by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
So the Indians opened the season with an impressive 54-12 win over Surry then followed that up with a 23-6 rainy-night win over Northampton last week to get off to a 2-0 start.
Unfortunately, new head coach Aaron Lewis and staff took a big hit to its offense with returning quarterback Delvin Palmer suffering a fractured wrist in the opening outing.
“Our teamwork, our working together, was great. That’s something I’ve been preaching all summer, to play as a team,” said Lewis of the Indians’ performance last Saturday. “But injuries and getting banged up will be what hurts us the most.”
Lewis, a 2013 graduate of NHS and a former Indians football, basketball and track standout, took over as the new leader of the NHS football program in late July. He led the junior varsity football team last season and brings many of his former JV players with him to the varsity team, including sophomore quarterback Dionte Kelley, who will take over in Palmer’s absence.
Kelley started on the 2016 JV team, which went 8-1 “so he knows the offense we’re running. He’s getting plenty of practice time and I feel confident,” said Lewis.
Palmer is out for several weeks but in his first start of the season ran eight times for 95 yards before coming out with his wrist injury.
The Indians went 2-3 against district teams and finished 7-4 last year to advance to the first round of the regional playoffs, where they lost to Luray.