The Warriors will play their homecoming game Monday, and the Saints will still be in action Saturday. Check out Sunday’s paper for coverage of the Bulldogs and Cavaliers, who moved their games to Thursday night.

Nansemond River High School (5-3) vs. Great Bridge High School (1-7)

Nansemond River was initially scheduled to play its homecoming game Friday night, but due to expected bad weather, the Warriors will play on Monday night instead.

They’ll still celebrate their homecoming festivities over the weekend. And as Nansemond River continues to prepare for Great Bridge, they will be looking for their third win in a row. Great Bridge got its first win of the season last week against Western Branch High School.

Last week, Nansemond River took down a solid Deep Creek High School. The Warriors look to be catching their stride with two games left in the season.

“This week has been one of our best weeks of practice,” Coach Justin Conyers said. “We are just going out there and staying focused, despite all of the homecoming things going on.”

With the game being moved, the Warriors will close out the season playing two games in one week. Conyers believes the toughest task is making sure the team is ready for double-duty next week. It is to Nansemond River’s advantage that they have already gone through it this season. The biggest thing will be getting through next week healthy, as the playoffs loom the following week.

“We just want to make sure we are hitting on all cylinders and playing mistake-free football,” Conyers said. “We want to strive towards our goals, and we feel we can do something special this season.”

Defensively, the last couple of games have been stellar for the Warriors. They scored three defensive touchdowns against Deep Creek and have allowed just 10 points in their last two games.

Nansemond River will be home against Great Bridge at 7 p.m. Monday.

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy (7-1) at Fredericksburg Christian School (7-1)

The Saints’ game this weekend will feature a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II poll. NSA is coming off its first loss, while Fredericksburg is currently on a four-game winning streak.

The Saints will be on the road, but they have shown to play well. They have yet to lose a game on the road this season but know they are in for a challenge against Fredericksburg. The team’s morale remains high, and they are excited to get back on the field to make up for last week.

“The biggest with a team like that is being ready for a physical battle up front,” Coach Mike Biehl said. “They are really good at what they do. Their goals do what they need to do to gain yards, and they are really tough to tackle.”

Like all teams, NSA is trying to catch a solid rhythm heading into the playoffs. Biehl said that people wonder why the Saints scheduled their hardest game for later in the season. The competitor in him wanted to be playing the best teams at the end of the season, which gives them a better chance to peak.

“I’m glad about the way it all turned out,” Biehl said. “It looks as if when the playoffs start we will have seen all those four teams, and that’s exactly how we wanted it.”

NSA will be at Fredericksburg Christian at 2 p.m. Saturday.