By Marty Gordon
Christiansburg might have proven last week it is the real deal. After a convincing 31-14 win over a 6-1 Patrick Henry team, the Blue Demons are in the driver’s seat for the Class 3D top seed.
In the latest Class 3 MaxPreps poll, Christiansburg is number two in the state of Virginia behind Liberty Christian.
The Virginia High School League released its latest points standings Monday afternoon with Christiansburg holding down the top spot in Region 3D with Hidden Valley in third. In 2C, Glenvar claims the top spot; Radford is fourth. In 1C, Eastern Montgomery remains in play in the top five.
Under the classification points scale system, teams receive game points regardless of whether they win or lose but earn significantly more points for winning. For example, a team will earn 26 points for beating a Class 6 team but will receive only 14 points for losing to a Class 6 team.
Bonus points (also known as rider points) are what separate great teams from good teams. For each opponent a team beats, they receive two bonus points for each win that opponent has during the season. For opponents a team loses to, they receive only one bonus point for each win that opponent has during the season.
Radford and Glenvar will clash this Friday night with the Three Rivers District title on the line. In the latest Class 2 state poll by Max Preps, Glenvar is ranked sixth and Radford 10th. Giles is 19th.
Meanwhile the news from Riner is a downer as Auburn will not play its final three games. The lack of numbers killed the junior varsity team, and the varsity roster has been week-to-week.
Head Coach David Seabaugh confirmed on Sunday they were done for the season, and the Eagles will finish 0-4 for the fall.
Auburn, which fielded a team heavy on underclassmen, was outscored 116-7 and took a 33-0 loss in its latest game on Oct. 8 to Grayson County. Other losses were 33-0 to Eastern Montgomery, 26-7 to Craig County and 26-0 to Narrows. Active numbers had fallen off to as little as ten during the past few weeks, making it difficult to both field a team and to practice.
Area Power Five: 1) Salem, 2) Christiansburg, 3) Radford, 4) Glenvar, 5) Giles.
Games this week:
Cave Spring (2-6) at Christiansburg (7-1)
Last week: Salem shut out Cave 35-0, limiting them to 35 yards of total offense. Cave is 0-4 in River Ridge District play with its only wins coming against William Byrd and Alleghany. They have been outscored 196 to 120 so far this season.
Christiansburg dominated Patrick Henry as running back Stephan Mrythil ran 19 times for 126 yards with two touchdowns. He also picked up a fumble and ran it in for another score. The defense held Patrick Henry to 26 yards on the ground and 106 through the air. In addition, the Blue Demons recorded six sacks.
Prediction: Christiansburg 40, Cave Spring 8
Blacksburg (0-8) at Graham (7-0)
Last week: Zack Blevins led Graham to a 58-18 win over Pulaski as he passed for 147 yards with three touchdowns and ran for another touchdown with 17 carries and131 yards. Braden Watkins finished with three passes and two touchdowns on 100 yards.
Blacksburg was shut out 35-0 in a River Ridge game against Hidden Valley.
Prediction: Graham 48, Blacksburg 7
Eastern Montgomery (4-4) at Covington (3-3)
Last week: Eastern Montgomery took it on the chin 46-14 in a Pioneer District battle with Narrows. Seth Burleson rushed 20 times for 136 yards with a score.
Covington is 2-1 in district play and fell 35-6 in its latest game with Parry McCluer. The team’s other losses have come to James River and Staunton River.
Prediction: Covington 40, Eastern Montgomery 35
Radford (6-2) at Glenvar (7-1)
Last week: Defense was the name of the game for Radford in a 42-7 win over Floyd County. Landen Clark had two interceptions for touchdowns. On offense, quarterback Marcell Baylor three four touchdown passes on 12 of 18 for 193 yards. Elliott Grayson twice was on the end of the scores.
Glenvar squeaked by with a 24-21 win over James River. Their only loss this season was 55-51 in a shootout with Hidden Valley. This week’s game will come down to who has the football in the final two minutes of the game.
Prediction: Radford 32, Glenvar 30.