JMU's Bridgeforth Stadium to Host First Annual Shenandoah Valley - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

A handful of local high school football teams from Augusta and Rockingham counties will get to play at JMU's Bridgeforth Stadium this season.

On Monday, it was announced that the first annual Shenandoah Valley Football Classic will be played this season at JMU on Friday, October 14th and Saturday, October 15th.

There will be four high school games at JMU on those two days.

Friday at 7pm:   Waynesboro vs. Turner Ashby

Saturday at Noon:  Harrisonburg vs. Broadway

Saturday at 3pm:  East Rockingham vs. Stonewall Jackson

Saturday at 6pm:   Fort Defiance vs. Spotswood

The event is designed to give student-athletes and the communities a unique experience of coming together for a weekend of football in the fall at a college venue.

Fort Defiance head coach Dan Rolfe says, "When I first heard about it I had mixed emotions.  The coach in me said we have a Saturday night game, that takes a day away from the next week and it gets you out of cycle.   It took me about a minute to realize, oh wait a second, we're going to play at James Madison, how cool is that and how cool would it be for the kids and how cool would it be for the community."

Waynesboro head coach Derek McDaniel says, "It's great, it's a great opportunity for our kids to be in the type of venue and play in this stadium on turf.  They played a game here (JMU) last year because of weather and we got to talking, wouldn't it be kind of neat if we could pick a weekend and everybody play."

Waynesboro senior lineman Daniel Everidge says, "It's an amazing experience to be able to play at a college stadium.  It's a unique one of a kind thing."

JMU has historically opened their campus to the VHSL for championship games and allowed high school football games to be played at Bridgeforth Stadium due to field conditions at high school venues.

Tickets:Tickets will be $7 for general admission Friday, $10 for Saturday.
Club $10 Friday & $15 Saturday. 6 years and up need a ticket. Online
ticket sales begin September 1. All day-of sales will be cash only.