The Lights Shine A Little Brighter on Friday Night 2022 Broadway High School Football Season Preview After living in the valley for almost 20 years, I’ve decided one non-negotiable fact of living here is that late summer into early fall is the best time of the year. For many years, it’s something that my family and I look forward to. Something we long for during the cold, dark winter days. Whether it be the fast approaching Halloween season, the MLB’s Fall Classic or something more. Something that I and many other folks in my community consider to be much, much bigger… The start of another Broadway High School Football season. For me, like many others, it always starts out when you’re a young child. You go to games with your family, you see big wins and tough losses, you make the 11 guys on the field and the rest on the sideline absolute hero figures, almost Superman-like. All of those experiences make Friday nights out to be a spiritual experience. While you’re in it it’s glorious, and when it’s gone you long for it. And believe it or not, those feelings intensify when you’re a player or coach, not just as a fan. Being hands on from August until November gives you a sense of ownership, something to be proud of. There may be long nights that might zap you of everything you have to give at times, but no matter what happens on or off the field, the sentiment remains the same, being a Broadway Gobbler is something different. Something that can’t be compared to anything else. You live the moments with the team, regardless of whether you’re on the team or not. That’s the experience that will stick with me for a lifetime. As the clock ticks forward to opening night at Fluvanna County High School on August 26th, all those feelings I and many others associate with Broadway Football come back once again, arguably stronger than the year before. We’ve made it through the snow and the cold weather for our own fall classic, some would say. Those excitable feelings aside, I’d like to now flip the script to our season preview for the 2022-23 Broadway football season! 2022 Home Games: (Strasburg, Central, Turner Ashby, Harrisonburg and Waynesboro). 2022 Road Games: (Fluvanna, William Monroe, Fort Defiance, Rockbridge and Spotswood). Let’s start with the home slate, which features some heavy duty opponents. Strasburg and Central are offensive juggernauts who run offenses that are very difficult to contain. Both of the respective teams will feature run-first attacks that are built on putting defenses to sleep with methodical run-based play calling, both of which I enjoyed watching last year. The next home game on the slate is one that folks have been looking forward to for some time now. It’s no secret that the rivalry is alive and well with TA. Both schools feature passionate fan bases that show up for their squads no matter what. After playing every matchup in Bridgewater the past few years, I’m really looking forward to the rivalry being played at our house for a change. TA will be powered by a new coaching staff that will feature a pass-first attack. Harrisonburg and Waynesboro are the final two opponents on the home slate. Both teams are very familiar opponents for us here at BHS. Harrisonburg’s offensive attack last year featured a good mix between high flying pass plays and a ground and pound run game that was at times difficult to plan for. It’ll be interesting to see how they rebound with the graduation of quarterback Keenan Glago. Waynesboro on the other hand remains a familiar opponent despite leaving the Valley District. The Little Giants remain on the rise improving upon what they build on each year. Last year’s game was incredibly exciting. Definitely a tough loss for us to take, however, I always look forward to the Subway Series on the first Friday every November. As for the road slate, it’s a slate that will see the Gobblers travel all over the region. Fluvanna County High School is quite the trek. Almost a two hour ride that will place us on the face of the sun, temperatures are expected to reach nearly 90 degrees with over 70% humidity, which will make conditions much hotter than the thermometer might reveal. Fluvanna is another squad that features a mostly run-first game that falls under the Wing T umbrella. The Wing T offense is one that is very, very good at deception with a ton of moving pieces that can be easy to get mixed up in. William Monroe is another out of district game that I am really looking forward to. They are a team that we don’t play very often, yet I really enjoyed last year’s matchup. A team with a fan base that is just as passionate as our own. Fans that let their loyalties be known, which makes for a lively environment. Fort Defiance is another former Valley District foe that always puts a solid team on the field no matter what. This is a team that kind of reminds me of what we’ve built here at Broadway. We never have athletes that will blow you away, but I can promise you we’ll have blue collar kids who will give the game everything they have. I’ll always have respect for Fort Defiance because of that. Next up is Rockbridge. Rockbridge is another drive that’s admittedly not my favorite; however, one thing about Rockbridge is that no matter the sport, you know you’ll get a good contest from them. We’ve had lots of memories over the years playing against the Wildcats with how close the games have been. Last up is Spotswood. If you’ll remember back to the 2020-2021 shortened COVID-19 year, we played the Blazers in Penn Laird and only won by a score of 7-6. That’s a game from my senior year I’ll never forget. The Blazers feature multiple different packages on offense, which makes them unpredictable at times. I was asked during our pregame show the other week what I was most excited for this season. My answer will always remain the same. My first year in this program we went 1-9 which was very, very difficult. Fast forward a couple years and we made the playoffs and won a playoff game. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and my hope for every year is that we continue on what we’ve built. Broadway Defensive Coordinator Brandon Mays and Head Coach Danny Grogg watch the Gobblers in the scrimmage at Warren County on August 18.
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