Patriots, Warriors lock up

The nice thing about a new season is that it brings in just that, the new — new strength, new knowledge, new opportunities. It also, however, brings back the old — old problems, old challenges, and old rivals.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. county rivals Albemarle (0-1) and Western Albemarle (1-2) will get a chance to test out all their new elements against an old rival as the two meet at Western.
Last time the two met, the Warriors suffered a 35-0 shutout, but Western, by all accounts, appears to be an improved squad — Albemarle coach Rick Vrhovac has called them “vastly improved.”
“We’ve learned that if we do the things that we can do, we can play with some good teams,” said Western coach Ed Pierce. “Our kids need to figure out how to win games against some tough opponents.”
They’ll get that chance against the Patriots, whose team speed would present a challenge for any area team, and the Warriors will find a hungry Albemarle squad tonight.
Both teams are coming into the game after suffering close losses. In their last game, Monticello edged Albemarle in the fourth quarter of a 19-12 victory, whereas Western suffered a 19-9 loss to James Monroe out of Fredericksburg.
For the Patriots, the seven-point loss demonstrates a marked improvement over last year, when the team suffered a 28-point loss to Monticello.
“Last week’s game was a great game, one you hate to be on the losing end of, but I thought we gave it a good effort,” said Albemarle coach Rick Vrhovac said. “Our minds were still thinking about that game when the week began, and we really had to get our minds back to where they needed to be and focused on Western, and we did that as the week went on.”
For the Warriors, the loss was a close one too, against a talented Monroe squad.
“Our kids realize that even though they lost they had a chance to beat a very good team,” Pierce said. “We’ll hope that that game will help us.”
In order for Western to make a strong stand against Albemarle though, they will first need to contend with the Patriots’ speed.
Against the Mustangs, quarterback Jeremy Robinson threw for 139 yards and only one interception despite soggy field conditions. Senior leader Zach Vrhovac also had a strong performance, overcoming a bout with legs cramps to finish with four receptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns, one on the ground, and junior Jordan Hill caught five passes for 57 yards.
Western’s Schuyler Wilkerson will be key in helping to combat the Patriots’ speed. Against Waynesboro, Wilkerson averaged over seven yards a carry and finished with four touchdowns. Although he dropped to 19 yards total against Monroe, this was largely a product of the Warriors’ success in the passing game and the fact that Western trailed much of the second half.