The James River District football season will be kicking off in a few weeks and each team has certain games on the calendar that could go a long way toward determining how the season will go for them. Below is a special game for each team and the reason why they will be looking for a victory in that contest:

Goochland High School — The Bulldogs have a game against Nottoway on October 23 at home, and this will be a big one for the preseason top pick in the district. This game is sandwiched between games on the road against Buckingham and against Central Lunenburg. With all of these being the top four predicted teams in the district, Goochland can not afford a slip up on this one.

Buckingham County High School — The big game to keep an eye on for the Knights is on October 9 at home against Goochland. If the Knights are rolling at the start of the year, this will be a huge game in determining the JRD champ.

Nottoway High School — The game against Central Lunenburg on October 2 looms huge as a Cougar loss here, and Goochland shortly after could knock them out of the race for the JRD.

Central (Lunenburg) High School — The Chargers will be in the Division I, so they can live with finishing in the top half of the league, but lately they have been right there with the top JRD teams and a rivalry win would give them a nice boost in power rating points.

Amelia County High School — The Raiders will need to beat Central Lunenburg on October 30 if they have any hopes of finishing in the top four of the district and getting a decent playoff seed.

Prince Edward County High School — The Eagles find themselves in the same boat as Amelia. They need a victory over the Raiders on October 9 in order to solidify a middle spot in the district and give them a more stable playoff position.

Bluestone High School — The Barons return a ton of players from last year and online predictors have them at the bottom of the district, but do not be surprised to see them fighting for a playoff spot and the September 25 game against Prince Edward will be big for both squads.

Randolph-Henry High School — The Statesmen got a bit of good news as Joseph Reed appears to being staying put for this season. R-H will need a win over Bluestone on September 18 to build some momentum for the remainder of its season.

Cumberland High School — The Dukes have a new coach and a new offense, so they will need have some positive results early on. Their September 11 game at home against Bluestone could help them have a win to build on.