Inverness, Fla. — With a week to prepare and reset itself, The Villages High School football team returns to action tonight.

The Buffalo (0-2) will look to pick up their first victory of the season in Inverness, where they'll take on Citrus (0-2) after remaining idle last week.

VHS and the Hurricanes will kick off at 7 p.m. in Citrus County.

THE MATCHUP
The Villages Buffalo
Record: 0-2
Class 2S Rank (MaxPreps): 41
Head Coach: Richard Pettus, 21st year
Citrus Hurricanes
Record: 0-2
Class 3S Rank (MaxPreps): 68
Head Coach: Josh Ross, 1st year

THE SCENE
Date: Friday, Sept. 15
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Citrus High School, Inverness (Fla.)
Surface: Grass
Series: Tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: The Villages 35, Citrus 14 (Sept. 16, 2022)
Twitter: @VHSFootballFBT
Website: athletics.tvcs.org
Tickets: citrusschools.org

FOUR DOWNS
1. Back In Action: The Buffalo are 8-1 coming off an open week since 2013. VHS defeated Citrus, 35-14, last September following its bye week, as the Buffalo jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime and tallied 401 yards of total offense.
2. Don't Go There: VHS is looking to avoid an 0-3 start to the season for the first time since 2012, when the Buffalo finished a disappointing 0-10. 
3. More Points, Please: The Villages has scored just one touchdown through its first eight quarters of play this season. Sophomore Patrick Harding connected with senior Cliff Bridges on a 60-yard touchdown pass in the opener against South Sumter back on Aug. 25 in Bushnell.
4. Just Like Home: The Buffalo have won their last five games taking place in Citrus County since 2017, picking up road wins at Lecanto (three times), Crystal River (once) and Citrus (once) in that time.

FROM THE HEADSET
"We know we've got to get back to the drawing board here a little bit. We know where we're at — in terms of our strengths and weaknesses — and now we really have to put the work in." — VHS head coach Richard Pettus


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.