FAIRLEA- Two weeks ago, we looked at the first three games of the Greenbrier East Spartans upcoming football season and now we are continuing our look at the schedule this week as it shows the Spartans hitting the road for three straight games for a total of four after playing two of their first three in the friendly confines of Spartan Stadium.
On September 20, East will not have to go very far when they make a 35-minute trip to Casey Field and take on the Alleghany (VA) Cougars. The Cougars will be in their second year as a program after the consolidation of Covington and Alleghany High School in the fall of 2023-24.
Last season, Alleghany went 9-1 and made a trip to the state playoffs before being beaten early. Their lone regular season loss came to Virginia Class 2 state champ Radford, and the Cougars also defeated the Spartans last year in Fairlea 49-10.
The Cougars bring back key players such as quarterback Des Jordan and utility man Xzavier Hayslett and will be a tough battle for the Spartans. However, the Spartans key players will have another year of experience under their belts as well and will be looking for a revenge type game in Covington.
After the Cougars contest, the Spartans will get a week off to rest and heal up with a bye week before hitting the field again on Oct. 4 at Shady Spring. The Tigers and Spartans have not met for several years, but with both teams now classified together in Class AAA, the rivalry will begin a new hatred for each other. Shady is a tad closer than the Spartans biggest rivals, Woodrow, and could ultimately take on a Beckley-like appeal depending on how the first few years play out.
Shady was 6-4 last season and interestingly almost played even on the field with their opponents as the Tigers scored 280 points for the season and their opponents scored 281. Shady lost to Greenbrier West 55-0 last year and Greenbrier East will look to make those two losses in a row to Greenbrier County teams for the Tigers.
Up next is the fourth consecutive road battle on Oct. 11 with a team that has been a thorn in the Spartans’ side the last few years, the Oak Hill Red Devils. Oak Hill came to Fairlea last season and defeated the Spartans 40-6 in a game that was close in the first half (13-0 at half). The Red Devils bring back running back J.D. Mauritz to lead their offense this year after running for 88 yards and three TDs against the Spartans last season.
At the quarterback spot, the Red Devils have two options to choose from and could potentially play both in an alternating form. Levi Kiszka, last year’s backup, and Devin Richardson, a transfer from Woodrow Wilson and the Eagles starter a year ago, will compete for snaps and by the time the Spartans come to town, one, or both, will have most likely settled into their role with the team.
East will have three huge opportunities with these road contests. Going undefeated seems a little far-fetched as this is arguably the toughest three-game stretch on the Spartans entire 2024 schedule. But two wins is not out of the question and at the same time, even one win would probably be considered a positive. The season is getting closer, and we will all know soon enough how everything will turn out.
Next Week’s Lookahead will wrap up our feature and include:
Nicholas County
@ Summers County
Princeton
Nitro
