Pioneers and Indians begin region football competition

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

And now the second season begins. For the first time in at least 20 years, all three Wythe County varsity football teams will advance to the regionals.
George Wythe, by virtue of being the number one seed in Region C, Division 2, will get a first round bye. The Maroons are scheduled to play the winner of the Giles-Radford game on Nov. 20.
Fort Chiswell will host a Region C, Division 2 game this Friday against James River. Game time at C.F. McKinney Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m. Tickets will cost $7. Rural Retreat will travel to Covington in a Region C, Division 1 first round game that is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

James River at Fort Chiswell
James River (5-5 overall, 4-0 in the Pioneer District) wrapped up the Pioneer District title with a convincing 41-7 thumping of Craig County last Friday.
Fort Chiswell (9-1 overall, 4-0 in the Mountain Empire District) also won its district championship in a most emphatic way by demolishing Grayson County 45-7.
James River is bound to be a good team because winning the Pioneer District is no easy task with teams such as Bath County and Covington in it.
Of course, everyone in these parts already know that Fort Chiswell is an excellent team.
It would appear that the teams have major differences. In the victory against Craig County, the James River quarterback completed 11 of 16 passes. While Fort Chiswell is also quite capable of passing well, the Pioneers have such a solid running attack that they normally stay on the ground for most of the game.
These two different styles of teams will combine to give the fans a treat for sure.

Rural Retreat at Covington
Rural Retreat (3-7 overall, 2-3 in the Hogoheegee District) lost its final regular season game last Friday at Chilhowie by 34-20. While that wasn’t a close game, the 20 points scored by the Indians against the Division 2 number two seed does prove that Rural Retreat has made big strides over the last half of the season.
Covington (6-4 overall, 2-2 in the Pioneer District) finished off its regular season last Friday with a 14-0 win over Parry McCluer.
The Cougars will be a tough challenge for Rural Retreat, but you can bet the Indians will be making the trip with the sole purpose of winning.