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These contests, now three weeks into the season, could prove who the legitimate teams are in Southwest Virginia and who the phonies are, as district play looms on the horizon.

Here are five high school football games to watch in Week 3.

Salem (0-2) at William Fleming (1-1)

The Spartans are inauspiciously 0-2 for the first time in 28 years. That likely hasn’t sat well with them last week as they prepare to face a Class 5 foe in William Fleming, the No. 1 team in The Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø weekly rankings that smacked Albemarle 49-0 last week. An 0-3 start hasn’t happened at Salem since 1994, but there’s an ominous feeling in the air that the Spartans are due for something better, especially taking on a local opponent.

The Colonels hope to repeat last year’s result when they beat the Spartans for the first time in 22 years, ending a 14-game losing skid. Zhiy Steelman is coming off a 173-yard, four-touchdown performance on the ground, plus Fleming was battled-tested in Week 1 against defending Class 4 state runner-up Varina, managing to score twice in a 41-14 loss.

The game is also being played in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø at “The Cliff,â€� if that makes a difference.

Blacksburg (2-0) at Floyd County (1-0)

The Buffaloes rocked the New River Valley last year when they beat the Bruins for the first time ever, tallying a win after 17 meetings dating back to 1964, and it was a convincing 34-14 victory. After getting a full season as head coach under his belt, Tim Cromer led Floyd to a close win over Narrows in Week 1 for the program’s first 1-0 start since 2017. However, the Buffaloes had Week 2 off, so we’ll see if the layoff plays a factor Friday.

The Bruins are continuing to resurrect their program and are 2-0 for the first time since 2018, a year in which they recorded an unbeaten regular season. They’ll be hungry to avenge last year’s historic defeat to a Class 2 foe and leave Floyd 3-0.

Patrick Henry (2-0) at Franklin County (2-0)

We’re less than halfway through September and you’ll already be hard-pressed to find an undefeated matchup. This all-Class 5 meeting is a surprising one of 2-0 squads, as the Eagles stunned Salem last week and PH edged E.C. Glass.

This is the first game between Patrick Henry and Franklin County in 11 years, a renewed contest that was played every year, and sometimes twice a year, from 1970-2014 before being shelved. There’s extra interest in this tilt, though, as the Eagles are hoping to go 3-0 for the first time since 2011 and the Patriots aim to keep a turnaround season going after starting 2-3 last year.

George Wythe (1-1) at Virginia High (3-0)

The Maroons and Bearcats have squared off just twice before and neither team has won. You read the right. Their first meeting came in 1934 and ended in a 0-0 tie, then their last clash in 1956 resulted in a 6-6 tie.

On Friday night, 69 years later, one team will have to win as ties no longer exist in high school football. It’ll be a good test for the Maroons, who recently cracked The Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø top 10 rankings. They nearly beat Class 2 Radford in Week 1, throttled Fort Chiswell 48-10 in Week 2 and now have another chance to beat a Class 2 opponent. The Bearcats have the advantage of having played an extra game, beating Richlands 32-21, and have outscored their opponents 109-28 so far, including a 35-0 shutout of John Battle last week.

Chilhowie (2-0) at Narrows (1-1)

For the past two seasons, the Warriors have begun the year 2-0 before running into the Green Wave and being denied a 3-0 start, a place they haven’t reached since 2021. Through two games they look very strong, outscoring opponents 73-7. Chilhowie fell to Narrows by 14 last year.

The Green Wave look promising. They challenged Floyd County in Week 1, losing 31-26, and then knocked off Holston 28-14 in a matchup they lost by 34 last season. A win for either squad will show they mean business when it comes to district action.

Additional games to watch

Auburn (1-1) at Fort Chiswell (0-2)

Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Catholic (1-1) at Catholic (0-2)

Jefferson Forest (2-0) at Mount Airy, N.C. (2-1)