I cannot tell you how good it feels to finally be talking about an actual game being played. It has been over a full calendar year since we saw Friday Night Lights played out on football fields across the region. While we have to wait another week for a full slate of games, we do get a teaser with three games right off the bat.

In eastern Henrico Hermitage will finally have Coach Bedwell on the sidelines for a game for the first time since his hire two years ago. Bedwell will go to Varina where he always seemed to have the Blue Devils number. Of course the Blue Devils are under new direction with Stu Brown stepping down last season and now it is Coach Marcus Lewis' program.

The rest of the action takes place across town in the west end where JR Tucker goes to Glen Allen with the Tigers under new direction in Coach Phil Sims who comes from John Marshall. Not far down the road another first-year coach debuts with Coach Kevin Simonds of Mills Godwin goes to Douglas Freeman.

So what more is there to say about these games?

Series History: Tied 16-16 since first meeting in 1965.

This is a big game early on the schedule being as both teams are Region 5B contenders and there are only four spots available in the playoffs this season. That said, this is not the first time these two teams have met in the season opener as they did so from 1992-1998 and in that span the Blue Devils were 7-0.

Mix in the fact that it is the coaching debut for Marcus Lewis at Varina and David Bedwell at Hermitage and we have the makings of a good one. Coach Bedwell in his two previous stops of Henrico and LC Bird is 6-4 against the Blue Devils.

When the two met the last time in 2019 the Blue Devils go the best of Hermitage but in that meeting Coach Bedwell was not on the sideline and the Panthers were an inexperienced, less than confident group.

In this contest I expect both to have to shake the rust off not playing an actual game in over a year. Both teams getting acclimated to their new coaches. The two teams have playmakers on both sides of the ball, Hermitage has a run game that is going to cause a lot of problems for defenses but Varina has a pretty good defense of their own but is it as good as the 2019 edition? They will have to be if they are to beat Hermitage.

Forecast: Hermitage 36, Varina 28

JR Tucker at Glen Allen

Glen Allen leads the series 5-4 with the Tigers last win in the series coming in 2017.

Coach Phillip Sims makes his debut as the Tigers coach in this contest of Colonial District foes. Both teams need a win in this contest in order to keep playoff hopes alive, even if it is the first game of the season. A win here would be huge for the Tigers as Coach Sims looks to change the attitude and culture of the program but Glen Allen brings a stable of athletes to this contest that could prove fateful for the Tigers. This contest is a toss-up but I think the Glen Allen defense will do enough to thwart the Tigers in the end.

Forecast: Glen Allen 32, JR Tucker 23

Mills Godwin at Douglas Freeman

Mills Godwin leads this series 27-10 but lost last years meeting.

The first game under the name the Mavericks, Douglas Freeman will be looking to start a new era with a much needed win as they will look to keep pace with their Colonial District counterparts. Standing in the way of the Mavericks is a Mills Godwin team under new direction in Coach Kevin Simonds and a lot of question marks surrounding a team coming off a 3-7 season. Neither team can afford to start with a loss but I do think the experience overall between the coach and the players of the Mavericks will be a difference maker. Mills Godwin has more questions surrounding their defense than their offense and the Mavericks have their skillset players back which could be the Eagles undoing.

Forecast: Douglas Freeman 16, Mills Godwin 13