Early-season matchup offers measuring stick for Gretna, Dan River

The early season, non-district matchup between Dogwood District rivals Gretna and Dan River offers more than a preview of what’s to come this season in the Dogwood.

It’ll undoubtedly be a measuring stick to how strong each team will be come district play.

Dan River enters tonight’s matchup as the top team in the Dogwood, sporting a 2-0 record for the first time since 2005 and only the second time in the last eight years.

A big reason for the hot start has been the Wildcats’ ability to stop the run. Dan River held Tunstall to 137 yards and stiffened up against Amelia County, allowing a miniscule 18 yards on the ground on 22 attempts.

“Our approach is going to be the same like we had the last two weeks,” Dan River coach Ferrell Edmunds said. “We’re going to get to the quarterback with as much pressure as we can and make things happen.”

The Wildcats have backed up the run defense with a solid running attack, rushing for a combined 668 yards in the two victories despite managing 45 yards through the air in the two victories.

Not to say Amelia County isn’t good, but the Raiders certainly lack the speed and skill players that Gretna is known for. The Hawks have rushed for more than 13,000 yards in the past four seasons and Gretna has the players to keep adding to those numbers with quarterback Nick Miller and running back Andre Dickerson.

“I think anytime you play football, you have to be able to run off tackle to be successful,” Gretna coach Kevin Saunders said. “We’re going to try to run the football like we did against LCA. We had some success at times, but at times we didn’t. That’s part of the (growth of the) young offensive linemen. We’ve had another week to get better in practice.”

Gretna has won eight consecutive matchups against Dan River, outscoring the Wildcats 374-60 in the process.

The Hawks have had two weeks to get ready for this game after falling to Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg 15-7 on Aug. 31. Gretna was unable to firmly establish the run against a solid LCA defensive front and will try to establish it against Dan River to open up the aerial assault.

“I think it’s more important to manage the game and make the right reads and everything and carry the game out,” Miller said. “Mainly, just spread the ball out a little bit and let some of my playmakers get their hands on the ball.”

Tonight’s matchup will feature two of the top defenses in the Dogwood. Dan River’s defense has grown tremendously in the two seasons Edmunds has been at the helm and Gretna’s defense has been the backbone for the Hawks’ four state title runs.

“It’s definitely going to give us an edge,” Dan River senior linebacker R.J. Myers said of getting a win early against Gretna. “We’re trying to put our paws down on the Dogwood that we’re the top dog and they’re going to have to beat us.”

Dan River is playing a Dogwood District team twice in a season for the third consecutive year. The previous two years, the Wildcats played Pittsylvania County rival Chatham. The Cavaliers swept the games in 2007 and Dan River returned the favor a year ago.