Ridgeview Wolfpack (5-0, 3-0 M7)
AT
Gate City Blue Devils (0-5, 0-2 M7)
When: Friday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Legion Field, Gate City, Va.
Series all time: Ridgeview leads 2-1 (Last meeting Ridgeview defeated Gate City 45-7 on September 29, 2017 in Rose Ridge, Va.)
Friday night’s matchup in Scott County sees two Mountain 7 district members hooking up and going in totally opposite directions. The Wolfpack of Ridgeview are on the upswing and have proved to be one of southwest Virginia’s elite programs so far in the 2018 season. The Gate City Blue Devils, once the program all schools strived to be, are struggling to find the success of years past. The Blue Devils are a combined 1-14 since the beginning of the 2017 season.
This year’s edition of the Blue Devils have shown flashes of life so far in 2018. The Devils led Class 3 Abingdon 13-3 early in the second quarter and also were competitive against TSSAA 4A Sullivan South. With Friday night being homecoming for the Devils, they will look to make a statement against the hungry Wolfpack.
The Blue Devils are led on offense by quarterback Jon Sallee. The junior signal caller is adept at leading the offense and will look to throw early and often against the Pack secondary. Other stalwarts of the Blue Devil offense are Levi Rhoten and Luke Reed at wide receiver and running back Logan Tomlinson. Punter Drew Vermillion is one of the best in all of SWVA, if not the state.
The Pack have had no problems utilizing their juggernaut offense so far in 2018. With the two headed monster that is Trenton Adkins and Matthew Sexton, the Pack continue to gobble up the yardage on the ground. The emergence of quarterback Tyler O’Quin in the pocket has kept the opposing defenses on their heels. Receivers McKenzie Sproles and Jacob Hensley will look to find open routes to catch O’Quin’s passes for huge gains.
The history of the series shows that the Wolfpack have been able to bring the pressure from the defensive line. The pressure has led to errant throws by the Blue Devils quarterbacks over the years. Austin Reynolds picked off three passes in 2015 to lead the Wolfpack to a landmark victory over the Blue Devils. The Wolfpack’s previous visit to Legion Field ended in a 49-14 thrashing by the Devils in 2016. The Pack will look to prove they can win on the road in a hostile environment.
Look for the Devils to test week five CoalfieldSports.com defensive player of the week, Carson Sykes and the Ridgeview defensive backs with passes early. Will the Devils defense provide the stiffest challenge yet for the tandem of Sexton and Adkins? The Pack and Blue Devil faithful will find out under the lights of venerable Legion Field on Friday night.
I was born a Haysi Tiger but unfortunately succumbed to a broken heart on a cold rainy afternoon in King William, Virginia on December 6, 2014.
However, I was reincarnated as a Wolf, and became a runner of the Ridgeview Wolfpack on August 28, 2015. You now hear me howling most autumn Friday nights high atop Rose Ridge in Dickenson County or anywhere else my Pack of hungry Wolves may be, from Grundy to Falcon Hill or from Ben Hur to Pikeville, Kentucky.
I never wolfed down (pun very intended) a Tiger Taco like Mr. Brady Hess, but I was and still am known to devour a pizza from Pizza Factory on Main Street in Haysi.
I have always wanted to write about sports and now I have the opportunity to thanks to those who have built this wonderful place on the world wide web. Hope y’all enjoy.
