Amherst hosts Harrisonburg in Region III rematch

Two-time defending Group AA, Division 4 state champion Amherst opens Region III playoff action tonight against the same Harrisonburg team it beat 47-7 in last season’s semifinal.

First-year coach Cecil Phillips, whose team has won nine straight since Brookville snapped its 26-game winning streak in the season opener, believes there’s no better home-field advantage than at Lancers Stadium, playing in any type of weather on its Pro-Grass field turf.

“There’s no place like Amherst County when it comes to home football games,” he said. “Our fans have done a tremendous job all year long and the kids really feed off the energy that the crowds provide. We’ve had great support from our 12th man,” a student group of about a dozen spirited fans.

The Blue Streaks, led by Alex Owah, a senior running back who has committed to Virginia, should provide a better challenge and more interesting matchup than last year for the 9-1 Lancers and their fans tonight.

Owah, who missed three games with a stress fracture and another due to a team-imposed suspension, has rushed for 1,081 yards and 16 touchdowns on 155 carries in only seven starts. Harrisonburg (8-3) hasn’t lost with him in the lineup, with its only defeats coming at John Handley and Robert E. Lee and at home against Rockbridge County.

“It’s no secret they’re going to be handing him the ball 18 to 20 times per game,” Phillips said. “You’ve got to be able to contain him because he has great speed and excellent moves in the open field.”

But the Blue Streaks, which run a Pro-I formation, are a better team this fall due to first-year starting quarterback Jake Johnson, a sophomore who has completed 77 of 131 passes for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns with seven interceptions.

“They’re a little more balanced than last year and able to throw the ball more,” Phillips said.

Johnson’s top receivers are Michael Atkinson, DeSean Taylor and Troy Jones along with 6-foot-4, 328-pound tight end Shane Pouncey (8 catches, 103 yards, TD). Pouncey showcased his size in last week’s first-round win over William Byrd, playing fullback for the first time.

Harrisonburg’s defense, which has allowed just 34 points in its last four games, all wins, is another strength, anchored by senior 6-4, 210-pound senior defensive end James Rouse, a Marshall commitment.

In contrast to the Blue Streaks and Owah, the Lancers have run their Wing-T offense by committee this season, with quarterbacks Anthony Rose and Kirby Anderson almost interchangeable and Rose and running backs Mario Vaughan, Jamar and Jamal Glover each rushing for between 400 and 600 yards and combining for 30 touchdowns.

We’re multiple in terms of the people who can touch the football, distribute the ball to,” Phillips said. “It just depends on who’s got the hot hand and what the defense is giving us on that particular night. We’ve got real good depth in the backfield, which has helped us to be extremely healthy and we’ve still got a variety of formations we can get into to utilize the strengths of both (QBs Anderson and Rose).”