The Rockbridge County High School football team earned its first win of the season with a 26-17 road victory over Valley District rival Harrisonburg on Friday night.
Senior Jayden Layman and sophomore Elijah Watkins each scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats (1-6 overall, 1-2 district), who snapped a 17-game losing streak that dated back to November 2022. RC’s last win was a 44-23 victory against Harrisonburg in late October 2022.
On Friday, the Blue Streaks (0-6, 0-2) took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on a 29-yard field goal by Selvin Claros Ayala and then on a 35-yard TD run by Juan Rodridguez, with Ayala making the extra-point kick.
The Wildcats responded in the second quarter with a 3-yard TD run by Layman, and an extra-point kick by Aiden Meyers cut Harrisonburg’s lead to 10-7 with 7:27 left in the first half. RC took a 13-10 lead when, after making several passes, Watkins ran up the middle for a 1-yard TD with 1:15 left in the first half.
In the third quarter, Layman made a 14-yard TD run with 4:20 left, and Meyers converted the PAT to extend RC’s lead to 20-10. Harrisonburg trimmed the Wildcats’ lead to 20-17 when Yandel Robles made a 20-yard TD pass to Joel Friebe-Makinto, followed by a PAT by Ayala with 2:09 left in the quarter.
RC scored the final TD of the game on a 1-yard plunge by Watkins with nine minutes left.
The Wildcats will have a bye next week before continuing district action with their homecoming game against Spotswood on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. For the full story, photos and stats, please see our Oct. 16 newspaper.
For the full story, photos and stats, please see our Oct. 16 newspaper.
