The ‘Cats football team recently played at James Madison University’s stadium, where they defeated Turner Ashby in double-overtime with a final score of 35-28.

“It’s always a big deal to win a game, especially in the college stadium environment, and to win the way we won in double-overtime shows that our players are fighters,” said Coach Mark Poston.

The ‘Cats participated in the third annual Shenandoah Classic, where five valley matchups took place at Bridgeforth Stadium at JMU.

“The score shouldn’t have been as close as it was, but it was a great experience to play at JMU, especially compared to a normal high school field,” said Sophomore quarterback Ty Ruley.

The tournament took place over two days, on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29. On Friday night, Broadway lost 40-7 against Spotswood, and Stuarts Draft played against East Rockingham where they lost 41-2. Along with the Rockbridge and Turner Ashby game on Saturday, Robert E. Lee lost to Wilson Memorial 50-49, and Waynesboro lost to Harrisonburg 47-7.

“I think the Shenandoah Classic was handled very well, and it was an amazing experience, for not only our players, but also for other teams,” said Poston.

During the game, Ruley scored one touchdown; Junior Jailik Lynch scored two touchdowns; and Seniors Johnny Dunn and Andy Schmidt both scored one touchdown. Senior Derek Carter led the defense with three sacks and a deflected pass that sealed the victory for the ‘Cats.

“Without my deflection of a pass in the final play of the game, the Turner Ashby quarterback would have thrown another touchdown, which would have led to triple overtime,” said Carter. “So making that deflection in the end of the game made me feel great.”

This win brought the ‘Cats season record to 4-2. On Oct. 5, the ‘Cats lost to Harrisonburg 77-49, but defeated Waynesboro 70-14 on Oct. 12. Progressing to the rest of the season, the ‘Cats football team plays two more games against Spotswood on Oct.19 and Broadway on Nov. 2, and then continues to the playoffs.

“Our goal for the rest of the season is to host a home game during the playoffs, and to win the playoffs,” said Poston.