October football has arrived, and Greg Tester and the Southern Gap Eagles have plenty for Buchanan County to talk about.
The Eagles defeated Richlands 61-21 last Friday night at home, boosting their record to 4-2 overall and starting Southwest District play with a win. This victory ended a 20-year drought for Buchanan County teams against the Blue Tornado. After six games in their inaugural season, Southern Gap ranks fifth in the Region 2D power standings. Their next matchup is on the road at Tazewell, just before the Eagles’ second bye week. That’s one benefit of playing in Week 0. The Southern Gap will host River View W.V. for homecoming, followed by back-to-back road trips to Eastside and Wise Central to finish out the inaugural regular season.
That is a pretty good place to be. It also leaves the Eagles with something to chase.
As we look at the playoff picture heading into Week 8, Southern Gap has a power rating of 17.33. Graham leads Region 2D at 22.00, followed by Ridgeview at 20.40, Gate City at 19.67 and Union at 19.33.
The Eagles are right behind that group, with Virginia High, Tazewell and Lebanon filling out the current top eight.
The top eight teams qualify for the regional playoffs, with the top four hosting a first-round game, so Southern Gap is on the right side of the line today. But there is a lot of football between being fifth in early October and earning a postseason spot in November.
Nobody needs to start making travel plans just yet.
Still, I like where the Eagles are sitting. They have won three straight, and the offense has put up 63 points against Giles, 46 against Honaker and now 61 against Richlands. That is 170 points over three games.
Whatever else you take from those scores, Southern Gap is finding ways to get into the end zone.
The next challenge is carrying that momentum into Tazewell on Oct. 9. The Bulldogs are seventh in the regional rankings at 16.60 and improved to 3-2 with an 11-0 shutout of Virginia High.
That result should get the Eagles’ attention. Tazewell held sixth-ranked Virginia High scoreless, and quarterback Ty Wittaker has put up massive numbers this year. Southern Gap will have to earn what it gets on the road.
For two teams separated by just two places in the rankings, that game carries plenty of weight.
Elsewhere in Region 2D, Graham took care of business with a 56-7 victory at Marion. The G-Men are 4-1 and remain the team everybody else is chasing in the ratings.
Gate City earned one of Friday’s biggest wins, beating Union 21-15. Both teams are now 4-2, but the Blue Devils hold third place ahead of the fourth-place Bears.
That is another reminder that records alone do not tell the whole playoff story. Southern Gap also has four wins and two losses, yet sits behind both.
Virginia High’s loss at Tazewell dropped the Bearcats to 4-3. Their 16.71 rating leaves them just ahead of the Bulldogs, while Lebanon holds eighth at 15.67 after beating John Battle 41-11.
If you want a race to watch beyond our Eagles, keep an eye on that final playoff position.
Wise Central is ninth at 15.60, just seven-hundredths of a point behind Lebanon. There is hardly any breathing room there. Lee is 10th at 14.00 after losing 34-20 to unbeaten Rye Cove.
Marion, John Battle and Richlands round out the Region 2D rankings at 10.20, 10.17 and 9.83, respectively.
Over in Region 1D, Rye Cove and Chilhowie are making a strong case that the road through the region could run through one of their fields.
Both are 6-0. Rye Cove holds the top spot at 20.67 after its win at Lee, with Chilhowie close behind at 20.33 following a 46-12 victory over Honaker.
We have already seen what Rye Cove can do. Southern Gap battled the Eagles in a 35-24 loss earlier this season, and Rye Cove has kept right on winning.
Patrick Henry, under head coach Austin Cooper, my nephew, is third at 19.33 and improved to 5-1 by beating Rural Retreat 55-22. The Rebels from Glade Springs are close enough to keep the two unbeaten teams looking over their shoulders.
Northwood sits fourth at 16.40 after a 42-13 victory over Castlewood, while Holston is fifth at 14.67 following a 28-6 win over Fort Chiswell.
Eastside shook off a slow start to deliver a convincing 33-0 victory over J.I. Burton. The Spartans are sixth at 13.60, with Burton seventh at 12.50.
Honaker holds the eighth spot at 12.33 despite a 1-5 record. That shows why you can’t rule a team out of the playoff conversation based on wins and losses alone.
Thomas Walker is ninth at 11.40, followed by Rural Retreat at 11.17, Twin Springs at 8.50 and Castlewood at 8.00. For now, those four are outside the eight-team field.
These rankings show where everybody stands, but October has a way of moving things around. A big win, a tough loss and results elsewhere can change the conversation in a hurry.
For Southern Gap, the immediate job is clear: Keep winning and give yourself a chance to climb.
The Eagles have put themselves in the postseason conversation in their first season together. Now comes the part where every Friday feels a little bigger.
Next stop, Tazewell.
“Thanks for joining me In the Locker Room. Until next week, let’s keep celebrating the victories, learning from the defeats, and always standing behind Buchanan County’s athletes.”
