The Rock Hill Redmen have turned their fortunes around this season.

Thursday, October 28, 1999

The Rock Hill Redmen have turned their fortunes around this season. Now they have one more task to correct.

In one of the most eventful turnarounds of the year, Rock Hill is currently 6-3 after going winless in 10 games last season.

Rock Hill would like a positive finish, but the last hurdle to clear is a game with the Fairland Dragons.

Now, Fairland is just 2-6 on the season and 0-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. But there’s one little detail Rock Hill has to work out: the game is at Fairland.

Playing at Fairland has been a problem for the Redmen who have won only once in their last 15 trips to Proctorville.

"That’s an incentive for us," Rock Hill coach Andy Hall said. "We have an outside shot at the league, but we’re out of the playoffs, so winning up there and finishing the season with a win and going 7-3 after last year is quite an accomplishment for this group, especially the seniors."

Even more remarkable in the Rock Hill reversal of success is the fact it lost leading rusher Tyler Virgin to a season-ending knee injury the first game of the season.

"That was a devastating blow for Tyler, and our team took it hard, too," Hall said. "But this group of seniors pulled together and dedicated the season to Tyler. I’m proud of the job they’ve done."

Fairland is coming off a 31-0 loss at Coal Grove. A week earlier, Rock Hill beat Coal Grove 30-6. Hall, now in his second season as head coach, isn’t putting a notch in the win column just yet.

"Our game with Coal Grove was close until the fourth quarter, and Fairland moved the ball up and down the field against Coal Grove but kept turning it over," said Hall. "Their quarterback (J. W. Jones) throws the ball pretty good. They’ve dropped some balls, so if they hang onto them and (Jeremy) Louden has a good game, we’ll have a tough game on our hands."

Another OVC team closes out the regular season as the South Point Pointers host the Oak Hill Oaks.

South Point is 2-7 against a tough schedule. The Oaks will now add to that difficulty.

Oak Hill, 7-2, is battling for a playoff berth in Region 19 of Division V. The Oaks are eighth this week with a 14.1866 average while Barnesville is ninth at 14.0722.

But health is a problem for the Oaks who are still without leading rusher and top linebacker Tim Willis.

South Point’s D. J. Bryant, who missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, is expected to play defense but not offense after reinjuring himself two weeks ago against Rock Hill.

The other OVC game has Cheapeake visiting Coal Grove.