Preps Plus

The scene at Albemarle High School last Friday night was just about as good as it gets for high school football players. The Patriots had just won a big game against a Commonwealth District rival, coming from behind twice in the fourth quarter to beat Riverbend, and the rest of the student body was on the field celebrating the homecoming victory and treating their team like kings.

The jubilation was understandable. Albemarle hadn’t won a district game since November, 2008 and a 3-3 overall record looks pretty good after going 0-10 a year ago. All this after losing some key players, including Blue Ridge star Mayn Francisco, to transfers. The confidence level at AHS was so high that after the game multiple Patriot players were mentioning that they are right back in the district race. Junior running back/defensive back Micah Rivers said pointed out that stringing together a few wins would move Albemarle right up the standings. Quarterback Lee Carneal knew exactly where the Patriots stood.

“Coming into this game four teams were 2-0 and four teams were 0-2,“ Carneal said. “Now that we are in the win column hopefully some teams will lose and I think we can jump back up there. I think we can compete. It was pretty fun to get that first district win and have our students out here on the field.”

Of course AHS’s first year head coach Mike Alley is older and wiser than his players, and he knows not to get ahead of himself. The district wins are nice, but he’s not too concerned with the standings at this point of the rebuilding process. When asked about his players’ thoughts on competing for the district, Alley kind of avoided the topic.

“We don’t worry about the score,“ he said. “What I worry about is that when they walk off the field they’ve given 100 percent and played their best. Then the score will take care of itself.”

The Commonwealth District is a tough one and it’s going to be a hard climb to the top for Albemarle, but the Patriots have a right to be excited and each one of these wins builds the kind of confidence and excitement needed for a turnaround. AHS plays at Massaponax on Friday. The Panthers are also 3-3, but 0-3 in the Commonwealth. This is a big game for Albemarle, which can keep the momentum alive with a win, but at the same time talking to Alley leads you to believe that a loss wouldn’t necessarily kill that momentum either. It’s part of the reason why the AHS alum seems to have been a great choice for the job.