It's me again, Margaret. Tee-hee-hee.

 Already 2 weeks down in this edition of Friday Night Lights.  So far it doesn't look good for the Hogoheegee.  For years, the Mountain Empire schools have been the poster children on posters of children who aren't very good at football.  But now, they're laying it to us left and right.  It's up to George Wythe, a squad of young talent, to represent the rest of the Hogo. 

Rural Retreat at Grayson County

Last week Floyd County pounded Rural Retreat so hard in the first half that Dean Rhea almost retired again and he wasn't even coaching. And hasn't been for nearly seven years.  For two weeks now the 'Reat has been punished by teams who we all thought were down this year, Fort Chiswell and Floyd.  For two weeks now, we've all thought the 'Reat would get it together and meet the expectations we all had for them going in.  We thought they had their "Swagger" back and that they would revert back to the days when laying a whopping on a team was just a Friday afternoon in Treat Town.  Well, we've been wrong twice and I won't be fooled again.  Grayson County is mean, they aren't the Blue Devils for nothing.  Last week I questioned why they were even called Blue Devils, and now I know.  They wear blue and they're MEAN.

Grayson County 42, Rural Retreat 6

John Battle at Holston

Back in the 90's, these teams would slug it out for who would finish next to last in the district.  Now, Battle isn't even in the district anymore and Holston is reeling off its best three seasons in school history.  Ryan Witten has got those Battle boys going though.  Don't let the hog-tying that VHS put on them fool ya, John Battle isn't half bad.  Virginia High is pretty decent and if they show up to play any game all year, its to beat up on their Bristol-brethren.  Plus, Battle standout Jeremiah Denton suffered a pretty serious flat tire in that same game, so the Trojans were without.  They will be without Denton this week too but right now Holston just doesn't have it.  They're playing sloppy and unorganized football which is a testament to their youth and inexperience.  Bite the bullet this year Cavs, there will be better days ahead.

John Battle 35, Holston 13

JJ Kelly at Patrick Henry

Abingdon beat up Patrick Henry so hard in the first half last week, you could almost call it child abuse.  And with the rumors surrounding several Rebels quitting the team, you can throw a few counts of neglect in there too.  I always say, heated rivalries bring about really weird outcomes.  Now lets be honest, I've never said that in my life, but I've always kinda thought it.  The scores are either closer than they should be or more of a blow-out than they should be.  If there is one thing in life that is unpredictable, it is the emotions of a teenager.  Put 22 of them on the field and make them hate each other, it gets real crazy.  Do I think Abingdon is 42 points better than Patrick Henry?  Maybe they are, but I don't think PH is as bad as they think they are.  Potential is something everyone else can see in you but only you can find (someone make that a T-shirt and give me royalties).  However, JJ Kelly is a pretty good team.  The Rebels need to take their lumps and move onto next week - keep at it.

JJ Kelly 40, Patrick Henry 12 

Chilhowie at Twin Springs

The Grayson Blue-Devils sucker-punched the Warriors square in the fart-box last week.  With a 28-0 halftime score not in favor of the Warriors, many Chilhowie fans haven't seen a manhandling like that at home in quite a while.  They settled the score 48-22 in the end, meaning even with a comeback rally against Grayson's second team, Chilhowie only won 22-20 against Graysons non-starters.  I'm not saying Chilhowie is bad but they aren't looking like the district champs several picked them to be.  Now they travel all the way to Nickelsville, a place many wouldn't pay a dime to go to.  You know what's in Nickelsville? Nothing.  Not even a grocery store.  Nickelsvillers have to travel upwards of 30-40 minutes to get to a grocery store.  How do I know this? Last time I was there I really wanted some Little Debbie Snack Cakes and the gentleman at the Gas Station said he was out but that I could go all the way to Saint Paul.  I laughed at him right in his face, no way am I going to Minnesota for a snack cake.  Anyways, Chilhowie should win this one and iron the kinks out.

Chilhowie 28, Twin Springs 6

Northwood at Fort Chiswell

So, if we base things off scores...Marion beat PH 35-0, Chilhowie beat Marion 14-0, and Marion beat Northwood 21-0.  What does this mean other than lots of shut-outs?  Nothing at all.  You can compare scores until you're red under your helmet, trust me, I have, and it all means nothing.  Northwood surprised people last week by still getting beat 21-0.  I don't know if that says too many good things about you but as an observer, I must say, I too was surprised.  Marion played about as sloppy as they could, but Northwood still fought on.  They keep fighting over in Saltville, and thats a good thing.  Fort Chiswell pounded on Auburn last week, a team that probably won't win a game.  If the Pioneers are soft from the lack of competition so far, Northwood may get a score in.

Fort Chiswell 33, Northwood 8

George Wythe at Radford

You have to admire George Wythe's scheduling.  By the time they get around to playing the Hogo, its like swatting at a swarm of drunk gnats.   And that is a metaphor for how bad the Hogo is and how good the other teams on GW's schedule are.  Raddy and G-Dubya have been rivals for years and if there is one thing in this world the other hates, it's the other one.  Or Justin Beiber.  Last year, GW came back in epic fashion to win the game from 19 down at halftime; then later in the year, Radford avenged the loss with a 5 point win in the playoffs over the Maroons.  Why this game isn't getting more hype, I'll never know.  It should be great! But Radford is better...

Radford 27, George Wythe 19