‘Landers, Warriors set to do battle on Warrior Hill

Published 4:28 pm Tuesday, August 16, 2022

It will be another classic cross-county showdown on Friday night when the boys from Roan Mountain travel to Warrior Hill to kick off the 2022 season.

The game will be a tale of two different teams coming off a season where Cloudland made it all the way to the Class 1-A State Semifinals against South Pitt and the Warriors limped to the finish line after a tough season.

But Friday begins a new season and both teams are looking to get off on the right foot to create a sense of momentum moving forward.

“Jason Jarrett is a heck of a coach and last year they struggled but it wasn’t because of him,” said Cloudland head coach Zac Benfield. “Happy Valley has some really fast scat backs and if they get into open field they are going to be tough to tackle. They are disciplined on defense and their linebackers are really good and their safety’s are really fast.

“We are going to have to be disciplined consistently not only for Happy Valley but for everybody. It’s one thing to be disciplined for a little bit and one thing to be disciplined the whole game long. If we don’t come to play and you are playing at Happy Valley, it’s going to be tough.”

The Warriors are happy that they aren’t going to deal with the speed that the Highlanders brought to the table last season, but that doesn’t mean Cloudland will be easy to stop with the likes of running back Austin Caraway and sophomore quarterback Cameron Peppers who brings a dual threat to the table with his feet and his arm.

“They play a tough brand of football in Roan Mountain and they have for years,” said Warrior head coach Jason Jarrett. “They are extremely well coached and have great athletes. We have had a sense of urgency this preseason camp because we know we have to get ready and get ready quickly. We are going to have to play disciplined football. Their style forces us to play our best to be able to compete.

“You only get one game a week in football and its a process and pretty much a year-round process. This is the first year in a while that we have been able to play a three-game scrimmage season. We know that if there is 500 teams across the state and after Friday there will be 250 teams with a win and momentum and 250 teams that will have to go and figure things for their next game.”

The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and a big crowd is expected to fill the stands on Warrior Hill.