SPORTS WRAP
Best Impression of "Friday Night Lights": The Orange County Hornets and the Louisa County Lions produce exactly what Hollywood is always looking for when they clash in Mineral, Friday, October 15. With first place in the Jefferson District and top Central Virginia rankings at stake, the squads battle for a full 48 minutes, exchanging the lead numerous times. Louisa makes the key plays down the stretch, however, in front of a rowdy home crowd to earn a hard-fought 36-27 victory. Despite the monumental victory, Louisa coach Mark Fischer sees the big picture. "I'm really proud of the effort, proud of the Orange football club," Fischer tells the Daily Progress. "[Orange] played great and with class. It was great small-town football." The crucial victory allows the Lions (5-1, 3-0 in Jefferson District) to gain control of district standings.
Most Overrated Game: Sometimes the truth hurts. The sixth-ranked UVA football team gets a dose of reality against traditional national powerhouse, the Florida State Seminoles. No. 7 FSU throttles the Cavs en route to a 36-3 blowout that sends a previously confident and undefeated Wahoo squad home to taunting chants of "over-rated!" "You get no field position, and that's a [death] sentence against a team like this," UVA coach Al Groh tells the AP. With the embarrassing setback, the Cavs (5-1, 2-1 in the ACC) drop from first place in the conference and to No. 14 in national polls.
Biggest "Must Win" Game: If the Redskins hope to salvage any kind of success this season, it begins with their ugly 13-10 road triumph against the Chicago Bears. Even though the Skins' (2-4) offense is still nothing worth shouting about (other than halfback Clinton Portis pounding out 171 yards), the defense makes the plays to preserve the victory and snap a four-game losing streak. "Until the last whistle, we aren't going to stop coming at you," Redskins' defensive end Fred Smoot tells the AP. "Teams know that now." The Skins have an off-week to heal their wounds and build on the recent progress.
Worst Streaks: UVA's women's soccer team succumbs to an even greater obstacle than the Florida Seminoles as they travel to Chapel Hill, Sunday, October 17. For the 28th consecutive time, the fourth-ranked Cavs came up short (2-1) against UNC. The No. 2 Tar Heels meanwhile extend the program's unbeaten streak to 42 games (42-0-1) and account for nearly a quarter of Virginia's losses.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
UVA FOOTBALL @ DUKE
Saturday, October 23 @ 1pm
There are no cupcakes in the brutal ACC conference, and the Cavaliers must first take care of business against a steadily improving Duke program. Following the debacle in Tallahassee, the 'Hoos look to return to their winning ways before an off-week sets up a challenging final month. If you've never managed to snag an extremely hot home-game ticket, good ones are still available for those willing to make the trip to Durham.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S SOCCER @ HOME
Men: Saturday, October 23 @ 7pm vs. Duke
Wednesday, October 28 @ 7:30pm vs. Old Dominion
Women: Sunday, October 24 @ 1pm vs. Clemson
Wednesday, October 28 @ 5pm vs. N.C. State
Plenty of soccer action at Klöckner Stadium as two premier soccer programs continue late-season campaigns toward post-season glory. Tickets: $4 Youth, $6 Adults.
WORLD SERIES GAME 1
Saturday, October 23 @ 8pm
No matter who's in it, baseball's fall classic is always worth a glimpse on Fox.
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