GAMEDAY: Ferrum @ Emory and Henry

And so begins the 2017 season, the second edition of the Crooked Road Classic, and my tenth season of writing this blog. In looking back to the earliest post, it was a recap of the 2008 Emory and Henry game played at Ferrum. Marcus Mayo, and Mike Vann each turned in a strong performance, but the Panthers came up on the short end of a 26-21 score.

Ten years later, Ferrum is again about to go toe to toe with the Wasps, and after the come from behind win that the Panthers engineered last year, look for Emory and Henry to seek serious revenge.

Ferrum has a solid group of starters. The offensive and defensive lines look very strong. Ferrum will have substantial talent at the running back position, and will likely be blessed with a talented receiving corp. Tyler English saw a fair amount of playing time at quarterback last year, and did not disappoint. I look for English to be developing his skills as he moves through the season, but I think he is quite capable. The quarterback corps is a very solid unit.

If there is anything that concerns me it is the defensive secondary. This unit has to improve significantly over last year. Look for this group to be getting stronger as the season goes on.

Overall I see this game as a potential barn burner. Possibly as good if not better than last years. Look for Ferrum to once again bring home the trophy for the Crooked Road Classic.