Friday night preview: Fleming, PH not addressing 2023 playoff game ahead of 75th meeting

Ten months removed from their first-ever playoff meeting, the William Fleming and Patrick Henry High School football teams are set to do battle in the 75th installment of Roanoke's sold-out rivalry game, set to kick off at 5 p.m. Friday at Fleming Field.

Here's an in-depth look at the contest, named the Noel C. Taylor Classic, as both squad's head coaches weighed in on the crosstown showdown.

Last time out

The Colonels and Patriots last met on Nov. 10 at Merrill Gainer Field for the first playoff clash of their 63-year history. Fleming, the No. 8 and last seed in the Region 5C tournament, stunned No. 1 Patrick Henry with a 23-16 victory, ending a 10-year losing streak to the Patriots.

The Colonels went on to score another upset win before falling in the region championship game. They've springboarded that finish into a 3-0 start this season, its first in a decade, which included its first win over Salem in 22 years.

"It's a new season, they're a new team, we're a new team," said Nick Leftwich, Fleming's second-year head coach. "Obviously that was a good win for us last season — they got us in the regular season, we got them in the playoffs — but that was last season, so it's two new teams, new challenges, so we're just taking it day by day, prepping as we would each week."

PH had high expectations entering its 2023 campaign but fell victim to injuries, including to its starting quarterback and running back, and was pretty banged up by the time the postseason rolled around.

It has since graduated several key players from that roster, including Notre Dame linebacker Bodie Kahoun.

"We're a different team," said Alan Fiddler, Patrick Henry's 14th-year head coach. "I think we're pretty young, have a lot of new players. Guys are working hard, getting better every week. Last year's playoff game, we had a few injuries and were different from when we played them in the regular season."

Series history

No matter the records, the Fleming-PH game always seems to bring out the best in each squad, as five of the last seven meetings have resulted in one-possession finishes.

The Colonels' playoff win over the Patriots last year marked their first victory over their rival in 10 years, going back to a 27-7 win in November 2014. They'll be looking to claim their first regular-season victory since that game, and also notch back-to-back wins since the 2008-09 seasons.

"Both communities are excited, but for us as a team, we're looking at this just like we did last week, the week before and the week before that, and it's how we're going to look at the rest of the season," Leftwich said. "We're going to look at everybody the same, everybody is our rival. Our job is to win on Friday nights and the other team's job is to beat us, so we just have to keep a 1-0 mentality and just take it play by play."

The Patriots own the all-time head-to-head record, claiming a 39-31-4 mark, dating back to 1961. They've won 12 of the last 14 meetings, collecting 11 under Fiddler.

"The kids play hard on both sides. It's important to them," Fiddler said. "Hopefully they can relax and just play good football."

Stat to know

William Fleming:Has outscored its first three opponents 170-7

The Colonels have started the season red-hot on both sides of the ball. They crushed Hidden Valley 90-0, blew out Albemarle 55-0 and stifled Salem 25-7, giving up their first points of the year in the back-half of the fourth quarter.

"Offensively we've done well up front, blocking," Leftwich said. "We've executed well on all phases thus far this season, but there are still things to improve on, and we work on them in practice and we're getting more dialed in day-in and day-out, but we've still got a ways to go."

Patrick Henry:Has allowed 63 points in last two games

The Patriots bounced back from their first loss of the season in Week 2 with a 55-point outing against Albemarle. They did surrender 28 points on defense, however, and gave up 35 points to E.C. Glass the week before after a shutout victory over Brookville in their season opener.

"We've got to be at the top of our game to have an opportunity to stop (Fleming)," Fiddler said. "They have a lot of good weapons out there, a lot of speed, a lot of size, so we've got to tackle well."

Player to watch

William Fleming: Malachi Coleman, RB

The Syracuse commit is coming off a monster game against Salem where he rushed for more than 250 yards and tallied touchdown runs of 58 and 73 yards. That was all done on a reasonable 23 carries, as the Colonels gave him reprieve by running the ball 19 times with other players, as well as throwing on the occasional pass play.

"We're fortunate to have some depth at several positions," Leftwich said. "So just executing well play-in and play-out, making sure we as coaches are giving guys opportunity to be successful, is another key piece."

Patrick Henry: Damarion Perdue, RB

The junior transfer from Roanoke Catholic has fit well into a Patriots offense that, like its rival, uses several different ball carriers. With only 21 carries to his name this season, Perdue already has a handful of touchdowns on the year and is coming off a three-touchdown, 117-yard performance against Albemarle where he tallied only seven carries.

"We've played several kids back there, so I think that keeps him fresh," Fiddler said. "He's a kid that's given us a good rushing attack. He should be ready to go and he's done a good job learning our system, and we really like what he's doing."

Keys to victory

William Fleming: Limit big plays on defense

In their regular-season meeting last year , the Colonels gave up a 67-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that gave the Patriots a lead they never relinquished. In their playoff matchup, they surrendered a 75-yard scoring strike in the final frame that made it a 10-point game, and had to sweat out a Patrick Henry comeback bid.

"PH has got some weapons, and they've got some speed, some athleticism, they run multiple formations," Leftwich said. "I know that coach Fiddler's going to have his guys prepped up and ready for this game on Friday, so we've just got to lock in and do our job."

Patrick Henry: Take care of the football

In last year's regular-season meeting, the Patriots were threatened by the Colonels due to four turnovers via interceptions and fumbles. In the playoff game, they took over possession with seven minutes remaining, trailing by seven, but their first play resulted in a picked off pass, where in turn the Colonels were able to drain the remaining clock.

"You can't make mistakes against a team that can score like they've been scoring," Fiddler said. "You can't beat yourself."

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