Posted: October 5, 2012
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI

STEPHENS CITY — As the James Wood football team made its way down the field in the final minute last year, the Sherando officials standing on the sideline at the Colonels’ Jerry L. Kelican Stadium were by no means thrilled, but they couldn’t help but marvel at what they were watching.

“It’s like this every year,” one said.

When it comes to local sports drama, there’s nothing quite like the James Wood-Sherando football series, which continues at 7:05 tonight at the Warriors’ Arrowhead Stadium.

“If they score first, we’ve got to keep our heads up, because the game’s not over,” James Wood senior lineman Erik Bearer said. “I don’t know how many years the games have been decided by seven points or less, but that’s too close of a margin to ever give up.”

Though the details have been repeated many times, they bear repeating again.

The Frederick County and Northwestern District rivals have played some classics since 2006. In eight meetings over the last six seasons (they’ve met twice in the playoffs), seven have been decided by six points or less. Six have been decided in the final 13 seconds.
Four have been decided on the final play, including last year’s game. With James Wood trailing 21-14 with three seconds left, the Colonels had a fourth-and-goal from the Sherando 5, but a Warriors sack allowed Sherando to secure the victory.

The Warriors have won seven of those meetings (and hold an overall 19-2 lead in the series), with their only loss coming despite a school-record 403-yard passing performance from former Sherando and current South Alabama quarterback Ross Metheny in his final high school game in 2008.

And while Sherando (2-3, 0-0 Northwestern District, 50-7 winners over Jefferson, W.Va., in its last game two weeks ago) is seemingly coming in hotter than the Colonels (1-5, 0-1, losers of five straight, including 32-7 to Warren County last week), last year’s game serves as a clear example that it’s never easy for one of these teams to put the other away.

Last year a 3-2 Sherando team looked like it might cruise against the 2-4 Colonels after opening the game with two dominant drives to take an early 14-0 lead, but James Wood recovered to force another thrilling finish.

The Warriors would certainly take last year’s start again in a heartbeat.

“It’s great to come out and lay the first punch down,” said senior Taylor Loudan, who leads the area with 639 yards rushing (averaging 9.7 yards per rush), with four touchdowns. “That kind of sets the momentum for the game. We just have to have the right mind-set going into the game and the right approach to it, and I think that will help us get a win.”

The key for the Warriors is to maintain a strong start. Sherando scored in every quarter against Jefferson, with 27 of those points coming in the second quarter.

Sherando coach Bill Hall said the Warriors’ practice mentality has improved over the course of the season, and that helped produce efforts like the one they had against the Cougars.

“We want to play four quarters,” Hall said. “You have to think like, ‘How are we going to win every play?’ And then if you can string that together for 150 plays, that’s how you’re going to be successful.

“It’s always been close games with James Wood, and we’re expecting their best effort. They have a lot they want to improve, and we have a lot we want to improve. It’s going to be about us focusing on what we need to do every play.”

As always, these are two teams that like to run the ball most plays, and they come into this game on opposite ends of the spectrum. Sherando (200 rushing yards per game) picked up 287 yards on the ground against Jefferson and held the Cougars to minus-5 yards, improving the team’s run defense to 86.6 ypg allowed.

“[James Wood is] big up front, and I don’t think there’s any big secrets with what each of us want to do,” Hall said.

Against Warren County — ranked 10th in Group AA by the Virginia Associated Press — 14 of the Colonels’ 27 rushing attempts went for zero or negative yards in an 89-yard night. James Wood is averaging 119.8 rushing ypg and allowing 255.2 rushing ypg after giving up 352 on the ground to Warren County.

Bearer said the Colonels simply need to do a better job of blocking and tackling, and James Wood coach Mike Bolin doesn’t think the Colonels are far off from where they want to be from an execution standpoint.

“We’ve got to get more guys to the football, and we’ve got to sustain our blocks a little bit longer,” Bolin said. “We’re not playing as bad [as our record indicates]. If you watch us, we’re just a step away, we’re a block away.

“If we clean that up, and spring some things, and get some breaks, and get some turnovers, that will be good for us.”

James Wood has forced only three turnovers since forcing five in its season-opening win against Heritage.

Limiting turnovers is just as important — the Colonels have had at least one turnover in every game, including six three weeks ago against Hedgesville (W.Va.) and three last week.

“We’ve got to finish drives and put more points on the board, and I’ll take full blame for that,” said James Wood junior quarterback Cam Butler (58 of 124 for 722 yards, four touchdowns, six interceptions). “We get to [an opponent’s] 20 and 15-yard line, and we just stall out.”

Bolin said another huge key will be containing Sherando junior quarterback Reid Entsminger, because no matter how well the Colonels might think they’ve defended a particular play, Entsminger can nullify that with his running ability. Entsminger (429 yards passing) ranks seventh in the area with 181 rushing yards.

“It’s hard to prepare for that,” Bolin said.

In what’s usually been the case in recent years, Sherando has had two weeks to prepare for this game. Just as important, the Warriors had two weeks to focus on themselves, and they hope that the work they’ve put in launches them into the district season in style tonight.

“We want to make the big plays, and lay the wood. Burn the Wood,” said Entsminger, smiling as he referenced a common phrase associated with this rivalry. “District play is where it gets fun.”

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