Football Preview - Fauquier at James Wood

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: James Wood’s Kelican Stadium in Winchester.

Records: Fauquier Falcons (2-2); James Wood Colonels (2-2).

Last week: Fauquier beat Millbrook 29-21; James Wood beat Strasburg 40-20.

Last year: Fauquier won 21-20.

Preview: Riding their first two-game winning streak in three years, Mark McHale has noticed an “extra bounce” in the step of his football team this week.

But the James Wood coach knows there’s no time to take it easy, and he’s been impressed with the focus of the Colonels.

“They’re happy with the way the last two weeks have gone, but they know that they have to keep playing well if they want to keep winning,” said McHale, who watched James Wood snap a two-year 1-9 streak with an impressive win over Strasburg last week. “It’s going to take the same formula we had the last two weeks and they’re focused on doing the right thing.”

Fauquier comes in having alternated wins and losses this season, with the most recent being a 48-6 blowout loss to Handley and a 29-21 win over Millbrook that McHale said was more one-sided then the final score indicated.

The Falcons are led by the senior tandem of quarterback Louis Heisler (9 for 12 for 76 yards and a touchdown, 58 yards rushing and a touchdown against Millbrook) and running back Briar Thomas (27 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Pioneers).

“They have a two-back set they like to run the ball out of and I think they’ll try and establish that first and make us show that we can stop it,” McHale said. “They just hammer it right up there with [Thomas] and [Heisler] is a good passer if you bring too many people up.”

After managing just 12 points through the first two games of the season, the Colonels have been lighting up the scoreboard of late thanks to the play of senior quarterback Brady Hepner (22 for 43 for 527 yards and six touchdowns, 23 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns).

McHale has liked what he’s seen in the ground game — James Wood gashed Strasburg with the read-option — but he knows that Fauquier will pose a tough challenge.

“I think we’re definitely going up against a much better defense than we have in the past two weeks,” McHale said. “They’re really big at the linebacker position and they’re a good football team. We have to come out and play the way we’ve been playing.”