It has been a difficult season for the Randolph-Henry High School (R-H) varsity football team, and the road the Statesmen have had to walk has become only more difficult to manage thanks to a variety of factors outside their control that have led to a rearrangement of their schedule.

The year had been proceeding as planned entering week six of the regular season when an unexpected wrinkle developed in the form of malfunctioning lights Sept. 28. It was an especially inopportune time for this to happen since it was Randolph-Henry’s homecoming game. The Statesmen got in one quarter of action and then the game was suspended on account of darkness.

School administration worked quickly to reschedule the remainder of the game for Monday, Oct. 15, creating a cramped corridor in which the Statesmen would play three games in seven days.

Randolph-Henry got in its originally scheduled road game against Central Lunenburg High School on Oct. 5 just prior to that busy three-game period, but then Tropical Storm Michael hit Thursday, Oct. 11. This pushed the Oct. 12 Nottoway High School road game to Monday, Oct. 22, positioning it a mere three days after a showdown with visiting Goochland High School.

Now the Statesmen (0-7) will close the regular season by visiting Buckingham County High School on Friday, hosting Amelia for the final three quarters of their Sept. 28 game Monday and hosting Cumberland County High School on Friday, Nov. 2.

Three contests in one week’s time would be a fairly busy schedule in any sport, but it is exponentially more taxing in football, which is not just a contact sport but is more aptly described as a collision sport.

The Statesmen are young at the varsity level and are working hard to develop their abilities against tough competition, but they have also proven to be flexible given their ability to survive the added challenge of a dynamic schedule.

Titus Mohler is the sports editor for The Charlotte Gazette and Farmville Newsmedia, LLC. His email address is Titus.Mohler@ TheCharlotteGazette. com.