Friday Night Lights: Cougars vs. Buffaloes

WHO: Floyd County Buffaloes (3-6) at Alleghany Cougars (8-1)

WHEN: Friday, November 3, 2023, at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Casey Field

LAST WEEK: The Alleghany Cougars obliterated the James River Knights in a 57-0 shutout while the Floyd County Buffaloes fell to the Glenvar Highlanders 47-15.

LAST SEASON: Floyd County Buffaloes (7-4), Alleghany Cougars (N/A, Inaugural Year)

Last week’s game against the James River Knights played out much the same way as the game before. Two weeks ago, our Cougars took on the Patrick County Cougars for “Hall of Fame” night and destroyed them on the field. Fans were barely surprised as —touchdown after touchdown— our boys in blue displayed their dominance and prowess on the turf.

All season, the Alleghany Cougars have been a force to be reckoned with and rose to the challenge early on in the face of adversity, back when some were unsure if the newly merged high schools would play well together. It has been a running theme since August that this football team, alongside all the other athletic departments (golf, volleyball, cross country), were given the best of both worlds after the two collided. Whatever Alleghany lacked before the merger, Covington made up for it and vice versa. The records don’t lie!

As a logical person, I like to sort through the “will they beat the Buffaloes?” question by observing both teams progress throughout the season. Because they are in the Three Rivers District and play the same teams, I like to go back and look at how each faired against certain opponents. The Cougars toughest opponent and team that robbed them of their spotless record, the Radford Bobcats, were the only team to score more than 13 points against the Cougars all season. The same can’t be said for the opponent who allowed more than 13 points in 2/3 of their games this season, most of which resulted in a loss. They also played against the Alleghany Mountaineers last years and fell 28-6. With the consolidation, I predict a higher score margin.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Desmond Jordan

Xzavier Hayslett

Purcel Turner

The Chapman boys: Evin, Nathen, and Caleb Walden

The Knighton brothers: Hunter and Hayden

Gavin Via

Neeko Jeter

Sarge Persinger

Andrew Cole

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

The Floyd County Buffaloes haven’t done much in terms of getting their feet off the ground this season under Head Coach Winfred Beale, who has held his position for 43 years. Last season, they had an admirable 6-1 record at one point before losing the remaining games and ending the season with a 6-4 record. Even still, they made it to the playoffs for what was their second year in a row last year. “I think this is going to be a great time for high school football,” Beale said earlier this season.

“I feel like we made a lot of strides last year,” said senior running back and outside linebacker, Lathom Barbieri. “...we have guys that have a lot of abilities.” Will those abilities be enough to stand against the Alleghany Cougars? This is what I think.

As I’ve said many times in the past, I like math and working with numbers. As Lindsay Lohan famously said in the movie “Mean Girls,” “It’s [math] the same in every country.” That being said, let’s look once again at the scoring averages from both teams. For the Alleghany Cougars, they have allowed an average of about 11 ½ points while scoring an average of over 42 ½. They’ve also hosted two shutouts this year while never falling victim to any. Meanwhile, the Floyd County Buffaloes have allowed an average of 27 points and scored an average of about 20. They also have fallen prey to two shutouts this year.