October 30, 2023 - The River 95.3

1450 WFTR presents The River Rivalry Trophy to Skyline and Warren County High Schools

1450 WFTR proudly presents The River Rivalry Trophy.

The winner of the annual football matchup between Skyline High School and Warren County High School will receive the trophy to hoist and display for the following year.

Inspiration from the trophy came from other local rivalries like the Barr-Lindon Crimson Apple, which is awarded to the top high school football team in Winchester and Frederick County, and the Shenandoah County Championship.

1450 WFTR worked with Jean’s Jewelers to select a high quality trophy with a classic look that measures nearly three feet high and features a traditional gold cup design at the top.

Each year, the winning school will add a plate to the base with their name, final score, and year.

From when the school’s first began competing against each other in the 2007-2008 school year, the series has stayed close with Skyline currently holding an edge 12-7.

Skyline has won the last four matchups in a row by a combined score of 123-27, but all time, the series has provided some instant classics with eight games decided by one score or less.

The schools played each other twice in 2007, 2008, and 2017.

1450 WFTR coincides the inaugural trophy presentation with the station’s celebration of 75 years of serving the Front Royal and Warren County community.

The latest installation of The River Rivalry will begin Friday, November 3rd at 6:40 pm on 1450 WFTR, The River 95.3, theriver953.com, and the Tune In Radio App with Randy Woodward and Ryan Rutherford.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Frederick County School Board sets budget priorities

The Frederick County School Board established the budget priorities and approved use of supplemental state funds at a special meeting held on October 27th.

During the meeting, the school board approved the budget of $7.3 million with over $4 million to the Special Grants Fund and over $3 million to the Operating Fund.

They also approved the hiring of 22 additional full time positions, two full time School Nutrition positions, and ten full time instructional assistants.

For the Fiscal Year of 2025, some of the budget priorities established include:

instructional initiatives and professional learning
compensation packages to recruit and retain high quality staff
operational funding to address facility maintenance, safety enhancements, and aging school buses and infrastructure

The School Board also approved the 2024-2025 Program of Studies and the administrative assignment of Joseph Strong as the new assistant director of student support services.

He previously served as principal at Red Bud Run and Bass Hoover Elementary Schools.

For further information and supporting documents on these items, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

assistant director of student support services Bass Hoover Budget Priorities facility maintenance Frederick County School Board Joseph Strong Operating Fund Red Bud Run school buses School Nutrition Special Grants Fund supplemental state funds

Same Ol’, Same Ol’

Greetings from The Booth

When will I learn? I’ve just spent another wasted Sunday afternoon, hoping against hope that somehow the Washington Commanders will have found a way to win a close football games. What is that old saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? I truly must be insane. I drank the Kool-Aid when the team started 2-0, and basked in the waters of optimism under a new ownership. Things were surely going to be different in 2023: an elite defense was going to keep us in games while we developed a new quarterback. OC Eric Bieniemy was coming from the Chiefs to spruce up the offense. Former Owner Dan Snyder was gone. All was right with the world.

Fast forward to late October. Since the 2-0 start, the Commanders have sputtered to 1-5 in their last six games, finding a varfiety of ways to lose. A heartbreaking overtime loss to Philadelphia was followed by embarrasing defeats to NFL bottom feeders Chicago (on National TV) and the New York Giants. While not embarrasing themselves yesterday in a 38-31 loss to the Eagles, the end result was all too familiar.

Vince Lombardi once said “winning is a habit.” So is losing, which has become habitual with the once proud Washington franchise. When the Commanders jumped out to a 14-3 lead over Philadelphia yesterday, I tried not to get too excited. In fact, my high school football broadcast partner, Ryan Rutherford, texted that basically the Eagles had us right where they wanted us. We’ve seen the movie before. Washington sprints to early lead, Washington loses lead, Washington makes a comeback to make things interesting in the 4th quarter, only to find a way to lose at the end. And that’s exactly what happened yesterday. It was predictable.

So what now for the Washington Commanders? At 3-5 with the trade deadline approaching (Oct. 31), some hard decisions will have to be made. Is there a playoff run for the club or do they sell some valuable players for future draft capital? Chase Young and Montez Sweat are being mentioned as players who may have played their last game as Commanders. There’s also the question of what role Head Coach Ron Rivera will play in these decisions. Yesterday’s loss to the Eagles may have sealed his fate in Washington. Traditionally, a new owner likes to bring in his own people, and it’s no big secret that this has been an evaluation year for Rivera (and just about everyone else).

Speaking of evaluation, I don’t think any more is needed for Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio, who has worn out his welcome in DC. The Commaners’ defense is hot garbage. There is no pass rush from a supposed elite D-Line, the linebackers are slow, and the secondary is getting torched week after week. Don’t look now, but the Washington defense has given up 30 or more points in 5 of the last 7 games. In a results-based profession, the numbers don’t lie.

Meanwhile, another Sunday I can’t get back is in the books…and sadly it’s the same ol’, same ol’.

Until the next visit from The Booth…Happy Halloween!