Five Reasons Sherando Will Win
The Sherando Warriros enjoy a great home field advantage and it will be loud on Friday night as Traveler the Horse storms the field. It will be electric!
Photo By Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
Roger Smith Jr. has had a tremendous season thus far. If he gets loose on Friday, the Warriors could roll to a big win over James Wood....
Photo By: Jeff Schryver / Gameday Magazine
STERLING, VA - The Sherando Warriors are set to take on the James Wood Colonels this Friday night, in a match-up that could go a long way in determining who will win the Northwestern district title this season. Sherando comes into the ballgame with a 5-1 overall mark, while James Wood comes in with a 6-1 overall record. The Warriors sport a 3-1 district mark, with their only loss coming to Handley 21-19 a few weeks ago. The Colonels have a perfect 4-0 district mark. In this particular article we will take a look at 5 reasons the Warriors will win this big contest Friday night.
1) HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Arrowhead Stadium has been an almost impossible place for teams other than Sherando to win. The Warriors have not lost a regular season game at home since 2005, when they fell to Handley 36-33. That was also Ross Metheny's freshman year at quarterback. The atmosphere at the stadium is one of the best in all of the Northern Virginia area, and although I do not believe too much in "home field advantage" at the high school level, this is one of the few venues where the home team starts the game with a lead.
The pre-game festivities will give you goose bumps; especially when the Sherando Warrior comes out and plants the spear at the 50-yard line. This is one of the biggest psychological parts a visiting team has to overcome. Sherando also sports some of the most knowledgeable and die-hard fans in the area.
2) COACH BILL HALL
In his 8th season as head coach, Bill Hall has proven to be a winner. He knows how to get the most out of his teams and has compiled an impressive 51-13 record since taking over as head coach. In case you can't do the math in your head, that's a winning percentage of nearly 80%.
Coach Hall stresses to his team that they must, "play to their potential", and when the team buys into that philosophy they simply win. Coach Hall is also the offensive coordinator for the Warriors, and his biggest weapon on the field is Ross Metheny who has complete autonomy with the offense. With Metheny's knowledge of the system Coach Hall is able to rely on his signal caller to become an extension of himself on the field, as the two regularly spend afternoons breaking down film and bettering themselves for upcoming opponents.
3) ROGER SMITH, JR.
Although only a junior, Smith has quickly become one of the best running backs in the district. Smith is one of the hardest runners I have seen at this level, and he heads north and south quicker than most backs in the region. His ability to find a hole and burst through is one reason he has compiled 880 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, an average of 146 yards per game on the ground. Smith's running this season has allowed the Warriors to use play action and take their shots downfield.
4) NICK MERCHANT
Merchant is a true two-way player for the Warriors. He is one of the top linebackers in all of Region II, and also plays fullback. Merchant is the type of linebacker that can cover the field from his middle linebacker position. Merchant has tallied 53 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 5.5 tackles for loss on defense, while gaining 94 total yards on offense on just 9 touches, a very good 10 yards per touch. Merchant really excels as the defensive leader for the Warriors, being relied upon to direct players into the right positions for Sherando on almost every play. Merchant's play this season is one of the biggest reasons the Sherando defense is giving up an average of just 176 total offensive yards per game. Merchant is a compliment to the Sherando offense with his ability to either slip into the flats as an outlet receiver for Ross Metheny or to stay in and block.
5) PROGRAM HISTORY
The players at Sherando know the history of this team and take pride in being the best they can, while "selling" out for their school in hopes of continuing the playoff streak for the program. The Warriors have been in the Region II playoffs each of the past 3 seasons, with 2 state tournament appearances in the same span. Over the past 9 years the Warriors are 59-30, and nobody on this squad wants to see the winning tradition of the program come an end on "their watch". The Warrior players are used to winning and they know how to deal with the pressure of being in a "big game".
