WHO: Shady Spring (1-2) at #2 Greenbrier East (3-1)
WHEN: Friday, October 3 at 7:30 PM
WHERE: Spartan Stadium in Fairlea
LAST WEEK: SS (lost to Pikeview 34-6) GE (defeated Oak Hill 45-7)
It’s hard to believe that the 2025 football season is almost halfway over and after this Friday night for the Spartans, it will be exactly that.
With homecoming festivities planned, the Spartans come in with the most confidence they have had in three years after a 45-7 throttling of Oak Hill last weekend. East currently sits ranked no. 2 in Class AAA and has already tied their win total from all of last season. The Spartans three victories have all been against Class AAAA teams with their lone loss coming at the hands of the 4-0 Alleghany Cougars of Virginia.
Shady Spring is a little down this year after losing some key pieces from last year’s team. Head coach Vince Culicerto is one of the state’s best and has been with the Tigers for two decades. Last year, the Spartans traveled to Shady and came back with an impressive 34-21 road win as they will look to duplicate that effort this first Friday in October.
Players to Watch for Greenbrier East:
Brody Hamric: 44-of-78, 599 yds, 7 TD, 3 INT– 105 rush yds, TD
Nate Suttle: 15 rec, 188 yds, 3 total TD
AJ Godfrey: 100 carries, 523 yds, 9 TD
Kaden Stone: 6 rec, 101 yds, 4 total TD
Harrison Smith: against OH- 2 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR
Grant Burdette: 15 rec, 240 yds, 3 TD
After last week, there could be more Spartans listed, but that’s the beauty of what this team is right now. They play together and there can be a different star each week. One thing we can all bank on, however, is that Godfrey will get his helping of carries and the since the Tigers allowed 330 rushing yards to Pikeview last week, expect running lanes to be open for Godfrey and company. If that happens, then Hamric, who has finally settled in these last two games, should find open targets all night long. Shady allows just 23 points per game, but in the last two, they’ve given up an average of 35. The East offense should move the ball consistently.
Players to Watch for Shady Spring (Full stats unavailable):
Cal Culicerto: 109 pass yds in week 1, 96 in week 2
Myles Clark: receiving and pass TD in week 2
Kaiden Helmer
Shayde Hedgecock: 77 yards rushing last week
Culicerto hasn’t lit the world on fire yet for the Tigers, but the potential for him to do so is there. He hasn’t thrown a lot of balls down field as Shady makes their living on short to medium passes in the flats and over the middle. Hedgecock got going a little bit against Pikeview, but the outcome of that one was never in doubt as the Panthers won going away. Still, East will need to clog up the running lanes and keep Culicerto uncomfortable when they do attempt to throw the football.
Tale of the Tape Outlook:
Homecoming games can be tricky. There are a lot of distractions not just on game night, but through the week as well with parades and costume themes throughout the school week. But once Friday night hits, the Spartans will have to be focused 100 percent between the sidelines. This team can taste a playoff game and although it is still way too early to even mention such a word, the pace they are on at least warrants a thought or two. After two straight disappointing years, Greenbrier East looks to finally be on the right track. Also, if you look at the schedule, this may be one of those ‘must win’ games because the last five games of the season are going to be a real test for the green and gold.
Fans are encouraged to pack the stands and cheer for win number four and enjoy the homecoming evening as well.
Something to Watch:
It’s easy to talk about turnovers every week, but the Spartans defense is making it impossible not to. They are plus-11 in turnover margin and have 14 takeaways already this season. If the defense is as opportunistic as it was last week, there may be a chance at seeing a repeat performance like we saw against the Red Devils.
