When: Tonight, 7

Where: James Wood’s Jerry L. Kelican Stadium, Winchester

Records: Skyline (3-0, 0-0 Northwestern District); James Wood (1-3, 0-0)

Last week: Skyline beat Brentsville 39-0; James Wood lost to Hedgesville (W.Va.) 27-19

Last year: Skyline won 24-17

Preview: If ever there was a team in need of a clean slate it’s James Wood.

After opening the season with a 30-27 win on the road at Heritage, the Colonels have dropped three straight and been outscored 120-38 in the process.

James Wood has been battered and bruised and coach Mike Bolin knows there are plenty of things his squad needs to improve on.

“The thing is we’ve just got to execute better,” Bolin said. “We’ve got to do a better job of holding onto the football. Penalties are really hurting us as well. We’re putting ourselves in too many long-yardage situations.”
But as the saying goes, a win can cure a lot of ills, and a district win can go even further.

The Colonels open up Northwestern District play against a Skyline time that has been the polar opposite of them this season, bursting out of the game to a 3-0 start that has the fans in Front Royal buzzing.

“It’s been great for our confidence,” said Skyline coach Heath Gilbert. “Ever since the Sherando game last year (Skyline beat the Warriors 15-7), that was a key moment for us. The kids believe in themselves now.”

That being said, Gilbert said he has tried to make sure all week that the Hawks don’t take the Colonels lightly.

“First thing we told our kids was to not even look at the records,” Gilbert said. “Up front [James Wood] is a tough, physical team. They’re off to a slow start, but so were we last year and we were able to turn it around. The start of district is a whole new season.”

That’s exactly what James Wood is hoping for, especially after turning the ball over six times in last week’s loss at Hedgesville (W.Va.).

Bolin said a few people have been moved around, but for the most part the Colonels will stick with their schemes and focus on improved execution.

Running back Dallas Corbin (237 rushing yards, 1 TD) returned last week from injury and senior quarterback Cam Butler (455 yards passing, 3 TDs) has been able to make plays at times.

But the biggest issue for the Colonels has been on the defensive side of the ball and Skyline will not make it any easier on them.

In senior quarterback Aaron Jeremiah (459 yards passing, 4 TDs and 147 yards rushing, 3 TDs) the Hawks have a dual threat in the backfield and Kylmen Breeden (147 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 152 yards receiving, 1 TD) can score from anywhere on the field.

Bolin knows that in order for James Wood to get a win tonight, the defense will have to find a way to slow down the Skyline attack.

“You can’t really key on any one thing, because then they’ll hit you with something else,” Bolin said. “We’ve got to make basic reads and react to what we see, because they’ve got a lot of really good players.”