One and done? Rapids hope not

One victory by one point.

That's the extent of James River's football success against L.C. Bird.

Tonight at James River, the Rapids square off against the Skyhawks, ranked No.2 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10 and No.9 in The Associated Press Group AAA poll, for the 16th time. The Rapids' lone win in the series was 21-20 in 2000.

History says the Skyhawks (3-0, 5-0) will defeat the Rapids (2-2, 3-2) for the 15th time, but James River's history with Manchester took a different turn last week, and that has observers paying much more attention to the Bird game.

James River beat Manchester 23-16 and knocked the Lancers out of the T-D Top 10. That gave everyone in the Dominion one loss except for Bird. The Rapids hadn't beaten the Lancers since 2001, and it was their third victory in 16 tries.

"Our players were excited to get the 'W,' but were pretty reserved after the game," James River coach Greg DeFrancesco said. "I think the game was so exhausting there was little energy left for celebrating. I know I felt that way."

Was it an upset?

"Manchester is a good football team, but so are we," DeFrancesco said. "We thought we had a chance to win if we played well, so we weren't shocked at the outcome."

The Rapids have played good football. They won the first two non-district games, then lost to Dominion foes Cosby by a touchdown and Clover Hill by three points. DeFrancesco challenged two-way lineman and captain Ryan Powis (6-2, 260, Sr.) to step up his leadership role.

"After two devastating last-minute losses to quality opponents in consecutive weeks, his leadership and play helped the team find a way to get over the hump against Manchester," DeFrancesco said. "He plays with a tremendous motor and is having a great senior season."

The Rapids have improved their passing game and are on the plus side of the turnover ratio this season. Last year, James River averaged 51 passing yards. This year, it's 113. Quarterback Josh Wells is a senior, and he has a downfield receiving threat in C.J. Jefferson.

"[Josh] deserves a large share of the credit for the improvement, but everyone on both sides of the ball and special teams have played well and contributed," DeFrancesco said.

This group of Skyhawks isn't as powerful as predecessors, but they keep winning games.

"The thing that I notice about L.C. Bird is that the players just seem to love to play football," DeFrancesco said. "They play incredibly hard all the time."

Skyhawks coach David Bedwell expects a tough game.

"We have seen James River on film. They're a good team. We hope we can get ready for another away game [three in a row]. We are everybody's big game. We have to come ready every week. James River's winning [against Manchester] was good for us. It provides focus for us."

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559