The football season is finally here as both Lord Botetourt and James River open play Friday night. The Cavaliers will be home against E.C. Glass, while the Knights travel to Buffalo Gap with both games scheduled for 7 p.m. kickoffs.
LB wrapped up the preseason with a three-team scrimmage against Jefferson Forest and Bluefield in Forest last Friday. The Cavaliers had two weeks of tough scrimmages, going against Dobyns-Bennett the week prior, and that should help them prepare for a good team like Glass.
“They’re big, fast and athletic,” said LB coach Jamie Harless of the Hilltoppers. “They can run and throw it. They have an extremely fast defense and they’re aggressive. Their players get after it.”
The same two teams opened the season last year and Glass took a 41-30 win in Lynchburg. The Toppers went on to have an 8-2 regular season before falling to Louisa County in the first round of the Region 3D tournament.
James River hosted North Cross and Bath County in their final scrimmage last Friday night in Springwood. They entertained the Bison in the season opener last year and lost 30-7, so they’ll be looking to turn that result around when they return the trip Friday.
“They’re pretty good. I don’t think they look as good as they did last year but that doesn’t matter,” said River coach Tim Jennings. “They have some size and they want to play physical football. We have to be able to match that physicality on the line of scrimmage for four quarters. That is our focus all year. We have to play four good quarters week in and week out.”
The Knights have their bye the second week of the season and won’t have a home game until Covington visits on September 16. Look for previews of both the James River and Lord Botetourt football teams in a special section included in this week’s Fincastle Herald.