. The Green Hornets, who would make it to the Region 3C semifinals before falling to Liberty Christian Academy, scored on their first five possessions to race to a 35-0 lead over the Wildcats in the first quarter. WM led 49-0 at halftime, and Maddox Woods converted a 20-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Keyvon Jones and Matthew Sisk each rushed for two touchdowns for the Hornets. RC freshman quarterback Taylan Tyree went out with a concussion after he was hit in the second quarter, and Carson Fridley did a solid job replacing him, passing for 36 yards.
SCOUTING THE GREEN HORNETS: WM isn’t quite the powerhouse it was last year, but the Hornets came up with a clutch home win last Friday, as Woods converted a 38-yard field goal with 17.6 seconds left to lift his team to a 22-21 victory over Fort Defiance. The win snapped a three-game losing streak, but WM’s district losses were close ones, 14-7 against Buffalo Gap on Sept. 11 and 29-24 against Riverheads on Sept. 25. Helping set up Woods for the game-winning kick last Friday was running back Clinton Coffey, who carried the ball 11 times in 15 plays before the kick. Coffey rushed for 162 yards and a TD on 28 carries. Woods also made a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter, and WM scored on a 34-yard pass from Logan Podgorski to Nolan Deaver in the first quarter. WM’s defense has been solid this season, only allowing more than 30 points once.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: After the Wildcats showed some improvement in their 35-21 loss to Stuarts Draft on Sept. 25, they seemed to take a step back in their 59-14 loss at Buffalo Gap last Friday. A bright spot has been Tyree, who has passed for five TDs in the last two games, but the Wildcats struggled to run the ball against Gap, with just 65 rushing yards last Friday. RC’s defense will need to step up to compete with WM.
THE NEWS-GAZETTE’S PICK: The Wildcats’ homecoming game is certainly winnable, but RC will have to improve and execute plays against a WM team that’s probably better than its record. The Hornets will be riding the momentum of last week’s big win, and they’ll be motivated as a team trying to earn a spot in the Region 3C playoffs. We see the Wildcats playing better, but we expect WM to deal them a 31-21 loss.
