Making roster adjustments and bringing players up from junior varsity is part of what Head Coach Mike Scott does every week. But this week could be a little bit harder for the Crimson Wave because they are facing another difficult opponent, Thomas Dale High School. 

“They have maybe 60 kids on their roster,” said Scott after a pause. 

A roster of almost 60 kids means fresher legs and a team that may not get tired as quickly. The Wave showed signs of fatigue early in the second quarter in their 49-6 loss to the Dinwiddie Generals, but they were able to push through and put up a fight against the dynamic Generals. 

Now they have to do it again in seven days. 

Even though the Generals have athletes to spare, as well as Thomas Dale, the Wave could not spare a single athlete from the gridiron because athletes were getting hurt. Some were going out due to muscle cramps, dehydration, or just regular injuries. Again, Scott lost his starting quarterback so he had to improvise and put in his previous starter, Kelvontay Carson, who is returning from injured reserve. 

The Crimson Wave leaves everything on the field when they play and protecting their body is the last thing they think about. But to play back-to-back games with a team that is as physical as Dale sounds, leaves room for some concern, especially since the Wave plays them this week. 

“Dale can really break us,” Scott said. 

Thomas Dale is 5-1 this season and is coming to Petersburg for the Crimson Wave homecoming game. They are a physical team with players that rival the size of the Wave. With the Wave making it past Dinwiddie in, mostly, one piece it is a quick turnaround to play a team that is physically bigger and stronger than them. 

But all Coach Scott can do is prepare, keep everyone healthy and condition. Prioritizing strength and conditioning is important for any team, but their normal regiment was disturbed due to weight room painting, so they could not lift. Yet, the team was able to adjust and do their job on Friday night, even if the loss was ugly. 

Now, the Wave has to go from one physical game to potentially another physical game. 

 “A really physical and a very athletic team,” said Scott. 

The Crimson Wave is no stranger to athletic teams nor physical teams. But those things can be a lot to handle when a team can do a lot of harm to another, especially with roster numbers being a disadvantage for the Crimson Wave. There are things that Scott and the coaching staff can do to help their players prepare for the game. 

Watching the game film, fixing mistakes from last week, and building on successes are all important parts of preparation. But the Wave cannot prepare for the potential hurt that a team can put on them, especially when they are trying to repair from their hurt against Dinwiddie. 

Scott knows and understands what the assignment is for this week. All his team has to do is stay healthy and heal from the bruises of this week to hopefully make it out of the game against Thomas Dale Friday night in one piece. 

Zoe Collins Rath (she/her/hers) is a sports and education reporter for the Progress-Index. For times email her at ZCollinsRath@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @zoe_jordan99.