Emory and Henry @ Ferrum

Well folks its just about to happen. The start of the 2018 season is upon us as it has happened ever since I began writing this blog, Ferrum will face the Wasps to start things off. It was listening to the 2007 broadcast over the internet....(there was no video then), and a frustrating loss by the Panthers that led to the first blog post. Fast forward to the 2016 and 2017 games, and I would have to say that it has been Emory and Henry that has had to deal with a little frustration. Last years loss had to be pretty painful for the Wasps. At my part time job this past spring, I happened to see a man and a woman with Emory and Henry shirts on. I started a conversation and asked if they went there......The woman said no, his Dad is the football coach. I said Newsome? he said yeah. I said with trepidation and glee at the same time....."I went to Ferrum"! He said "Y'all stole that last one from us" I said "stole"???  "Why in the world did the quarterback not take a knee"? His explanation was mixed messages going through the headsets, where one coach was saying they had to run one more play, and one was saying take a knee. In the end, the play was run and Montel Lee made 'em pay.

The one thing that is for certain is that if you are a Ferrum fan and were at that game, or saw it on the internet you will likely never forget it. But if you were an Emory and Henry fan, player, or coach.....there is no way you will ever forget it.
It will be that year long burning memory that will fuel the Emory and Henry team this year. Don't think they will not have revenge on their mind. They not only want revenge, they want the Crooked Road trophy.  Most of all, they want to give coach Grande his first loss in this series.

Look for this years Wasps team to be pretty solid. They only lost 11 players from last years squad to graduation 6 offensive 4 defensive and 1 special teams player. Their biggest loss will be their quarterback. Expect sophomore QB Hunter Taylor to be the starter. He had some quality playing time his freshman year and will likely get the nod.

Look for Ferrum to have a balanced offensive attack, and look for Brian Mann to be busy. Its worth noting that the Wasps held Mann to 55 yards last year. Make no mistake, Mann will be out for redemption. Also look for QB Zach Clifford to keep the Wasps off balance with his passing game. Expect Johnny White and Nick Pearce to have their number called throughout the day.

To win this game, Ferrum's defense will have to shine. I have my worries as the D line is missing a couple of key figures from last year.......I think all in all, they will be ok. Look for the defense to maintain and contain. They will be fine.

This game could go either way, which means that it could again come down to who has the ball last.


Ferrum  31
E&H     28

As for the rest of the ODAC:

Bold is projected winner-

Randolph Macon @ Johns Hopkins
Shenandoah @ Methodist
Washington and Lee @ Dickinson
Huntingdon @ Guilford
Bridgewater @ Gettysburg
Hampden Sydney @ Averett